The New York Herald Newspaper, April 18, 1875, Page 8

FYGLSH ROWING. An Etching by Jutian Hawthorne on the English Boat Race. APOLITICAL SUGGESTION What the Perfection of Boating Mechan- ism May Lead To. A BLACKBOARD RACE. Nothing to Brag of in This Year’s Struggle. CHOOSING A STANDPOINT. How the Boats Came Along at Last. HINTS TO AMERICAN BOATMEN. Lonpon, March 25, 1875. London, @ day or two before tne University Face, was looking very biue. Blu? is such an un common color un tne earth that it catches the eye More than red or yellow and nas a pleasantly Soothing effect on the ieelings. I was inclinea to Delieve that the whole stock of biue, ordinarily Bppropiiated to celestial use, had been bought up by Speculators several days previous to the race, for there was no bit of azure sky anywhere visible for love or money, and except upon the supposi- tion that the neavens had eitner salien or been sold to fil the extraordinary demand on the part of the backers of Cambridge there was no under- Standing so persistent a veil of clouds, The river and every pond and paddle throughout the coun- try were tu like manner stripped of their dark blue ou Oxiord’s behall, and air and water pre- sented a sirctiy neutral aspect of waitish gray. In justice to the speculators, however, it must be @dmitted that they made pretty and tasteui use Of their abundant material. The silk mercers and Baberdashers were not the only ones to show tneir ingenuity, jor all the chinaware in the Crockery shops was bine; there were bdiue Cigarettes in tobacconists’ winaows; blue land- scapes commanded a premium at the picture dealers’; an eigut-oared crew in blue gingervread Was bending to its biue peppermint oarsin Pastry cook's showcase; viue boots and slippers Were the most /ashionable footgear; blue glo Dive jewelry; yes, aud whe photographs of tne Actresses at the stationers’ were all painted in Diue satin dresses, or, if there were no dresses, then witn blue eyes. THE FAVORITE COLOR. Light biue was the iavorite color this y and the iact Was accounted for with various ingenuity. [m the case of the upper classes it was because light blue was more becoming to the ladies, while ‘the tag-Tag and boo-tail were affirmed to be par- tial to it as being the badge oc tne weaker party; for it should be observed tnat the event or the tace Was accurately known some weeks belore it wok place. indeed, this is invariabiy the case in vach matiers, imsomuch that it seems hardly worth while to row four miles merely jor the sake Of proving the prophew right. Nay, had | been personaily concerned on cituer aide, 1 should have felt tue pleasure of victory diminish or the anguisn Of deseat intensified, as the case might be, by know. ing ali about it beiore starting. As regards the preponderance of one par:y cr the otuer, however, I will not atiempt meta- Dhysically to explain it. What is more to the pur- Ose is that Dot & soul but was either for Oxford Or tor Camorioge. Eogiand was more Oxforcian end Camoridgian than she was liberal and con- servative, agd there was wore enthusiasm ex- Dibited in twenty minates along the Thames’ banks from Putney to Mortiake than in the houses of Parliament during tne lifetime of half ® dozen Miuisters. Why should not political questions be settled by boat-racing ? The attention of the country would be secured, the opposing interests would be decided upon thoroughiy tangiole and intelligible grounds, ana the largest ana most intricate bill would te neces- saruy disposed of inside of balfan hour. fhe Marquis of Disraeit and Mr. Hartiogton would, of course, hold the rudver-limes of their respecty craft, and would be pertectiy at liberty to take wUcd Advantage Of the current as their knowledge and skili migot enabdie them to do, and to give their adversary their back wasn so soon as they should be able to jorge abead o/ him. CABINET COAXSWAINS.. This proposition, of course, ought not to be Adopted without some further discussion of tts Merits. Meanwnile i 1s refreaning totarn from the House tothe river. The kind of partisansnip Of which the rival crews are the nucleas is very pleasant to see ana evjoyaole to share, and makes Qs cynical people, who are accustomed to regret that the world does not see the way to its best ac- Vantage socleariy as wedo, think of our race somewhat more kindly and hopefully. Women are simost entirely answeravie for tuis agreeavle state of things; tuey appear in sucn mat: precisely B theif most attractive and creditable lignt Does anyvody suppose that the race would be so popalar, 80 Wholesome, so fasnionadie, so any- nice, if tnere were no to i up im their de il, enthusiastic, emotional, irrational, iric, sedtish, cunning, simple, generous way? To bet gloves and wear the colors; to ruin \neir lovely hate ace charmi: Gresses in the can and Vow wey dou’t mind 1%; to take up ail the best places and opera glasses; to partake of tne Cold cosations; to scream, to chatter, to laugh, to Gush With excitement aud paie with apprenen- Non ; to applaud the Winners and condoie with the iosers—ali tuis belongs to woman; she is made for it. in otuer words, she ta the lire and soul of the whole business, and had it not been jor her part in the pulling, Ido not believe tuat the Ux. sord and Cumoridge regatta would have outiived the year of \ts virth, Thanks to woman's foster. ing care, however, itis to-day a well-grown bave Of some siX and forty springs. and may sarvive as many centaries, so far as present appearances go twat is, provided Womankind exists so long, and We do not wake ap some morning ana find our- selves ali men. THE PROGRESS OP MECHANISM. ‘There is avother danger in the way of our prom- ising infant—a rock ahead, whien wr. Grey hae omitted to mention, aud which, r*ry provabiy, may ve considered by tne majority o: people as no | Qanger at ali, out & very promising aud encoarag- ing circum nce. Whether promising or tue contrary it is atrictiy in accordance with tae ten- Geney Of the axe, and way, therefore, be cond- Gentiy counted on one way or the other. It is driefly tois—that the boats are getting to ¢ pro Pelied less and