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TFueAeeountofaBussianHoFPOP. n. Miclu«l Alexajidraff, called Miflcha (or sljurt, waa one of the regular train handa. employed at Korn<xff. This had been a red-letter day with hiniâ€" eu9i>eu- aion »t work since noon, double pay and the uni(|ue exi)erieiiw of seeing a real iive Prinoeasl Ah. that was worth cel- ebratine;. Bo, belore goimg to his cab- in, he purchased a quarter of a liter of wodki and a bag full of ginger-broad for Maat-hiaka. Poor little Maschinka, she doted on gingerbread, and got her fiU of it only once or twice a year. They had Iwon married seven months and already mvned a little cabin where they livedâ€" the cabin, a table. cuplx>ard, bench and a bed. More still. The gild- ed abrine that occupied the place of hon- or on the principal wall of their hut, waa all paid for. And how did this <vme about i Mischii had given up wodki oa a steady diet when he took unto hiiueelf a wife, .and if the little strang- er they expected soon was a boy. he would give It up entirely. Yes. indeed, be would. Wlien Miacha got home he waa a lit- tle the worse for liquor and full of talk and nonsense, " I've seen a real PrLncees," be said, " and what U more (be has seen me. She came to the win- iow to do It, and pointed me out to the Governor." • You are a liar, Miacha." cried the young woman with good-natured blunt- aveaâ€"" why sliould such great people want to look at you f" •• I dont know, I'm sure, but i)erhap8 they were attracted by my new boots. I had polished them till I could see my face in them." • 'IHha.w, you just want to make me laugh; but inaaiuucji aa you brought me gingerbread, allow me to eat It in peace." They aat down togetlier, she munch- ing with every evidence of relish, he waU-hing her white teeth work and eip- pini? from hie bottle. They were the picture of contentment. Suddenly the door wae opened with a craah. The po- lice lieutenant and Dmnhkin entered noisily. '• We are looking for you. Michael Alexandroff." Husband and wife jumped up. "It must be a misUke, graciou« master." cried both, and Miscba added: "My i>ai«<|H>rt Is In order, master ; I have paid my taxes, though they were ex- ireuiely h«»vy. fttUI, I paid them." ' "No nee<l of telling me that you find r.o plrjibure in giving the Eimperor w hat .8 the fiiiperor's. We know all about jou. raairal. Have you any printed or written matter in your cabin? Better <•<«nf<^«a, for wo will surely find every- fliing." "God save me, maatorâ€" I can neither read nor write." • That* a moth-eaten excuse, which liiiy l>e reversed under pressure of the knout. Meanwhile, you, DuschWin, try and rout out the stuff; if there be any suspicious articles we must find I liem. Search well, and spare not their k-ags." The offiojr exoi^ulod the order to the letter, leavinp; no piwie of furniture, or firewood, either, unturned, throw- ing tli«! conl<''nt8 of till' cupljoard and bod on the floor, and ripping up llie mattress despite Mitscha's wallings. Of course, tie foun<l nothing, nothing ex- cept the lialf-enipty wodki lM>tllB. and this he plu>«<l carefully out of slight. " Nothing to lj« found, master Lieu- tenant." "Never mind, they probably have proofs enough in Wl. Itlersburg. any- how t«) iranHjHirt hlni for life. Now handcuff the w^ouiidrel, but nj that he feels It. Quick." "GreJit G<hI," cried the wuHiian ; "par- don him, little fatlier, whatever he hiiA done lie cajin<>t have sinned much, or I. his con.slaMl ruiiipanion, would know it. Itrleaao him, gracioUH niu.sler, for this time ouily. All we own in this world shall bo yours." tichelinedty looked down upon the kiM'elijig Mawlui, us if she was a don awaiting punishment. His eye.8 swept the disordered ivkiih conlemptuously. " IJon'l liok my l»x>ta. Ijaggnge I" lin cried, "and coiiaider yourt^elf lucky if I do not reiKirl you for offering brili<'« to the imlicw. Dum^hkln, I order you a, second time, to hurry." Mascha's tears flowed freely. Inspile of Scbelinsky's h.