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Cymba being then both about seven minutes astern, and when off the "No-man" she had a lead of nearly a mile. About two hours later a breeze from N.W. sprang up, and the positions of the yachts were quickly altered; and on their return past Ryde pier on the first round, the Arrow had a lead of upwards of 13 minutes ahead of the Amazon, the Cymba being 10 minutes behind the latter. The Arrow now continued to increase her lead on every tack; and it being doubtful if there was time to sail the whole course before night-fall, with a strong tide against them, and taking into consideration that the competing vessels had been at it since half-past ten in the morning, the Commodore hoisted his recall flag, to terminate the race as the yachts approached the goal on their way out again. The Arrow was then found to have a lead of 32 m. 13 sec., and was therefore winner of the prize by 20 m. 3 sec. beyond her allowance to the Amazon. The Cymba arrived fonr minutes astern of the Amazon.

The next match of this club came off on Monday, the 16th August, and was highly attractive, being for a piece of plate of the value of £100, presented by J. T. Turner, Esq. (owner of the Wildfire), open to sailing vessels of every class and tonnage, the property of members of any Royal or National Yacht Club, without restriction as to rig; a time-race, upon Ackers's tonnage scale. Eleven yachts were entered for this race, viz.:

The weather on the occasion of this match was as favourable as could be desired-a fine breeze, but a leading wind on both tacks, therefore not much opportunity for testing the weatherly qualities of the vessels : several of the leading yachts were so evenly matched that the race proved one of the most interesting of the season. The Arrow and Lulworth sailed nearly a neck-and-neck race throughout: never was there a more beautiful match than that between these two vessels - the finest and fastest cutters in the squadron. The Mosquito, Amazon, Cymba, and Surge were also in close contest throughout the race. The other competitors had no chance with such clippers as were opposed to them. At the close of the first round there were but 17 seconds difference between the Lulworth and Arrow. The skill with which these yachts were handled was the admiration of everyone; and even the fair ladies who had assembled on the Royal pier in great numbers, could not help expressing their delight at this exciting and beautiful match. The Arrow had hitherto maintained a slight lead of her splendid opponent; but the Lulworth, after shifting her topsail, seemed a little more lively, and, being luffed up on the Arrow's weather-quarter, passed her and took the "slight lead" from her, and managed to keep it to the close of the match. The utmost excitement and interest were kept up to the very finish; and after a most perfect test of the merits of vessels and crews engaged in the match, the Lulworth arrived at the winning goal only 1 m. 37 sec. ahead of the Arrow, and was therefore winner of the prize, independently of the time-allowance of 3 m. 5 sec. to which she was entitled from the Arrow. Some 15 or 20 minutes later the Mosquito arrived, followed by the Amazon, only 5 minutes astern of her; Surge being next, and Cymba nearly half-an-hour behind Mosquito.

On the same day a schooner match was sailed for a £50 club prize, between the following yachts:

The peculiar conditions of this match were, that no extra hands or balloon sails were to be allowed; but the vessels to be sailed in all respects as usual, in sea-going trim. This was a very interesting contest, though the Constance was the favourite from the first. The Ella, however, is an exceedingly fast vessel, and always well handled; but from her being less than half the size of the favourite, Constance, there were but little hopes of her winning the prize. After thesails were all fairly set, the Constance was observed to have the lead, Ella being second, Georgiana third, and Rattlesnake last; and these positions were not changed throughout. But the distances between each yacht gradually widened to the close, when Constance having beaten Ella 10 m. 34 s., and there being no time allowed for disparity of tonnage, the Constance was declared winner of the £50 prize, and Ella had £10 to receive as second yacht.

