THE

PF.TI :RITE.VOL . X .

MARCH, 1887 .

No. 66.

OUR TRAMP ABROAD."I

f is a strange thing," says Francis Bacon, " that in sea voyages,

where there is nothing to be seen but sky and sea, men shouldmake diaries but in land travel, wherein so much is to be observed,

for the most part they omit it . " If this were strange three hundred

years ago, it is equally to be wondered at now. Doubtless we should

all make a resolution to keep a record of all the interesting places wevisit when we travel, and of any curious incidents that come under our

notice . But communication between place and place is nowadays so

easy, and we get over the ground so rapidly and see so much in ashort time, as to make it almost impossible for ordinary mortals to

chronicle their adventures.

There is, however, a means of escape for any Peterites that feel it tobe their duty, but are too lazy to " make diaries ; " namely, to try and

write interesting letters to their relatives from the places they visit,

and such letters may possibly be afterwards available for reference to

assist them in writing those articles for the School Magazine which, of

course, all Peterites—Old or New—intend to write.

" Have you been on the Continent ? " is a question often put, and itis one that the majority of Englishmen have to answer in the negative.

Various excuses are offered for not having ventured across the " silver

streak ." One person says that travelling on the Continent is too ex-pensive (though this is a fallacy, for with proper economy one can

travel as cheaply in Switzerland as in England) ; another says he is

afraid to go because he cannot speak the language, but this again needbe no obstacle, as your mother tongue will get you through most

difficulties . Another says he is " waiting for the Channel Tunnel ."

Well, I have no retort to meet this objector, and must confess that Ihope he may have to wait a very long time !

146

OUR TRAMP ABROAD.

My desire to "go abroad " was not gratified till last year, but then,

with the luck that usually follows leisure, I had a most delightful trip

with two friends ; though we did not stray far from what is called the

" beaten track ." In the space at my disposal, I intend to pass

hurriedly over the better known parts I visited and give most attention

to an account of Zermatt and the way thither, for comparatively few

tourists go there, in consequence of the difficulties of the road for

ladies.

I travelled to Paris from London, viii Dover and Calais, on a bright

Sunday in June . This is a bad day to cross, as the Company do not

expect many passengers and put on their smallest steamer for the run.

On a calm day this would not have mattered much, but there was a

strong breeze blowing and ere long many of the passengers were glad

to avail themselves of the " crockery," which two sailors served out in

a most systematic manner to any that seemed to require such attentions.

The sight of a basin is the " last straw " to many a poor voyager, who

has been warding off sea-sickness successfully till one of these is

brought under his notice ! I was lucky enough to escape, though if

the voyage had been much longer I too should have had to give in.

Three (lays was all I could then devote to the sights of Paris, as I

had to push on to Bourg-en-Bresse to meet, by arrangement, my two

friends—a lady and a gentleman—who were to be my companions for

the trip . Bourg proved a charming resting-place as it is a thoroughly

old-world town, where the peasants still wear those pictureque costumes

and wooden shoes which artists are so fond of putting on their figures

in French landscapes, but which are not often seen in reality. Next

morning we visited the old cathedral, and then walked to Bron, a

distance of about two miles, to see the celebrated church there, which

contains some of the finest monuments to be seen in France . In the

afternoon we pushed on to Geneva, where we arrived rather late at

night, and found the station literally besieged with hotel 'buses, all the

conductors of which trying to secure our patronage for their hotel by

shouting, chiefly in French, at the top of their voices ! However, we

had decided beforehand on the Hotel National, as it is situated on the

outskirts of the town, and commands an excellent view of the Lake.

That first night, on retiring to our rooms and stepping out on the

balcony which runs outside the hotel windows, we had a sight worthy

of poet ' s song. The moon was about at the full, and shining on the

OUR TRAMP ABROAD .

147

placid waters of the Lake, reflected the beautiful outlines of the

surrounding hills . while to our right the numerous lights from the lamps

-on the bridges, which connect the two halves of the town, formed a'striking contrast with the rest of the scene.

Geneva itself is disappointing ; it has fine shops and streets, but is

only Paris in miniature. We had a most enjoyable day on the Lake

while there, sailing up and down the entire length of it on the steamer-" Mont Blanc," which leaves Geneva at 9-15 every morning for

Bouveret, at the other end of the Lake, calling at numerous places en

route. notably at Ouchy, the port for Lausanne, and at all the close-.together landing-stages of those charming winter resorts variously

named Clarens, Montreux, and Chillon, where the English tongue is

more heard than any other from November to April . We got off at

Montreux for the double purpose of seeing the world-famed GlionRailway and having our mid-day meal, awaiting there the return of the

'steamer from Bouveret—the terminus of the Rhone Valley Railway.

The most striking feature of Geneva ' s Lake is the extreme blueness ofits waters, though the passage of the Rhone through it can be distinctly

marked by the waters being of a more brownish hue in the centre.

The boats we saw on the Lake had mostly got graceful lateen sails,which are rarely seen elsewhere, except on the Mediterranean shores.