less by arms and iegs of justy young men, and more and more oy mecasnicai Contrivances of ingenious boat builders. Of GvUrse, tae origin of tas vendency can be traced Poon oars are only one of its laver a outriggers do not go very far back. but silding seats, which came in four or five years imagined belore; and toils been pushed still iur- one can tell what invention may nut be lovked jor next. Tue speculative mind cannot | Weil avoia asking iteei! where this scientific busi- ene 16 tu land us, Young men, by and by, wi | titad a pouad mMuscies, but for broad foreheads and sound | come up from couating room, pulpit or proleasor’s pomprenension of mechanical sudtieties, Their training diet wil consist of diagrams aod caleuia- be elected to tue crews, aot for broad bac 0, Were a decided advance upon any- | former crews—men of profound mathematical at- tainments. The practice will be chiefly upon the blackboard, and ultimately, perhaps, the contest as well, A large ball will be engaged; the audience will assemble; the crews will occupy seats on the platform; at the words, ‘‘Are you ready?’ each man will proauce his siate (ur ad- vance to the blackooard, as 1t may be arranged), and at the momentous signal “Go!? each will dash in, chalk in hand, and demonstrate his problem as wellas he can, We may fancy, per- haps, the tumult of intellectual excitement throughout the assembly as the progress of the ca.culations 18 from time to time announced by the judges. By and by the last Dgure is down; amid the slience of breathless suspense the referee examines the results, balances one against the other, and announces the issue, Applause, congratulations follow; the crews pocket their chalks, Compliment one another, and are escorted home by their iriends. One of them, perhaps, is taken ‘with brain jever; and thereby occasions @ hot discussion in the newspapers as to whether boat racing 18 a healthy pastime or not, Some one, thereupon, writes a novel, whose hero exhibits the evils of over- application to intellectual athletics, and so on. All lam afraid of is that it will die out from lack of iadies, who, as 1 shall always believe, would rather see @ man knocked down with @ fst than with an argument, “GOOD AVERAGE.” But this Savors of forecasting. At present the state of things I have described is but faintly indi- cated, The crews are considered “good average” this year—not so good as the men who out-rowed Harvard, not so bad as others woom it would be imvidious toname. The time they made, in spite Of their rowing machinery, was not good; but, as 7 Was universally and sapiently remarked, that proves nothing. The practice of rowing upoa dal mvers makes any comparison of the crews of one year with those of another quite out of the question, It will never be really known, as long as ‘Varsity races may continue, whether the eight of 1845 was not @matcn for any that has appeared since then, Tne Thames alone is in possession of the secret, and there is small chance of his ever revealing it, Indeed, considering the cumplicated nature of hia relations with Neptune, it is not im- Possible that he may Le @ little unceriain about it himself, | tions, and they will be coached by the strokes of LOIGNS OF VANTAGE. The writer spent tne weeks immediately pre- ceding the race in debating with himseif from what point oj view it were best observed, It first Occurred to him to solicit @ position on one of the steamers which follow in the wake of the flying craft; but this design was finaly abandoned. |t was too busines#-like, analytic and naked a way of going to work. is desire was to witness the race in @ perfectly spontaneous, unrestrained and inartificial manner, and tuis was net to be done among such an assembiaze Of self-possessed, keen- eyed and rigidly critical gentiemen as would not fail to be collected on the decks of either of the three pursuing steamers. Moreover, the essence of Viewing @ race, as distinguisheq from taking part in it, consists in seeing only a section thereof; for otherwise all the waiting and wondering; all the false alarms, tip-toeing and fruitiess shouting; all the run of the crowd and the glorious discom- fort; ali the envy of the people who are in more eligible positions than ourselves; all the sympathy with sucn as are in & similar pught, and, finally, all tne inestimable value which attaches to intermittent and frantic glimpses of the famous eignis, as they flash and swing and are gone between the roaring banks and past the only dozen rods over whicn the utmost possibiliues of our vision ex+ tended, would be irremediabiy jorieired, No, no! The only way in whica it could be worth waile to foliow the course from end to end would be as a this was not to be expected, still less, under the existing circumstances, desired, the steamboat plan was rejected. VIEWED FROM THE RIVER. Before deciding upon the banks, however, there Wasa third altermative to cousider. The river, during the race, is alive with ski's and wherrtes, canoes and steam launches and every other imag- mabie description of water-going structure, and no smail portion of the spectators go to and fro in these, scuttling in toward the bank just as tne eights appear and swarming out again the instant they have passed. This metnod of getting over the difficulty no doubt bas attractions for certain classes of minds—unotaoly for born watermen and aiso for those whose aquatic amoitions are consid erably in excess o/ wheir attaimments. Candor obliges the writer to disclaim either fraternity; he was neither born with an oar in his band nor are his rowing powers otuer than precisely what he would wish them to be. Besides, ne is of opinion that those who go down to see in ships of tneir own are apt to ve too much engrossed with thoughts of their own appearance, or aanger, or fair companions, or biistered fingers, to allow of their giving the race that unquestioned suprem- acy in their regard, which is & positive necessity wo ite mgotenjoyment and appreciation. Rever- ence for the higher law, therefore, denied tne skiff his patronage; and the barges and scows, ancoored permanently