-iiighly injum-tion, she embraced hin knees again and again, and kissed his dirty I>oot8, crying aloud for uiercy. While with rage the uniforine<l brute tried to sluike off the iiii.s<'ralile irea- ture, bui Musi'lia hung on, until, fin- ally, beside liiiiumlf with fury. Schelin- aky struck her a fearful blow Ihutm'nt her reeling to>vard the fliwir. In falling the poor giri si ruck her be<id against a corner of the iron Ix'^lstead. A stream of blood gushed from the wound in her temple and she sunk down with a low nionn, un<'onHi^ioUH. Michael until then had reimaiued Mi'einingly apathelio and silent. Hut see- ing his wife maltreated, all his manhood losii to ferocious exasperation. With a cry of anguish and defiance he clutched bis long arms round lh« officer's waist, lifted him a few feet and flung the Ixxly heavily on the floor, simultaneously t hrowing him.wlf on his prostrated enemy and throttling him. lAt that uuunent, tl\e saint's shrine, detached from tlie wall, by the com- £ lot ion tluit shook Vlie cabin from root > cellar, came tumbling down, (alllnff •i (hn side of S<'.heliiisky's piirpJo head. Which missed it by hb inch or two. â-²sd what no miiMy iiower ix>uld have Ml*, ris., looaeailiB M.laoh»'s Iron grip on his vlctuu's throat, this sign from heaven accam|)l islied in an instant, for the devout iieasant thought that most natural occurrence nothing short of a wonder. Indeed, to his nilsd, it voiced God's own stern injunction, "Thou shalt not kUl." Miacha raised his knees from the fall- en man's brea.st. He stood up silent- ly, his arms and hands hanging down, Ouat^hkin found no diffii'ulty in hand- cuffing the giant, though the unhappy fellow knew full well that his last hour of freedom hid jiaa-wd. probably forever. Uiti eyes, still biooiltmiot, souipbt those ot his l)eIove<l, good-nutured Ma.scha ly- img on ttie ground, her head in a iX)ol ol l>loo<l that steadily increased. Great God I they were closed. Was she dead? Mii'hiieJ. fidt as if his own life was ebbimg away. A feeding of unwonted irresolutioin and exhaustion crept over him. He would hav» fallen if a vig- orous kick applied byi the spurred l)oot of the jK>liii'« lieouleniant had not re- called hiB senses, A few Becon<i8 afterwards thie three men wiere on the highroad to the sta- tion houee. None had made an at- tempt to rouee the unconscious wife, wliu was Boom to become a mother ; Mlscha was too dazed to do it, Dusi-hkin dared not take hia eyes from the pris- oner, Si-lu-linsky wonjJd not allow a hu- nmno sentiment to interfere witl> what be consLdexed his duity. The neighlK)rB, of course, were con- scious of what had happened, having witneased the affair from the windows, \Aii though Masihiinka wad now alone, none waa bold enouiglw to come to her aul. Thnt red-haireil Michael was a critninai. perhaps a nihilist, was quite clear to his former f riemds ; and they also knew that to assiut "that scoun- drel's" wife, was ta.nta4u«iiint to incur- ring tbo displeasuro, or even the sus- picions, of the auilhoritit's. Ah, if there were noeaveiidropiierH, no inform- ers about, every one in the crowd would have lieeii only Loo ea^r to help, but as things were it wouild be liTie putting one's bead into the noose. While drimking. or in couxt, no one is mast*r of biis tongue. ' "God Willi assist her. for he is graci- ous." wliUijiered men and women among themselvea. ri'hon uuUing the sign I of the croHS, each w«nt aliout hia or ! her Inutitiess. In the cabin all was quiet aa death. hVom time to time a 'drop of l>lood ooz(m1 from poor Maa- oliinka's wound to join the big pool tliiit was eating its way Into the lK>ards, I Ijut the •ilemeot of ilyiiiig life eblied slower and bIowuj-. Out* of the neigh- I l<()i« asserts that omly once, towards night, a vague uoi.