Glorious Ascot Sunday was not glorious this year since there wad no sun and plenty of rain. Ca sequently punts were, empty oad lovely gowns unworn and unsunneds One River Thames inspector wha has known Boulter's Lock on Suns days for 30 years said that they had not had one quarter of even tha ordinary Sunday traffic and not and eighth of that common to Ascot Sunday. He thought the threat of jrain in the morning killed the day, In the past the river used to be so crowded that you could cross from side to side by walking on the boats that waited three hours come into the lock. The river, had, however been quite crowded on the previous Sundays, It was a fact however, that the smaller craft were becoming less popular and houses boats were going from the One boat hirer said that it was the worst Ascot Sunday he had evoe known. Before the war they used to get 35/- for a punt for the day. (To-day teat would charge only 15/+ if they were lucky enough to bs hired at all, Although the river has been declining for five yeat sis ecason, until to-day, had shows marked revival. People are bes winning to get tired of the crowded Touts and have taken to the rive instead.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.