ut intervals aiong the course, Were permitted to Share in this exclusion, It only remained, then, to pick out the most avail- abie situation on snore. THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE, Hammersmith Briage—i bridges may be eonsid- ered as shore—is one of the favorite stations, and it certainly bas many advantages. The crew Which Grst catches its shadow is currently be- heved to “have’’ the race, toougn the race is just as much nad, porentialiy, @ day or a week beiore it takes place as then. Every year this bridge groans under the weight of some 3,000 excited people, and a mighty roar goes forth as the nar- row boats, straight-moving, swift, eigut-legged, approach and sip beneath, Grst one, then the otper, But ere vhe last rudder bas vanished there 18 @ fearful tumult and quick rush; the whole great crowd has swept across to the other side, and the people on the steamboats shudder and look apprehensively upward, and toe bridge creaks and sways and sags Gownward full turee feet. Another roar pursues the onward course of the narrow boats, and their crews, in the midst of their breathless tug, half see the myriad multitude hanging in | air above them, and the thanderous shout echoes } ip their ears, and winner and loser pull them. | selves together and quicken up a stroke or so. | Nevertheless, Hammersmith Bridge was not the piace fixed upon by the writer. Perhaps he was | intimidated by alarming paragraphs ih the news | bers concerning its insecurity, and the probabil ol some ghastly accident happening there—some | general slaugnter, to which the annual squeezing fiat of two or three women and old men is but a drop im toe oucket. Perhaps he was unwilling to arise in the gray oi the morning ana vetake him. | sell, With discomfort, to bis perch on some dizzy buttress or perilous chain, there to shiver seven hours, and perhaps bave a rit broken, alter ail; jor auch is the price of admission to Hammer- | smith Brid It would be too mach were tne view from it twice as good. Neither Hammer- smith, then, nor any otuer bridge, Once more, | the bank, START OR FINISH, | But should it be at the start or at the foisn— Putoey or Mortiake? Engiand, most persons are aware, provides no facilities for a race out and back (unless, indeed, tne crews were to row Founda the isiand), so that spectators on shore are Obliged to take the alternative and content them- se. ves with either seeing the eights of and specu- lating how they will arrive, or seeing them arrive and having all possibility for specaiation taken | away. If weare to judge by numbers Putney is the \avorite spot. The headquarters of whe vars- | | Men are tuereavouts. It is there that they em- | bark @nd paduie to their places amid buzz toere strip off their bige jerseys, grasp their oars &nd lean forward, tense and still, alert to catch the Word and the water at che same time, At | Putney, too, assembie ihe nts, toe fat women, the jugaicrs, paoorames and dwaris which are Always ound hanging on the skirts o! holicay mul Avout the streets and barrooms we mest | famous ld historic strokes and bows, who b chair to Graw once more the breath of a so 9 years ago, in short, simost ai the p and ceremony of the race is to be ‘o here, but little or nothing of the race itself. They catch the water and are gone. Now one is in front and stil gaining; but | we know that the relative position will be reversed | at least once before the long tour miles are done. | There is something very unsatisfactory about this. Some persons argue that those who miss the first mile or two of the race must altogether miss the racing, inasmuch a8 the latter part of the course is a stern chase for one party or the other, but that is a wrong way of viewing the matter. The | beaten crew never confesses itself beaten nor Acts as though It Were beaten until the pigtol shot has sounded which salutes the winner. On the conirary, they make onceasing and desperate efforts to retrieve themselves; ana it is in such desperate efforts, though we may feel them to be Vain, thatthe true thrill and excitement of the contest lies. If, as soon as they felt themselves overmatched, they were to “easy all’? and paddle philosophicaily back to Putney again, then, in- | deed, the Putneyites would have good reason for their preference. But so long as hope springs im- mortal in the oarsman’s heart and sympathy glows in that of the spectator; so long as oars may snap or blooavessels burst or boats swamp or “spurts” avall—so long, in fine, as the future 13 | hid and mankind mortali—so long will Mortlake not lack patronage ou regatta days, Besides, it mist always be more satisfactory to see the con- test won and lost with our own eyes than to hear about its termination trom other people, OTHER PLACES, Of course, there are plenty of intermediate points of vantage, but they only present in dilu- ton the concentrated merits of the two extremi- ties of the course, It 1s, undeniably, delightful to be @ member of & lawn party at one of those charming villas woich give on the river; but this consideration ought to have no weight witn gena- ime aquatic enthusiasts, who come to see, not society, but rowing. Moreover, there are no such villas in the immediate vicinity Of Mortlake, The neighborhood 1s rather pleveian; level meadows constitute the left bank of the river, while the right is occupied by the “Ship Inu” and a variety of even less pretentious buildings. A towpath skirts the water’s edge, built up with stone from high water mark to @ heignt of five or six feet. A legion of ravenous watermen besiege this embank- ment, continually and vociferously adjuring the close-packed crowd which stands upon it, to let themselves be ferried to the other side for the nominal sum of half a crown per head. The gen- eral tendency of the crowd to avail itself of the | tempting offer cannot fail to interest the psycho- logic student, should the latter happen tobe on hand, The side to which they are transported 18 so plainly imfertor, in every respect, to tnat they are on, that it seems as if their object in going hither must be the philanthropic