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It is stated that the French-Consul-Gener- 3131: Quebec has instructed the French vice- consuls throughout tkr 1)ominion towarn all Frenchmen to hold themselves in readiness to join their respective corps in the French army. This is supposed to be a. consequence of the Tangiers difficulty. Sir Glyn Petrie, Pfitish Minister to Port ugul, has resigned owing; to ill health. The Right Roveer Dr. Segge, Bishop of Lichficld, is dead. The railway train1 north of W estmoreland England, are blocked by heavy snowdrifts. Right Rev. Henry Philpott, D. D., form- -'1\- Bishop of Worcester, is dead, in his Mr. Haiiltqin, chief of the Excutive Com- mittee of the North-west Assembly, says members may address the House in French, Hebrew or Greek, but the proceedings will be published only in the English language. In the appeal to the Court of Appeal of the Attorney-General of Canada. v. Attor- ney- General of Ontario in the matter of the right of the Lieutenant-Governor to exer- cise the prerogative of pardoning Criminals the contention of Attorney-General Mowat was sustained. In an address delivered at Kingston on Monday night, Rev. Principal Grant, of Queen’s University, spoke strongly in favour of freedom of thought, saying that the true Christian was he who believed firmly and thought freely. ~ A farmer named Wm. Dbig, living in the Gore of Downie, near Stratford, fell from the loit of his barn on Friday, a. distance of twenty feet, and died a. few hours after» wards from injuries received. The permits issued by Commissioner Coatsworth in Toronto during 189], were for buildings aggregating in value $4,388,- 900. This includes VictoriJ. University $200,000 and Toronto University $200,000. Great activity is noticed among the seal- ers, and 50 vessels will leave Victoria, B. 0., without speaking of other places. It is feared that trouble will take place next; season in Behring Sea. The next annual gathering of the Pro- vincial Poultry Association will be held at Hamilton. At the meeting last Week Mr John Eastwood, of Hamiiton, was elected president of the association for 1892. A report is current that Mr. Wiman will shortly resign the presidency of the Great North-Western Telegraph Company, and that he will he succeeded by Sir Joseph Hickson. Fifty vessels were employed in fishing I fdr cod in Canso harbor, N. 8., last, week, i using frozen squid for bate. The take was l immense and netted the fishermen $7 to $12 per man for the day. At Monday night‘s meeting of Hamilton City council a medal of the Royal Humane Society waspresented to Capt. J. F. M onck for rescuing five young men from drowning last summer. Mr. R. Hall, ex-M.P.P., has been appoint- ed judge of the Queen’s Bench Court at Montreal, vice Judge Church. who has re- tired. Henry Carver, a brakcsman employed on the Michigan Central railroad, was struck by an engine at. Woodslee, Ont, on Friday night, and was instantly killed. Uapf. Archibald Robertson of Hgmilton fell into thehold of the propeller St. Magnus and received fatal injuries. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company has resolved {0 reduce the price of its lands in the North-\Vest- to induce purchase by settlers. During 1891 real estate transfers in Mon- txjepl and suburbs amounted to $12,768,- The prospects for the dry goods trade this year are reported to be unusually bright. Mr. George Bouillon, who has just died at Father Point, Que. , lived 92 years, and never knew pain or a. day‘s sxckness until his final illness. A Hamilton dresamaker recovered last Week $400 (lama es for slander from awoman who had accuse her of stealing dress ma- terial. At the nssizes in Hamilton last week the jury awarded $1,400 to James Thompson, a. lad of 18, for the loss of an arm in the stamp- ng Works of E. T. Wright 8: Co. Conductor Jefferson fell under a Grand Trunk train at. Cardinal the other day and was so seriously injured that detbh resulted in a few hours. I 13‘ Hamilton fouudrymen have asked the moulders in their employ to accept a”. reduc- tion of 10 per cent. in wages. Mrs. James Cowan, mother of Mr. Thom- as Cowan, of Galt, died on Saturday, aged 82. La grippe was the malady. Leone Labelle, formerly ALP. for Riche- lieu, lias been arrested at Ottawa on a charge of murdering his wife. The five-year-old son of Thos. Mitchell, St. Thomas, was crushed to death by being run over by a. loaded sleigh. A girl named Ward, eleven years of age, was killed by the accidental discharge of a gun at St. Ignace, Man, on Monday. The