The promoters of last year's Melbourne Regatta are sloing their Lest to make the event of annual occurrence, With this object in view no amount of trouble was! spired to render this year's event successful, Our smellful Yarra, 90 often toin sarcastic terms by the Bull-tin other papers. is certainly notan idea! on which to hold an aquatic carnival OF Into yenrs, however, the river in the vicinity of the city has been ynstly improved and widened. Ssturdxy, the 29th October, was th~ date fixed for the function, to which the Viceregal households had given their patronage. But as on the official Avricuitural Show day, the Clerk of the Weather proved extremely unkind. A Gerce gale with frequent b.inding squalls of lence played haver and airy decorations various houseboats. Strings of Cuineslanterns soon assumed an attitude dejection under the influence of r-pested rein squalls, whilst x nasty choppy sea peeved detrimental to oarsmen. Yet] in spite of the inclement weather a large and influential yethering assembled both on board the househoa's and in pavilions asher bent on making the best of untoward circumstances. An interest programme of racing events wax ried out without a hitch except in the final of the lenge Cup. The Mercantile Rowing Club and Nu & country club, had each won their heat, and met to contest th- final. Rounding ® corner no istence from the judge a foul occur-da protest was raised by the country The umpire's opinion wax called for and aft-r hearing his evidence the committer upheld the appeal and awarded he race to Nagambi. 1 mod-rating towards oveying, i to carry on with the fireworks, instead of post po: was the intention i gigantic serpent cor illuminated, and self-propelled, a torpedo-boat being cunni"gly enclosed' to provide the necessary motive power. Club boat houses were effectively outlined with strings of coloured electric lights, whilst the houseboats were in many cases similarly decorated. The illuminations fireworks drew many thousands of sightseers, whom the weather had kept ind" day. Tt is to be regretted that the event was not financially successful, but, as the! rowing clubs who re the principal promoters are far fr-m being on their bea-" ornis, it is almost certain that the regetts will again held next year.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.