-*> lirutke the awful I sliillness that hovered over the unhappy roof. Th» listtMier thought she had heard the name "MiHrchaâ€" Miacha," pro- noiKuced once or twioe. lU. When the police cajna next morning to again inspect the premises ami search for hidden evidence.s of lawless- ne«.s, they fwind only a dead body hold- wig in the, right hand a small much worn oraritix. Had any of tlje foika living near dar- eil pioff«\r assistance after all, and, fin ling all earthly ho|)Mj vanished, fix- ed tlu> synilxjl oi; Lho promised land be- tweeii the fingers of the dying woman? i>uncliiiiu might |)erhi()8 have oii- lighteiiixl his brother officers. It will l» reniointiei-ed Uiut duxilng his first ' visit ho iliscoveruil a Iwltle containing wodki, and placwl it) handy for future iilie, no <loul)t, 'I'huL liottle was gone, and Umscbikiji did not search for itâ€" certainly a suspioioua cin'Uinstanoe. iMa.vh»»ika'8 Inxiy was carrie<l to the staiirjn, and fioiii Lhwrc to the cemetery. J'Jin* master ot [lojice swore great. I'lg . ojitliK wheal be fouUid he had to l>ury i hi'i. There wa.H no approiiriation lor I Biu-h purjHj«e«, and it iiuiik neccssaJ-y a lot of writiai'g and rei«Jiling. ' Michael Ah'xander'.s ctMiuuitnient was nuide out the sauio ni'ght. It read as follows; "l)y order of his Kxcelloncy, the Gov- ernor (ieneral: ".Send to the Peger-Pauil fortress. "Guard ca^^fully ; t itvat severely. "Sjiecial reason : Muirderously as- aauiled the officer coiumamdiug the ar- rest." "Well," said the sulblieutemant in wluise cuHto.ly Miwlvi waa to ma^e the joiurnoy, "m conformity with regula- tidis 1 ouiftil to c^Liiiil you to the caJ, but I will not lift iiuMi,nly, Just put yoiiir luind In your jM«.>ket and see what tliere is in it." "Tliey hnve rile;i,ned me out at the station," re|«lied Mi.sctiti, with a sad Miiiile. "Kven my iHjotJi they took away claiming Uiey were, in all probability, lined witili revolutionary literature. Tim s«TKeant gave nin the.se sandals in retujii U'forel waa I)roug0iil to the de- pot. "All tluit eiiiphasizea the seiioiisness of your ca.-ie." saiil bliie sublienlnnant sternly. "If tSinwc fellows in Koruoff were not tuiiw Unit y<<u will never have ociasi«itii to testify against thmm. they would not hnve Ireatocl you so badly." TIttvu tuxnliig to the guards, the official shouted: "tSliaiin I h^^ siounilrel to the l>encU. and keep Iwiii short, and who- ever talks to lujiir One Single word will lenew acniuiijntance with my corpor- al's cane.' \ TIlIh hard usage was far from galling to Mirwvhn. Since ho had been torn from the Ikjmoih of luis lieloved wifeâ€" left her in agmny, <lying. iierlmps, on the floor, a feidimg of unutteralilH distress had overcoimo hiiiii. It i^inetrated to his 80U.1 and numUwl his senses. Ab- aoluto quinvt was all lui craved. i'Vo Be Continued.) 8<.)UNUe. When you lire wal'kiing in a very guhvt pdaco Mi'il hear u faint sound from afar, you wonder how great t ho ' diHtanc« Is Imlween. Tliie whistle 1 of a locomiitlvo is hieard 3,300 yanls I through the aiir; the noi.se of a rail- way train, li,800 yards; line re- port of a mu»ket and tlun bark of a dog, 1,800 yardn; an omheatra or the roll of a druxn, 1,00U yardn; the human voiiine reaches to a distancs ot 1,000 yards; tihn onxi.kiin'tf of frogs. 900 yards; the chlrpa.ng or crickets, 800 yard^ Dintinrt si.eakinK Is hrard In ithin aU- from Minvi to the diataaioe ol 60n yards; fnnn aluvei It is uimlerslood to hnve a IraM^ of only. 100 yards dowwwarda. A MAN WITH THIRTEEN WIVES. A Doxen •rThrui Will iHwcar Acalnut HIni. Bui the Laiit Oue Kemalns Trae. There Is iiicaxc«rated id the Sprlng- fieJd, III.. Jail a main who haa uindoubt- edly earned for hiiiuaeU the title of the chumpion pcdygamiat of the nineteenth beintuxy. USs oojue is Wiliiaju Bix, aoul lie is held awaiting trial on a chiarge of bigauiy. Six suicoeeded im mtuTying bo frequienUy within the past 12 uiontiia that the local uuthorir ties have foumd 13 Mas. Sixes. Most of the women are in Miasoutri, but there are a few iu Kainsaa and several in In- diuna. Six ia knowa to have been io the Indian Tejritory for some time, but this section of the country has not bo«n heard from. Ona of Slix's wivee im Missouri writes Uhat her hufilxmd hud si'x wives living and undivorced when he married her. Six was arretted several weeks ago at the instance of the Irate