into a trance, which he appeared to succeed in
doing, for she stood perfectly upright and still. He then placed the two
chairs a certain distance apart, back to back, and taking the girl up in
his arms, laid her on her back with her head resting on the back of one
chair and her feet on the other, and she remained so for some minutes.
Next he lifted up the other girl and placed her standing with one foot on
her sister's chest, and the other at her knees, and she remained so for
some minutes, when she was taken down and placed with her back to the
company for the usual thought-reading performance. At the end, as an
extra, a pale, sickly youth was introduced, and sang "Wapping Old
Stairs," and "Sally in our Alley," the young lady playing the
accompaniment, much to the satisfaction of the company. At the
conclusion a plate was sent round to collect for the benefit of the
artist.

Chelsea Regatta was a grand day, usually about Whitsuntide, when rowing
took place for various prizes, subscribed for by the inhabitants, the
publicans being the most active promoters, and the leading gentry patrons
and liberal subscribers; first among them the Bayfords and the Owens,
great rowing men and very liberal to the watermen. I think one of the
Bayfords was the first winner of the silver sculls. The amount collected
at a time would be as much as fifty or sixty pounds. There was a grand
prize, a boat to cost twenty pounds, and various money prizes. The limit
of entries was twelve, to be drawn by lot by Chelsea watermen, with
certain restrictions. The race was in two heats, six in a heat, the
first and second in the two heats to row in the final; the course from a
point opposite the "Yorkshire Grey" stairs, round a boat moored opposite
the "Adam and Eve," back and round a boat moored opposite the Brunswick
Tea Gardens at Nine Elms, and back to the starting point. The waterside
on a regatta day was like a fair, as there were always two or three
mountebanks, a circus and a dancing booth on the various pieces of vacant
ground in the neighbourhood of the river. Some of the performers,
dressed as clowns, played a kind of river tournament, sitting
straddle-legged on beer barrels afloat, tilting at each other with long
poles; the fun was to see them tumble each other into the water. Then
there was the old woman drawn in a washing tub by four geese. After each
display the performers would march with a band to their different places
of e