The pleasure of this excursion depends entirely on the weather, and in

this we were singularly fortunate both here and elsewhere ; indeed welad not one wet day during the month we spent in Switzerland.

But I shall only have space to indicate the route we took in order to

push on to Zermatt . From Geneva we drove to Chamonix in an open

' carriage, breaking the journey at the village of Sallanches, where we

spent the night pleasantly, save for the annoyance of some big flies,

nearly an inch long, which got into our rooms and punished usseverely ; me especially . Next morning we were called at 5-30 to get

the first view possible, from our approach, of the monarch of mountains.-I must say a word or two about this sight, as it was one of the finest

we had in Switzerland. There was mist over the land, continued up

to white clouds in the sky, which seemed like the monarch's bed-clothes . but through a rift his head was clearly seen, reclining, as it

were, on his pale sky-blue pillow, his face looking almost as bright as

the sun which was shining upon him . It seemed as if the moon had

-suddenly come nearer to the earth, so celestial did the mountain

148

OUR ').RAMP ABROAD.

vision appear. Our hotel was well named Hotel Belle Vue, for it was

indeed a " belle vue " which greeted our eyes that morning.We remained at Chamonix several days to do some of the numerous

excursions and climbs in its neighbourhood (some of which I may be

able to describe in a future article), and from there we drove in acarriage built to suit the narrow passes through the mountains to

Vernayaz in the Rhone Valley, arriving in time to visit the George du.

Trient before table d ' laute at the hotel . This is an immense cleft in the

rock through which the waters of the river Trient rush with great fury ..The sides are 48o feet in height, and the tops are so close together as.

to exclude most of the light . The temperature inside is very low on

the hottest day, as the sun never shines directly into the gorge . There'

are ample indications on the sides of the rocks of the course the glaciers ).which assisted in making the cleft, have taken . A wooden galleryhas been constructed in it, hung to iron bars driven into the rock, on,which we were able to walk about a quarter of a mile up to the foot of a.beautiful waterfall.

At Vernayaz we joined the Rhone Valley Railway, and took train+

from there to Visp, where we were to get horses for St. Nicholas, dt

route for Zermatt . I never experienced such heat as we had during

that railway journey through that torrid valley, and we were all glad toleave the hot railway carriage at Visp.

After refreshments, we arranged about horses . There is no road.from Visp to St . Nicholas—only a bridle path, tolerably well kept ..We engaged three horses : one for the lady of our party, one for thegentlemen, (I and my friend walking in turns), and the third horse

carried the baggage we considered necessary for out stay at Zermatt,

though we had reduced it to a minimum at Visp. The route the-bridle-path takes is very picturesque, especially after passing the village

of Sta 1 den. At one time it descends to the bottom of the valley, ant ;l

then ascends a steep zig-zag path to the top, only to descend again by

another zig-zag in order to cross the river that flows through the valley.The guides are the proprietors of their horses, and " Ferdinand, '

who looked after our lady ' s horse, proved a most interesting fellowWe selected him because he could speak French (most of the guides at

this end of Switzerland only speaking German) . Our other guide

turned out a " gay deceiver," for he was recommended on account of

the knowledge of English he possesed. In fact it was stated on his

OUR TRAMP ABROAD .

I49

behalf that he could speak three languages—German, English, and

American—but we soon learnt that his knowledge of the last two was

very superficial, in fact he knew nothing beyond a few stereotypedphrases (picked up at New York during a stay there) which he used on

every suitable or unsuitable occasion . He was a very ordinary looking

" Dutchman." Ferdinand, on the other hand, had quite a distinguishedair about him . He was a man of middle height, and carried himself

with rather a military gait. When we made his acquaintance, he wore,

.on the back of his head, a straw hat with a broad brim, and had aheavy moustache and "imperial ." His blue eyes had a very intelligent

expression . We got quite interested in him while he was with us, both

going up to Zermatt and coming down again, and we speculated

among ourselves on his history, something of which we learnt after-wards from the lady who kept the buffet at Visp Railway Station.

Several things we noticed made us suspect he had "seen better days ";

for instance, when given a parcel to carry, he would at once accept it,

but rather than carry it himself he would pay a trifle to the first boy he

met on the road, to carry it for him. This we discovered afterwards.

He was on most friendly terms with his mare, " Elizabetta, " to whomhe talked in the most confidential manner, when not engaged in

pointing out some place of interest to us ; and when we were ascending

or descending the zig-zag paths referred to above, he guided her byholding her tail in his hand and giving a slight tug, to indicate the

direction she was to go in.

But to continue our journey ; as it was almost five o 'clock before we

got away from Visp, it was dark before our arrival, at nine o 'clock, atSt . Nicholas, where we were to spend the night, so that the good cheerwe received at the excellent hotel was very welcome, and we waited

there till the extreme heat of the next (lay was over before proceeding.