brothers of his hist wife. SIhe was Miss Kate Hornung, living at Berry, III., and the daughter of a well-to-do farmer. Whan he bad spent ALL HIS WIFE'S MONEY 0)e tried to sell (her horse and l>uggy. Wheal all the money waa gone Six lie- came reiieaitant and permitted his wiCe to take hian to her father's home. The bride's brothers learned that Six bailed from Miaeouri, aaid they wrote there aod learned his real character. Six left the housei one night. Mrs. Sir bad htm arrested at Logaosport, Ind. Several days after his arrival at Berry, Sheriff Baxter begam receiving letters from all pa.rta of the Western country from women who clauned Six aa their legal husband. One letter from a Mrs. Six at Lamar, Mo., stated that two days after she married Six ha left her, Uki»ig with him $100 of her money and a gold watch. Anoth- er letter from Missouri stated that Six had married a woman near Joplin. and lived, with, her a short time and left. Still another letter from a Mrs. Six iin Kansas read thnt Six Left her last Decemljer. after living with her a wet-k. Be took her horse and Imggy witli him and |50 In money. Up to date SIheriff Ba.\ter haa learned of IS wumeai who cdaijii Six for their bua- boDrd. LAST WLFB TRUE. I» sij>ite of all these letters the last Mrs. Sijc bus never Lost her infatua- tion for the man. After she waa ad- vi«ft<l of all his undivorced wives she fij-Ht stilted she was through with him. iiuX the next day she was at the jail with a hunch of flowers, liegging to be admitted to talk with him. Last w>eeic .Six made hia will, in which he lie- qujeattied all his l«longinga to the last Mrs. Six. He claims to be entitled to a stiure in his fatJiej-'s estate in Can- ada, which be valuta at |5.0UO. Tlhe case will shortly come up for trinJ. Nearly all tltoJ wives that have wrltteji the Sheriff have signified their iiaientiou rf soming to the trial to testify against hliu. OPTIMISM IN REAL LIFE. Carle â- eary'n War of Maklsx TIiIbk* Coiur WhI Klxhl. "\Vh;it is an 'optljiiist,' father?" a farmer's t)oy aaked of his fatlier. who, thouj^li far from beiing a learned man, biid always liocn foiind by the boy cap- able o( giving an intelligible answer to hlB queHli<i«is. Tliici fanner ref lect- 6<1 a momi-nt lielVire repllyijng. 'ITien he Saul ; "Now. 6<iinny, you know I can't give ye the dictionary iiieamin' of that word, no more'n I can of a great miifly ollir ers. But I've got a kilnd of an idee What 11 means. Ppull>ably you don't ro^ member your Uncle Henry, but I guess if Uiere ever wi;i3 an opliniist. he waa one. Things >%'as always couiiiti' out right with Ui-mry, and eMj-ecuLlly any- thilnK hard Ih-it ho had to do; it wa'n't a-goiu' to be hard â€" 'twas jest kind ot soliil-plca.s.-tiit. "Take hoiin' corn, now. If anything kind of t<x>k I lie tuf-ker out ot me 'twjirt hoein' corn in tint hot mn. Out in UiW fiield 'liiJig nboiu/t the time I be- gvini ti> big iKU'k a llJttle. U^nry he'd Uxik u|> an' wiy :0 " 'tioixl. Jim I \\'TiJpin WW got tbetv two rows luued. an' «'ighle«'u luoiie, thj |iiec<\'li bo luilf-dcm«> 1' An' bc'd say lit in sui'h a kin<l of a, cheerful way tluil I couiiln't 'a' l>e,n any mure tit- kled iit th»» pk'cc luKi) ncum all done â€" an' tho reiit wiAild go light «inough. "UlU. tlie woTtit tilling we h:id to do â€" hoeim' coirn wtia a iwcnio to it â€" waa pirkin' stones. No ejul to tliat on ouir old farm, if wo wjimteil to raino any- tltiiiig. When WW wa'n't huirried and pres.ied nt sofiiei luJn'g else, there was aiwayH pdi'kin' stones lu do; and tliere want a ixlowin' nor a frosty winter Ijiut. Svhnt brought a fresh crop of HtoncH to UitN lop, Rn' atMNiiis iif the pidc- iln' all Iiud Utim d<nie over again. I "Well, sir, yoiud 'a' Uumglil to hear HiiMiry thnt Iheio w«i"n't any fiui in tliie world like pickin" uitone. He look- ed at It in a diffei-wnt wuy from any- body I ev«T see. Oncw when tlie c<Kru â-  wus ail Ixoed, aaii' the griuss wa'n't fit I to out yet. anr I'd gv>t all laid out to go fisliin'. and fatlier htt uj> and set us to im:kin' stoaies u;^ on