Tur Bureau Veritas Mo tiily List, published on the Ist of December, of wrecks and casualties recorded in Octuber last, announces that 57 sailing vessels were reported. as totally lost stranding, 1 by collision, 1 by fire; while 6 found 3 were abandoned, 19 were condemned, and 5 were mi: No less than 190 sailing vessels were damaged; 44 by stranding, 47 by collision, 6 by fire, 34 by leaks, and St by stress of weather. totally lost were 21; 8 by stranding, 5 by collision, (by fire; while 1 foundered, and 1 was condemned. The steamers damaged were 279; 101 by stranding, 89 by cvilision, 9 by fire, 5 by leaks, 11 by stress of weather; while 64 reported injury to their engines or boilers.
Tux following notes are, from the "London and China Express" of the ult.
Alderman Sir Marcus Samuel, the Lord Mayor of London, concluded his state visit to Neweastle-on-Tyne on 29th ult. with a pleasant. ceremony at Messrs. Arm strong, Whitworth and Co.'s shipyard, where Lady Samuel launched the Silver-lip, one of the large petroleum steamers in the world, designed to fulfil the requizements of the Shell Transport and Tradix Company, of which Sit Marcus chairman, The vessel is 186 feet Jong, 55 fect broad, 35 feet draught, and has been built to carry oil cargoes in bulk. Like mo-+ of the other steamers of the fleet, she i- ts be fitted for burning oil fuel.
For some weeks past there have been rumours and reports of sensational changes imminent. in the Navy. The "Daily Mail " professes to be able to give a forecast of the changes contemplated. The first and most: important of the new changes will be a certain proportion of promotions by sclvction from captain's rank to flag rank (admirals). This will ive the British Navy younger command-officers, a point in which it has of late sears fallen much behind Germany. The Second reform, which is of little less im portance, concerns the engineering branch of the service. Hitherto there have been two distinct classes of officers—excen ives and engineers. Henevforth there if the Admiralty adopts the proposal committee, be only one class. and all executive officers will have to undergo a thorough training in engin If the scheme is adopted in the Brit there will be lieutenants (engineering) as there have hitherto been lieutenants (torpedo). Selveted officers will specialise and receive special pay for so doing. All officers, whether for the cngincerine oF excettive side of the service will, pose through the same naval school. Tt is also possible that. the organisation of the Marines will be remodelled. In the future, cither the Marine force will he relegated to Iand duty or it will be corporated with the re of the person-Lof the Navy. This change may, hower, be postponed till the others have been t Another change concerns the organisation of the reserve of ships in the dockyard. Hitherio there have been various classes, lettered from A to according to the readine<s for sea of the ships in them, and most of these have had, at any rate on paper, officer: and mn told of to Ieak after them. Tt new mien shins fit and unfit for <erviee. charge of the Navy. the Istter of the dock yards. A large number of officers and men will this be set free.
Frow the Lon ton and (1 of the 12th ult. we Benjamin Baker, K C.M.G., has been made a K.C.B. for his services in connection with the Assouan_Dam.—Sir Redvers Buller. in a speech at Dorchester, said that "anything more unbusinesslike than the management of the Army and Navy had hardly ever been known."—Mr. James Davison. an old resident of Yokohama, died at Majorca on the 26th of November, the anniversary of the great fire at Yokohama in 1866, at which he was In reference to M. de Witte's decision to make Port Arthur exclusively a military port, the "Standard's" Moscow curr pondent points out that this is "in defiance of undertakings entered into by Russia at the time she seized upon Port Arthur, Is November last, at Southwark Police Court, London, before Mr. Cecil Chapman, the Apollinaris Ca., La., were charged by the Mineral Water Bottle Exchange and Trade Protection Society, Ld., with having applied a false trade description to their bottled water, viz., natural m: ineral water." Evidence was given that the water after it was drawn from the spring was mixed with salt and treated by the addition of carbonic acid gas, making it really an artificial water, Evidence was then given for the defence, after which, in a long and well-considered judgment, vir. Chapman dismissed the "summons with 20 guineas costs to be paid by the Bottle Exchange to the Apollinaris Ca. The addition of salt to the water, he said, which was only in the proportion of one to athonsid parts, has no appreciable effect upon the water, except to prevent the lopment of sulphuvetted hydrogen the water comes in contact with the in the bottle; farther, the water is collected in tanks, previous to bottling, where its natural carbonic acid gas escapes irom it, and this is replaced by similar gas collected from the spring-head and the surrounding earth at a considerable depth, che result "being that, so far from being tificial, "the water' which is offered to the public is in all essentials identical with the water us it exists in the earth at 2 Aepth of 50 or 60 feet more or less.
Tr has been stated in the American papers that Mr. Pavlofl, Russian Minister Cor aged to the Countess cassini, who was known in Peking as the niece of Count Cassini, but is now ucknowged in Washington as his daughter, ither reports being that he is engaged to rer cousin, Miss Irene Desplanques, whose father wasa clerk in the Nagasaki branch the Russo-Chinese Bank. A whole page of the Examiner Magazine" of the 7th ult., with portraits, is devoted to this interesting, ud we learn from it that Mr. Pavloifs affections were bestowed on tess Cassini, but were nut reciproand that he is to be instant in the Greek to the charming Miss Siberia, the ow York is ship with her immense carrying ix indicative of the large increase vie which is contemplated between ited States and the Orient. Ina ion aboard this ship is a bronze tablet setting forth an extract from a speech made by Inv. Collis P. Hunting. ton upon the subject above mentioned, which reads as follows:—"* Let us devote om selves to the work of turning toward the United States the great commerce of have eretufere controlled We must turn the enrtrade irom the setting Lo the rising sun. hare received from 1 Mr. George wher jextly still in good health spirits, ame per i his covers, as Citoyen notice of his autobio-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.