The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-25 00:00:00

THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPIII.

THIS EvENfl IG, &t 7. MY PRECIOUS BETSY: Mr Atkins and
Miss Johnston e. At 8, THE SERPENT ON THE HEARTH:
Mr IL Phillips, air E Atkins, Mr Stuart. Sirs M. Ehurne, Mrs L.
Murray, fie- And DOMESTIC ECONOMY: Mr Atkins and
Mrs Leigh 31nrrs y.

I LOYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Solo Less 3C and Manageress, Mrs. Swanborough

Tins EVENING. at 7.30, AMONG TILE BREAKERS: Mr
Clarke. THE T. JODLES. JOAN OF ARC: Messrs. Thorne,
James, Fenton; - esdames Goodall. Lydia Maitland. Button. To
conelude with THE CHOPS OF THE CHANNEL. Mr. D.
James,

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
Sole Lesseo and Manager, Mr. Vining,

Tins EvENrn-G. at 7, PRESUMPTIVE EVIDENCE. After
which, AEI., A 9D GALATEA : Herr Formes, Mr V. Rigby, 3Tr
M. smith, and 3; les 131anche Colo. To conclude with A QUIE
FAMILY.

ROYAL ALI 7.A.MBRA PALACE. —THREE BALLETS
Promenade Con• sort. Band of GO. Begin at S. ls. Box-office
o pengrom 11 to' I.

ROYALTY THEATRE.
Under-the Management of Miss 11 OlivPr.

Tuts ErENtico, :it 7.30, A ROVING COM ,lISSION. After
which CHECKMATE. Followed by THE MILITARY BILLY
AYLOR. To conelnde with IN FOR A HOLIDAY Mr
Dewar, Mr. Do avers. Miss M. Oliver Miss Saunders, &e.

PIHNCE OF WALES'S ROYAL THEATRE.
Under the Afanagement of Miss Marie "Wilton

TUTS Evl MING, SCHOOL: Messrs. Hare, H. J. Montague,
Addison, Glover, and Baneroft; Mrs. Buckingham White. Miss
V. Addison, and. Miss Mario Wilton. After which, A WINNING
HAZARD. And A LAME EXCUSE

CHRISTY MINSTRELS, St. James's Hall, Every Night, at 8
Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 3 and 8 all the year round.

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, Regent's-park, OPEN daily (ex-
cept Sundays). Admission, Is.; on Mondays, (;d. Children
under twelve. 64.

V SITIL
4,
.#l4

L ONDON, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1869,

Although the contest now preparing between Eng-
land and America is one simply arising out of a spor-
tive emulation between some aquatic athletes—is
merely a trial of strength and of skill, of pluck and of
go —the result is eagerly looked forward to on either
side of the Atlantic. More eagerly than the result of
any international struggle that has taken place since
SAYERS and lIEENAN confronted each other at day-
break, on the green meadow grass, surrounded by
the raff of London, from the east and from the west,
in threadbare corduroy and glossy broadcloth. Re-

tnembering how utterly that bout at fisticuffs ended
in a drawn battle of the most tantalizingly undecided
character, it is at any rate most sincerely to be
hoped, now, that the boat race which is to come off on
Friday, may at least, in the close of it, be unmistake-
►ble. happily, there, on the well kept river, there

is not much risk of a foul. The rival oarsmen are
not so readily to be hocussed. Tht)re is no hazard,
in this instance, of a baulk from a cut rope, and of
a rough-and-tumble hustling afterwards. The com-
petitors arc well matched, they are admirably trained,
there will be before them, if not a clear stage, a clear
stretch of river and no favour—the best men will
win and, before anyone cau tell for certain which set
is the best, we are all agreed in heartily wishing fair
play to both sets alike. The American crew, it ought
t•o be borne in mind, are not on their own waters.

Ind it ought also to be borne in recollection in their
regard that they have been constrained by unavoid -
lble circumstances to alter their whole style of rowing.
['hey have come an nnmensedistanv., moreover, to meet
their friendly opponents. And they have been wel-
coined accordingly. However diplomatists may come
to loggerheads, the representatives of Le Sport, whether
it be dapper boatmen, oar in hand, or brawny pugi-

lists, stript to the waistband, never fall out when
brought into competition, but simply go in with a
will, resolutely bent upon winning the victory if they
can, without, in any case, bad blood being create].
Good fellowship between the United States and the
United Kingdom can hardly fail to be promoted by
these amicable and perfectly harmless contest; ; and
it is from our thorough sense of this that we arc
lisposed to regard an incident such as the
one now looked, forward to at a dis-

.ance of - time not more remote flan two days
ICIIC?, and at a distance of plies not further away
han Putney, as not by any means intrinsically in-

significant or unworthy of being spoken of as an
event really international in its character. The live-
liest anticipations are awakened far and wide through-
Jut this country, and through the far away States of
the North American Continent, in regard to the
result of the vigorous struggle about to take place
the day after to-morrow between four Americans and
four English boatmen, between the four from Harvard
University and the four from Oxford University.
Almost simultaneously the tidings of that result will
spread throughout the United States and the United
Kingdom—what though the two are separated by the
whole width of the broad Atlantic. Thanks to the

Electric Cable, the news will spread far and
wide by telegraph on the wings of the lightning.
Before the chosen day and the appointed hour have
arrived, before the boats are yet started at the
given signal, before the umpire has had the chance
of deciding as to which boat's crew is entitled to our
congratulation., we may be permitted, in all ea: nest
sincerity, and quite dispassionately, to wish right
well to those who best des:rve success in this ani-
mated and inspiriting contest.

THE British Association has a local and an
imperial aspect. It deals not only with questions in
which the Empire is interested, but also in those
which concern the district where the Association is
meeting. Sometimes the two classes of subjects
shade off into each other, so that it is impossible
to tell where the one ends and the other begins.
This has been the case especially in the Economic
Section. The condition of the agricultural labourer is
a matter that affects the whole country in some measure,
but Devonshire in a peculiar degree. Canon Gm-
DLESTONE, a Devonshire clergyman, has made this
subject his special study, and has thereby incurred
no little odium. If he had merely theorised he
would, perhaps, have made no enemies. If he had
contented himself with saying that agricultural
wages are too low for the labourer to live with
decency while he is able to work, and to keep himself
off the rates when unable to work, the yeomen of
Devonshire would have turned deaf ears to his
words. But when from words he pro-
ceeded to deeds; when he not only said that wages
were too low, but took steps to raise them, then it
was indeed time for the farmers to be up and doing,
and to denounce the intermeddler who reduced their
profits. Their denunciation has, however, availed
them little. The Canon has prevailed, and his
success is his best justification. He contended that
the reason why the labourers got so badly paid was
because the local labour market was overstocked, and
that the only cure was to relieve the market by
emigration. It was not necessary that there should
be an exodus from the kingdom, but only that the
underpaid toilers of Devonshire should remove
to Yorkshire and Lancashire, or other dis-
tricts, where I tbour is scarce aul wages
are high. Ilis plan has answered admi-
rably so far as the labourers are concerned. There
is no longer a glut of them in Devonshire ; the
farmers even complain that they are not able to
obtain sufficient. Of course no one desires to see
either class embarrassed. But when one
has been insufficiently paid by the other, the
latter must have been taliing a portion of

the money that ought to have fallen to the former,
and any readjustment must involve at least appa-
rent loss to the latter. We believe that it is only
apparent. The remarkable statement made a little
time ago by Mr. BRASSEY respecting the navvies
employed in making the North Devon Railway, that
when their wages were increased the contractor Was