Uue west pijwe, an' 1 w^as aUAUt rea.il;y to cry, U^^nry, be says : " '(\miio Ml, Jinn. I know wlnere tlhere's lota of niulggota f I "An' whnt do yon H'lxise now? That l)oy hnd a kind of a giuiue that that t)iei'«» field was what he called a plasser mining fiel<d, and hm got nut into It, and I c<iiuld 'a' swxurn 1 was im Klon-" dyke all dayâ€" I had H,ur.h a good tiinie. "'Only,' says Henry, after we'd got Uhrouigh the day's wMiSi, 'the way you get rii'h w ith thvae KtMlggeta is to get rid of 'van. iiiiKtjivid ot to pet 'em.' "TJiat Bonneliow didn't strike my fancy, tnut we'd hliMl piay instead of work, nnd a gittat lot or stones had been rooted oujt of tlhiit field. '« "An' as I said befo(r»v I can't give ye any dictionary di^finilion' of 'optim- 10m,' buA if your Ulncle Hk^nry wa'n't an optimiBt, I doa't know vrbtxl one Is." GEEAT ENGLISH STRIKE, A PARTICIPANT'S RECOLLECTION OP THOSE STIRRING TIMES. Wken All klndu ofludusUleii Wert SirarlJ â- I a Hlaudntlll ror Six W«ek» - The Crratciil Laber HlrsuKle Tbal Kvfi Oe currrd- iKiiorsiire ollhe People Tho-e UuTii - The Mlrlkr ^\a» Laitt. Thomas Grundy, of Pittsburg, was a participant In aome of the famous strikes wliich occurred in England for- ty or more years ago, and his reooUec- tions of the manner In which they were conducted and bis couunents up- 1 on the good which they acoomplished are interesting just now. Mr. Grundy | is now upward of 60 years ot age, and has been a hard worker in the lalx>r movement nearly all bis life. He drew hia first inspiration from a mob of striking weavers, who when Mr. Grun- dy was seven years old, called at the schoolhouse where he was beglanlng bis education and comiielled the teacher to give the scholars a vacation. This was a unique form of enforced sympathy strike, which Mj. Grundy has never since seen duplicated. He had some- times wondered at the tameness of la- bor struggles which he has since wit- nessed compared with what he saw In his boyhood's days, but aa he remem- bers his feeling on the great occasion, It was simply one of satisfaction that the strikers should relieve him of the necessity of goin^ to school. lAcoording to Mr. Grundy's descrip- tion of this strike it must have been one of the greatest labor-struggles that ever occurred. In 1812 the condi- tion of the cotton workers in I^anca- shire, Yorkshire and Cheshire, had be- come so bad, owing to the introduction of machinery, that a general strike movement was brought about without any organization and at first without leadership. During the six weeks industry of ev- ery kind waa entirely suspended in the district affected, it being estimated that In the nelgh>x>rbood ot 8,000.000 PEOPLE WERE IDLE. This included the weavers themselves and persons of every other occupation whom they obliged to leave work. The small tradesmen and manufacturers were obliged to close their places, the teachers In the schools, had to send their pupils home, and the strikers even prevented the luojiiug of vehicles up- on the highways by massing themselves in cocapoct bodies through which no horse could be driven. Mr. Grundy having been very young at tho time this strike occurred, most of hie inforuuition about it haa l>een gathered from reading. The incidents which he remembers are princip.\lly the forcing of bis teacher to dismiss school and the obliging of hia father to sus- |>end business. Mr. Grundy's fatlier was a batter, having a sbo|> of his own and employing a few bands in the town of Ashton, near Manchester. The strikers came in a large body, and it was only necessary for one of them to say: "Put out that fire, Grundy," and the bat- ter immediately suspended all work in bis little place and sent his men home to wait for the strike to be over. Mr. Grundy rememlx^rs seeing IkkUcs of the strikers marching along the highways thii-kly massed. togetlier and filling Uie roads from side to side as far as they could be seen. They were always armed with clulw, anil when marching would line up close txigefh- er, eacJi grasping the club of the man on