one of giv- ing more elbow-room to such asremain, This would be much to their credit, especially in view of the fact that the passage, during the last hour or two before the race, 18 excessively dangerous— not alone from the imminent risk Of Colitsions, but because the skiff in wnich the passage is effected is generally overcrowded and by aset of passen- gers not precisely accustomed to contend with the | perlis of the deep. Nevertheless, a great majority | of vhem do escape drowning, though seemingly only by the providential violation of some natural law. THE “SHIP.” Well, it was at Mortlake, not far from the “Ship,” and on or near the stoneeemban<ed tow- path, that I finally cast anchor, Be it admitted likewise that the argaments proving this spot to be the most desirable one on the course were not either conceived or worked ouc until cbance and my own negligence had rendered it impossible for me to get anywhere else. I arrived late—tnat is, about twelve o’clock—at Mortiake, having under- estimated the length of the way. Every road and jane for miles out had been alive with teams and foot passengers, all heading toward one point. Gai- laut gentlemen on horseback, with opera gias: slung over their shoulders; jamily carriages, full of blue si.ks and satins, blue neckties and bhatbands, smiling laces, patés de foie gras and black botties; country wagons bulging with creatures of the same generai make aud aspect as the former, but socially antipodal to them; graceiul pony phae- tons, driven by exquisitely dressed and fauitiessly complexioned young ladies, who received the salutes only of disengaged gentlemen and were icily ignored by all persons otherwise conditioned; sturdy pedestrians, dusty and tired, but full of enthusiasm—ail these, and more, had accompa- nied, followed or outstripped me on my riverward joursey. Every driver had @ bive ribbon on his whip; aad not @ horse—were be but a coster- monger’s donkey—was without his rosettes, A senument of good fellowship bad, tnerefore, gen- erally prevailed, Remarks wi excbanged be- tween strangers, aud jew of us retused @ smile to t or threadoarest witticism. These biue e promoters of humane emotions, and do more than stump orators or pamphiets to inculcate democratic docrrines. They are badges of acommon feeling regarding only the aquatic interests of Oxiord or Camoridge. If every haman aim ana jaith were ip a similar manner outwardiy beribboned with certain colors, no doubt the rat e:nization of mankind would be greatly ad- vanced. A PICTURE, larrived at Mortlake late, and, having pressea resolutely through @ disorganized preliminary throng, I emerged on tne river bank. On my left, jutting almost into the river was the “Snip Inn,” all over the roof, chimneys, doors win- dows, balconies aad approaches of which peo- pie were clustered dark and thick as iron flings oo @ magnet, Crowds always look dark no matter bow much color there may ve in them. As to the towpath, it was so thickly overlaid wich humanity, that not for some ume was 1 aware of its existence—tt appeared a solid pop. ulous mound, Two or three barges were moored at imtervals, @ few yards out from the shore, and on the opposite side of the river was almost a continuous line of them, and these aiso were denseiy settled, You could not have dropped @ stone anywhere over the surface of the water without hitting a boat ora human being, and the ceaseless shifting in and out of this countless flotiiia, like a swarm of fright~ ened ants, was dizzying to benold, The bat- tauon of watermen ‘@ im fall cry and ac trvity, bearing of victim alter victim and still clamoring insatiably for more. A brass band on the further bank were doing their urmost to harmonize matters with some undistinguishable overture, and, a few moments alte: my advent, @ rival orchestra at the “Snip” ‘aunched into @ tamaltous ocean of melody. There was no getting anywhere or doing anything of one’s own Will; almost no thinking of anything at first. After moving, or being moved along the bank for a short distance, I came to @ standstiil which seemed likely to be permanent. Tue rising tide was in front, and about tweive feet om Be- hind, ou the towpath, was a serried, impenetrable mass of flesh and biood. On eitner side my fellow beings were scarcely less pienty, and, though there had long Ceased to be roum for amy more, otners were constantly arriving. Fora time | struggled vainly to get somewhere else (except into the bouts belonging to any one of the seven water- men, who, ever since my arrival. nad veen ob streperously recommending me to “go over” with them for two and sixpence; or, If not om those terms, why, theo. live and let live, call it sixpence aud come on), but, finding this impracticabie, I betpought me to examine whetner anytoing of the race Would be visible jrom where I stood. It was then that { discovered myseif to be unawares | the favorite of fortane., I commanded an unin- | terrupted view of the last three-quarters of a mile of the course, from the bend to the finish. Noth- ing could be better; and i had abundant leisure to confirm myself in thia opinion before the “eights” came into view, A WATERMAN'S SPEROH. The only anxiety (and it was one which the Watermen took care we should not forget ior lack of remloders ;~“Come, sir, you'd best make up your mina to go over; bless you, sir, the water ‘ll be two feet deep where you're standing jong ceiore the bouts get ap here, sir; comes up mighty sud- dep, sir; it ‘li be on you belore you're aware of it; come on, sit, it’s only sixpence; you'll have to come to it sooner or later, sir”)—my only anxiety that some a in the time of starting the Face might enable the Creeping tide actusuy to NEW YORK uH&KALD, SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 1875--QUINTUPLE SHEET. verify these prognostications. But at one o'clock, when the highest range of the waves was sul ® toot distant, a rumor buzzed mysteriously through the crowd that the boats were off. By @ subsequent comparison of times [ found that this news had traveiled from Putney to Mortlake in | rather less than five minntes—a