IN the past two weeks the various crews have done much in the way of improvement. Every boat, as it leaves the float, is subjected to the closest scrutiny, and as the time of the race draws near, as comparisons are made, and as "points" are discovered, the knowing ones begin to have settled opinions about the order in which the most important boats will cross the line on the 29th. Holworthy is, not without reason, looked upon as the favorite for first place in the six-oared race. Of the four crews this one alone has retained the stroke who pulled in the fall race, and in no other boat are there so few new men. The stroke is good, and the men get their strength well on the beginning, though at the end there is a tendency to settle. The bow is apt to roll, but with this exception the crew row in excellent form. Weld should perhaps be mentioned next to Holworthy, although there is no doubt that Matthews will press her hard for the second place. Weld rows a more finished stroke than Matthews, but the crew appears to lack material. Matthews has more strength than form, the boat rolls, and the men do not keep time as a six-oar crew should. No. 5 dips his oar too deep, and the bow is quite apt to cover more than the blade. Two or three weeks more of training would work a wonderful improvement in this crew, and even as it is they may surprise every one at the time of the race.

No boat on the river has shown more marked improvement within the week than Holyoke. The place of Mr. Wetherbee is well supplied by Mr. Mudge of the Medical School, but their misfortunes have been too many and too severe to leave the crew much hope of winning the race. The captain of the club has worked hard, and not unsuccessfully, to bring up the crew; it seems to us, however, that on the beginning of his stroke he gets more of a lift than the crew can carry through.

The four-oared race will, without doubt, be close and interesting. Weld and Holworthy will have a sharp tussle for the first place, and Holyoke and Matthews will probably not be far behind. Both the Weld crews are remarkably good, and Holworthy has been carefully coached, so that she is now in excellent condition.

The University has undergone some very important changes since we spoke of them two weeks ago. The positions of the men are now announced as settled upon; but (much as we long to see the crew made up) we trust that this will not prove to be the fact. That Otis is the best man for stroke we have little doubt, but we question seriously the policy of placing Wetmore No. 2, and changing two of the strongest men in the boat over to the side they are not accustomed to row on. Bacon and Taylor may be able to put as much strength into their stroke on one side as on the other, but we beg to suggest that experiments with the crew are exceedingly dangerous at this late day. One thing more. If the bow oar is to steer at Saratoga, it seems time that he should begin to learn this very important part of his duty.

The condition of the Freshmen crew is very satisfactory. In another column we give the weights and the ages of the different men; for a Freshman crew they are unusually heavy, while their average age, by a singular coincidence, is exactly the same as that of the last Freshman crew we sent to the intercollegiate race.