We were not sorry to exchange the bridle-path for the narrow, but wellkept road from St . Nicholas to Zermatt . Many of the guides keep

carriages at St . Nicholas, specially built for this narrow road . They

profess to take only two passengers and no heavy luggage, but when"Elizabetta " was put into harness, Ferdinand drove us all in excellent

-time . The road is, of course, uphill most of the way, and we wereobliged to go slowly at the steep parts . Here the men went afoot and

were thus able to gather some of the beautiful wild flowers which kept

-increasing in number and beauty the higher we ascended . As we

150

OUR TRAMP ABROAD.

neared Zermatt, fresh mountain peaks came into view ; first the-

Breithorn, then the Little Matterhorn, and lastly the stupendous

Matterhorn itself, which, in some respects, is more imposing even than

Mont Blanc. Its form, which is like a pyramid, is peculiar to itself,_and being so steep, it is never covered entirely with snow, the rock

always showing through.

At Zermatt we put up at the Hotel du Mont Cervin (i.e . French for

Matterhorn) where we were most comfortable . The next day we

remained at Zermatt and strolled about the place, visiting the church-

yard where are the graves of Mr. Hudson, a clergyman, Mr. Hadow,

Lord Francis Douglas, and their guide, named Croz, who were killed,

in 1865, in descending the Matterhorn, after having made the first

successful ascent to the top . They had a rope bound round them for

safety, as is usual, but in this instance it proved most fatal, for when

Mr. Hadow lost his footing, he pulled the others with him—they being

unable to hold him up— and they all fell, to be dashed to pieces 4,000,

feet below Now the rock has been blasted in parts and rails fixed at

the most difficult places, so that the ascent is not such a great feat anylonger.

Zermatt is a small place, consisting of three large hotels and a few

picturesque Swiss Chalets, but it is 5319 feet above the sea, and theair is delicious . The valley, however, is narrow, and the view restrictedr

so that few remain there long . Herr Seiler, the owner of all the

Zermatt hotels, has lately built a magnificent one higher up on theRiffelberg, about two-thirds of the way to his well-known little Riffel

Hotel (from which Alpine peak-climbers make their early morning.

starts) . This new hotel is, for distinction, called the Hotel Riffel

Alp.Next morning we ascended the Riffelberg, to the left of Zermatt, by

the zig-zag path which runs through a pinewood as far as the Riffel

Alp. The views all the way up are excellent—of the Matterhorn,.

Rothhorn, Weisshorn, and also of the Gorner Glacier . The new hotel

is fitted tip according to English taste and comfort . Here many

English and American tourists come to spend their summer and recruit

their health . We breakfasted here and then continued our climb to,

the Riffelberg Hotel.This is a "rough and ready " sort of house, built of stone ; the stone

staircase has no bannisters, and the fireplaces are simply what that

OUR TRAMP ABROAD .

151

name indicates, for there are no grates, only a stone hearth for the fire

in the rooms . We left our lady at the hotel, and my friend and I

ascended the easy zig-zags on the rocky ridge above the Riffelberg,called the Gorner Grat, which is 10,289 feet above the sea, and com-

mands a most imposing view. We met no one on our way to the

summit, and were able to sit down there and, entirely surrounded by

snow-clad peaks, to enjoy the impressive stillness ; in fact one has thefeeling while there of being in another world . One thing that appeared

strange was the apparent nearness of the surrounding peaks ; but when

one throws a stone with all one's force it seems to travel no distance.Here we sat gazing for some time on the heights of Monte Rosa, and

then leaving the scene with reluctance, descended to our hotel, 2,000

feet below, arriving in time for table d' hole. The long table of the

dining room was well filled at dinner time ; men of a variety of

nationalities were there, the German predominating, and talking so

loud as to monopolise the conversation. There was only one other

lady present besides the one of our party.We who were clad for the extreme heat of the valley below, found

the temperature at this altitude anything but pleasant, so after dinner

we retired to our rooms and enjoyed the grateful warmth of a bright

fire of pine-wood logs, which we got them to make for us . Next

morning we found the whole Riffelberg surrounded with a white mist,which completely hid the landscape, and had this happened a day

earlier we should have missed the view of the amphitheatre of snow-clad

peaks from the Gorner Grat. Under these circumstances the bestthing to be done was to descend, to Zermatt as quickly as possible ,

which we did ; and after a time we got out of the mist and enjoyed

the walk through the pine-wood extremely.We remained that night at Zermatt, and there met our trusty guide

Ferdinand, who had just brought up another party from St . Nicholas.

We arranged with him to start at six next morning for Visp, to escapethe extreme heat of the day. By this means, we got to St . Nicholas in

time for a light breakfast and pushed on to Stalden, arriving there byu o ' clock, thus being on the shady side of the valley all the way . We

had di:leaner here, and rested till three o ' clock, only leaving for Visp in

time to catch our train to Brieg, where we spent the night at Hotel

des Couronnes et Poste.Before saying good-bye to Ferdinand at Visp—which we did with

mutual regret— he introduced to us a friend of his, who was going

152

OUR TRAMP ABROAD.

next day from Brieg to Andermatt with his carriage and four horses tomeet a party, and he offered to take us there for the price of a carriage

and two horses, of which good offer we took advantage.