remarkable in- stance of the speed of winged tame, though DO doubt it can travel faster than a mile a minute on occasion, About fifteen minutes passed, and stil: nothing was in sight; it was affirmed, however (no one | could tell on what authority), that Oxford had the Jead, and would win as she liked, The assertion was vehemently controverted, here and there, but gained ground, nevertheless, The crowd was now becoming more silent every moment. The flotilla was forced back by the po- lice as close In shore as possible; the watermen ceased to importune, and, jumping into their boats, shoved off to see the race. comina. “They're hard on, by this! stuttered one of my ragged neighbors, clutching my arm in tremulous excitement, “There they are!” roared somebody. We all strained forward. The next moment I heard behind me a confused note of alarm, a sound of scrambling, and a rushing, falling noise. Glancing around, I saw. that the whole army of spectators on the towpath hadoverreached them- seives; the front rank had pitched over the stcep, shelving verge, and those behind, deprived of their support, avalanched on the top of them. Jack had come down and cracked his crown, and Jill had tumbled after. Very likely both were killea. Without the slightest concern or hesita- tion I turned away from the writhing mass and eagerly scanned the river. IN SIGHT. There they were, sure enough, at last, the fa- mous English eights, of which we Americans stand in such awe, First came the dark blue, and with them the cheer which had travelled steadily beside them along the banks all the way from Putney. They pulled @ long, slow, hanging stroke, feathering clean and weil together—well-drilled, conscten- tious oarsmen, thoroughly used to one another; but the starboard stroke was, if I may be per- mitted to say 80, the only man in the boat who really understood rowing. Edwardes-Moss, of Brasenose, is the best oar, next to William Sim- mons, of Harvard, that | ever rememoer to have seen, He pulled in a spontaneous, leonine, un- concerned style, delightiul to contemplate; the others, as if they had learned the art with great pains and labor, and were still a little anxious lest they should forget ond make some mistake, There could be no doubt about their strength and endurance, however. After all those toiling, tug- ging miles they pulled in as neatly, and to ail appearances as freshly, as though they were just setting out. Only their stroke seemed a trifle tired; he wasa small, nervous man, who bad put his heart into every pull from the word “Go|? A SAD SIGHT. ‘They passed, and then came the light blue, heavy-hearted, despairing, desperate, fabber- gasted, the waist oars spatter{ng water at every stroke, hopelessly beate and yet, in that last dizzy moment, Mr. Rhodes called cheerfully to nis uphappy crew aod quickened them up to a nal spurt. He uimself was another bow oarsman, aud looked almost capable, even then, of winning tne race on bis own merits. Cambridge spurted, in the preathless, disjointed, incoherent style of ex- bausted men, and so their boat hobbled dismally ou, The pistol sounded and ali was over. L’ENVOL I did not see the crew waich beat Harvard; but among the sixteen young men who were the flower of English amateur Oa'smen this year two only—Edwardes-Moss aug Ri@des—would have been considered fit to row in the same boat with a certain Harvard crew that I remember. Let me entreat my tellow countrymen not to despair. Let tnem send another four over here; train them on English principles; give them a slow, deliberate stroke, and warn them agains: attemoting too much during the first two miles. Unless they have been selected very unadvisedly and managed ex- ceedingly ill 1 think they may yet show the flower oi England the quickest way irom Patney to Mortiace. If they fail, let them keep on trying until they succeed. JULIAN HAWTHORNE. THE PAPAL ENVOYS. The Papal Envoys went to Brooklyn yesterday morning to pay their respects to Bisnop Lougniin. Before going Mgr. Roocetti and Dr. Ubaldt cele- brated mass in the private chapel in tne Cardi- nal’s residence. The Ablegate and Count Mare- foscbi returned to New York eariy ¥ the afternoon, leaving Dr. Ubaidi at Bistop Lovghiin’s residence in Jay street. The reverend doctor, it was thougnt last evening might remain in Brooklyn to celebrate mass in St. James’ Cathedral this morning. He ‘will certainly be in New York to-day, however, be 18 to accompany Cardinal McCloskey, Mgr. Roncett! and Count Marefoschi to the German church of St, Nicholas, in Secood street, where the Cardinal 1s to administer the rite of confirma- to @ large number of children at the lave mass this morning. The Papal Envoys will leave the Cardinai’s residence early this week for baltimore to pay their respects to Archbishop Bailey, and to pi nt some letters which they bear to him from the Holy See. , MEDALLION OF THE CARDINAL. M. Chas: Roussei, the French sculptor, who b just finished an elegant reilevo medallion of tne ioe Archcishop Haghes, is now engaged on a com- @ Cardinal medali anion medallion of His Eminence t Archbishop of New ¥ T Which is the purest with ir ot Kilkenny marble, measuring 24 by 301nc can be seen in the parlors of Manbattan College, on the Hadson. THE LAW OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE REFORM AND CODI- FICATION OF THE LAW OF NATIONS, ‘The above-named valuable organization, of which David Dadiey Field, of New York, is president, nd Count Frederic Sclopis, of Turin, vice presi- nt, is actively engaged in laying @ substantial foundation on which it may prosecute tntelli- gently and usefally the great work which its members @ taken in hand. Vice pret nts have been named in all the civilized countries of the world, The objectand intent of the associa- tion has veen made Known by circular trom London away to ¢ farthest part of Aus- tralasia and in Ceylon. The objects of the association are the reform and codification of the law of nations. Its relations with the Institute of International Law, locoded at Gnent, snail ve goch a$ Were determined by the Conrerence at Brussels in October, 1873. A