420 Q3" TO RICHMOND. 



I now, I may say, we, went on swimmingly. The rowers were atten- 

 tive to their duty, and perspired with pleasure at their successful 

 exertions : the ladies chatted pleasantly with each other on the fashions 

 and upon Miss Wilkes's expected marriage with the gallant Major 

 Morris of the Middlesex militia; and now and then encouraged our 

 endeavours to please with their lovely smiles, we had every appearance 

 of being as happy as beauty and bravery could render us. About this 

 time, 1 noticed that Jones looked somewhat deploringly at his hands : 

 they were as red as beet-root in the palms, with symptoms of blistering. 

 If there is anything on which Jones is sensitive it is on the whiteness 

 of his hands : it is an amiable weakness, which even the mighty mind 

 of Lord Byron gave way to. Smith, who has a deal of malicious 

 humour about him, comforted him, by telling him that he would lose all 

 the skin they had " to their backs," (his own expression) but in three 

 months he would have in its place a new and a much whiter one. Jones 

 looked quite horror-struck ! Miss Fanny Smith, then advised him to 

 put on his gloves, which he did, and that made them considerably 

 worse. A boat full of persons passed us at this moment, and we were 

 again saluted with, " Go it, tailors !" Jones, who was sore in one re- 

 spect, and is in many other respects very mettlesome, was for running 

 them aboard, and calling them to account : but I explained, that it was 

 possible that a party of those very serviceable tradesmen were expected 

 up the river that day, and we might probably be mistaken for them. 

 Jones seemed pacified, and pulled on till he declared he could pull no 

 more, his hands were so blistered ; and so they were, like a newly- 

 painted shutter in the dog-days. We all sincerely pitied him, save 

 Smith, who laughed and looked all sorts of droll things at his misery. 

 " Gentlemen," said I, " to relieve you for a time from your labours, pull 

 in your oars, and let the boat drift with the tide, which is almost strong 

 enough to carry us to our destination." 



All hands I could see were agreeable, so that the oars were taken in, 

 but in a very unseamanlike manner, for Wilson nearly brought down 

 the awning and brained Miss Simpson with his, and Jones hit Smith 

 such a pat of the head with his that it made it ring j we all set it down 

 as a " trifle from Margate/' in return for Smith's raillery, at poor 

 Jones's expense. Smith, however, only laughed nothing can disturb 

 his good humour. Jones then produced his German flute, with addi- 

 tional keys, and every one was restored to harmony. He played us, 

 out of Wragg's Preceptor, " In my Cottage near a Wood," " The Lass 

 of Richmond Hill/' " At Kew one Morn was Peter Born," " The 

 Jolly Young Waterman," " Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself," and 

 many other naval and national melodies, very delightful indeed. Miss 

 Fanny Smith also kindly obliged the company by singing the first part 

 of " All's Well," to Mr. Jones's second part on the German flute. 

 Nothing in human nature could be more beautiful ! the waters seemed 

 to glide silently past us, as if listening with every attention to their 

 dulcet strains ; and all Nature was hushed, save a west-country barge- 

 man, who whistled responsively, as he plunged a sweep every now and 

 then into the silver waters. After this Wilson gave us a song, set, I 

 dare say, as he sung it, for thus ran the opening line : 



" When forced from thee to o o o part ;" 

 and then he paused. Smith, who is always alive to the ridiculous, said. 



