Magazine closes & volume, and it is gratifying to learn that the liberal policy which in December last dictated the addition of thirty-two pages to that magazine, and an increase in the number of illustrations, has been instrumental in obtaining a largo addition to the number of readers. The conductors are always striving to maintain the magazine at the head of popular periodicals, and the June part promises to be one of the most remarkable In its history. It will contain the first chapters of a brilliant serial story by Mr. Headon Hill; the first of a series of short stories by Mrs. L. T. Meade; a complete short story by Mr. E. W. Hornung; a fascinating and niost interesting article by Sir Wemyss Reid, entitled Some Club Ghosts a complete and thrilling account of the London Fire Brigade, by Mir, B. F. Robinson, under the title of Through the Flames an exciting paper styled "The Lion Tamer a very valuable and interesting article upon "Handel in England," this being of especial moment to all musicians and to others who concern themselves with the Hnndel Festival at the Crystal Palace; a weird and powerful article by Mr. Herbert Ward, in which describes most graphically "A Day in a Central African Village." In addition to these features of popular and general interest every purchaser of. the June part will be presented with an album of twelve full-Ra. drawn by him to illustrate Romeo age drawings, by Mr. Frank Dicksee, and Juliet. Turning to the number before us, it opens with "The Blue Laboratory: A story of St. Petersburg," one of the series of "Tales of Other Cities." is a thrilling and clever piece of fiction by Mrs. L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace. The delightful serial, "The Gift of the Gods," is concluded, and there are some interesting short tales. Amongst the papers een giving an account of fe. Hiram S. Maxim, the inventor of the powerful and ingenious destroyer of humanity which bears his name, and the would-be inventor of a practicable flying machine. The first idea of " gun which could be reloaded and shot suggested itself to him shortly after fired by the discharge of the previous the American Civil War when going over some of the Southern battlefields. After a good deal of difficulty—even though he was prepared to pay for all the work—he managed to get a gun made to illustrate his idea, but no one believed in it. However, by frequent demonstrations and competitions with other weapons he demonstrated the value of his system. Mr. Maxim's flying experiments began in 1889, and during the past seven years they have cost him something like £20,000. In July, 1894, his labour so far bore fruit that his experimental flying machine succeeded in raising itself from the earth. It was a ship-like contrivance and weighed, when its crew, stores, provisions, and so on, were on board, something less than 8,000 Ibs. The screws measured 17 ft. 10 in. over the tips of the Blades and weighed 135 Ibs. These screws were -attached to a propeller shaft, the average speed of which was 375 revolutions per minute. But the apparatus was not Entirely dependent on screws. There were also great aeroplanes, with an area of about four or five thousand square feet. The
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.