between the east and west coast is so inconsiderable as in a great measure to account for the proverbial changeableness of the climate of Northumberland. It is not during the early spring that I would recommend the angler to make a protracted sojourn at the Weldon Bridge Inn, whose spacious and somewhat rafty bed-rooms will afford but a limited amount of comfort; in the summer, however, (provided he obtain permission for the water either above or below the bridge), he will find it an eligible station, both from its immediate proximity to the river, and from its delightful situation. The best quarters for a lengthened sojourn on the Coquet, in early spring, are to be met with at Felton or Thirston, to which by the water side we propose to wend our way in the following chapter.

The distance we have already travelled since leaving Harbottle is considerable by road, and perhaps thrice as much by the circuitous windings of the river. We shall halt upon what we may imagine to be a journey of three days at least, and thus for the present throw our last line on the subject of the river Coquet.

THE YACHTSMAN'S CABIN.

YARN No. 2.

"All hands unmoor!" proclaims a boisterous cry:
"All hands unmoor!" the cavern'd rocks reply!

FALCONER'S SHIPWRECK.

The present season has been as favourable a one for yachting as any we have had for many years. Sultry weather never fails to attract attention to aquatic sports, more especially the delightful pleasures of yachting. The cool and refreshing breezes, which fan the waters in the summer months, induce all lovers of yachting to leave the burning shore, and seek their pleasures on the briny deep, where

"O'er the smooth bosom of the faithless tides,

Propelled by gentle gales, the vessel glides."

It will be seen, in the course of our yarn, that some of the yachts belonging to the Royal Yacht Squadron have visited the Thames this season, and sailed in some of the matches; and there, on their own waters, the invincible metropolitans succumbed to the Squadron yachts, which carried off the highest honours and most valuable prizes; thus proving that there are among the yachtsmen of the R.Y.S. some of the most spirited sailors and swiftest vessels on the coast.

A correspondence has recently taken place between Mr. Colin J. T. Jones, of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, and the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, as to yacht sailors joining the Royal Naval Coast Volunteers. The exertions of Mr. Jones are exceedingly praiseworthy and patriotic; and the bounty and advantages offered by the Government to volunteers are liberal, and well worthy of consideration by every yacht-sailor in the kingdom. Under the present regulations, the men who join must not be less than 5 feet 3 inches in height, and from eighteen to thirty-five years of age: the latter age may be exceeded,

provided the men are strong and able-bodied, and fit for five years enrolment. The pecuniary advantages of entering are, that every volunteer receives £6 bounty, with a complete outfit of clothes, and 1s. 4d. per day pay on board ship, or 1s. 7d. per day during each training period: and they can only be called on for active service in case of imminent danger or great emergency, and then only for one year at a time. Now, Mr. Jones has not quite completed his task; he should obtain from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, with the sanction of the Government, an undertaking that the period for training this particular class of Naval Coast Volunteers shall be confined to the eight months of the year during which there is but little yachting going forward. may be all very well for "their lordships" to say, "Should they join in any considerable numbers, their lordships will take steps to enable the men to be drilled at the time of year most convenient to them." That is not sufficiently satisfactory to induce Jack Tar to risk his four months' yachting: he requires an express stipulation that he shall not be called up for training during the four yachting months.