series of questions has been submitted to chambers oi commerce, NATIONS. bankers, bili vrokers, jurists aud mercantile houses | io Gifferent countries, in order to elicit their opin- tons a8 to the desirability of adopting one unuorm | system in the laws, usages and jorms as to bills | of exchange, aud there is no doubt that Mr, Field anc his associates will be able to accomplisn &@ great good fr humenity vy effacing many o! the causes Whicu at present tend to irritate peoples and nations against each other. BLOWN TO DEATH. FULMINATING POWDER EXPLOSION—THE BODY OF & MAN BLOWN TO ATOMS. New Haven, Conn., April 17, 1875. AD explosion took piace at tne Winchester Arms Company's works in tois city, this morning, by whieh Jobo Donohue, aged thirty-five yea native of Ireland, wes blown literally tn pie The business of deceased was to mix the ingro- | dients used for makiog a fulminating powder such as is used for charging percussion caps and cartridges. At the time of the ex. plosion ne Was engaged working with com- mon gunpowder with which only @ small portion of julnminate had been mixed. The building in Which he operated was made of light wood covered with paper cloth, and stood apart from the other buildings. But lor tais a large num- ber of \ves must have been sacrificed, A rush ‘Was made jot .be spot, Which, On reaching, a signt met the eve Which peo Cannot describe. Ine lit Frame buLding Was a mass ol dévria, And among hattered part's, tangied and toro, Was geen wnat rematued of the lieless form of John Donanue, o; the skull Was biown flity feet away aod Was picked up LF One OF the Men, Corouer’s jury reudered a verdict of adtidental hh. From witnesses, Who testified beioie ti eed diabceon years at this business, aud that durine the Wiel period he had been momentarily ex- t's stich 0 OCCurrende O8 Lerminated his morbing. AMERICAN ART IN ROME. What Some of Our Sculptors and Artists Are Doing. Randolph Rogers—Miss Foley—F. Simmons— Martin Milmore—Mr. Freeman's Pic- ture and “Reminiscences.” Rome, March 22, 1875. It 1s not such an easy thing as one at first fancies to visit the dozen or fifteen American sculptors in Rome, and then write an intelligent account of what you have seen. In the first pidce, you are very likely to find the artist gone to dinner, or engaged with a model, or his studio full of visitors, aod take your departure, imtending to return when visitors are not there, when all the models have been sent to Jerusalem and it is not dinner time. So days pass by, ana you find that wnat you had expected to do with the greatest ease in a few days, 18 at the end of a few weeks only half finisued, I will give you in this levter some account of what these artists (sculptors and patnters), whose ateliers I have visited, are doing. i intend simply to tell you how industrious they are; not to give you criticisms of their works. I place the names in the order in which I gathered my notes. SOCIAL LIFE. According to the lists published In the little poly- glot journal Le Cosmopolite, which appears once & week in Rome, there are some twenty American painters and about fliteen sculptors residing in the Eternal City. Respecting the peculiarities of social i.e among them there is little to be said, ‘Tne majority of the artists reside here with their famihes in @ quiet, comfortable manner, and each one has his own peculiar sphere of society im which he moves and lives. The colonial era of American art life in Rome is @ thing of the long gone past, and with it must have gone, too, that cordial social intercourse which generally distin- guishes the life of a reiated body of strangers in a far off land. Now our art countrymen are divided here into cliques and social circies; some bave swung themselves up into the realms of the Roman aristocracy, and others are climbing up that way as fast as they can manage It. There has been of late some excitement in the artist circles here caused by the revelations made about certain members Of the crait, especially in Flor- ence, where au enterprising sculptor or two, not gifted with the necessary amount of ideas for their labors, called in the assistance of Italians, not only to do the so called mechanical part of the work—tnat 1s, copying the model in marbie—bvut to furnish the model itself, The sculptors of Rome ought to be the Grstin sending that “revelator” @ cordial address of thanks for hig services to them and to tne world! MR. ROGERS’ LATEST WORKS. I think I have brought trom Mr, Rogers’ studio a grander impression than ‘rom any otber in Rome, You feel, ou entering bis large workrooms, on the Via Margutta, as if you were suddenly trans- porred into the vestibule of sn American Walhalla, where the heroic and allegorical iorms 01 @ grand past look down upon you, sublime in their colossal proportions. Immediately beiore you, on either side of the opposite doorway, are the colossal, seated statues of Lincoln and Seward; and groupea avout, as belonging to the era in which they lived, the novle figure of “Victory,” the allegori- cal figure of “Michigan” with the gloriousiy up- held shield, and the jorms of soldiers and satiors, ol colossal proportions, that are to adorn various monuments of America, I was struck by the grandeur of these colossal creations thatin bronze and marble are to perpetuate the heroic figures of the more modern heroic age of America. 