INTERNATIONAL BOAT RACE.

Press, Volume XV, Issue 2045, 4 November 1869, Page 3

INTERNATIONAL BOAT RACE.

[From the " European Mail."] "Defeated, but certainly not disgraced," is a motto with which the Harvard crew may console themselves for their, defeat upon the Thames- upon that-27th of August which will for ever remain memorable in racing annals The splendour of the weather ; the perfect condition of-the water, which was hardly ruffled by the gentle easterly breeze that was so refreshing under the bright and burning sun ; and the excellence of the arrangements made for keeping the course clear, so as to give each of the competing ere we a "fair field and no favour," made the race a model one, and its result must be taken as a fair and final test of the merits of the different styles of rowing adopted by the rival Universities. It was at about a quarter pact five in the afternoon, a little before the tide ceased to flow up stream, that, after the usual warning as to fouling, fee/the Secretary of the Harvard Club gave the signal to "Go" from the umpire's boat.' The Harvard «rew,, who had won the toee for choice of stations, and were on the Middlesex eide, were ihei first to catch the water, and decidedly the best iterty 1

talcing a slight lead from the commencement. They worked well together, foo ; at first muc?better than their opponents, who were some tim< before they settled into that steady mechnmcr stroke for which Oxford i* now 'anvms. The Ira ■> which the Harvard men first secured »b- _> continued, by very rapid and powerful row inn to increase, tiil by the tim»* a mil<? an ' ■■\ h»ilf was traversed they were fully n boat' irngth ahead. The Americans chee e<l fiu»!ii on with their peculiar cry tiki , the German " hoeh " " hoch " ' hoeh," or as » forrespondent describee it' " ragh " "ragh" ' rngli," which Imd a most quaint efl'-'ct they drew ahead, rowing forty five stokes ii minute to Oxford's thirty-nine, and it ap pettred that, if the Harvard coxswain had chosen, he might have taken Oxford's water when >ihotit a mile and three-quarters hud been done. For a moment it seen.cd as if h< , intended to do co, but whether fearing a foul which had been already more than oneimminent from his boring upon tho Oxford boat, he hesitated, and at last kept away, losing for ever (he half-length by which the Fliirvarda were then leading. During all this time the Harvard men had been rowing with wonderful animation, a short, bharp, digging stroke, affording a remarkable contrast to the Oxford men, who apparently wanting life in their rowing, came steadily along with a swinging stroke never exceeding thirty-nine ia the minute. Half the distance had been accomplished, when the steadiness and symmetry of the Oxford style began to tell; little by little the dark blue overhauled the crimson ; at Barnes Bridge Oxford was leading near three lengths, and though working most pluckily to the last, the Americans were finally defeated by threequarters of a length. Oxford undoubtedly eased at last, and very nearly lost the race, from a ruffian sculling directly across their course, when they were within about, fifty yards of the winning "post. Most heartily wero the gallant losers cheered for the splendid exhibition of epurage and .fortitude they ha<l shown ; for the best judges of rowing' felt that to have got where they with the disadvantages of a style unei'ited to so long a race, and of a coxswain who did not make the beat of the course for. them, was a very creditable performance. The Harvard crew were much distressed, and niore than .once their coxswain astonished the onlookers by dashing water over the stroke and No 3, by way of reviving them—a proceeding which was not a little shocking to the prejudices of thoae accustomed to our English traditions.

As we have before said, the result must be taken as a final condemnation of a short sharp bustling etroke for races extending oversueha distance as 4£ miles. Over and over again, Cambridge has been beaten by the same fault, and now the Americana have afforded a conclusive and we hope a last lesson upon thin point. The steadiness of the Oxford stroke, Mr Darbishire, is greatl/ to be commended. He never allowed himself to be flurried, but went calmly, sometimes it seemed too calmly, on, confident that the well proved style would telL its tale at last For the last three miles the Oxford rowing was almost perfection, and the result was hardly ever in doubt. The, rjjce was timed variously, but we believe it was accomplished in 22 minutes and 18 seconds.

The attendance was most extraordinary, and far exceeded anything ever seen of our University boat races. From one end. of the course to the other—on both sides of the river, when possible—an unbroken riband of human faces extended, and the crowd on Hammersmith Bridge wa- "a caution." -

The Harvard crew landed ;j«st below Mortlake; but the Oxford men rowed leisurely back in their own boat, and received a perfect ovation along the line. It is too much to say, that had the Harvard crew, been victorious, the same enthusiasm would have been displayed ; but there was expressed, on *very hand the warmest feeling of admiratipn for the gallantry and pluck they had manifested. They will not be slow to learn the lesson the race is calculated to teach, and.it is very unlikely that any crew can be found in America, professional or amateur, capable of competing with them on equal terms.

Both crews dined together with Mr Phillips, of Mortltike, the hospitable entertainer of the Oxford and Cambridge crews every year, and on the 30th of August the Harvard men were the guests of the London Rowing Club, at the Crystal Palace, when Mr Charles Dickens was present, .and proposed the tpat of the evening. ' ' The betting ranged from 7 to 4 to 10 to 3 upon Oxford. At ne period of the race, not even when Harvard .was leading, did the confidence of Oxford's supporters diminish —2 to 1 and 5 to 2 being constantly offered.

