Uppingham by the Sea: A Narrative of the Year at BorthSkrine, John Huntley
History
Uppingham by the Sea: A Narrative of the Year at Borth
Skrine, John Huntley
Uppingham School
If we were little worse off than at home in the appliances for games,
there were other recreations which were proper to the place, and clear
gain to the immigrants. For example, the fishing in the Lery, along
whose banks groups of anglers might be seen strolling, whipping the water
to the full entertainment of themselves and the fish, or now and then
blessing Sir Pryse, as the angler landed his first trout from our good
friend's waters. Yet we had our old sportsmen too, who could kill trout
as well as amuse themselves, and bring home a delicate dish for a half-
holiday tea. For masters, there was a little shooting to be had on the
land of some friendly neighbours; and on the no-man's-land of the coast,
a variety of sea-fowl fell to our guns, and were stuffed to enrich our
museum with a "Borth Collection." We must not forget the Rink at
Aberystwith, for which parties used to be formed on half-holidays; nor
the Golf, which the long strip of rough ground along the shore tempted us
to introduce. The "links" were famous in extent and variety of ground,
but the game, in spite of patronage in high quarters, did not become
popular. There were also recreations of a more intellectual kind:
archaeological visits to "British camps," or others of those Cymric
monuments, which were just then provoking Lord F. Hervey's
incomprehensible spleen; scientific rambles in quest of rare shells,
seaweeds, or the varieties of a new flora; and rambles, half-scientific,
half-predatory, along the woody cliffs of the Lery, whence adventurers
would return with news of a hawk's nest discovered, but not reached, or
the more substantial result of snakes, and such venomous "beasties,"
captured and brought home in a bag. The rocks under Borth Head were good
hunting-grounds, and supplied sea-monsters for an aquarium, which the
Headmaster built and presented to the school. One of the first prizes
was a small octopus, which his captor, having no other vessel handy,
brought home floating in his cap. In the aquarium, however, spite of
this good beginning, we have to record a failure. "The masters could
not, and the boys would not, attend to it; and our best octopus, after
coming to the top of the water, and spitting a last farewell at sundry
lookers-on, died; and with him died the attempt."
We are quoting from a letter of a correspondent to _The Times_, and we
cannot better conclude this part of the subject than by a graphic
paragraph from the same hand:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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