Guest-I must be off elsewhere-I have many houses to visit, and if I do not pay my calls in good time, people will wonder. Now please do not rise from table, sir-let me find my way out alone-you will spoil your meal if you leave it. Host-What! not see you out! a pretty story indeed! dear me, to think of your having had all the trouble of coming here for nothing, not even a cup of tea! Well, good bye till we meet again. give my compliments to all at home. This custom lasts five days. Pray Exit. They are very fond of birds which are in that country most knowing and clever: every Northern Chinaman is accompanied by a pet one. In conclusion I would add that they have a capital fives court attached to the legation, and Marlborough v. World is played there with great spirit. They also have a first-rate cricket ground, in the ground of the "Temple of Heaven." The Chinese are very easily amused, and he notices in one letter how he set a whole street off laughing by merely making a polite English bow to an actress. The heat is intense there now, 96 in the day, and 90 degrees at night. "I am clothed in a whole suit of flannel gauze" (July). The Marlburian, I need hardly add, finds a most warm reception in that huge city, and every line is read and re-read with interest, such a hold has Marlborough present on Marlborough past whereever their lot is in the wide world. LATE 216, AND BROTHER TO Wei. SONG OF GOATY. "Pity the sorrows of a poor old Man." Come gents, one and all Come to Goaty's stall; Here are apples, richly flavoured, See, their smiling, rosy faces, They are blushing, highly favoured By Pomona's sweetest graces, Four a penny! come and try them, Then I'll warrant you will buy them. See here's pears! such pears, you never! Green, and glowing red and gold, Ever ripe, yet ripening ever, Sighing, crying to be sold; You never saw their peers, sirs! Then I've oranges as well too. Round and full, and what a smell too! Each one, firm and sweet and sound, Oh! they'll fill you with surprise, Only three score to a pound! Stocked with dainties, wondrous rare, THE GREY WETHERS. BULBO. Aubrey THE stone valleys to the west of Marlborough have always been a source of interest and wonder to Marlburians: in fact we have a proof of this from one of the first Marlburians who ever live d. the Antiquary-let us hope he will not be ashamed of the title we give him of Marlburian,—came to Marlborough in 1648, and was an inmate of the Old House in the time of its first House-master, Lord Francis Seymour, who had built it only a few years before: and Aubrey went out with the hounds one January morning-this was before paper-chases existed-and was so struck with what he saw that he wrote home and told his friends. "These downs," said he, "look as if they were sown with great stones very thick, and in a dusky evening they look like flocks of sheep, from whence they take their name. One might fancy it to have been the scene where the giants fought with huge stones against the gods." The Grey Wethers are scattered widely among the downs in the neighbourhood of Overton and Lockeridge, but they are to be seen to the best advantage in Clatford bottom, in which the Devil's Den is situated, and where not only do they abound in greater numbers than elsewhere, but on a fine evening they present a beautiful and striking picture, of a most wild and singular character, especially at the season of the year when the gorse is in bloom, the purple stones forming a very pleasing contract to their bed of dark green and bright yellow. On two accounts have these stones always seemed so mysterious: first because no one knows how they ever came to be where they are, and secondly because it is of them that the most mysterious and most ancient of all our British antiquities are constructed. First then let us consider how they were brought to their present position. We conclude that they once existed elsewhere, first because they are of a different geological formation to anything else found immediately in this neighbourhood, being probably hardened masses of white sand, and secondly because they lie upon the surface of the chalk and are either wholly exposed, or merely covered by a thin layer of soil. But what power can have been employed to move these huge masses, some of which weigh as much as a hundred tons? Perhaps the mighty rivers and floods which at a very remote period hollowed out the Kennett valley and rounded off the downs brought the stones from some distant part of the country: or, as we have strong ground for believing this country to have at one time been covered with ice, we may with more probability imagine the conveying force to have been a glacier, a force which any traveller in Switzerland will admit to be quite adequate to the purpose. Whatever were the means employed, they have wholly disappeared now. But again, the Grey Wethers have been made use of in the erection of some of the oldest monuments of civilization which this country possesses. The gi gantic unchiselled blocks which still stand erect at Abury are but a few of them: the so-called Devil's Den too is of the same material: but what is the most wonderful thing of all, the greater part of Stonehenge is built of these