From Oxford To London By Water*

the tidal Avaters ancl the smoke and dirt of London , where Thames is no longer the silver stream : — " Zondinium longEe finis ckartajque viceque est . " Before concluding this paper , let us answer two questions likely to occur to some Avho maybe inclined another year to folloAv our example . 1 . Is it an expedition fit for ladies ? 2 . Is it a feasible ancl enjoyable thing ( for men onlof course ) to " out "

y , camp at night instead of going to hotels ? 1 . We shall not , Ave hope , be accused of want of gallantry if we venture to discourage the fan * sex from mailing such an expedition . Pleasant as is their company on a clay ' s excursion or picnic , we are bold to say it is out of place on a longer voyage in an open pleasure-boat . Discomforts ancl inconveniences which sit li ghtly on a party of men are aggravated tenfold by the presence of Avomen . A drenching storm , for instance ,

in the early part of a long clay ' s TOAA ' , from Avhich the oarsmen can shelter in comparative ease under an osier bed , in a lock-keeper ' s hut , or iu a Avayside public-house , is a far Avorse trouble for a lady . And the inconvenience of not finding accommodation , or of finding it only at Avater-side inns Avhose arrangements are someAA'hat " in the rough , " is better and far more cheerfully borne by unencumbered males . We would go yet further , and say that the enjoyments of a boating-trip , like those of the hunting-field ,

are hampered , and not enhanced , by the duty of looking after the Aveaker sex . If ladies are to see the beauties of the river ( and Avhy should they not ?) it should be managed either by clay excursions from a fixed point where there is a comfortable hotel ; or at least in a steam launch , AA'hich affords better accommodation , AA'ith more shelter , in case of need , than an ordinary roAA' -boat . If a husband and Avife like to make a trip together doAvn the river , Ave Avould not say them nay ; but AA' 6 shoidd deprecate the company of ladies in any other relationship or on a larger scale . roo-avra eurovo-i ftr ; < b 96 vos ye-roi-ro . 2 . As to camping out , Ave doubt if its discomforts to inexperienced hands are made

up for by its adA'antages—except in the saving of hotel bills ; ancl even on that score , as a good many appliances must be purchased beforehand , we suspect that the balance of adA'antage is not so great as it seems . The waste of time , too , if the object of the tri p be to see as much as possible of the river , is a serious draAvback . Camping parties seem to be engaged till eleA'en or tAA'elve o ' clock in packing . up ancl preparing for a start ; ancl about 4 or 5 p . m ., or even , earlier , you come upon them beginning to pitch their

encampment for the night . In a civilised ancl highly populous country , such a mode of life , for pleasure ' s sake , seems a little out of place ; it is undertaken , moreover , by the majority of those Avho try it , Avith no experience and AA'ith f eAver appliances than Avould be taken as a matter of course by the explorer in Australia , or the campaigner at Aldershot or Wimbledon . Ancl now that it has developed so much along the banks of Thamesthe proprietors of land Avill probably before long combine to put a stop to it

, altogether . On the Avhole , making eA'ery alloAvance for the charms of freedom and independence to those Avho , like iEneas , carry their lares ancl penates AAuth them in their boats , our advice to anyone Avho proposed a camping-out expedition would be" Don't . " As to the ladies , whom rumour asserts to have tried it , Ave do not know whether to feel more surprised at them for going , or at their husbands or brothers for allowing them to go .

To each , hoAvever , his or her tastes : others can but give opinions which may or may not be acceptable . We will only repeat that , for anyone in need of a feAV clays' change ancl freshening—for the clergyman , or barrister , or doctor—an excellent recipe is to get together a crew of old friends or Irinsfoik , take the train to Oxford , hire a good boat from the obliging Mr . Salter , purchase Mr . Taunt ' s map , and , free from care , commit himself for the inside of a week to the bosom of Father Thames . He will return to his

parish , his chambers , or his patients sunburnt and , maybe , blistered , but a healthier and happier man . 15