Of the remainder of our "tramp abroad" I do not propose to saymuch. We left Brieg next morning with our " four-in-hand " for

Andermatt, via the Rhone Glacier and Furka Pass, taking two days

over it . Thence we drove to Geschenen to join the St . GotthardRailway (just below the famous long tunnel), and there got train to

Lucerne . Here we found the heat intense, and a mist was hanging

over the Lake, which made it useless to go to the expense of going upthe Rigi by the climbing railway, so that a couple of days sufficed to

see the principal sights . We therefore hurried back to Paris (travellingby sleeping-car at night to Bale), and arrived there without other in-

convenience than having to turn out at midnight on the French frontier

to have all our luggage examined.

But all good things must come to an end . As Shakespere says," If all the year were playing holidays,

To sport would be as tedious as to work ."

So perhaps it is as well for those, like me, whose holidays, as "they

seldom come they wished for come ." We left Paris for England after a

few days spent in that luxurious city, and crossed from Boulogne to

Folkestone on a " pet day."Thus ended a most interesting and enjoyable trip . It is one that I

can confidently recommend to my friends .

R . W. C.

SCHOOL LETTER.

AS far as the School is concerned, football is over and boating is

now the order of the day . Thanks to the untimely frost, very little

football has been practicable this term. The Tadcaster match had to

be given up, while for the two matches that were played, scarcely any

previous practice was indulged in . However, we succeeded in defeating

a strong team representing the York Banks, and in playing a very evengame with Beverley, who were still in full practice.

An unusually early start was made in boating, and before Shrove

Tuesday all the House Fours had made their appearance on the river.Of the Senior House Fours, the Day Boys have only one of last

year ' s winning crew ; they are fortunate, however, in securing the

SCHOOL LETTER .

1 53

services of Clarke, who rowed 3 in the School House boat last year, and

these, with Hutchings and E . Procter, make up a crew that will take a

good deal of beating. The School House have by far the heaviest boat,

and they ought to turn out a very good crew . Gofton is stroke, beingsupported by Allan at 3, Crosthwaite 2, and Hood bow . The Rev.C. R. Gilbert's House have not a single member of last year's Senior

left, but three of the winning Junior are available, so they will bepreserved from absolute insignificance. The fourth place is filled by

Bennett, which proves the enormous advantage of third boats . With

regard to School Fours, those old rivals the Sixth and Civil ought tohave a desperate struggle, though judging from physique the Sixth

ought to be able to repeat their last year's victory . The Juniors and

Third boats all seem about up to the average, and some very good

races ought to take place amongst them . Several improvements have

been effected in the boat house, and we would remind our readers thatthese are not accomplished without cost.

The Debating Society has begun with renewed vigour under the able

and energetic presidency of Mr. Routh . The Society seems to gain

ground steadily every year, and now a very considerable degree ofinterest is taken in the debates . Moreover, which is a very healthy sign,this interest is no longer, as has heretofore been the case, confined to

sitting and listening . Silent members are now becoming rather the

exception, and nearly everyone does his best to contribute more orless to the enlightenment of his fellow men . The motion on Irishevictions in particular called forth floods of eloquence worthy of anancient school of oratory.

Shrove Tuesday for a wonder turned out fine, and tempted several

parties to ply the well-turned oar in fours, and boats of other descrip-tions . Excepting for a little wind both river and weather were all thatcould be desired, and gave no one any cause to regret having trustedto them.

We were glad to see that a corres pondent signing himself Cricketer,"took up our suggestion with regard to the cricket colours, and having

(to use his own words) done his best to find out all about them,"

had come to the conclusion that chocolate and white are really theSchool colours . We hope that, after this, we shall soon see themadopted . Owing to the abnormal shortness of the term, the boat races

will soon be upon us, and in a very few weeks we shall all be tuggingat our oars in earnest . Our only hope is that the best boats may win .

154

FOOTBALL.v. YORK BANKS, at York, January 26th.

As this match was played on the first day of the term, the School

team was naturally placed at a considerable disadvantage from want of

combination . It was very evident that several members of it had notrecovered from the effect of Xmas orgies . Both P>ulman and \Vaud had

left, so that only Gofton was left of the three-quarters, consequentlyJackson had to be taken from half, and Wilson from forward to fill thevacancies . The forwards, were, further weakened by the absence of

Rouse and Birks, who had not yet returned . We were, however,

fortunate in having once more the services of T . P. Clarke. The

Banks got together a very fair XV., and made a very creditable show.

The School won the toss, and played up hill first. Scrimmaging was

the order of the day for a considerable time . The Banks wereconfined to their 25, and had to touch down once or twice . After

fifteen minutes play Mawson, by smart following up, obtained a try,

but the attempt at goal by Wilson was a failure . The visitors played

up harder after this, but the School forwards took the ball well intotheir 25, when a neat pass to Wilson enabled him to cross the line.

Gofton failed to convert it into a goal . Almost immediately after some

combined play between Wilson and Crosthwaite ended in the latter

getting the third try, which was not improved upon . No further pointwas obtained up to half-time . As the School had now the advantage ofwind and hill, it was expected that they would considerably augment

their score. But this was not the case, as the Banks played much

better than (luring the first half. The only point obtained was a try by

Wilson, right behind, from which Gofton kicked a goal . The Schoolwas consequently left winners by r goal, 3 tries, and 8 minors to r

minor. Of the School backs E . Procter gave a perfect exhibition of

kicking, and Crosthwaite Allan, and Whaley among the forwards

played grandly . For the Banks, Nelson, who saved several tries by his

splendid collaring, Haynes and Procter among the backs, and Gabb,

forward did excellent service.

