Year: 1871

Rctaru.


The year now closing has, with perhaps one
exception, proved the most important and
interesting in the annals of aquatics. In N
the representatives of the best rowing of the
two great English-speaking nations have mse
for the first time, and with results that no oaes
on this side of the Atlantic need regret. We
say the best rowing, for, though not forget
ting Hamills bold venture or the gallant
course of the Harvard men in first CROSSING the
ocean and meeting the deservedly famous men
Of Oxford, these latter contestants at least
were but amateurs, while Hamill got over the
water by method that, if it is to be called
rowing, is, we trust, now obsolete.


Eight men, six Of whom certainly have no
superiors at their art in England, have during
the last season made sort Of tour through
this country and the British provinces, and 90
by frequent exhibitions of their skill have
afforded ample opportunities for forming fair
opinion of their merits. From all we could
gather before they came they were to have
far easier work before them In vanquish-
ing the best of American oarsmen than
they had in becoming the champions Of
English waters and in their frst venture over,
in the fall of 1870, their performance at
Lachine, in Canada, where they distanced the
famous Paris crew of st. John, but added
strength to this to us most unwelcome convic-
ton. But, through the spirit and enterprise
Of these same ST. John men, they were
tempted to come and try again, and in tho
series of contests which followed the United
States had the great and unlooked-for pleasure
of seeing four chosen sons of hers all brothers,
wrest the palm from the champion oarsmen Of
modern times and bear it away triumphantly
to their common home by the broad Hudson.
No fair-minded man conversant with the facts
can for moment hesitate to admit that, b ad
not the strangers lost their leader, this suddea
though it would seem almost equally the fact
that, even had his loss been foreseen, few of
his countrymen would yet have allowed that
America could so quickly take the first place;
for her best men had been beaten almost out Of
sight years before by the same ST. John men
that these Englishmen defeated at Lachine,
and had to all appearance retired from the
arena, and it is now the claim of at least
some of their antagonists that they may credit
their success more to better management
before the race than to superior skill aud
endurance in it. For within about . week
before the struggle on Saratoga Lake all their
more formidable rivals, including both tho
chosen English crews, had to travel some
seven hundred miles or more away from Hall
fax, and hence could hardly have been in such
fine order as the Wards, who, for weeks, had
been on the ground and devoting their every
energy to the work before them, and, surely.
if they foresaw the course things would take,
and judged so well, no one ought to grudge
them the prize SO fairly earned.


But this would be too much to expect from
men 80 long accustomed to the mastery as
were the sons of the Tyne and Thames, and
we have it from excellent authority that they
have expressed an intention TO come over
again next summer and measure anew their
strength with their unexpected conquerors.
If they carry out this purpose it is
safe to say that the latter have harder
work in store for them than they have
ever yet known; for professional rowing in
England is far more common than here, and
GUS watermen-a class almost unknown here
who are constantly racing, and from whom it
will naturally be far more easy to obtain
man to gill any gap in case Of need than It
would be for us should one of the Wards prove
unequal to his arduous task. Besides, two
croxuo oro ouoin to nnuoo oud p,ov ho a khspd
and it is plain that, unless the Wards can do
even better than the excellent work of last
September, we must not be too hopeful that
our aquatic superiority extends over some
thing more than yachting; for the English
will be more careful, and will know no such
depressing influence as the loss of their chief,
which must have told seriously against them
this year.


To be sure we have the Biglin crew, and
they did nobly, but when their best man
(Coulter) is harassed with chills and fever il
is not wise to build too much on them, bril-
liant as has been their record and deserving
though they manifestly are.


So it will we'll become our oarsmen to at once
fairly measure the work in store for them,
and, by all that foresight, effort aud precau-
ton can do, prepare for the difficult task.
Nor should their friends be backward in stay
ing up their hands with the solid aid that
money can bring; for none of them are full
handed, and never until this year have we
seen the Wards in really first class boat.
"'Twas our rig that beat us before this !" said
sagacous Old Josh, their captain, right after
the victory at Saratoga. And we may be
sure that everything that approaches periec-
tion in boats, oars, training or aught else
that money can purchase or aid will be bounti-
fully supplied to the sturdy men who purpose
coming three thousand miles and straining