The Clyde motor bicycle, which has been on order since the beginning of January, arrived at last this afternoon, after many broken promises and much disappointment. As the weather has been all the year as it has, if I had had the motor before, I could have used it but only little, and very seldom, so the long delay was of little inconvenience, but very disappointing. The machine arrived in splendid condition, and in the evening, I cleaned the machine off and soon had it ready to try on the stand I made many weeks ago. But, as the bicycle arrived without a word of instruction, I did not get the correct guff for starting the motor. I tried for a long time until I was exhausted with the work, but without getting a semblance of a stroke.

I was up betimes and had another go at the motor, but with no better results, until, just as I gave the job up for a bad job and was going in to breakfast, I turned back and had another try, and this time with perfect success, which pleased me. I suppose the reason of my first failures to make it start was not getting the petrol into the mixing chamber of the carburettor. In the evening, I essayed to try it upon the road, and for this purpose, I wheeled the machine down the Reading road, and was going to mount it at the church, but as there were several people about there and I did not want to make an exhibition of myself, I pushed it round the Holt until I came to the Bill Hill road and there I mounted it for the first time upon the road, and it went puffing off grandly, and I had no trouble whatever with the regulating and management of the machine. I only went the usual run round Hurst and was delighted with the go of the machine. When I got back, after showing it off round the Market Place, I went to Finchampstead and over the ridges to Well Coll and home.