The following represented the School :—E. Procter (back);

J . G. Wilson, J . E. Gofton, H. Jackson (three-quarters) ; W. L . Procter,N. L . Hood (half) ; R. Crosthwaite, O . W. Whaley, IV. Hutchings, T.P.

Clarke, H . Smith, H . Allan, A . C. Clarke, F. Mitchell, and A . Mawson(forwards) .

FOOTBALL.

1 55

z' . BEVERLEY, at York, February 26th.

This was the last match of the season, and considerable interestwas taken in it, as the match with Beverley last term had ended in

defeat . The School were sadly in want of practice, as they had only

once had a game of any sort for three weeks . Still the match was

very close, and there was little or nothing to choose between the twosides. 'F. P. Clarke was unable to play, but we had the services of\Vaud . Beverley elected to play down hill with a strong wind behindthem. Gofton kicked off and the ball was returned into touch at the

half-way flag . The game was mainly a forward one at first, and the ball

remained in neutral ground for the first twenty minutes or so, thetackling on both sides being too safe for any long runs . At last one of

the visitors' three-quarters took a long low drop, the ball hit the posts

and went off at right angles about twenty yards . One of the forwards,

who was apparently off-side, dropped on the ball and claimed a try,

which was allowed . A beautiful goal was kicked from it . The Schoolwere rather pressed after this, and had to touch clown twice . After

half-time, having the advantage of wind, hill, and sun, they made a

vigorous attack upon the visitors ' 25 . Wilson made a short dribble,and then picking up managed to evade his opponents and secured

a try for the School . Gofton 's kick only missed by half a foot

Nothing further was scored until just before time, Beverley obtained atry close to the touch line. The kick was unsuccessful . The School

backs were not particularly brilliant, Procter repeatedly failing to gethis kick in . The halves were quite out-classed, and did not feed thethree-quarters at all well . The forwards played a very good game

throughout. Dunkerly and Brough among the forwards, and the three-

quarters showed up most prominently for Beverley.

With this match the School season closed . 13 matches wereplayed, of which 6 were won, 6 lost, and 1 drawn, a record which if not

brilliant is by no means poor, considering the great disadvantages with

which we had to contend . By next season, Wilson, Crosthwaite,

Whaley, Clarke, Procter, Smith, Rouse, and Hutchings will have left,so that only five of the regular XV will be available . Still, as there are

several promising players rapidly coming to the front, there is noreason to be despondent, and we heartily wish the team of 1887 good

luck .

It may be of interest to add that of the 63 tries obtained during

the whole season, Waud obtained 19, Wilson 12, Bulman 7, Gofton 6,

15 6

FOOTBALL.

Crosthwaite 5, Jackson 6, Rouse 3, Whaley, Clarke, Smith, andHutchings i each . Wand also dropped a goal.

A TEAM v . WHITE ROSE A, January 3oth.

The School was strengthened by the importation of Wilson,Jackson, Gabb, Allan, and Procter, as very few members of the secondteam were available . The match was well-contested throughout, butwas of a somewhat rough character . The White Rose had only a

vague idea of the rules, so that a considerable time was spent in

instructing them that it was necessary to put the ball down at oncewhen collared . In the first half Wilson obtained a try after a very

unnecessary maul, but failed to improve upon it ; 6 minors were alsoscored . The home team scored a few more minors, but could getnothing more substantial until close on time, when Wilson receiving a

pass from Jackson, handed off his opponents, and crossed the line.The shot at goal went wide of the posts . The School backs played a

safe game throughout, while Allan and Gabb performed herculean featsforward .

EDINBORO' LETTER.

B RIEF as is the time which is allowed us in which to glean material

for an Edinboro' letter, yet it is not so brief but that we may be

able to gather a few facts that may be of interest to your readers.

First and foremost let us turn our attention to Football . TheUniversity XV . share the honour with the West of Scotland Club ofpossessing an unbroken record in purely Scottish matches . InNovember last, the inter-city match was played at Glasgow, andresulted in a win for Glasgow. L. E. Stevenson figured as one of theleading forwards in the Edinboro' team . The second contest of

importance in Scotland came off at the end of January, and resulted ina win for the East over the West, by a goal and two tries to a goal and

a try . Stevenson, Morison, Johnston, and Simpson were those of the

University team chosen to play for the East . Johnston was the first

to score for the East, and in the second half of the game Stevensonsucceeded in getting another try . The winning point was scored by

Irvine, of the Academicals . The game was splendidly contested

throughout, and was productive of some very fine play . We must not

omit mentioning that Stevenson was chosen as a forward reserve for

EDINBURGH LETTER .

t57

the International team . Many, indeed, thought he should have got

his cap, as he undoubtedly has shown splendid form throughout the

season.The match above-mentioned is, in all probability, the last in which

we shall ever have the pleasure of seeing A . R. Grant-Asher figuring,

as he sustained a compound fracture of the thigh . We might mention

that C . Rose is figuring well in his club, the Collegiate.