At the Royal Western Yacht Club Regatta, at Plymouth, on the 25th and 26th of August, several very spirited matches were sailed. For the Club Plate, of the value of £50, the following yachts were

A better day for a sailing-match never dawned beneath a summer's sky. There was a stiff N.N.W. breeze, which continued with but slight variation the whole day; and there could be no mistake but the best vessel must win. And now for testing the merits-The Mosquito and Secret are very old, but nevertheless invincible racers; the other two, Surge and Violet, are new this year. The Surge was built by Fife, and in the Irish waters has proved herself beyond doubt a clipper in every sense of the word; the other yacht, the Violet, belongs to a gentleman who last year had a nine-ton sloop of the same name, which won several prizes, and obtained considerable notoriety on the Thames. The new vessel, which-either through her owner being very fond of the name, or for want of a better is also called the Violet, and it appears has thoroughly disappointed her owner, who expected great things of her, having built her purposely for match-sailing, but to which it appears she has no pretensions.

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The Secret went away with the lead, followed by Mosquito and Violet, Surge making a bungle, fouling her moorings and losing two minutes of valuable time. The Mosquito soon passed Secret, and took a position which neither of the new ones could wrest from her. The Secret then stuck close to the leading yacht, and was under the most perfect handling; and the first round was completed by Mosquito being four minutes in advance of Secret, Surge being two minutes behind the latter, and Violet last. The Secret now put on her utmost efforts to overtake her formidable rival, and in the pitch of excitement an accident to her bowsprit entirely disabled her from proceeding with the race; soon after which the Violet, after finding she had no chance with such clippers, withdrew from the contest; and the race was finally won by the far-famed old iron-boat Mosquito, beating her new Irish rival Surge the astonishing distance of twenty-three minutes, thus proving beyond all doubt that there is no fifty-ton cutter afloat which can beat the Mosquito. A more favourable day, or a better test, was never seen.

On the following day another brilliant victory was gained by the gallant old Mosquito, under similar circumstances of a fine strong breeze. On this occasion that terrible bastard-schooner Wildfire, now so dreaded at every yachting station because of her immense powers of speed, was also an antagonist, with the Surge; but the utmost efforts of her crew, combined with consummate skill and great pressure of sail, proved of no avail-the Mosquito proudly led the race, and defied both her rival competitors, and finally won the Queen's Cup, value £100, beating Wildfire 12 m. 20 s., and Surge 20 m. 7s. These three yachts, it will be remembered, are pretty equally matched as regards tonnage; Mosquito and Surge being each fifty tons, and Wildfire sixty tons.

The Club Purse of £30, for yachts under thirty tons, was won by the Vampire, eighteen tons, C. Wheeler, Esq., without any difficulty; beating Annie, twenty tons, Mr. S. Triscott, and Elfin, twenty tons, Captain Tomlinson.

At the Torbay Regatta, the first class match did not fill; but a very spirited match was sailed between the following well-known and ofttried clippers

The Violet, forty tons, Mr. J. R. Kirby, was also entered, but was disabled before starting by carrying away her bowsprit. The three vessels engaged in this race were as equally matched as possible, and kept in close proximity during the early part of the match. The little trio encountered a good deal of sea at the mouth of the harbour, but the Phantom kept her lead, though labouring heavily in the sea-way. The Secret, however, managed to head her powerful opponent before completing the first round; but soon afterwards the Phantom again went

in front, and maintained that position to the last, winning the race by 3 m. 45 s., exclusive of the 1 minute to which she was entitled of the Secret. The Emmet was far astern, and not timed.

The third-class match for a purse of 20 sovs., for yachts not exceeding twenty-five tons, was won by Oriole, twenty-four tons, J. P. Hepburn, Esq.; beating the Midge, thirteen tons, Captain Commerell, and a new yacht called the Chimera, sixteen tons, E. Saunderson, Esq., built by Mr. Mansfield, of Teignmouth. The Midge was wrecked off Brixham, where a squall made a clean sweep of her decks, carrying with it mast, sails, and spars, all at a crash. A trawler then took her in tow, and brought her, in her wrecked condition, to Torquay. The Oriole beat the Chimera upwards of half an hour.