1 thought as I stood there vhat if a large hall of the Philadeiphia Exposition were set upart for merely plaster casts of tue great sculptural works of our artists, represent- ing the worthies and heroes of Americaa history, whats grand impression it would make—first, upon ourselves, and then upon our Joreign visit- ors. Old King Ludwig L of Bavaria bad a grand idea woeu be conceived his Walnalia at Regens- burg ior the reception Of statues and busts of Bavaria’s great deau, THE SEWARD STATUE. Mr. Rogers’ colossal statue of Mr. Seward is finissed, as (ar as the sculptor is concerned, and has only to De cas: in bronze at the Royal Bronze Foundry, in Munich, and will be ready for de- livery in August next. 1tis of the same propor. tions as the statue of Mr, Lincoin, erected in bronze four years ago at Fairmount lark, Poila- deipnia. Mr. Seward is seated im an arm- caair, holding in one band «sp open scroll, and in the other @ pen; beneato the chair are a bumber Of pondeious vVoluwes, indicating the sources irom which tue statesman: saps nis wis- dom. Im the statue of Lincoln We see the head upraised, as if the sculptor would indicate that the inspiration that led to the ‘ning Of the act of emancipation came [rom above, statue (thirteen Jeet high) is intended for Ventral Park, and will, | am sure, give the greatest saiis- faction to those Who bave subscribed to tae work and tothe friends of the dead statesmen. Mr. Rogers is just completing the third of his large Rational monuments (in bronze), The soldiers’ and sailors’ monuments at Worcester, Mass, Detroit, Mich., aod the one for Rhode Island, are all grand national works, It would occupy an enure letter to describe Mr. Rogers’ studio satis- jactorily, The sculptor’s most appreciated ideal works are “Nydia,” tne blind girl of Pompeil; “Isaac,” “La Sonnambala,” Kuch,’ the “Angel of the Resurrection,” and the two little children typlying “Hanting and fishing.” TH ‘DIO OF MISS FOLEY. Miss Foley is, | am sorry to say, not quite re- covered irom her recent liiness, and is at present taking rest at Castellamara, near Naples, But I found Miss Hadwen, ber amiabie English iriend ana feilow scuiptress, in charge of tne studio in toe Via Margutia, ana from her am enavied to tell you what our gifted countrywoman is doing. Miss Foley has been for tae two years past en- | gaged upon a large and beautiul fountain, des- tined, in ali probability, for the city of Oulcago. It is ol White marbie and is ornamented with three chaste figures, over whicn the water will fail irom the umbrelia of acanibus leaves like a vei. Tne three figures, which have become great favorites, judging irom the number of copies already made from them, are “The Timid Bather,” a charming litule creature Who jears the first touch of the water; then “fne Bold Brother,” who eudeavors to overcome tne sister's timidity, and “Toe Young Trumpeter.” It is to be hoped that Chicago will first permit the charming work to be exhivitea at Philadelpaia before taking it to ite destination, Otherwise @ great wroug will be done toe scuip- tress. In the Workroom | noticed a colossal bust representing the “Prophet Jeremiah,” and Miss Hadwen tells me that Miss Fovey intends to exe- cut colossal statue of the propoet, twice the size of lie, taking the bust already culsedled as the model for the bead, Miss Foley's most veautial productions are, | think, her medailions, of which the “Joshua” is the finest. A medallion of tne “prophet Jeremial’’ bas been broken while on the Journey to the London Exnidition, Medaiion of the “Capri Girl,” “Pasquecia,” ao Italian girl, and ® head of “Undine,” tae soulless water nymph, abd @ statuette of “Uleopatra,” are all charming produciions, veautiful in conception and exquisite in workmansoip, Mise Foley nhs several other designs jor works on hend, whico she intends to execute so soon as her health is periectly restored, Of Miss Hadwen, her iriend, i must be permitted to saya word, Her medal- lion of “Tennyson's May Queen” and the duet of 4 “Girl of Perugia,” are each works of the highest merit. The latiér is an exquisite thin MARTIN MILMORE’S BUST OF THE POPE. My attention Was urst directed to the works of Mr, Martin Miimore by ® cast of the beautifnl marble bust of Pope Pius 1X., which 1 saw io the reception room at the American College, The Original, whieo is an exceediagly ha Of the Ponui, was executed jor @ Catholio society Of Baltimore, The Pope sate numver of Wmes ior a Mr. Milmore and took a great tnterest In watehia( the manipulation of the clay. Tne dust, abou twice ilie-size, does the greatest credit to the sculptor, who Is still young. I found Mr. Milmort at work fashioning @ small model for the statue o Charlies Sumner, which is intended for Boston. 4 finer bust of that statesman stands likewise fm ished in the delickie marble. It 1s a beautiful piece of work and 1s to be presented by some Bo# tonians to Mr. George W. Curtis, of New York Busts of Emerson and Wenaell Phillips are stil in the model, and excellent likenesses. The model of a colossal statue of Genera Glover, of the Revolutionary era, and intended foi Boston, is ready and will be cast in bronze it Philadelphia, Some of the figures ‘for Mr. Mib more’s large bronze monument, to be placed om Boston Common, are modelled, Around the base of the column wili stand four large figures, repre senting the Army, the Navy, History and Peace, On the pedestal will be four bas relie/s, represent ing scenes of the war. The whole will bt crowned by a large figure of America, So you ‘ee Mr. Milmore has evidently lots of work on hand, ana deserves well this support, He had just sent away a marble statue of Samuel Adams, for Lexington, Mass,, and a statue of Miss Voped+ hagen, represented tn the garb of an angel, to bé placed in Mount Auburn Cemetery, at Boston, THE STUDIO OF MR, SIMMONS. Mr. Simmons I found hard at work, putting th¢ finishing touches to his model for the marolt ‘statue of William King, the first Governor o Maine, which is to be placed in the Capitol at Washington, and will be his second work found there (his first is tuat of Roger Williams, executed tor the State of Rhoge Island). Mr. Simmons haa been eminently successful in representing Gow ernor King in@ noble and majestic attitude. He is clad in the costume of the first decades of the present century, tn high boots and closely fitung vestments, showing the graceful contour of limb to the greatest advantage; the whole covered with along fowing mantie. He holds to his right hand & parchment, while the lets is placed upon his heart, The expression of the Jace is high and dignified, the profile being especially fine, re sembling somewhat that of Wellington, but gentler and more refined. THE UNITED STATES NAVAL MONUMENT. Mr. Simmons’ United States Naval Monument ia rapidly approaching completion in the marble after four