The first of a series of Smoking Concerts, managed by the Students '

Representative Council, will take place shortly, and will no doubtreceive a hearty support from the students.

The site for the Union has at length been fixed, and everything isready for a start to be made.

Before closing, we must not omit to mention the universal sorrow

felt at the death of our Lord Rector, the late Lord Iddesleigh . In

commemoration of this sad event a funeral service was held at St.

Giles ' Cathedral, which the Senatus attended in full academic costume.

The Prince of Wales has been asked to allow himself to be nominatedas the new Lord Rector ; but we learn that he has refused, excusing

himself on the ground of want of time.

J . S.

CAMBRIDGE LETTER.

IF the task of writing a Cambridge Letter had been imposed on us a

a few days earlier, we should have been forced to speak with fearand misgiving of a subject which is, perhaps, at the present time, that

of most interest, the 'Varsity boat . Early in the week our outlook

seemed rather gloomy ; Muttlebury had been unable to row all the

term, and it was said all hope of his coming back was at an end ;

Fairbairn was reported to be unable to row, and Orford, the best of the

new men, had sprained his ankle badly while getting into a pant . Our

prospects were, however, considerably brightened when, on Wednesday,both the former appeared again. Muttlebury at six, and Fairbairn at

five, thus settling two of the middle places which have been subject to

such constant changes . If Orford could only recover in time to take

his place in the crew, the boat should be at least strong . Seeing that

the crew has not yet, as far as we know, been finally settled, it is hard

to say anything of its prospects on the Thames ; but though Oxford

have rowed as they are for some time, and would appear, therefore, to

15S

CAMBRIDGE LETTER.

have the better chance, it must be remembered that the case was just

the same last year, and it was not till they left Cambridge that the crew

underwent their final change.

The last few days the " Lents " have been the all absorbing interest ..

There was some very exciting racing, especially among the boats at the.

top of the first division . On the second day Corpus did not catchJesus till within a hundred yards or so of the post, while on the third,

Corpus, Jesus, and Lady Margaret were within a few feet of one

another at the finish . In the end, Corpus, in which St . Peter 's was.represented by Fausset, remained head . We must congratulate thelatter on getting his oar, and also on being elected Secretary of his

College Club . The only other Peterite rowing was Crawshaw, who ,

stroked the first Pembroke boat.

Since last the Peterite appeared we have been honoured by a visitfrom Mr. Gladstone, who met with what the papers call an "enthusiastic

reception ." The great man visited various Colleges, and amongst other

things planted a tree at Newnham, which has since disappeared, and

though a correspondent of the Review hopes the remover has by this.

time had enough of "fearful joy, " and awaits anxiously its return." (sub node) " still remains wanting.

We hear that the ~'dipus Tyrannus has been selected as the play to

be performed next October term. Judging from the success with

which the Eumenides met we look forward to it with pleasant antici-

pation .C . H.

OXFORD LETTER.

THE river has for the last few days been the chief centre of attrac-

tion it has, in fact, presented much greater attractions than itusually does in the Torpid 's week . The storms of bitter wind and rain

which usually greet those persons who are brave enough to hold out on•the barges watching the struggle, were on this occasion entirely absent.

Owing to the low current, too, the labour of the crews was considerablyheightened . The results, at any rate in the first division, do not at all

represent the interest and excitement of the races ; for, though the firstfive boats rowed over night after night, yet, with the exception ofB.N.C. first, which never allowed Exeter to approach nearer than half

a length, almost every night witnessed a hard struggle between some of

OXFORD LETTER .

159

hem. As usually is the case, those who ventured to foretell results,

were proved lying prophets . Queen's, they said, would make several

bumps, and might even finish head of the river ; Queen ' s fell two places,.

and finished eighth . University was certain to go down ; on the con-

trary, it rose two places . St. Catherine's was stroked by Peel, but was

unfortunate enough to go down ; Cobb rowed bow in New Coll.second, which, after making a bump, was in turn bumped by B .N .C.

second . This latter boat has only been put on the river this year, buthas already risen four places . The Rai/le, the little paper which always

attends the Torpids, has shewn itself as lively as usual . In one of its

numbers appeared a Latin poem, by a writer whom we used to be

chiefly acquainted with through a certain work on Greek prose . It ispleasant to think that he can lend himself to composition on such light

subjects as Torpids . The following verses are an extract :Torpido quis quis cupis interesseOcius lecto careas alunda

Vesperi somnum repetas teneilis

Ocius agnis.

Mane to cruda repleas bovina,

Seu magis pullus placet, aut ofelleeOris extinguat silientis ignes

Mot hius humor.

Sic tibi parcet bent remignntiRaucus e ripa reboans magister,

Ante ccdentem tua sic phaselumProra vorabit.

It would be rash to venture on any prophecies concerning theUniversity boat race . We hear that the Oxford crew are improving, solet us hope for the best.