'Aβ a record of the actors in this " well- : graced scene," we append the names and weights'of the men, though we cannot vouch for the strict accuracy of the weights of the Harvard/who for' some reason or other declined to supply an official return of their latest weights. Oxford. efc l^ 1. FJWillan(Exeter) ... ... '11 10 2. A. C Yarhorough (Line) ... 12 1 3. J. C. Tinne (University) ... 13 7 4. S. D. Darbishire (Balliol) ... 11 7 f Hall (Corpii?) (cox) 7 4 Habvaud* ; 1. J. Si Fay ... ... ... ... 11 7 2. F. O. Lyman ... ... ... 11 2 3. W. H. Simmonde ... ... .12: 4 4. A. P.Loring ...... .„ 10 13 A. Burriham (cox) ... ... 7 6 We may also mention that Charles Brown, the American oarsman lately matched with Renforth, held the nose of the Harvard boat at the start.

The judge was Sir Aubrey Paul, assisted by John Phelps, the waterman j the referee, Mr Thomas Hughes, M P., the author of ** Tom Brown's School Days 5 " Mr J. Chitty, of Kxeter College, Oxford, standing umpire for Oxford; and Mr Guleton, captain of the London Bowing Club, for the Americans Mr Blackie, of Harvard, the stroke par of 1866 4 waa sjaTrter. ' '■ The drawings of the race in the "Illustrated London Newe," though incorrect in many minor details, gives a *olerably good idea of the scene; but our contemporary has made one mi.-take, which it is worth while to notice. In the ill us t rations, both the Oxford and Hiarvard boats are drawn with little flags at the bows ; but in reality they carried nothing of the kind. The American papers of August 28 devote an immense amount of space to the boat race of the previous day. A report above a column in length, of the race itself, and of the latest comments of the London press upon it, wae telegraphed by the. cable in time, for the next* day's papers, and some of the journals illustrate their narrative by publishing a map of the Tuairies and the adjacent country' between JDhelsea and Mertiakp. : Thef " New York Times" says—About 1 30 o'clock the result

of the race was announced, and was received a cheer, but with less exuitaMtin thnn

•night; hnve been expected. Tho Englishmen tVH, in ficr, or at leust, they profess:! to 'eel, that the result of the.contest was % fore £one conc!u?i »n, &n* that the Oxford must win Hur httl<» money changed hands hero, for opinion-? were all one way. Tho con vermilion soon turned on the result of the ra'v

: ' Why," «ail nn Kpgli-»hm»n, who was just ~it<insj down to a beefVtehk and pot of ale.

" how could men expect to win thit huve beon living on mush, and rice, and such things? There's nothing like beef and ale ; •md I consider r ic." as showing the superiority of the roast beef of Old England over Yankee food as well as When I the Harvardg were training on soft food. I it all up with 'em There's no mu<ole in it " "Siill I must miv as t!n»v did

• TPtty well " slid another.' '"all tiling ,, con It's a mighty hard thing to b>-i f n ■ nan on his own ground, but they gave Vm a pretty hard null for it."

In its leading columns fho "New York Times" cays :—ln common fairness we maintain that the Oxonians ought to give them the chance of a r-turn match . Let the accidents which told in this race against thf Americans be courageously faced by the Englishmen. Then t!'e two systems of rowing will have been satisfactorily tested. The Oxonians have shown themselves a spirited foe—it is not too much to expect from them a chivalrous emulation of the course tiken by onr representatives. If they come over here they will bo, during their stay, the most popular men in the country. The whole nation would take a pride in ensuring for them generous treatment and fairplay. Whether they won or lost the day, their reception would be a thing for them to remember all the rest of their lives. There is no civility or hospitality which has been extended to the Harvard crow which would not be repaid here to the Englishmen fourfold. Let us, thon, have another race on the Charles River, or some other suitable water. Two such crewa ought not to be broken up, without one more trial of strength.

In the "'Tribune" we read:—Old gentlemen walked slovenly over the marble blocks. alternately damning the English and boasu'ng of Yankee pluck "We osm be*t 'em the n<»xt time, can't we, pji ?"■ were tho words of Young America. Almost every naturalised face bore a shade of disappointment. The "Irish jjindeman " took a chew of fine cut, and s;iid, " Oh, ye have got to git up in the morning if ye want to beat them there Britishers!" The young man lately from Liverpool thought it queer that the Americana should dream of rowing with men who have ruled, the .seas for centuries. "Well, there is nothing like letting people kno.w where they stand. If the Yankees will not learn at home, why they must go abroad, and pay. dear for their knowledge." ... .U-he. genuine American said that we can wffbvd to wait

The " Sporting Life," in summing up tho race, says —" It is a good thing, if beaten, to be fairly beaten ; and with this the Harvard crew must be content to console themselves. Where two contend a race, defeat must await one.of them,; and amongst good men, to be honorably vanquished has ever been the distinction placed next to that of actual triumph in any contest in which they might,be engaged. Our American brethren (wo will dr~p the more distant relationship generally acknowledged) have: thrown down the gauntlet to an English University four and have been defeated in the encounter they sought ; but they can return to their own country with the 'proud consciousness of having, rowed one of the finest races ever rowed on English waters, and if defeated, of-having yielded" to "tibt only the best University, but the:best amateur four we have had in England, for years. They preserved in a great degree unquestionably the e'yle which they have adopted at home, and pitted it, so to speak, against the most approved style of English rowing ; for this was a battle of styles which we had long ago come to regard as a very one-sided affair when it took place in this country,