either side of him, and so weaving themselves Into a solid mass. In this way it was rendorud iniiKissible for any- thing or anylHxIy to occupy the road liut the strikers, and their obie<-t of forcing a general suai>en8i<>n oi bu.si- neas In the district was obtained. This was only for a little while, however, aa largo bodies of the troops of the em- pire were ordered Into t he district held by the strikers, and soon obliged them to prcs»'rve the peace and desist from interfering with the affairs of those who desired to carry on business. Mr. Grundy's rpcolle<itian of the nuit- ter is that much sympathy was display- ed for the strikers by the troops, and tluil the latter were of very little use BO far as breaking the strike of the weavers was (x>ncerned. The st rike" was lost, liowever, the weavers going back to their work at the end of six weekswilhout having obtained any in- cre-iaj of \vag«\s, or any shortening ot their hours of labor. U waa not long, however, until Parliament, as a result of tliis strike, began to pay some at- tention to the condition of the weav- ers, and laws which served very effect- ually to ameliorate their condition were p.-u»ed. t'olKlen, Bright and other grmt Eng- lish stateaiuen took up their cause, and investigation.s and discu.ssions. result- ed, the go<xl effects of which are still felt. I'be HKI'EAL OK THE tX)IlN LAWa by w bich English workingmen were en- abled to «>btain clieii.i)er food, Mr.Grun- dy thinks, wiis largely due to the strike, though it had been advwated liefore the strike took pliuw. Another law which waa of great benefit forbade women and children under eighteen years of ago to Ije employed in the iX)tton mills longer than ten hours a day. This law waa not only a good thing in itself, but it caused the workers generally U> think and agitate for a ten-hour day, and some ten years after the great strike of 184"J there was a generalstriko for ten hours, which resulted success- fully, and which waa the lieglnning of better times In the matter m hours ot lal)or in nearly all English Industries. Mr. Grundy was employed in a cot- ton mill himaelt at the time this last strike look place. The workmen aim- ply quit when they had worked ten hours one day, and so inaugurated a movement which waa successful. Mr. Grundy says that at that time there v/itrm> little gaueral educatiion that many persons oould not tell the J.tno ot da|y by a olxxk, and so In pasHingr around the word for the iaaygurationi of the strike everybody was instructed to stop wtirk when tne clock pointed straight up and down, this being a met liod of securing a more general un- dersianding than to say 6 o'clock in the evening. In the mill where Mr. Grundy worked the clock was watched all afternoon, and when the time came there waa a general rush for the outside of the mill. "The foreman had the gates lock- ed and pr<io6ede<l to harangue the work- men, but It wa* to no purpose. Several were notified that they were discharg- ed, but this produced no effect upon the-m or the others. Mr. Grundy tblnka that among ignorant workmen, that is. among those who are ignorant, in the matter of education obtaine<i from books, there haa Ix-en as a rule mora loyalty to each other displayed than by those who are fairly well educated. At any rate they stuck together u|)on this occasion, and won their strike so thoroughly that there n-aa never af- terward a general return to the old practice of working twelve or fifteen hours a day. In the null where Mr. Grundy was employed, too, the mana- ger, after the ten-hour system had been in force for some time, called the workmen together, and expressed his satisfaction with it, saying that the re- sults obtained were much noore satis- factory from the standpoint of the pro- prietors than under the old way. A SEA MYSTERY. Tke Balldlac of Creal IroaelaAt Oslj •â-  Kxperlmest. Tlhe most reniarkaljle experiment in recent years is the buJildlag of navies at enornuMJB expense, when there has becQ DO ppporfunity of testing the value of the new macbiaoery iu