To turn to Football . In the match against the Clapham Rovers,

Wilson played half for the Rovers, as they were short of men . The'Varsity pressed their opponents too hard to admit of his shewing any

very brilliant play, but he saved well all through. The Association

team have on the whole been very successful this term, despite thedefeat they suffered from Cambridge . They always seem to play much

better in the latter part of a game, taking some time to get together.

A conspicuous illustration of this may be seen in the match against

Aston Villa, in which the 'Varsity let their opponents score four goalsin the first quarter of an hour . It is only fair to state that the ' Varsity

had the blazing sun in their eyes for the first half of the game . As itwas they nearly drew, obtaining three goals later on .

a6o

OXFORD LETTER.

The fire at Queen 's, though so long extinct, still continues to remind

us of its ravages . For the last few weeks we have seen a solid mass of

scaffolding gradually surrounding the damaged wing . Pole has been

added to pole, and p'ank to plank, until the structure bids fair to over-

top all the surrounding buildings . The three statues, though they

stood up so grandly on the night of the fire, and defied the flames to

harm them, must, it appears, come down after all, as the stones under-neath them are injured . As there appears to be considerable doubt

about the identity of these statues, a suggestion (which appears at leastas likely as any other) has been offered, that they are intended to

represent Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

We are glad to see that at last some efforts are being made to put an

end to the extensive book thieving by which the Union library has been

robbed of so many volumes . A graduate member of this Universitywas a short time ago brought before the Vice-Chancellor's court charged

with this offence . It is to be hoped that he will be made an example of.

Oxford, like all the rest of the world, is discussing the best method

of celebrating the Jubilee. The preparations will be on an extensive

scale, if report says true . Report even ventures to say that the Queen

will be present in Oxford, and will have a degree conferred up on her .

The city authorities, if we are not mistaken, are already beginning to

look for sources from which they may meet the expenses ; they

evidently are hard up, and will leave no means untried . The trees in

the Parks' road—trees, alas ! no longer—have been the first victims.

For some time past we have been watching them denuded of their

branches, and reduced to forlorn stumps . Can the wood thus procured

be of sufficient value to make it worth while perpetrating suchbarbarism ? Will the trees in the Broad Walk be the next victims ?

We conclude with all good wishes to those old Peterites who are

within a few days to be tortured in the schools . May their pens scratch

on merrily as any there, and may results prove that they have not

scratched in vain .

DEBATING SOCIETY.

THE first meeting of the Debating Society was held on January 29th,

when the following were elected officers :—President, Rev . W.

Routh ; Vice-President, J . H. G. Wilson ; Secretary, H. W. Allan,

Messrs . Carroll, Birks, Rose, Lane i, Lane ii, Douglas iii, Metcalfe,

DEBATING SOCIETY .

161

Bennett, Young, Naylor, and Crowther were elected members. It was

proposed by H . W. Allan, seconded by O. W. Whaley, and carried

that every member of the Society in the Sixth Form bring forward one

motion during the Session. Proposed by J . H . G. Wilson, seconded

by 0 . W. Whaley, and carried, that the members of the Lower School

be admitted, but not allowed to speak or vote.

The Debating Society met on Saturday, February 5th, when a motion

was brought forward by 0 . W. Whaley, That modern civilisation does

not tend to happiness . " The proposer argued that civilisation did away

with manual labour and likewise with chivalry, that it tended to make

society artificial, and that modern dress was as uncomfortable as

possible . The motion was seconded by A . C. Clarke. J . H . G. Wilson,opposing, said that there must be civilisation or none at all . As far as

he was concerned, he preferred the former. Rev. W. Routh said that

if machinery were done away with the population would have to be

lessened by 15 millions ; that if we had received some diseases through

civilisation, we had also through it received cures for others.FOR .

AGAINST.

O . W. Whaley.

J . II . G . Wilson.A. C . Clarke .

II . W . Allan.

C . Whaley .

R . Crosthwaite.

N . L . Hood.K. T. Wilkinson.M . II . Carroll.Rev. W . Routh.

On division the numbers wereFor 6Against r8

The motion was therefore lost by a majority of 12.

This, for the first debate of the term, was above the average, and

though considerably one-sided, was by no means devoid of interest,The comprehensiveness and vagueness of the subject, however, did not

allow of the matter being fully discussed.

On Saturday, February 12th, J . H . G. Wilson brought forward amotion that " The state of Eng'and is rotten ." Wilson urged, as an.argument for the motion, the present inefficiency of the army and navy.

He pointed out, too, the lack of patriotism in the country, and

desc ibed with considerable vigour and vividness the wretched state

of Parliament," and the want of unity so conspicuous in it. 0. IV . .

162

DEBATING SOCIETY.

Whaley, in seconding the motion, pointed out the racecourse and thepublication of " unpalatable matter " in the papers as a great argument

in favour of the motion . The motion was opposed by K . T . Wilkinson,who considered that, in comparison with other states, we could not be

placed below them, and that in many cases our state was preferable to theirs.FOR.

AGAINST.

J . H . G . Wilson (2) .