death of \Villiam Buttelmol'e of Perth Road, aged 102 years, is reported from Kingston. Alfred Limm was blown to pieces by the explosion of a. dynamite charge on Rideau Canal near Ottawa last week. The exports from Nova. Scoua last were the greatest in the hisLOry of the Vince. Mr. Joseph Cawthm, for many years ( prominent banker and business man in To oronto died on Monday of la. grippe. Poison in a Iin of flour nearly caused the death of six Montreal people last, week. Hans Fisher was cr-ushed to death last week at the Keewatin flour mill. The refiners have advanced the price sugar g; v01} cent a pound. Three men were killed and several €nju_r- ed by an explotion at a. phosphate mine m East. Templeton on Monday. Hamilténmns consumed 76 gallons of water per head daily last year. THE WEEK'S NEWS. GREAT BRITAIN. CLNADIAN. 1,000 cases of grippe in Hali owing; year pro- of At Newark, N. 8.. yesterday C. S. Quack. eubush shot his Wife Annie, mortally wound- ing her. He then placed the muzzle of the revolver in his mouth and shot himself through the head, expiring instantly. Rosa Kohner, 19 years old, a. native of Bohem‘a, committed suicide in New York; on Monday by jumping from the roof of a five storey tenement house. Inability to procure work was the cause. The President of the United States has notified various countries which have neg~ lected to make reciprocity arrangements that certain duties will be raised on March 15. Chairman Springer, of the U. S. Ways and Means Committee, has drafted a. bill to admit all wools free of duty and to repeal the duties per pound and per square yard upon woollen goods. Anna. M‘ Dnnigan, aged 70, fell dead on the street in New York last: night), and before her body could be removed, three rings and a bracelet; were torn from her fingers and wrist. The jewels were worth $1,500. A mine explosion on Thursday near Mc- Allistor, L.'l‘., award the death of 200 men as nearly as can be estimated at present. George Remny, of Grand Ranids, Mick, who took part in the Battle of Baltimore against the British in 1812, died on Friday aged 104 years. The Law and Order Society of Pittsburg, Pa“, has entered suits against 35 employees of the Sunday papers, charging them with engaging in wordly employment on Sun- day. Mr. McKinley was inaugurated as Gover nor of Ohio the other day amid the mostim imposing pageantry and crowds unpre cedented in the history of the state. The United States has ratified the Brus- sels anti-slavery treaty, but disclaims any interest in African possessions or protecto- rates. The total number of immigrants landed in New York during 1891 was 445,990. They came on 9-1 vessels. which also carried 105,023 cabin passengers. EX-Chief of Police \Vilson D. Snyder, of Bethlehem, Pa” bled to death the other day. He ruptured a. blood vessel While lifting a Whole beef on a. waggon. He was apoweriul man, and shouldered (300 pounds easily. A meeting of the Rye Flour Millex's’ Asso- ciation was held in New York on Monday. The price of rye flour in barrels delivered there was fixed at $5.25 to $5.35. Lady Victoria, wife of Baron Sandburst, and sister of Earl Spencer, died in London last week. I Frederick Richard Leyland, the head of the firm of L. Leyland & Co., steamship I owners of Liverpool, died lasLTuesday. Rev. Henry Gabriela, president of St Joseph seminary at Troy, has been appoint ed Bishop of Ogdensburg, N. Y. The net gold in the United States trea- sury, coin and bullion, is $125,812, 529, a. dearease of $20,036,330 since January 10, 1891. The Customs Inspector at Buffalo has seized a large quantity of butter and eggs belonging to a. Canadian huckster for fraudulent entry. Andrew Carnegie, the Scotch millionaire, will add $1,000,000 to his gift, of a. free lib- rary to Pinsburg, Pa. - J. E, Henry, a. lumberman of Zealand, New Hampshire, has been fined $1,000 for importing Canadian workmen. M rs. Grace Field-Lindley, eldesc daughter of Mr. Cyrus \V. Field, died in New York on Monday. The Oklahoma Indians are indulging in the host, dance, but show no hostility to- war the whites. Rear Admiral C. R. P. Rodgers died at: “Vashington the other day. He was born in 1819. The deaths flom the grippe in New York last week numbered 153. ‘217 Policemen are down with the disease. At Tyrone, Ireland, on Sunday so severe was the snowstorm tlmta funeral procession became lost and the hearse had ultimately to be abandoned in a drift. Lawrence the eldest son of Henry Irving the famous actor, accidenfly or by intent shot himself with a rexolver the other day. The wound