years of invessant Iaoor. Tne monu- ment isto be thirty-five feet high, and will be crowned with a noble group representing ‘Griet’” and “History.” Below, in front of the pedestal, there 18 a group representing “Victory,” between the figures of Mars and Neptune, At the back will be the figure of Peace, with emblems of peace and industry, The crowning figures are pecule iarly appropriate to the character of the monu- ment and strikingly composed. These are just finished in the marble. The ‘Victory’ is being slowly revealed trom the marble block, Of other works in the sculptor’s workrooms I noticed @ chhrming ideal creation entitied “The Promised Land,” representing @ beauttul Israeliviso girl, alter the long wandering through the wi.derness, leaning eagerly iorward, with eager, longing @x- pression, to view the land of promise, This work is executed ior Mr, Marshall O, Roberts, of New York, and a copy 18 intended likewise for a gentieman of Califor+ nia, It is, in my opinion, fully ag “charming @ creation as (he statue of “Jochebed,” the mother of Muses, now in the possession of W, S. Appleton, of Boston. Mr. Simmons has just sent off tre finished marble bust of George H. Core liss, the inventor of the Corliss engine, and now he is preparing to commence on the model for ® monument to be erected in Providence to the memory of Roger Williams, This work is to be cast in bronze at toe Munich Royal Bronze Foundry, THE ARTIST, J. BE. FREEMAN. Mr. J. E. Freeman sees, in bis autumnal years, to be giving even more attention to literature than to the art of figure painting. Two years age he Was afflicted with aimost total blindness, from which afiction, however, be was relieved by @ German oculist, Carl Meurer, of Coblentz. Tne restorer of sigot refusing to receive any recom pense for nis services, Mr. Freeman determ.ned te paint @ picture and present it to his beneiactor. Tus 18 the origin of a very charming picture, now in the artist’s gtudio, representing @ peauth fui young peasant girl, with her leit arm thrown caressingly abvut the neck of ber biind fatner, woile her right band is held out modestiy and im- ploringly ior alms irom the passers-by. The bund man is seated on a s\one; his bair is turned prema- turely gray; wis features, shaded by a heavy mus- tache, bear the stamp of honesty and the weignt of affliction, The name of the girl is Lucia; the scene 1s from the batns of Lucca; the story will be told in Mr. Freeman’s ‘Reminiscences of Rome and italy During Thirty-five Years.” And th charming story, a8 I heard it from toe artist’s ow lips, will lend to the picture @ greatly increased value in the mind of Professor Meurer, We would recommend Mr, Freeman to publish bis “Remin- iscences’’ as soon as possible; and if all the ouap- ters are as charming a8 the one devoted to Lucia and her biind ‘atner there will be no lack of ap preciative readers. ee, LADIES’ FAIRS. THE HOM@OPATHIC HOSPITAL FAIRS—ST. PAUL'S AND ST. ANN'S CHURCH FAIRS. A brilliant scene Was presented last evening to the visitor at the jair now in progress at the Twenty-second Regiment armory, on Pourteenta street, near Sixth avenue, under the auspices of the Ladies’ Aid Society of the Surgical Hospital and the Ladies’ Home Hospital, the eud being to raise funds sor a Grand General Hospi:al, Soon aiter eight o'clock the people began to pour inie the room inimmense numbers, and ere long tne crowd became so great that it was possible t¢ move only witn the mass, The tables, of whict there are thirty-five and devoted to every variety of article, were reepectively presided over by @ bevy oi young ladies, selected with a view to the attractiveness of their personal appearance, and the number of whom indicates that lavor in that department is in excess of the demand, They seemed io be very extensively patronized, Among the more attractive o taese were the art table, uuder the charge of Mrs. and the Misses Greatorex the Twenty-second regiment table, @ feature of which was @ ceautiful iuctie Vivandiére in the ani- form oi t giment; the Harlequin tacie and the Eureka ta to wnich is attacued THE GALLERY OF FIN ARTS, consisting ol more Loan 100 beautuui pictures by well knoWn artists, atranged and exhibited by Mrs. W. M. Kiogsiand, Amoug the other points oi totel are the refreshwent tables, steady patronised through the evening; the post v1 where, for @ trifliag sum, you cau ootaina from any part of tue world; “Reoecca at tht u,?? represeited by a young lady Who much resemuies the character as portrayed ia the pict bundsower and feady to deal mixed with on and # to any Eleazar who migut appiy—ior ne Lacy ol Whe Lage,” wh appr to see, and so on ad injinitum. Ti second’s Band Giscoursed sweet music througn- ‘ out che evening, naturally ing mack tou entertainment, At the Army t branch of Lady Washington vepartment, where are (he ental colo! hich ure to go to that National Guard organization Which shall votes, it was observed that the auead througeout the evening. The & continued during this week. ST. PAUL'S FAIR, Last night the tuir of tuis caurch was attended by un immense coucourse of people. The large basement o the churca was juli to overflowing, and vne dozens of pretty giris and vandsome trous bad more to wo than they could well fend to, Lhe object of the fair is to pay off he sment levied lor toe Opening Of Lexington church property at displayed fo tue Venturesome, no less than the object of maae it tue jocess it deserves, tthe head of the fall, called tue Hare 1@, SHOWS, by the the lavor doue by tne ladi . Hailoran, Mrs. Kelly, Miss Duif aud Miss McCue, who dance, deserve mucu credit, Do less jor tue at, thaa Jor tier twet 19 Olan ing tue mt. Noticeable auwoe t ae vy ie; the fag presented by tue nuus of wy the SiXty-Dinth regiment, afu a Walking, eying doll, Several tuus of coal, sev of Hour and @ lov ol land at Pelbaw also notice jor rocaia) SchuGl and the bie. THE ST. ANN'S CHUROM Fa The fair o} this church, woicn S aes Hall since Murcn 41, ¢ 4, x aie chores, a parochi 1 acl 0 ni | : f rochial shool and it besa successul De7ORd tue hupes us ihepraectons ue Norris, 1 ‘the Pi