The weather on Saturday morning looked anything but propitious for the race which wns advertised to start at 2.45 p.m, Rain-squalls, however, had no power to deter the gallant owners, and it is certain now that nothing short of an actual typhoon or a dead calm will keep these little craft at their moorings on Saturday afternoon, eppily on Saturday the rain held off after tiffin, though there was a equally look about the sky that made it desirable to keep an eye to windward. The race was ver the usual down-river course, 15 miles, the Alone having to allow the four 2-raters 3 mins. 10 secs. Tt: was nearly the last of tie ebb at the starting time, and the wind was about north-west, but very squally and puffy. The starting line was crossed as under Princess Spoondrift Lamb Violet Alone According to the official report, however, it was the Alone that started third, and the Lamb tu With a free wind down the Hongkew Reach on the last of the ebb the Spoondrift passed the Princess and took the leat but shortly had to give place to the Lamb. The Violet in the meantime had up on the leaders and the Alone which had started " long way Inst was coming up very fast. After passing the Waterworks, sheets had to come in gradually as the river bends round, until it was a close haul to the Poi The Spoondrift kept on the Hongkew shore, th other boats going along towards th flood tide was now aval ud from the Point Ho and beat with the wind dropping here on her strongest pei and she quickly took the lead, and drew further and further away. The Spoondrift kept hammering away in short tacks along the Hongkew shore but making very slow progress. The other boats were comparatively doing much hetter along the Pootung shore in the bight of river protected feom the tide by Halfway Point, and it sven became apparent that the Spoundrift was hopelessly out of the race.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.