though serious is not, expected to prove fatal. The hitch in the Behring sea proceedings appears to have risen out of a. difficulty in naming arbitrators who will prove satisfac- tory to both England and the United States. A depution from Bristol recently waited upon Sir Charles Tupper, in London, to urge the advantages nf Avonmrmth, in the Bristol channel, either as the destination or point of call for the proposed Canadian mail and passenger service. Sir Charles Tapper pro- mised to transmit the representations of the dcpumtion to the Canadian Government. There is no abatement in the influenza. epidemic in London. Doctors are in inces- ant demand and trained nurses can com- mand their own figures. The British Board of Trade returns for December show that the imports increased £3,830,000 and the exports decreased £1,- 540,000, as compared with the correspond- ing mouth in 1890. A dynamite factory was discovered by the poiice at \Valsall, near Birmingham, Eng. last. week. Four anarchists were arrest- ed. Mr. Balfour, First Lord of the Treasury ; Mr. Jackson, Chief Secretary for Ireland ; and Lord Asllbourne are going to Dublin to discuss the proposed Local Government bill. Severe snowstorms and intensely cold weather are reported in many parts of Great. Britam. The Parisian‘ which reached Halifax on Snurday, made the trip from Liverpool in exactly seven days, beating the record. Mr. Vuriey. a. social purist has written a letter to Lord Salisbury accusing the Gov- ernment of permitting a. horrible traffic in Chinese coolies to be carried on in Singapore. Loni Ramlolph Churchill, who for some months past has been travelling in South Africa, arrived last Week at Southampton in capital health. Right Rev. Dr. Knox. Platestant Archbis- hop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, is seriously Ill with influenza. UNITED STATES The Indian National Congress is a repre- entative body of a. remarkable kind. It has, of course, no constitutional or official position or existence, but it is in a rough way a. native parliament com posed of dele- gates chosen by the learned, cultured and wealthy classes, and it represents all the great religions sects and many of the minor ones which can be brought together for no other object than that of obtaining, at least, the beginning of a constitutional system of government. This year they have forti- fied their demand for representative insti- tutions with declarations to'the ell'ec? that the destitution of the masses 0 the people in certain provinces is owing to the lack of these. The Montreal \Vitness says that it is easier to see how representative institutions could aid good Government. in the way of reform. ing native customs than in a. department which is already solicitously attended to by perhaps the most efficient Government in the world. The want of food, which has not yet risen to the degree of famine,though it threatens to do so, is the result of the fail- ure of the monsoons, as the regular season Winds which bring moisture and rain from the ocean and mountains are called, and these famines, which occur at tolerably regular intervals. have been provided against by the Imperial Government as far as possible and to an extent never before known in the world. The Indian Congress recognizes this fact, but it seems to think that under British guidance a. representative body would be able to do more than an auto- cratic one, however kindly and pater- nal. It is a. hopeful sign that those con- gressesmeet and discuss such questions as famines, expenditures, government monopolies, child marriages and other East Indian problems year after year, nor are their deliberations without value as a. means of political education and stimulus. It is probable also that they afford much counsel and information to the Indian Gov- ernment. One would be sanguine, however, who would expect that administration would be either more efiective or purer in the hands of an elective parliament than in that of the present Indian Government. Self-government has for a. good while been accorded to the village organizations of India, and the contrast between the Orien- Committees of ladies have been formed in Rome and Florence to present wedding gifts to Princess Victoria. Mary of Teck. A11 outbreak of trichinosis has occurred at Lodz, near \Varsnw, Russia, Fifteen per- sons have died of the disease and 40 are l dangerously ill. The revolt of the peasantry in Morocco against, the exactions of the Baslmw is likely to lead to trouble. To proCecb British inter- ests several