At the Weymouth Regatta, on the 30th and 31st of August, the match for the Town Challenge Cup, value 100 guineas, was the great attraction. For this race there were entered

Both Extravaganza and Vesper retired from the contest before completing the first round, and the excitement then lay between the two schooners. The Wildfire maintained the lead during the first round. In the second round the Ella had the advantage; but on the third round, the Wildfire again went in front, and arrived at the winning goal four minutes ahead of her rival, exclusive of the additional time to which she was entitled for disparity of tonnage. A protest was entered against the Wildfire, for having wilfully fouled the Ella; and the facts having been investigated, and found true, the prize was not, as it ought to have been, given over to the owner of the Ella, but was withheld for a race on another day between Phantom, Vesper, Ella, and Wildfire; when the Phantom having beaten all her rivals in a very spirited and interesting race, the cup became the absolute property of her owner, he having won it with the Phantom three years ago. The Vesper received a second-class prize, the subject of another race, which had been amalgamated with the challenge-cup match. The result of both races gave much dissatisfaction to Sir Gilbert East; and indeed it appears difficult to recognise the justice or equity of the decisions of the sailing committee, whom Sir Gilbert very mildly, but aptly, designates as "an eccentric committee." The proceedings at the Weymouth Regatta are certainly without precedent in the annals of yachting.

THE CRICKET WEEK AT CANTERBURY.

BY LORD WILLIAM LENNΟΧ.

This annual festival took place on the 16th of last month, and was even more successful than any preceding one. The weather (with the exception of the last day), was splendid, the playing excellent, the amateur theatricals were perfect and the attendance in the field was numerous. I. Zingari turned out in great force, and upon this occasion were represented in the field by the Hons. Spencer and Frederick Ponsonby, Hon. W. Fiennes, Major Dickins, Messrs. Tredcroft, Marshall, Creyke, Fellowes, Drake, Soames, Morse, and Hartopp; and at the Theatre by the Ponsonbys, Tom Taylor, H. Lacey, Palgrave Simpson, F. Whymper, E. Tredcroft, George Bentinck, Henry de Bathe, T. K. Holmes, H. Twiss, W. and E. Hartopp, J. L. Baldwin, Hon. H. Fellowes, C. Morse, aided by the professional services of Mesdames Leigh Murray, A. Mellon, Misses Herbert, Cottrell, Smith, and Conway. The "Old Stagers' are unquestionably the very best amateur actors of this, or any other day. It is now seventeen years since first they trod the boards of the Canterbury Theatre, and never were their exertions more duly appreciated than upon the last occasion: shouts of laughter and applause attended them throughout-applause emanating from a house filled almost to suffocation by an enlightened and judicious public, uncrammed with claqueurs and recipients of orders, as is too often the case in regular theatres. It is not the talent alone of the performers, although it forms a considerable item, that ensures the unqualified success of their undertaking: it is the good humour, the unanimity, the "give and take" principle, the absence of all envy and jealousy, the disposition to make the whole perfect by sacrifices of personal ambition-in fine, l'entente cordiale, that has produced the satisfactory result. Did we require an illustration of the latter feeling, we should find it in the fact that Mr. T. Knox-the hiatus can easily be filled up-took the minor part of the "Beefeater" in the Critic (having himself often played the more important one of "Puff" with the greatest success), in order that a gallant Colonel, who had identified himself with the character in the Crimean Theatricals, might give an English audience a "taste of his quality," in this unrivalled conception of the dramatist. Another instance we may quote, among numerous others: Mr. J. Lorraine (we feel bound in honour to preserve the incognito,) contents himself with taking what are considered the most trifling parts, rendering them, however, most important by his admirable "make up" and attention to the business of the stage. One more example: Mr. Tom Taylor, the author, the poet, the dramatist, the epilogue writer, whose talent as an actor could command the "leading business," is satisfied in making himself one of the general useful line; in fact, such is the case with every member of the "Old Stagers," there being

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