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 a win. After that Leander crews absented themselves from the scene until the days of their modern revival. There was a club called the ‘St. George’s’ which put on a good four-oar or two inthe ‘forties’ at Henley ; and after them came a ‘Thames’ club, which Jasted some seasons, and chiefly distinguished itself by winning thrice running the ‘Gold Cup’ of the old Thames Regatta of the ‘ forties.” The Thames Club also won the Grand at Henley ; but they died out, and a lot of local small- fry clubs dismembered the rowing talent of the metropolis for the next few years. Of these, the most distinguished were the ‘Argonauts,’ between £853 and 1856, ‘Vhey were not numeri- cally strong, but they made up in quality for quantity, They were not enough to man an cight, and the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley was farmed for several seasons by the Universi- ties. ‘he Chester men came and went like a meteor in 1856. Their performances will be found under the description of the first keelless eight. In that year the London Rowing Club was founded, and in 1857, being then a year old, it made its début at Henley, and won the Grand Challenge, Mr. Wood in the Oxford crew breaking an oar in the last two hundred yards of the race. ‘The foundation of the London Club did more to raise the standard of amateur rowing than anything in modern times. It created a third great factor in eight-oared rowing, and served to keep the Universities up to the mark, It also encouraged other clubs. Kingston soon followed suit, first with a four and afterwards with an eight. After them the new (modern) Thames Club also made its appearance at Henley, beginning like Kingston with fours before aspiring to eights. In these days ‘hames are rivals with London for «the pick of the rowing talent of the tideway, and each acts as a stimalus to the other. It is no exaggeration to say that at an average Henlcy Regatta, during the present decade, four or five eights may often be seen, any one of which would, ceteris paribus (and sliding seats barred), have been considered a good winner of the Grand Challenge a quarter of a century ago, so great has been the advance in the standard of amateur rowing.