men of war have been sent to Tanglir. This has alarmed France, who be lieve"; England will annex part of the Sul- tan or Morrocco’s country, and in order to prevent this the Pans press is clamouring for the dcspaich of the French Mediterranean fleet to Tangier. Last, autumn a. Chinese pamphlet: was dis- tributed along the banks of the River Yangtze inciting the natives against; the “ Christian devils.” The pamphlet; has been translated in LonJon, and proves to be made up of atrocious statements and sentiments clothed in the most abominable language. Father Oherwalder, who was a. captive in the Sendan for nine years, comfirms the re- port of the Mahdi's death, which, he states, was caused by slow poison, administered by a. Khartoum girl whose parents the Mahdi had caused to be massacred, taking her as his coucubine. A correspondent. who accompanied a Government, Inspector on his rounds in the famine districts of ’l‘oula, Russia. gives an apallmgaccount of thefriglitful distress every where prevailing. The area. of pauperism in Russia. is ten times the area. of England. Emperor William‘s fancy legislation for the repression of drunkenness will be debat- ed in the Reichstag next week. The fate of the measure, which is much criticised, de- pends upou the Centrists, and they incline to [a vet moral legislation. Count Tolstoi in a long article describing the horrors of the Russian famine, says it is nmistake to suppose the Government, ofli< cinls are apathetic. They are simply help- less before the fearful extent of the impov- erished districts. President Dial of Mexico has caused the arrest of 300 priests accused of assisting the revolutions. The action has caused much bitter feeling. Quacken bush was“; years old, anda wealthv retired insurance broker. He claimed that, his wife was extravagant, and she said that he was insanely jealous. Rev, Dr. Lyman Abbott, of Brooklyn, delivered anotablelectu re in Boston theother day on religious evolution. He trankly 3» vowed his belief in the evolution of the scientist, and held that there was also a re ligious evolution, and that spiritual thoughts were constantly developing from simple to complex, and from lower to high forms, and this being so it must not surprise anyone to find errors in the Bible. which is the work of God expressed in human lives. The accession is formally announced of Prince Abbas,nlrlcst son of the late Khedive, to the throne of Egypt. The ravages of influenza are increasing throughout. Europe. Hundreds are dying. Germany and England are in accord on the Egyptian question. The czar peremptorin denies that there is a. famine in Russia. Paris papers suspect Great Britian of being desirous of annnxing a. portion of the Sultan of Morocco's domains. Mennonites are leaving Russia. in large numbers owing to the famine, and will set» tle in America. The discovery has been made of a re‘ volutionary movement having for its ob ject the overthrow of President; Hippolyte, of Hayti. Owing to so much sickness prevailing, the Pope has dispensed with church regulations as to tasting in Turin and elsewhere. Sir Francis Clare Ford has been appointed 1 British Minister to Turkey, vice Sir William White, deceased. Indian Demands. I.\' GENERAL. It has been proposed to divide air ships into two classes ; the aeronautical, of which the ordinary balloon is the simplest form, and the aviator, which at present is much! like the angel, viz., it can be made, and _ made with wings, but no one has Seen itl alive and flying. The aeroliautical machine was perfected in France seven years ago to the point of traveling fourtc en miles an hour in perfectly calm air, and showing re- markable obedience to the rudder. Last year Licut. Renard published a. statement that his car could be driven twice as fast. Those who study the matter are agreed that I the aviator will have to be brought to at least as high a. perfection as this before we can say that the navigation of the air is as- sured. As toevietors, there is Mr. Breery of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, who gets power by the reeoil into its original shape of twisted india rubber, but only in small models. In New South Wales there is Mr. Hargrave, the “ aeroplane” of whose flying machine is like the wings of big but- terflies when sailing; he uses compressed air as a. motive power, and has not yet. made a. machine large enough to carry a man. In Paris M. Ader is said to have constructed a. flying machine by which he has raised him- self sixty feet in the air and flown about 900 feet in