K. T . Wilkinson.O. W. Whaley .

N . L . Hood.M. H . Carroll.

J . F . Leaf.

Rev. W. Routh.

On division the numbers wereFor qAgainst I S

The motion was therefore lost by a majority of q.

The speeches throughout were somewhat vague, but were successful

in keeping up the interest in the debate. Several members, too, made

promising debuts, and their speeches augur well for the future of the

Debating Society.We should have mentioned that, previous to the debate, J . H. G.

Wilson, seconded by O . W. Whaley, moved that " the opposer of a

motion should in future speak before the seconder," urging that in this

way the seconder would be better able to speak, and further interest

would be added to the debate . The motion was carried nern. con.

On Saturday, February r 9th, A . C. Clarke brought forward a motion

that " The Glenbeigh evictions in Ireland were justifiable . " A. C.

Clarke argued that the land belonged to the landlords, and that, there-fore, if their tenants did not pay rent they were justified in evicting

them. In his opinion the chief cause of the evictions were the Irish

Nationalists themselves. The motion was seconded by J . H. G.Wilson, who said that landlords had been especially lenient in Ireland,

and that Ireland ought to be treated in the same manner as other

countries .FOR .

AGAINS T.

NEUTRAL.

A. C . Clarke .

R . Crosthwaite .

Rev . W. Routh

J . II . G . Wilson .

H . W. Allan.

O . W. Whaley .

J . F . Leaf.

C . Whaley .

K . T. Wilkinson.

N . T, . Hood .

M . II . Carroll.

J . E . Gofton.II . F . Chadwick.A. T. IIopkins .

DEBATING SOCIETY.

163

The House divided, with the resultFor tqAgainst 9

The motion was therefore carried by a majority of 8.

The debate was well sustained throughout, and more members gave'their opinion on this motion than in any other debate in our memory.

On Saturday, February 26th. Rev. C . R . Gilbert moved that "Furtherrestrictions on the liberty of speech and of the press are absolutely

.necessary for the well-being of the community ." The mover touchedupon the waste of time in the House of Commons, especially referringto the debate on the Address . He thought that wherever the expres-

sion of opinion was harmful to the community it should be restricted,but not otherwise ; as an example, in his opinion the meetings ofSocialists should be forbidden in populous towns . With regard to thePress, he did not advocate restrictions on political news—although the

desire to see their speeches in print caused several members of Parlia-

ment to speak oftener than was needful—but only on criminal news.A . C . Clarke seconded the motion, and said that as time waspressing he would merely say that he heartily agreed with all the opinions

of the mover on the subject. O. W. Whaley thought that libertyof speech and of the press was one of the greatest blessings of thecountry, and that any curtailment of it would lessen the well-being

of the community . The opposition was supported by J . H. G.

Wilson, who said that the expression of opinion acted as a safety-valvefor the evil plans and intentions of men.

FOR

AGAINSTRev . C . R. Gilbert .

O . W. Whaley.A . C . Clarke .

J . H . G . Wilson.

Rev . W. Routh.

The House divided with the following result :For roAgainst to

The result being a tie, the Rev. W. Routh as President, gave histasting vote against the motion which was therefore lost by a majority of r.

This debate was not so well attended as usual, though this does notaccount for the small number of speeches made. The members didnot appear to possess their customary fluency of speech ; perhaps,

indeed, because they did not wish to waste time, and decided to put

in practice the restrictions on public speech, which were advocated by

the mover of the motion .

164

CORRESPONDENCE.

To THE EDITORS OF THE " PETERITE . "

DEAR SIRS,In answer to your correspondent, who signs himself "School

House, " I beg to state that it is hardly fair to say that the teams "were

not at all representative, " as, to the best of my knowledge, at our first

meeting there was only one man absent from the School House team,,and at the second meeting, although there were two men absent, yer

they were ably represented, having two second XV day boys playing

for them, whom they themselves selected . I think, therefore, that the.

gentleman signing himself " School House, " has suffered his loyalty to.his side to overcome his sober judgment when he says that "no decision,.

can be come to as to their relative merits ;" for in as much as we beat

them so easily when they had first one, and then two men away, I .feel sure that you will agree with me in thinking that the result would,hardly have been doubtful, even had they played their full strength.

I remain,

Yours, &c .,

CLIFTON GREEN HOUSE.

NOTES AND ITEMS.

J. 'H. G.WILSON has been elected to a Hastings Exhibition at Queen's

College, Oxford.

R. CROSTHWAITE and A . RousE have been elected on the Boating

Committee.

The REV. E. BARBER has been appointed to the Archdeaconry of

of Chester.

The REV. C. R. GILBERT has kindly presented "The Life of Bishop,

Hannington, " by the Rev . E. C . Dawson, M .A., to the School Library,.We have received the announcement of the marriage of LIEUT . W . J. P.

KAVE, of the Buffs, to the daughter of Major-General Hardy, at Dovev

The Editors beg to acknowledge the receipt of the following contem-

poraries :—" Lorettonian" (2), "Sedberghian," " Shirburnian ,""Ulule

BIRTH.—On January the 29th, the wife of Rev. W. Routh ofdaughter.