It

Two-thirds, at least, of the English Pleasure Squadron are in use exclusively during the months of May, June, July, and August. There is very little yacht-racing after August: the shooting-season interferes too much with aquatic sports in September: therefore many of the best sailors in the fleet are paid-off by the first of September. And we write not theoretically, but from annual experience, when we say, we have often heard these men speak with painful regret of the approach of September, when they expect to be paid off. After spending their money ashore, they have then to seek berths aboard coal-vessels, fishingsmacks, dredging-boats, and such like craft, in order to obtain a maintenance during the long and dreary eight months which lie before them, ere their services will be again called into requisition by the yachtowners. Surely, if the advantages offered by the Government were known among these men, with an undertaking that the four months named should be excluded from the period of training, hundreds of them would join the lists; but so long as they are liable to be called on for training during those four months, the numbers who enrol will be very few, because the yachting season is their harvest. Many of them earn from sixteen to twenty pounds and upwards during the season, and sailing-masters considerably more: but directly the season is over, and they are discharged, they have lots of idle time on hand. The four months' yachting is looked forward to by these men with even more pleasure than it is by their masters. Jack likes to attend the regattas, not only for the sake of the excitement of the sailing-matches, but also for the fun ashore. The girls take more notice of Jack when he is rigged-out in his yachtsman's attire; and Jack always was and always will be fond of the girls, 'spite of all the lords in the Admiralty. Besides, too, no gentleman likes to engage a Naval Coast Volunteer aboard his yacht, unless he can be certain of his services for the whole period of the yachting season. Therefore the stipulation is one which might be put very forcibly, and would, in all probability, be immediately granted; and, if granted, yachtsmen would see at once the propriety of the measure, and use their influence among the crews of their vessels to induce them to join the Coast Volunteers, in order to keep them out of colliers and other hack and square-rigged vessels, which never im

prove the men for cutter-sailing, but, on the contrary, make them too slovenly and careless for yachting or yacht-racing.

In the event of national danger, or the Naval Reserve Force being required for active service, the stipulation would not of course apply. In such an event no yachting would be done; consequently the services of the men might readily be transferred from the Pleasure Squadron to the Royal Navy.

As soon as Mr. Jones has applied for and obtained the indispensable stipulation here suggested, he may succeed in forming a strong and useful naval reserve force; but at present we can only look upon his efforts as incomplete. Nor can we hold out any hopes to "their lordships" of many enrolments from the hundreds of stalwart sailors who man the British pleasure squadron, unless the men are to be exempt from training during the four yachting months.

The sailing matches of the Royal London Yacht Club appear, of late years, to have been very unfortunate in finding sufficient competitors to give them éclat. On the morning of the ninth of June, the day fixed for these races, it was found that the first-class match, comprising yachts over twenty tons' admeasurement, had not filled, though three prizes were offered for distribution among the competing vessels, viz., fifty pounds to the first yacht, twenty pounds to the second, and ten pounds to the third.

These were, apparently, prizes sufficiently inviting to induce yachtsmen to compete for them; but the terror created in the minds of those possessing inferior vessels, through the formidable announcement that the far-famed Thought was entered! probably had the effect of deterring others from taking part in the contest; for, although there might be a very fair chance, for an inferior vessel, of winning the second or third prize, the owners of second-rate craft have such a dislike to being so far outstripped by racing craft, and to find themselves at the close of the race an hour or more in the rear, that they prefer remaining in obscurity to appearing in public contest, and, after being well beaten, have a ten or twenty pound prize awarded them, simply for following many miles in the wake of the leading vessel. We imagine this match would have filled had the three prizes been united in one of the value of eighty pounds. The system of splitting regatta prizes into three pieces is a modern innovation not by any means desirable.

The second-class match of this club proved a more attractive one. This was for yachts above ten tons, and not exceeding twenty tons admeasurement: form of rig unlimited. The prizes were, thirty pounds for the first yacht, ten pounds for the second, and five pounds for the third. The competitors in this match were as under

Of these, neither the Gipsey nor the Fanny is known in the yachting world as racing vessels; and neither of them is very new. The Kitten is a well-known racing craft of four or five years' reputation. She is one of those vessels which used to trim her ballast in the cabin, previously to the abolition of that pernicious system; but having won

many prizes without resorting to that abominable practice, she is a yacht well deserving the high character she bears. The Chimera was new last year, and sailed in a match at Torbay, where she was beaten by the Oriole upwards of half an hour: she is, nevertheless, a powerfullooking boat; and should she ever encounter some of her swifter opponents in a "sniffler," she will probably lead them a desperate race. This boat was built by Mansfield, of Teignmouth.