a. straight line ;his machine is a, mon- strous thing, approximately like a. bat, the operator and engine being in the body. The sail-cloth screw is set in motion while the machine is running down an incline. M. Mouillzu‘d of Algiers claims to have flown short distances with his ed “stable “sero- plane,” a flat surface like the under parts of birds when soaring with rigid wing'. One of the most curious suggestions is that of M. Gustave Trouve described by that inventor in the current number of Popular Science Monthly. Here the impor- tant parts and planes of a. bird imitated in the machine. but the mech- anism of birds is much more deeply sought. and followed than ever before. M. Trouve teems to have tried to follow the philosophy of the bird‘s flight inwards to the very pulses of its heart, The wings of his aviator beat like a. bird’s and the strokes are obtained by the detonation of gunpow- der or other fulminative, each explosion causing the wings to beat dOanard against the air, But curious and suggestive us this plan is, the fact that it has only been worked out in a. model and made to act in a. room puts it among the less practicable forms of aviators. Possibly the coming air- ship mey combine the detonator principle of M Trouve with aeroplane of Messrs. Mouillard and Maxim and pessibly in the end some modification of the balloon princi- ple may be added to secure buoyancy in very large sir ships. We really seem to be on the verge of one of the greatest discov- eries. It would be a. glory to our century if the true principles were put in action be- fore A. D. 1900. The announcement by one of the illustrat- ed magazines of New-York that four prizes. ranging from $500 to $100, will be given for essavs on the navigation of the air is a sign that the question is passing from the domain of visionary inventions into the field of re- alities. It means that many minds in many lands are bent on discovering the laws that govern the motion of bodies through the at- mosphere and applying them in such a way to air ships that the problem is solved. In England the inventor of the Maxim gun is not the only person who is experimenting with an air carriage greatly heavier than the atmosphere. He has been kind enough to favor this paper with two letters which served admirably in letting the public know what he does not intend to do, but kept the veil over his actual process quite thick enough to bafile those who steal inventions. Another inventor in England, however, has begun to proclaim his own ability to trans- port people through the air by imitating, probably in a very diflerent and more realis- tic way, the mechanism of the flight of a bird. Undoubtedly it is the development of electricity which has given the spur to activity in this line more than a. century after the bold ascents into the air of the brothers Montgolfier. But along with electricity for the motive power goes the improvement of materials for a very strong, very light machine. Aluminium was sup- posed to be the key to material, owing to its extreme lightness, but it was soon found that this virtue was offset by the weakness of that metal in tensile strength and tough- ness generally. It was necessary to find something quite as light as aluminium, but as strong and resisting as iron and steel. __-_. . ...., ... . . . v . u . . u, will va uw discovered, and with its discovery hostilities among civilized nations Would surely cea se. ” Five of the armor plates of the British cruiser Astrea. building at Devonport, have I now been placed in position round the en- gine hatch, and three more have yet to he added. The object of armor is to protect he cylinders and that portion of the engines above the water line ; but . the armor does not exceed 4 inches in thickness. Then armor plates have been placed by means of two pairs of shears, one pair inside the vessel ' and the other ontmde, the work being super- intendent by the Boatswain oftheDockyard, Mr. Morris. In private yards it is custom- ary to leave a gap in the side of the ship until the plates have been fixed, but in the Government yards the plates are hoisted over the ship’s side. The British cruiser Philomel, Capt. Cam- bell, left Plymouth Sound on Christmas evening with the paddle vessel Alecto in tow. The Alecto will be towed as far as Gibraltar. after which she is Ordered to pro- ceed to Sierra Leone independently. The vessels have been delayed for several days by weather, as it was not considered advisable for the Alecto to cross the Bay of Biscay under unfavorable conditions. The