stones also, while none are at present to be found nearer to Stonehenge than those at Overton, which is about 20 miles distant: so that unless we believe that stones once existed in the valleys near Stonehenge (which is no longer the case, as we are told) we find ourselves only left to wonder all the more at the skill of those primeval engineers who could carry such immense masses over 20 miles of uneven country, cut them into shapes, and then raise them to their present strange positions. How many men, what gigantic machinery that we know nothing of now, must have been employed! In consequence of these stones having been used for building heathen temples (if temples they are), they afterwards received the name of Sarsen, i.e., Saracen, or heathen stones, a name which they keep to this day among country people. They are now used extensively for paving and building, one of the methods employed for breaking them being to mark them with a chisel, heat them, and then pass a tool dipped in cold water across them, which causes them to split We are glad to observe that the religious character. which tradition has for so many ages assigned to them is preserved by the College, the walls of the Chapel being cased with them. R. D. OCCASIONAL NOTES. Owing, we may suppose, to the large number who left at Midsummer, Marlborough has to mourn the departure of but few of her best and greatest children, this October. We have however lost from among us W. Monnington, and-very unexpectedly-A. K. Connell, and S. Image. A correspondent in our last suggested that the Occasional Notes should sometimes contain a mention of what is going on at the gymnasium. We do not quite see how this is possible; the only thing we could say, as far as we can see, would be that so-and-so has been doing very well lately, and the like, which would be an invidious task. We conceive that notices of the performances of the gymnasts would be as out of place as comments on the play in the Racquet and Fives-courts. Of course any special event will be duly chronicled. A racquet offered for competition in Macdonald's House by C. W. Bourne, Esq., has been gained by H. B. Carlyon. As All Saints' Day falls on Sunday this year, the Old Fellows' Match will be on the feast S.S. Simon and Jude, Wednesday, October 28th. The duration of big game has at last been diminished to one hour; the game now generally lasts from a little before three o'clock to a little before four. Quarter examination occupied Friday and Saturday last, a fact which combined with some rainy days has made the progress of football but slight during the past week. Amid a crowd of Cheltonians one Marlburian distinguished himself at the Woolwich and Sandhurst sports; H. B. Rich, (Woolwich,) won the wide jump with a leap of 18ft. 3 in. We gather from Land and Water that the late promotions have made eight additions to the club; we suppose this was a singular printer's error for twenty. they leave. We see by the Cheltonian that the Cheltonian Society propose establishing a register by which the whereabouts of any old Cheltonian may be ascertained. This rigmarole may serve as an excuse for our mentioning the fact that Ensign E. E. Money has sailed for Bombay with a detachment of his (12th) regiment. We observed the name of R. J. Cross-sometime Captain of M.C.C.C.--playing for XXII of St. George's Club against the English Eleven which is now visiting America. We notice the name of E. Hume on the committee of the Richmond Football Club. An account of the Sixth and School will be found elsewhere. Of the unfinished House matches, Thompson's and Bright's have played one day, when the former got two goals and two touchdowns ; Sowerby's and Mullins' has been played one day without any result. The following code of new winter hours was promulgated on Monday. It is in a great measure a return to the old system. On Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, second school is from 10 to 12. On On the other days from 10 to 11 and 12 to 1. Wednesday and Friday, afternoon school is from 4.30 to 6.45; On Monday and Thursday from 5.30 to 6.45, Saturday will be a half-holyday, so also Tuesday "if earned, or desirable, otherwise school from 5.30 to 6.45." There is call on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, at 4.30. Correspondence. To the Editor of the Marlburian. SIR, I think I am justified in saying that the letter I addressed to you some four weeks ago, has not been wholly without effect, inasmuch as it has caused some conversation on the subject with which it dealt. I now propose to trouble you with some further remarks connected with the same subject. I think, sir, that I shall not be wholly beside the mark if I venture to assert that I fully explained in my last letter my views on the subject of the stable jacket. But perhaps I was rather carried away by my indignation at the existence of so foul, so detestable a garment, and gave too little attention to argument. I have gince heard it asserted that well-made stable jackets are as unobjectionable a kind of raiment as any other. Sir, I grant it: but how often do you see a well-made stable jacket? The tendency be ill-made; of that description of boy's clothes is to it