Amongst the contents of the April part of Cassell's Fumily Magazine precedence is given to a deeply interesting paper by Mr. Archibald Forbes, the veteran war-ccrrespondent entitled "Some Escapes of my. Life." "Some of them have been related by him before at various times, but when collected into one article they convey an impressive picture of the risks which have to be fac in the service of one of the great newspapers. Another. more or less ereonal po wr recounts an interview with Mr. A. F. Yarrow, at his well-known shipbuilding yard onthe Thames, which is profusely illustrated with reproduced photographs. Besides being "the father of the stern wheeler" so far as England is concerned, Mr. Yarrow's name is closely associated with torpedo-boats. The first torpedo-boat_ had a pole run out at the head of the boat. It was about forty fect long. At the end of this [urge oil drum. In this: were about eighty Ie there use to be a receptacle like a pounds of gun-cotton, which was fired by electricity. The torpedo-boat ran up to a larger vessel, the pole was let down some fect under and, as it struck against the bottom of the assailed craft it was fired. In the Russo-Turkish war of 1878, one man-of-war was actually blown up in this way. Bighty pounds of gun-cotton can blow a hole twelve fect in diameter through an inch plate, Later on, cradles were placed over the boat's sides, from which the torpedoes could be rejected. The torpedo was afterwards pushed over the rails in the bow. Next we have the torpedo tubes one on each side of the bow while in the new British "destroyers" the torpedoes are fired from two pairs of torpedo guns carried on: deck and mounted on circular chases... The latest. type of Whitehead torpedo has n speed of thirty-two knots an hour for four hundred yards, and _twenty-seven to twenty-eight knots an hour for eight hundred yards. The accuracy of fire is such that the deviation from the straight course in eight hundred yards is about twelve yards, and the depth below the water-line at which it travels varies only a few inches." Happily all the contributors do not deal with the incidents and materials of fighting. Miss Mary Spencer Warren writes.on the Court of Belgium, in which she says of the Queen When I saw the Queen of the Belgians at the end of 1896, my impression was that she had very much aged in the interval of about two years from my preceding visit to the Court. She did not seem to have such an upright carriage, and her movements, were not so characteristically rapid as they formerly had been. She still preserves all the grace of manner which has ever distinguished her, and still—although to a somewhat limited extent—keeps up her various outdoor exercises and indoor accomplishments. Her Majesty has always had the reputation of being the most active lady sovereign of Europe, hardly ever sitting down unless t" perform on one of hor favourite instruments—harp or piano—or to partake of a meal. It would be far "easier to say what the Queen does not do, than to say what she does. In-the first place, she is really a most accomplish-musician, not only a skilful performer, but also a composer of no ordinary merit. She is, indeed, passionately devoted to music, and is a very frequent visitor to the opera. Photography and First Aid are others of Her Majesty's accomplishments for this latter she has taken a certificate, and has more than once put her knowledge, actual practice. Of her horsemanship it is scarcely necessary to speak, so mud has it already been talked of. She has a everything else appertaining to royalty, the fine stud of thoroughbreds, although, like
actual number of these quadrupeds has been much exaggerated. I have seen her both riding and driving, the former generally at Laeken, where she would gallop for miles with just_a groom in attend nce. When driving. Her Majesty generally selects the Doulevards of Brassels, or the splendid avenues of the Bois de In Cambré: sometimes taking along a pai team. On driving expedit is nearly always accompanied by her daughter, as also is the case when fishing is the recreation of the hour. This happens generally at Spa, where the royal ladies lead a very unconventional life, taking the waters in just the same tex f attending the daily concerts in the way and at the same time as other visitors,
most informal manner. The Prince-s Clementine has inherited all the personal charms of both father and mother, being tall and graceful, and having more than the ordinary share of good looks. She is well-known at our English Court, and.is a particular favourite of our Queen. "Another thing for which both mother and daughter are noted is the extreme elegance of their attire when special occasion calls for it, and. the utter disregard of appearances at ordinary times; often they will be seen in clothes that bear an almost home-made look about them, but it is evidently a matter of the utmost indifference to these royal ladies what other people think. IE they have anything comfortable they just continue to wear it."
The fiction in the issue under notice is uncommonly vigorous and good, whilst the article on " American Belles of London Season" is entertaining and embellished with the portraits of many beautiful women.
Few periodicals so consistently preserve their ideal as The Quiver—a magazine for religious and general reading. Liberality and breadth distinguish the religious articles, whilst the more secaler papers are always upon subjects which havea timely interest.
The "good things" in the ever-welcome Saturday Journal include a chat with Mr. Louis Becke, the novelist of the South Seas "Why I came to write," said Mr. Becke, "is easily explained, but how T came to make any success at itI can't tell you. After twenty-six years' experience of the South Seas, trading about here, there, and everywhere, I took up my quarters in Sydney—stone broke. I had been making money and losing it, and then making it and losing it again, until, when I reached Sydney, which was two and a half years ago, Iwas reduced to clearing serab—scrub, you know, meaning trees half a dozen feet thick. "While this was going on, the editor of the Sydney Bulletin happened to say'to meone day Twish, Becke, you'd write me some sketches of your South Sea Island experiences.
said, My dear follow, it's no u:
very strong language, L imagined.
You'd only heave eer at ith
"However, he thought differently, and said" 'You write these yarns just as you've told them to me.'
"T promised to try' my hand, and the result was I.wrote six stories which he liked very much and published. From that time {threw up my scrub-clearing and accepted: an appointment on the staff of the Bulletin. Asa matter of fact, I took the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.