Philo- mel proceeds to the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa. station, and the Alec- to resumes her old duties in the West Afri- Rivers, under her former command. The French torpedo boat No. 103 while on her way recently from Cannes to St. Raphael, struck on the Boutte Rock, mak- ings. large hole in her bottom. The vessel was towed into the harbor at Agsy by an- Hence the Sudden disuppeamnce 0? the. in- other torpedo boat. No, 126, where she sank ventors who had arranged everythmg nicely in seven meters of water. Two engines were â€"â€"with the important quality of aluminium misunderstood or forgot. Experiments have been going on for some time to mix alumin- ium with other metallic bases and obtain re- sisting power without sacrifice of weight. and, as usual, the confident speak of the re- sults as if their aim had been reached. But even if their rose-colored claims are allowed, only one serious difficulty will have been re- moved. The problenis of rising and falling slowly or quickly at will; of steering the car in shifting strata. of air changing in den- sity and direction; of leaving the ground and returning to it without breaking the machine and destroying life, must be solved before applying the inventive mind to the question of freight, or the Weight and size of objects or human beings to be carried. injured Torpedo boat No. 77, of 18 feet beam, capsized in the of Port Lorient during ‘hel tail. The crew of twenty-five men were or- { ered to rush to one side, and the consequence {was that the craft overturned. No lives were ost. The British Admiralty recently ordered new crews selected from the Pembroke. l depot ship at Chatham, for the war ships } Cockatrice and Gannet, which are to be re- commissioned for a further term of service on the Mediterranean station. They also or dered drafts of marines to be in readiness to join the vessels, lso drafts for the V ic- itor Emanuel and Linnea, which are to be recommissed on the China station. They em- bark on the steamship Tyne on the lat of ,Tannarxr tal laz'ssez aller ways there manifested and the vigorous management and excellent re- sults which mark Government administra- tion is visible to everybody. The native ideas of hygiene and public convenience are very primitive, indeed. Moreover, we could not look in an elective parliament, with money interests under its control, for the some broad intelligence. dis- interestedness and public spirit which characterize a. volunteer parliament. All the corruptions which followsuch franchises would be certain to follow in intensified form in proportion to the very low more. condition of even the best classes, whom only it is now proposed to entranchise; and there would bee. greater distrust on the part of the masses of the rule of the classes than there is of British rule. All these tri bulations have tobe faced in India. some day. The question is, whether the present form of purely consultative parliament is not better than anything else for the India of the present day. The difference between a. country like England, which has achieved her own liberties, and that nfa country which receives them in gift, is too great to be ignored in deciding how soon the people of India. will be actually benefited by shar- ing in the responsibilities of government. Navlgnllon of the A". The British Admiralty recently ordered new crews selected from the Pembroke. [ depot. ship at Chatham, for the war ships ! Cockatrice and Gannet, which are to be re- } commissioned for a further term of service on the Mediterranean station. They also or dered drafts of marines to be in readiness to join the vessels, lso drafts for the V ic- tor Emanuel and Linnea, which are to be recommissed on the China. suation. They em- bark on the steamship Tyne on the 136 of January. Five of the armor plates of the, British cruiser Astrea. building at Devonport, have I now been placed in position round the en- gine hatch, and three more have yet to he added. The object of armor is to protect the cylinders and that portion of the engines above the water line; but ,the armor does not exceed 4 inches in thickness. Then armor plates have been placed by means of two pairs of ,sheers, one pair inside the vessel I and the other ontmde, the work being super- intendent by the Boatswain oftheDockyurd, Mr. Morris. In private yards it is custom- ary to leave a gap in the side of the ship until the plates have been fixed, but in the Government yards the plates are hoisted over the ship’s side. The following British war