almost seems that if a tailor can make one badly, make it badly he will. Sir, I would venture to assert that for one well made stable jacket you see at least fifteen atrociously put together. Before I proceed further, I would wish to intimate that I beg with as much grace as possible to retire from the opinion I previously enunciated with respect to pea jackets; not only would a universal adoption of pea jackets superinduce monotony, but I have also found by more accurate investigation of the subject that pea jackets both for summer and winter are capable-very largely capable of being badly made. Hence it is Sir, that I now take my stand on that kind of jacket which takes its name from one of England's greatest schools, the Eton jacket. I would venture to maintain that there is no other garment in existence which forms a tidier, and in every way better covering for the forms of those persons of the male sex whose age and size do not yet entitle them to a claim on the tailed raiment in which those of their brethren rejoice who have reached more advanced size or age. I lay stress on the word "size" advisedly; for I have heard it objected that there are those whose bodily conformation is singularly ill-adapted to the Eton jacket, If such miserable individuals cannot adapt themselves to the good of the community, let them at once adopt the before-mentioned tail. coat of manhood; but I would infinitely rather see one or two put to inconvenience by the compulsory use of the Eton jacket, than see a majority of the school making day hideous and night repulsive by a use of the detestable-because generally ill-made-stable jacket. But pending the official dis-establishment of the villainous stable jacket, I would venture to make a few remarks on minor matters. I could wish to see a little more of what I may call general tidiness in the school. I do not wish to seize on any particular points, but I cannot but think that there is an absence of a healthy tone-I speak seriously-on this subject. I have seen fellows here-I mean what I say-atrociously dressed, but without any one peculiarly ill-made garment. Such a creature should be put down by the voice of the school. The school ought not to tolerate, they ought to put down, if by no other means, at least by the exercise of the schoolboy's most powerful weapon "chaff," beings such as those I have seen, who look as if they had been clothed out of the repertory of some General Dealer or Old Clothes Seller. Fear seizes me, sir, as I read what I have written, that this letter may seem pointless because I have ventured to endeavour to treat of more than one subject. I hope this may not be the case, but anyhow I would wish in conclusion to impress on my readers-if I have any this time-that my one aim is to make the appearance of the school more tidy. I do not wish them to be fashionable, for my own part I had been well content had everyone stuck to the original form of turn-down collars (I give this as an example)—the object that I have at heart is to secure that neatness in the dress of the school, which I fear that at present it cannot be said to possess. Thanking you for the insertion of my last letter, I beg to write myself your obedient servant, HOUSE SHIRTS ELIJAH JONES. To the Editor of the Marlburian. SIR,-Though I hear there is a great press of matter for this week's Marlburian, yet I must ask for space for a few lines in answer to your correspondent "Philokosmos." I have reason to believe that the shirts to which he refers are Sowerby's and Macdonald's. All further mention of the latter I shall dismiss, with the remark which applies to them both, that I know them both to have been worn on a foreign ground without a sign of the jeers which your correspondent fears so much. As regards Sowerby's, I strenuously protest against its being either of a flaring bue or of an unnaturally irregular device. It is a pattern which several clubs have adopted, and when the whole of the Eleven are in the field the shirt really looks very well. When it first came out I well remember the captain of one of the houses exclaiming, "He wished his house had got it." Moreover we must remember that when so many different shirts have to be chosen, we can. not have them all of the simplest character. Now it must be Your correspondent proposes coats. evident to every thinking person that coats are far inferior to shirts, and for two reasons. Firstly coats are not a necessity, but a luxury, and thus useless expense is incurred: secondly they are not worn as rule by the fellows when actually in the field, thus their chief purpose is lost. The first reason also applies to two other proposals of Philokosmos, namely, sashes and caps: and surely it would require a very keen sight to distinguish at a little distance the various shades or patterns of such small objects. This alone would decide in favour of shirts, but it seems to me that it would be equally difficult, nay even more so, to find different and suitable patterns for either coats, sashes or caps, than for shirts. Yours truly, A. To the Editor of the Marlburian. SIR,-There is a custom here which is deserving of the greatest scorn and comtempt. I allude to the practice of taking