1857. Lady Margaret had been head of the river since 1854, Canon
M'Cormick was rowing 5, Philip Pennant Pearson (afterwards P.
Pennant) was 7, Canon Kynaston, of Durham (whose name formerly was
Snow), was stroke, and Butler was cox. When the cox let go of the
bung at starting, the rope caught in his rudder lines, and Lady
Margaret was nearly bumped by Second Trinity. They escaped,
however, and their pursuers were so much exhausted by their efforts
to catch them that they were themselves bumped by First Trinity at
the next corner. Butler wrote home about it:

11 March, 1857. Dear Mamma: My foreboding about steering was on
the last day nearly verified by an accident which was more
deplorable than culpable the effects of which would have been
ruinous had not the presence of mind of No. 7 in the boat rescued
us from the very jaws of defeat. The scene is one which never
can fade from my remembrance and will be connected always with
the gentlemanly conduct of the crew in neither using opprobrious
language nor gesture towards your unfortunate son but treating
him with the most graceful forbearance; for in most cases when an
accident happens which in itself is but slight, but is visited
with serious consequences, most people get carried away with the
impression created by the last so as to entirely forget the
accidental nature of the cause and if we had been quite bumped I
should have been ruined, as it is I get praise for coolness and
good steering as much as and more than blame for my accident and
the crew are so delighted at having rowed a race such as never
was seen before that they are satisfied completely. All the
spectators saw the race and were delighted; another inch and I
should never have held up my head again. One thing is safe, it
will never happen again.