ships, building by contract under the Naval Defense acb of I889, are to be conveyed to Devonshire on completion : Rainbow, Retribution, Spartan and Sybille. These four are second-class cruisers of the Latona. type, having a. dis- placement of 3, 600 tons, and being design- ed to develop 9,000 horse power. By the latest arrangements the Grafton and Thesus, two first-class cruisers of the Edgar type, are to be delivered at Chatham on com- pletion. It has been decided by the British Ad- miralty not to sell the war ships Sapphire and Miranda, attached to the Fourth Divi- sion of the Steam Reserve at Chatbam, dur- ing the current financial year. Intending purchasers are, however, to be ailowed to inspect the Algerina, which is the only ship to he sold at that, dockyard at present. The gunboats Britomart and Swinger, at Devon- porb, have been condemned and ordered to be sold. The British Admiralty have sanctioned the expenditure of a. further sum of £1,000 for the completion and fitting of the new torpedo gnn vessels Salamander, Sheldrake. and Skipjack for sea. These vessels were built at. Chabham some four years ago, and have not yet been commissioned for active service. The delay in their completion has been brought about by alterations which Wore found necessary for the strengthening of their hulls. Fascinating Gent (to precocious litt}: daughter of handsomeyoung widow on whon he has called)â€"-“ You are a. very nice littlt gill. Will you be my wifey when you row up '.’” Little Girl -“Mcrcy. no! I on’l want you for my husband. You’ll have bl marry mamma- She wants you. I‘W heard her say so.” Utter 00119.} \e of mam ma. It: is stated that the Indian Government has decided to pay a. special allowance to the naval officers employed on the new Bri- tish gunboats Plassey and Assays, now fib- ting out. at. Sheerness. The crews will be mainly composed of Lascars. Some years ago special allowances Were paid to all naval oificers employed on the East, India. stations, but the scheme was abolished by a. former Commander in Chief, and the Admiral is the only officer now receiving special pay. The British war ship Gleanor underwent, on the 27th ult., off the mouth of the Thames River, an official forced-draught, trial of heI machinery. The vessel was fitted with machinery made at Sheerness Dockyard. The trial lasted for three hours, and with successful results. Working at, 249.6 re~ volutions per minute. the engines developed 3,631.6 horse-power, with the speed of 20.} knots. What the Countries of Europe are Doing to Improve the Service. The Naval and Military Record (British) of the 26th ult. says: “Should the new Sims-Edson torpedo prove a suc0ess, it is no exaggeration to assert in the somewhat stereotyped phrase that modern warfare will be revolutionized. It is claimed that the new weapon can be discharged and men- ipulated from a. ship in motion in such a manner as to enable the operator to guide the weapon in any direction desired. This has already been accomplished with extra- ordinary success from terra. firma, but there have been great difl‘iculties in the way of adapting the torpedo for use from ships, owing to the liability of fouling the cables attached to the torpedo. The recent trial in the Tvne is said to have been highly suc- cessful, but judgment must be suspended until a. more public trial in the presence of recognized experts has taken place at Stokes Bay. If it becomes possible to insure sink- ing an enemy’s vessel by torpedoes, unless she keeps at 9. very respectful distance, speed will become of greater importance than ever. When one considers the ingen- uitv which is being brought to bear upon the construction of weapons of destruction, it almost seems as if we were in measureable distance of realizing the ideal of Lord Lyt- ton in that remarkable novel ‘The Coming Race.’ ‘Vrill,’ in some form, may yet be discovered, and with its discovery hostilities among civilized nations Would surely cea se. ” The British cruiser Philomel, Capt. Cam- bell, left Plymouth Sound on Christmas evening with the paddle vessel Alecto in tow. The Alecto will be towed as far as Gibraltar. after which she isordered to pro- ceed to Sierra Leone independently. The vessels have been delayed for several days by weather. as it was not considered advisable for the Alecto to cross the Bay of Biscay under unfavomble conditions. The Philo- mel proceeds to the Cape of Good Hope and lVest Coast of Africa. station, and the Alec- to resumes her old duties in the West Afri- Rivers, under her former command. NAVA L NEWS.