The strength of amateur talent is treble what it was twenty-five years ago. After the pristine Leander retired from action, and the St. George's shut up, and the Old Thames Club dispersed, the Universities had Henley almost to themselves as to eights and fours until Chester woke them up in eights in 1856, and the Argonauts four a year or two before produced the nucleus of the talent which in 1857 burst upon the world under the new flag of the L.R.C. They were joined by Kingston in a four in 1859. In 1861 Kingston had their first eight. Thames, in like manner, began modestly with a four, which in due time developed winning Grand eights. We have already spoken of the march of watermanship. A quarter of a century ago the idea of amateurs sitting a keelless eight or four, without rolling rowlocks under, until they had first practised for days or weeks in a steady craft, would have been derided. In these days three or four scratch eights can be manned any day at Putney, capable of sitting a racing ship, and of trying starts with trained University crews. We are not _laudatores temporis acti_ as to oarsmanship; sliding seats spoilt form and style at first until they were better understood; but, in our opinion, there are now (_caeteris paribus_ as to slides _versus_ fixed seats) many more high-class oarsmen than were to be found thirty, or even twenty, years ago. There are more men rowing, and more science, and better coaching than of old. 'Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona;' but we believe that there are on the average some five Agamemnons now afloat for every two in the fifties and early years of the sixties. Nor do we wonder at it with four or five times as many men on the muster rolls of rowing clubs of the present day. As to boat-building, we think that the 'lines' of racing eights have fallen off. We can recall no such capacity for travelling between the strokes as in Mat Taylor's best craft, _e.g._ the Chester boat and the old 'Eton' ship; both of which did duty and beat all comers for many years. While looking back with interest, we look forward with hope, and believe that the new Henley will maintain, and perhaps improve, its modern enhanced and extended standard of oarsmanship, and that the new course, when fairly tried, will encourage, rather than discourage, competition that looks for fair field and no favour. [Illustration: PUTNEY COURSE _London: Longmans & Co._ E. Weller] _THAMES PRESERVATION ACT._ In 1884 a Committee of the House of Commons sat to inquire into the best method of preserving public rights and those of riparians on the Thames. The latter had developed so much pleasure traffic during the last quarter of a century that some 'highway' legislation on the subject became imperative. An Act for regulating steam-launch traffic on the Thames had been passed in 1883. The report of the Committee produced the following Act, which should be read by all who intend to navigate the Thames for pleasure.