The New York herald., 1870-04-02
Iutern.,lenul Rewlng.

A year ago last fall the champion four-oared
crew Of this country met aud were easily
beaten by picked New Brunswick four on
the waters Of the Connecticut at Springfield.
| So complete was their defeat that they have,
we believe, never appeared In public since.
Not long ago . match was announced by the
press OF much greater significance, one in
which the men competing have been most
severely tested and have proved themselves
one party at least, and not the other only
because none were found to press them, not
merely by winning many races, but many
which were fearfnlly contested-the champion
oarsmen Of their respective continents. Wc
refer, Of course, to tho meeting to take
place at Lachine, In Canada, early in
July, between Renforth, Winship, Mat0n
| and Taylor, the picked professional four
| OF all England, and Fulton, Hutton,
Ross and Price, the famous s'Paris" crew Of
St. John. The latter got thoir title from thcir
easy victory in both tho shell and gig four
cared heats, open to the world, at the races
connected with the International Exposition at
Paris in June, 1867. 1t should, however, be
clearly understood that in SO winning they did
| not really show themselves the champion oars
men Of the world, although this has often been
claimed for them. In fact, they had no right
to take part there at ALL Those contests were
open to amateurs enly, and by these English
men, ct least, understand, and 80 did most pro-
badly the getters-up Of these trials, men who
| have never rowed a match race for money.
Three Of these st. John mon had rowed such
| match race IN 1866 with, If we recall the
name rightly the Thetls crew Of st. John, thus
constituting themselves professionals" Had
| this latter class any right to contend it is
doubtful IL the coming struggle would be neces-
sary, for the four Tyne men named are not
slow to travel considerable distances
to row when anything of Importance is
at stake, as their proposed trip across
| tho Atlantic shows. Nor did ths New
| Dominion men prove that they were even the
| champion amateur oarsmsn OF the world,
though winning easily; for they were heavily
handicapped, while none Of their rivals were.
Each party Of the latter carried coxswain
they had none. How much difference this
makes over distance, as was theirs, of more
than two miles, the experience Of the Harvard
men last summer will help to show. On the
18th of June the latter carried coxswain and
! were beaten by crew which, two days later
without this weight. they left far behind, whlo
their performance on the Thames showed
them much filter for the sharp quick stroke of
boatnnweighted than the long, comparatively
| slow drag which best carries coxswain over
long distance.
! However, in justice to the men who SGT the
example and first dared to cross the ocean to
meet whoever might come, 1t should DO said
that their boat was probably inferior, their
shell at least to those of their antagonists, and
that they have since quickly discarded her for
the more perfect model of the champion boat
builder-Elliott, of Greenpoint. They also,
says their backer, Sheriff Harding, Of St. John,
offered to row any four men in England; but
the Kcnforth crew assert that the Canadians
insisted on omitting the coxswain, and that
would again render the contest unequal. And
whether both crews, or either, or neither, shall
carry one on the St. Lawrence is q point we
have not yet seen stated, and one that will ma
terially influence their relative prospects. 1t
is not unlikely to prove so serious an obstacle
as to entirely prevent the match. But if not
one party must row on plan quite
new to it, and thus at once put itself on q
decided disadvantage. On the 9th of last
August the Harvard mon most generously
gave this advantage to their rivals, with what
result all have seen and now 1t would seem
not only courteous but just that in the second
regularly arranged inter-continental trial O
skill and strength, professional though 1t be,
the favor should come from the other side.
We are convinced that within very few
years the American plan of steering without
carrying man specially for this work vii
become quite prevalent in England. On thu
Cam it probably will not, from the contracted
and tortuous character of that brook, and
perhaps, not on the Isis, at Oxford; but w
see no good reason why it should not on
river broad as the Thames between PutneJ
and Mortlake, the Ouse at Kings Lynn or the
Tyne at Newcastle. Certainly there can be M
possible need Of him on the wide st. Law,
renee. The English professionals, too, from
their far superior experience in rowing in th
most favoring circumstances, under scrutiny
rigid as that of Perry over Geoffrey DeIa.
maine, and with the champion sculler, not onl.
Of all England but Of the world, to set then
, their stroke, can better afford to maks th
, change than their, perhaps, more powerful
but less skilfll rivals.
It is matter Of regret that q contes
destined to excite 30 much interest should b
rowed at SO out-of-the-way place as the one
named, and that Its Indifferent accommodation
for visitors and lookers-on should be substi
tuted for those Of some spot nearer the larg
3 cities of this Continent but the shameft
= performances of some Of our professionals o