actual warfare. Dujrkig the laait quarter ai a century, there has been not naval battle worlbjFi of being mentiooed in the same breatb wltjk Trafalgar or the Nile, or witb Rodney's great victory in the West Indies. Liaaa in the Adriaiij was % amall fight at the opening of the new era of naval progress. A few ironcluds have been in sctlom OD tb» west coQSt ot South Americv and a Briti^ fleet shelled tho ill-armr ed forts of Alexandria. Tfaftsre was k buttle betwoeu fleets on tlhe Yalunofi long ago ; but t hie> mental Inferiority of the Chiueiie to the Japanese rendered It impvtisiUle for experts to juidge what their ships would have done If ibey hud been properly nuuiued and well hu adled. ^ .^ Meanwhile, the axt of naval warlars bos betna revolutionized, and every maxltime ration haa been expending im- m««iae sums upon luttleships and otbw fighting vetvicla without knowing wh»- tl»or anuor will adequately protect theui or whether torpeuo-lxiatit do not hold the proudfiit fleets at theiir mercy. T%vo years ago thare was a wonder" full naval review at Kiel wuaia the Bal- tic C'uuai wua opened, and this yean there has teen another off Portsmouth at whiiUi the uu»t PoWi;iU'UL ENGLISH FLEET ever assembled im any waters has been sevn on huUttay parade. Tliese fleets were imnienae couioinaliona of machine- shops, euginc-houjiiea ami guu-factories, Whiit their value may le in a »oa-liat-« tie iu on-.« i>f tine nijsteries oi the sea. The best experts fraol^ly say that they do not know whether these com- plex iron boxes filled witii steam and electric machinery will remain afloat un<ler heavy fire tromsliore or torpedo attack. They readily admit that navies will be tranaforuied as soon aa there is a great vngageuient betvveou modern fleets. lai Nelson's time there was an un- written law that hot shot weiie not to be used iu battle, on actx>unt of the risk involved in aiettiug lire to infhuii- luiljile wooden shiiips. i'here waa then a naval instinct against treaciucrous metlioda of fighting. This has passed away. Every navy now huji all the modern resources for setting on firs or sinking by sec^rut assault an enomy's ship. In naval revijerws tha battleships are floutiing liatteries which seeui to defy aasault ; but torpedivUoats have never Lieem used ngaiiial Uieiu. With a aiingle sting of t.bie little steel wasp the i^reat leviutboii with its heavy armor and long-rajiga guns may go dowu witb a quick plunge. If the ex- perts oaily knew w-hil was the real, eff<x'tive v;iJu»< of the torpedo in naval warfare. Uu^y could lell with a fair de- gree of coofiilence what the fleets ot the future would l>e like. I'hey do not know, and the buUd- i'Ug ot the fleetfi goes on iu a tog ot Umcertaiaty. "1 coimmiud oue of tiicas shi|i8," said an old sea-dog at Kiel, "bujl let mo tell you frankly. 1 would not like to go uito buttle "with her. We sluvll know tuore after the next naval wax tiiiut we do now." SEMI-CYCLE. <|arer Macklnc Kltldrn by a Variety Pe* rermcr. Trick cycling ahcrws all are familiar with. Some crack experts ride tricy- cles, and others bicycles. 'ITiere are others, again, who, contemning a mul- tiplicity of wlw^els. perform all their wonderful feats on one solitary wheel, with which they He«>m able to do amy conceivable thing. M. Noist't, however, a. trick cyclist in Europe rides half a wheel ! Of course, tlie angles are not (iiharp, but rounded. iNo one lias ever heard tell of roiund anglea, perhaps, but then our cyclist's performance is like- wise unique. 'Hhe maohine is provided with unusually lone and powerful cranks, which (to say nothing about the iKU'k'pedalikig nectvisary) are very re- quisite for the forward nioveme>nt,whpn the half circle haa rtm its course, and t\ini flat side is alniut to cuaue down on to the griHiftd. ThJu young artistei, wlven touring across Europe and Aia- erica itt the various variety theatret^ always coiitrived to get up public races between liiniself and the local irrofeg- sional scordier, iinvariably stipulating, however, tor a Biicely oaloulated start.