The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-06-27

the highest degree gratifying.
| As write the lawn is brilliantly illuml-
mated, Webber's band is discourslng sweet
music, and the bellies and beaux are enjoy
| ing the promenade or repairing to the
houses OF some Of the professors, where a
warm welcome and elegant refreshments
await every conner. FIAToR.
Wasllin2tO tom and leo University Exer.
ciscs--Commcncem
I correspondence OF the Richmond DIspatch]
LEXINGTON, VA, June "a, 1878.
| The weather, which until to-day has been
cloudy and cold, with fitful rains, cleared
off beautifully this morning, and the Uni
Yersity grounds were at an early hour
crowded with ladies, who had come to en-
Joy the music, and make nice little speeches
to the youthful aspirants for college honors.
The regular morning services were held in
the University chapel, and were rendered
more than ordinarily impressive by the
beautiful music OF the choir. AS there
was no special programme till the after
noon sightseeing became the order Of
| the day, and the various places OF in
teres in and around Lexington were visited
one after the other. The scenery around
the town is simply grand. Completely sur
rounded by mountains, one scarcely knows
| whether TO admire more the graceful outline
| OF the Blue Ridge-upon which a thousand
shadows are ever racing hither and thither,
and continually presenting new picture to
the eye-or the towering peaks OF the Allie
| Handicapped with snow, and made
more impressive by their greater distance.
| Wherever one looks the same magnificent
panorama is presented.
| But TO the boat-race. At an early hour
| in the afternoon every avenue to the river
was thronged with horses and vehicles and
people on foot eager to reach the river and
secure good positions for seeing the race.
Two beautiful prizes were to be the reward
of the winning crew, and the best men Of
the Albert Sidney and Harry Lee Clubs
were to contest the victory. The race was
rowed in cedar shells, forty-nine feet long,
outraged, and exactly alike, having been
made by the same builder. The Harry
Lee crew was uniformed in red, the
Albert Sidneys III blue, and hundreds OF
ladies, gentlemen, small boys, horses, and
even carriages, decked out in the one color
or the other, as they happened to cham
pion the red or the blue, lined the river
banks for more than half 4 mile. The two
crews rowed down the stream from their
| boat-house in handsome style at O'Clock,
and were greeted as they passed with music
and cheers. The course marked out was
rather more than a mile and q half. At
quarter TO the signal to start was fired,
and both boats shot forward, the Albert
| Sidnevs little ahead. They improved this
advantage considerably in the first half
mile, and were handsomely widening the
distance, when the Harry Lees began to do
| their most serious work, and gained steadily
| on their opponents to the end OF the race,
| coming in one and q half boat-lengths
| behind, after most stubborn and plucky
pull. The time, from the start, was little
less than nine minutes. The race was one
OF the most exciting ever rowed here, and
the enthusiasm of the champions OF the
| blue was unbounded, as they had been
beaten badly last commencement. The cX-
element having abated somewhat, the
crowd dispersed, and the race Of 1878 was
a thing of the past.
Many an unfortunate fellow, who had
risked his last dollar, was q sadder but
wiser man.
With very little rest, by half-past S O'Clock
another large and brilliant audience had as
sembled in the chapel to witness the
final celebration of the literary socie.
ties. Many OF our American universi-
ties are accused nowadays OF paying more
attention to athletic sports than to purely
literary culture, and fear the accusation was
in the present case rathcra just one. do
not speak OF the routine work OF the session
which is now past, but more especially OF
the interest manifested in the dlSpldy OF
physical as opposed TO mental, or better,
oratoricQl, strength. Your correspondent
does not hesitate to say that to himself at
least the former was by far the more enter
tanning. Tonight the chapel certainly
presented its most beautiful appearance,
and the galleries seemed literally to glitter
with the mingled colors Of blue and red,
clearly showing that the interest III the race
had by no means died away in the defeat OF
the Harry Lee Club. The young Ladies
were all present-of' course they were-but
60 busiIy engaged in talking that doubt
very much if it once occurred to them that
thev were expected to listen to the efforts
on the stage.
The dignified young presidents, medal
lists, orators, &C., were safely escorted 10
their places on the rostrum, the music
STONED, the audience was welcomed, the
yollnc ladies and their escorts began to talk
more earnestly than ever, and the celebra-
ton had its beginning. Messrs. Fred.
Cockrell, of Texas, and Samuel Jack. or
Tennessee, received the medals OF the Ora
bam-Lee Society, and MesSrs. l.. n. ShankS,
OF Virginia, and 5. L. Flood, OF oregon,
those of the Washington. j. 5. wilson, OF
South Carolina, was the orator OF the Gra-
ham, and Charles M. Cooke, OF Tennessee,
represented the "Wasb." Never in the
annals of society celebrations did two
speakers have more unappreciative audi,
ences. but the deficiency was amply atoned
for by ever so many nice flowers and sweet
little notes complimenting what had not
been heard. s..a- 50
The Saatini medai-the handsomest given
in the University-was now gracefully pre-
sented by Dir. kirkpatrick to Mr.. +. H.:
Leayeu, of. West Virginia, as the writer Of
the best essay in the Southern Gottegaafs du.
ring the current year.
Colonel William Preston Johnston then
presented Mr.. T.. B. Cox with the Gazette
medal for the second best essay in the COZ
le0ian. The cheers which greeted the gen.
tleman proclaimed him general fayorlte.
Hon. j. r. Tucker now came forward,
and in his usual happy style made a short
address to the boat crews, and presented to
the Albert Sidney, as the winning crew, the
beautiful prizes given by Bishop Pinckney,
of MARYLAND. One was a golden cup very
large end handsomely wrought the othef
massive silver boat, supported on pedestal
OF the same metal.
The audience cheered, the band played,
and the celebration was over.
The young people, still unconquered by
dissipation, were scattered over the beautl-
fully illumined grounds, and promenading
was INDUCED in It'll late hour.
l. In the morning amateh game Of BASEL ball
+o1,os ,>laoo yyI,{sa In fhn ruean time CONF