umbrellas without the consent of their owners and forgetting (?) to return them. If you leave your umbrella for a moment unguarded and you cannot take a wet umbrella into some places-a master's room for instance-as likely as not it has disappeared on your return. This practice is very discreditable to the school and annoying to the owner of an UMBRELLA. To the Editor of the Marlburian. SIR,-In your last number your correspondent, "Seniores Priores" suggests that a change in the elections to the Cricket and Football committees is required. It seems to me that the method he proposes would be no improvement upon the present system, to which I see no objection. For, if the two games are to be popular, the leaders ought to be popular, and when a fellow is unpopular there must be some good reason for his unpopularity, and no one would wish a Captain of Cricket or Football to be unpopular. The Committee surely have enough to do in choosing between the play of each of the candidates for the XI or XX without having to decide at the same time whether he will at some future period be fit to be a member of the committee. And, under the regulations suggested by your correspondent, any one, however well qualified by his play for the XI or XX, but who was not likely ever to be fit for the committee, would never be admitted to the XI or XX till he had promised to resign his future right to the Committee, "which is absurd." I am aware that these hints seem simple, and would seem to be in the grasp of all: but seeing these things and such as these neglected or outraged among advanced players, I hope some hints may be useful to those who are yet supposed to be learning. I remain, Sir, yours truly, Football. The following promotions have been made : Into the XX. R. W. Wickham H. H. Mathias N. C. S. Thomas G. P. Owen C. B. Woollcombe J. F. Cornish Into the LX. T. Wood C. D. FOOTBALL. To the Editor of the Marlburian. SIR,-May I offer to your notice a few simple hints which, though they do not come under the head of Rules, may be useful to those as yet not fully initiated into the mysteries of the noble game which is now exercising our minds and muscles. I. When the ball is kicked or thrown in, be careful to avoid hitting it with the hand. The cutting remark "No Fives" will otherwise be the inevitable result. II. When a squash is formed, it is not desirable to compensate for tardiness in running by attempting to elbow in, so as to disappear from the gaze of the ever vigilant, clear voiced and sometimes impolite back players. Such exertions will cause downfall, and even corporal anguish to those in the thick of the fray. Were this habit given up, "Keep back' mingled with groans would be less frequently heard. III.-Failing in the attempt to enter the squash, it is an error of judgment, if not a mark of caitiff cruelty, for a fellow to keep up an appearance of activity, by hacking the calves of his more fortunate comrades. What can they do in that case but leap on to the offenders' toes in anguish? IV. If a brilliant run is made by a comrade, do not be too much buried in admiration to follow him up, and if an antagonist, to charge or collar the hero. V. Never forget that the idea in a squash is to get the ball through, and not to hack each other. VI. If fortune favours a fellow and gives him a chance of distinguishing himself, let him not be overcome by the magni. tude of his luck but make the best use of the opportunity. FOOTBALL COMMITTEE. As several letters have reached us all containing the same suggestion with regard to this above Committee, we will attempt to deal with them en masse and show wherein lies the objection to the proposed change. The suggestion has, it may be observed, been already carefully considered this half, both as applying to this and other Committees. Why, say our correspondents, is not the Football Committee formed of the Captains of each House ? The fatal objection, as it appears to us, is this, that there are almost always some Houses which do not possess a member of the XX and it would be impossible for fellows to be admitted to decide whether they are themselves fit to be promoted, and it would be equally hard to expect them to form a fair judgment on the merits of others who may be their rivals. What we would suggest ourselves is this, that the Captains of Houses which are not represented in the Committee should send up to the Committee so many times a half a list of the players in their house below the Big Game, whom they consider worthy of promotion. Out of this list the Committee could select those whom they believe to be best, and promote all if all were considered fit. As for those who play in Big game the Committee themselves can form their own judgment of them: the object being that those who do not come directly under the eye of the Committee may not on that account be passed over. We would suggest a similar course to be pursued as regards the Cricket Committee.