Year: 1869

Letter from Charles Reade.


g. w. Smalley writes to the Tribune from


| have more than once referred to the interest
taken in this match by Mr. Charles Reade. His
frequent visits to the crew familiarized him with
their habits and condition, and he watched the
race keenly from the umpre's poat. asked him
to put down his Impressions and he finally gave
Inc liberty to use the few notes he sent me- on
condition that they should not appear to have
been volunteered, nor be treated as having been
first written for publication. His wish must be
my excuse for including his letter in my own,
instead of giving it a place of honor by itself.


Mr.. Reade writes:-


1T could hardly be believed in the United
States to what an extent l, an Oxford man, sym
pathize with your gallant fellows But send
you my observations.


"The Harvard boat goes down a little by the
head. As she faced the tide, coming to start,
the water nearly ran over her.


'The crew were not in high condition, gene
rally. have long seen this with regret But
ii is point on which they were touchy, ana
could not approach it without offense. Pr00tS
boil on Lorings neck, bloodless lips especially
of Simmons, and general want of that spright-
illness that results from high condition. They
were however, hard in muscle-harder than the
Oxford crew. Yet Simmons had diarrhGa on
the day and for fortyeght hours previously.


'In the race, Oxford did not wait for them as
they sometimes do for the Cambridge, but pulled
all they knew from the first. little above
Hammersmth bridge they were distressed, but
got second wind afterwards.


Their beautiful finish, as shown in practice,
disappeared in the race, and little remained of
their form but their true time, the quick ad-
vance of the arm, and the keen catch at first of
the stroke, which have won them the day so
often. Harvard pulled the handsomer stroke of
the two. N. BIN practicing, just the reverse.


''The ridiculous theory of the London press
is answered by this, that Harvard kept the same
form in practice and in the struggle. Oxford
did not.


''These remarks are at your service. ] think
you may rely upon their accuracy As to the
dip forward of boat, my opinion was shared to
the full by distinguished oarsman, with whom
l compared notes, with the craft and her beha-
Vior in sight. Yours, very sincerely,


CHARLES READE.


am none the the less glad to have this brief
comment from Mr.. Reade, with his leave to
print it, because on several points his opinion
is hostile to mine. 1t would not become me to
discuss n letter written in such spirit, nor need
/ say anything about the weight of his judg-
ment in rowing matters. The author of the
boating chapters in lizard Cash" is sure to be
listened to with Difference, and what he urges
on one or two controverted points will be read
by Harvard men with peculiar pleasure; though
i don't know why say Harvard men only. For
the purposes of this race, every American is
Harvard man, since, spite of their modest dis
claimer they were and will always be thought
an American four of whom Americans have Il
right to be proud.


A Word for Burnham.


Says another correspondent:-Betor speaking
of Mr. Burnham's steering further must do
him the justice to quote here a paragraph from
this mornings Standard which l happen to
know was written by sporting critic of ability.
He says:-


We expect to hear to-day that the defeat of
Harvard is due to bad steering; in fact, we heard
this repeated frequently by Americans on their
return home yesterday. But something must
be blamed, and if the crew cannot honestly be
the culprits the poor coXswain is the scape-
goat. If we consider that he has never steered
before he came over here; that he has never
steered in a race, and that the coaching of the
crew was deputed to him on n strange river
with strange surroundings, we must declare
that he has acquitted himself well, and that all
he lost by his wide detour at the Soap Works
was amply balanced by his admirable coarse
from the start to that point. 1t is hard to steer
four correctly over the course, and that few
can do so may be easily proved by visit to any
one of our metropolitan regattas. 1t is even
harder to keep nerve and still correct eye and
hand on the yolk lines in the presence of thou
sands. The steering of Hall was the best we
have ever seen on the Putney course.