The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-10 00:00:00

THE DINNER.

Both crews were in the evening entertained at dinner at
Willis's Rooms by the Thames Subscription Club, the chair
being occupied by the President of the club, Mr. Denman,
M.P., who was supported by Mr. Carnegie, M.P., Mr. Law-
ton, M.P., Mr. J. W. Chitty, and by several past and present
members of the rowing clubs of the two Universities.
After dinner the toast of " Her Majesty the Queen" hav-
ing been given and duly honoured.

_ -
The CHAIRMAN proposed "the health of the Prince and
Princess of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family," ob-
serving that his Royal Highness had been a member both of
Oxford and Cambridge, and took a great interest in their
annual contest on the Thames, as was testified by his hav-
ing gone to witness it last year, and participated with evi-
dent satisfaction in all the excitement of the race.
The roast was drank amid loud cheers, and the next toasts
on the list, " The Army and Navy and Volunteers," to
which Mr. Chitty responded, and " The House of Com-
mons," for which Mr. Carnegie returned thanks, having
been disposed of,

The CHAIRMAN rose and gave " the health of the Uni-
versity,crews of Oxford and Cambridge." All who heard
him (he said) had probably been spectators of the spirited
contest which had that day taken place between those crews,
whom he would not flatter by telling them they were the
best crews ho had over seen, although ho might say with
truth that the race in which they had been engaged was as
gallant and interesting a race as any at which he had ever
been present. (Cheers.) That, no doubt, was awing in a
great measure to the fact that among the Cambridge men it
was strongly felt they must exert themselves, if possible,
more than usual in order to retrieve the laurels which of

late years they had lost, while Oxford was, of course,
equally anxious to add another to a long list of glorious
victories. Every effort, therefore, which could be made
was made on both sides, under those difficulties which wero
always in the way, to leave no stone unturned to secure
success, and the result was that 16 more gallant, 16 more
stalwart, or 16 more honest men had never struggled for
supremacy on any wateilthan the crews which had been
sent out from Oxford and Cambridge this year. (Cheers.)
Nor must praise be confined to the mon themselves who
rowed in the race. Mr. Morrison and Mr. Chambers were
equally entitled to it, for never had there been a more
striking display than that made by both those gentlemen in
seeking to bring their respective crews to the utmost pitch
of perfection, of all those qualities which went to constitute
a painstaking and efficient trainer. (Cheers.) For his own
part he had unhappily that day been the victim of bitter
disappointment. He had seen the Cambridge crew two
miles from the starting point well ahead, and yet—for the
first time, he believed, in the history of those races under
such circumstances—they did not win. He was, of course,
ready to admit that the Oxford crew were entitled to all
the more credit for having so successfully surmounted the
disadvantages arising from their being so long in the rear,
while of both crews it could justly be said—as it might
always be said of those who took part in such contests—
that they were actuated by no other motive than a de-
sire to uphold the honour of their respective Universities,
entirely uninfluenced by those paltry considerations of
gain which operated in some cases in which betting took
place to a large extent. (Hear, hear.) In that spirit
the Oxford crew rowed what at one moment seemed
to be a losing race, and in proposing their health he would
couple with it the name of Mr. Morrison, who pulled No. 5
oar in the Oxford boat. (Cheers.) As to the Cambridge
crew, everybody was aware that they had had great diffi-
culties to encounter. They had had to battle against the
prestige which four successive victories had won for their
opponents, and against the general impression that their
University had lost the art of rowing, while Oxford was in
possession of the secret. Cambridge, nevertheless, sent to
the post a crew so carefully trained, and consisting of men
at once so skilful and so gallant, that till towards the close
of the race it appeared as if they were about to win. (Hear.)
Nor could any man who took an interest in their success
feel otherwise than proud of their performance. (Hear.)
But it should not be forgotten that before they could be
brought to that degree of perfection which they had evi-
dently attained a great amount of toil and sell-sacrifice was
necessary on the part not only of the men themselves but
of those by whom their training was superintended. He
had himself seen the Cambridge crew about a month ago
rowing one of their ordinary trials on the Cam in as un-
inviting and bitter weather as any in which been had ever
turned out ; but there was one man whose position was
more uncomfortable still than that of those who were in
the boat, and that man was Mr. Chambers—(cheers)--who
had to look on at their performance and to endeavour to
remedy those defects in it which his experienced eye dis-
covered. (Hear, hear.) They knew what had
been the
result of his labours, and he felt sure that no
Cambridge man would hold his head the lower, although ho
might feel his heart the heavier because of
ntohweo n contesto h of
tt
that day. (Cheers.) For himself, although