-[Ed. M.] GILMORE'S v. BEESLY'S. THIS match, which was played on Thursday October 8th, was a very one-sided affair, and lasted less than an hour, Gilmore's having much the best of it throughout. Clutton led off with a touch down under Beesly's goals, but the place was missed. Presently Howard got the ball straight in front, and dropped a neat goal for Gilmore's. On changing over at the half-hour, Gilmore's secured a succession of touch downs; off the first, Kewley's L,loyd planted a second goal; then Wood made a fine run in, and got a touch down, but the place from this, as well as from that got by Vernon, and from another by Kewley, was unsuccessful. Finally Giles (back) followed up his kick, and got a touch down rather low down, which was well kicked by Lloyd. So Gilmore's won by three goals and four touch downs to nothing, a result mainly effected by the back play of Lloyd and Giles, the fine running of Deacon and Vernon (half-back) and the forward play of Tanqueray, Wood, Clutton, and Kewley. For the worsted side, Hawkins and Dayman (back), Lyall (half-back), and Manisty (forward) did all they could to stem the current of misfortune. The lower game between these houses had a similar result, but here Gilmore's had thirty-six to their opponents' thirteen. For Gilmore's Brown got two goals by a place and by a drop, and Woodhouse one by a drop: touch-downs were got by Evill, Boddington, and Simpson, who scored two each, and by Vernon, Bazett, Barry, and Kendall. SIXTH FORM MATCH The Football Season was as usual inaugurated by the Sixth Form Match, which commenced Monday, Oct. 5th. This day the relative numbers were about thirty-two to forty-eight. During the first encounter the Sixth bade fair to make the game theirs; but before long numbers began to tell. A touch down was got for the School by Wiggin, the ball having been missed by a back player. Although low down, a successful place was achieved by Lloyd. Nothing else of note occurred during the game: once or twice however the VIth goals were in a highly critical position. SECOND DAY OCT. 10. To day the muster of the School was out of all proportion to that of the Sixth: for although the former played some men short, the Sixth had to fight a very up hill game with little more than two-thirds of their proper numbers. For a short time at the beginning they held a position of a somewhat dangerous proximity to the School goals, but, after the ardour of the first on-set, the School again asserted their strength and maintained their advantage throughout the game. The Rev. H. Bell (back) won the second goal for the School by a brilliant piece of play. Following up another back player's kick he succeeded in obtaining the ball and though up at the top of the ground and a great distance from goal, by a really beautiful drop cleared the goal. For a moment the issue seemed doubtful: the ball hit the cross-bar and trembled on the top, uncertain which way to fall. In spite of brilliant individual efforts on the side of the Sixth to retrieve their fortunes, and in spite of their good and plucky play as a whole, they were constantly obliged to touch the ball down behind their goals and found it as much as all their prowess could effect to keep off further mishaps. Amongst those who played well for the Sixth were Rev. H. E. Booth, Butcher and Wickham (half-back) who made several good runs; Copleston, Leach, Schooles, Rev. J. S. Thomas (forward). For the School Rev. H. Bell and Lloyd (back), Head, Unwin, Kewley and Tanquerary (forward) were very formidable. THIRD DAY OCT. 13. Shortly after beginning a touch down was obtained for the School by Thomas. The place-kick, though not successful, was well followed up, and after a scrimmage almost under goal, a second touch-down was secured for the School by Kewley. This looked very dangerous for the opposite side. This time however fortune really favoured the few : who, then, roused as it would appear, by their escape made a really good match of it though not altogether equal to their opponents. The Rev. H. E. Booth, Butcher and Wickham again distinguished themselves half back for the VIth (the former two especially dribbling well). Carlyon and Hawkins did very well back, while Copleston, Dixon, E. W. M. Lloyd Esq. and Deacon were all there forward. For the School Thomas and Hervey were particularly good half back, Mathias and Rev. H. Bell back, Owen, Woollcombe, Kewley, Head forward. P.S.-Yesterday Carlyon kicked a goal for the sixth. MARLBOROUGH NOMADS FOOTBALL CLUB. THIS club "set the ball a-rolling" on Saturday the 10th, and the day, as if to compensate for the dreadful weather on the previous Saturday, was all that could be desired: bright sun, blue sky, light breeze, and good ground left only a plentiful muster of Nomads to be hoped for, to complete the component part of a pleasant afternoon. It had at first been intended to get up a match, as the first day had been so wet, among the members of the club in place of the Charlton match, as advertised, and no pains were spared to secure a goodly show of Marlburians to start the club with éclat; but of the many bidden, only fifteen had enough energy or leisure to attend, and all hopes of a club match were soon dispelled. Fortunately however the Blackheath Football Club were in the same condition, and their captain willingly acceded to a proposal to join forces: accordingy it was soon arranged that a game should be played between the two sides, merely in the way of practice. |