It was a happy thought of the King's to make
a Royal progress on the Thames on Monday afternoon, from London Bridge to Chelsea. The pageant, headed by the King and Queen in their State barge, represented the Royal Navy and the Merchant Service, which between them have saved the country and the Allied cause. It also served to remind the multitudes who lined the banks that the river which we neglect is still as important as ever to the welfare of London. The Royal barge, built for William ILL, was the chief feature of the pageant, with its eight watermen in scarlet coats, black velvet jockey caps, and white gloves. The seamen in the procession must have been surprised to see Barry, the champion smiler, and his crew rowing the heavy barge as if it were a light racing eight. We wonder whether the Royal bargemen of the seventeenth century really rowed like a Leander crew, depending mainly on their body-swing and the work of their backs and legs, or whether they tugged hard with their arms as all sailors do In a ship's boat at sea.