Soon after starting, the Kitten took the lead, and maintained it throughout. The wind was too light for the Chimera; added to which, the aft-leech of her mainsail was shivering all the while; and she was not well-handled. On rounding the steamer at the Chapman, the Kitten was seventeen minutes ahead of the Chimera: the Gipsey and Fanny being a long way astern. After rounding, the vessels had a fair wind, which increased to a fine breeze: the Chimera gained four minutes upon the Kitten in the run up river: this, a distance of twenty miles, was performed in one hour forty-five minutes. At the close of the race the Kitten was thirteen minutes in advance of the Chimera, and the Gipsey twenty-four minutes astern of the latter. Kitten was therefore winner of the first prize, Chimera of second, and Gipsy third. The matches of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, which came off on the 25th ult., were of unusual attraction this season, owing to the liberal value of the prizes, and the numerous entry of yachts. For the first prize was offered a silver tea-kettle and service of the value of one hundred pounds. This match was open to yachts of any form of rig, belonging to a Royal Yacht club; a time race, according to Acker's scale. The course, from Erith round the Nore, and back. The following are the names of the competing vessels in this match

Here, then, was such an entry of unmistakable clippers as has seldom, if ever, been witnessed in a Thames match; and among them the public rejoiced to observe one of the finest cutters of the R.Y.S., and which, as the sequel will show, completely vanquished the whole fleet, though very much to the surprise and disappointment of the admirers of the Thames clippers.

On coming to the buoys, the Thought, Ladybird, and Kitten did not

start.

The wind, on the occasion of this match, was about S.S.E., light and variable; too much so for testing the real merits of a clipper fleet. On the gun being fired for starting, the rapidity with which the sails of the Amazon were set, and the beautiful manner in which she stood across the river, passing ahead of all but the Ospray, was most praiseworthy: by this exquisite seamanship she took the second place. These two vessels, Ospray and Amazon, carried square-headed top-sails. the Mosquito, which was close in their wake, a jib-headed one.

The

first three or four tacks in Long Reach sufficed to show that the two schooners, Vestal and Wildfire, had no chance with the cutters: the latter gained upon them in every board. The Mosquito gradually gained upon the Amazon, and passed her to windward off Northfleet; but her efforts to overtake the Ospray were, at that time, unavailing. As the wind freshened, the vessels became more and more lively, and the scene more animating. Off Shellhaven the Amazon regained her position of second, having passed the Mosquito whilst the latter was shifting topsails. By very beautiful handling and good judgment, the Amazon stood well over towards the Blyth, beyond the track of the Ospray, aud having gained the weathermost berth, passed to windward of her noble opponent. Off Leigh these three clippers were in close contest: the Mosquito then passed the Ospray, and seemed to threaten her chances; but, on beating up to the Nore, the Squadron cutter showed boldly in front, and rounded nearly seven minutes ahead of the Mosquito, and thirteen of the Amazon. The wind being light, the run up was somewhat tedious. The huge gaff topsail of the Mosquito, however, failed to assist her in overtaking her opponent, the Ospray, which gradually gained upon the fleet, and eventually won the race, the time of their arrival at Erith being as under

The other competitors were too far astern to be placed with the three leading yachts.

At the same time that this match was being sailed, another was going forward, termed by modern nauticals a Corinthian match, i. e., a match with yachts manned entirely by amateurs, members of royal yacht clubs, or officers of the Royal Navy. The prize in this match was presented by Mr. Thomas Broadwood, and consisted of a handsome claret-jug and two goblets, the whole of the value of fifty guineas. The following yachts entered

The Zayda had a crew of six; the Delia, five; Violet, six; Chimera, five; Whisper, ten. It will thus be seen that the Violet and Whisper were the only vessels fully manned for racing, according to their tonnage. Strange to say, very great difficulty was found in obtaining hands to man these vessels; consequently the Whisper, with her full complement and high character as a racing vessel, was the favourite at any odds. This vessel took the lead at starting, and maintained it throughout: Violet was second. All the other yachts being shorthanded, the match was, as regards these, unsatisfactory.

The regatta of the Royal Northern Yacht Club came off at Dunoon on the 29th and 30th June, under the favourable auspices of fine weather, and, on the first day, a strong westerly breeze. The first prize was a cup of the value of one hundred pounds, presented by the Queen, and open for competition by yachts belonging to any Royal