thousand yards-at a speed of something like twenty-eight miles an hour. Especially in narrow channels such a weapon might be extremely effective. But there are situations where the water space is too wide for the effective employment of fish torpedoes, and deep enough to render the establishment of satisfactory mine. fields difficult-conditions under which the submarine boat is likely to prove a most efficient ally.

The northernmost of our coast forts are five, which protect two harbors in Maine. New Hampshire has three forts, all at Portsmouth. In Massachusetts the harbor of New Bedford has one fort, and that of Boston six. Narragansett Bay has five forts, and the entrance to Long Island Sound is guarded by four more, all of them very formidable. For New York City there are six fortressesthree in the neighborhood of Hellgate, and three in the harbor. Philadelphia has three forts, Baltimore five, and Washington two, one on each side of the Potomac. Hampton Roads is defended by two forts. In North Carolina there is one fort, at Wilmington. At Charles

ton there are two fortresses, and in Beaufort River there is one. Savannah has one fort.

The chain of fortresses on the Gulf coast begins at Key West, where there is one. At Tampa there are two, at Pensacola two, at Mobile two, at New Orleans (between the city and the mouth of the Mississippi) two, and at Galveston three.

On the Pacific coast there are thirteen forts in all-one at San Diego, five at San Francisco, three at the entrance of the Columbia River, one opposite Seattle (protecting the naval station there), and three at the entrance of Admiralty Inlet, a branch of Puget Sound which runs up to Seattle and Tacoma.

In conclusion it may be said that, so far as fortresses are concerned, all that are necessary have been provided, except that two are badly needed to defend the entrance at Chesapeake Bay. According to the War Department's estimate, it would cost $6,102,871 to build these forts, one on either side; in addition to which it would be necessary to expend $2,600,000 in creating an artificial island

breakwater in the middle of the waterspace. Without such an island, hostile warships would be able to pass beyond effective range of the guns on either shore.

For the construction of proper fortifications to protect the entrances of the Panama Canal $4,827,682 will be required. This can wait a while, but meanwhile about $20,000,000 is urgently needed for the erection of defenses in our various insular possessions-this sum including guns and $3,000,000 worth of ammunition. Beyond planting a few

high-power cannon at Manila, we have done practically nothing as yet in the way of fortifying our newly-acquired islands-the Philippines, Guam, the Hawaiian group, and Porto Rico-which, so far as the first three are concerned, would be immediately seized by Japan, in case of trouble with that power, without much hope of successful resistance on our part, owing to the inferiority of our naval strength in the Pacific. An awakening not altogether pleasant may come some day. Our defensive policy has been "penny wise and pound foolish."

OOKING at the quaint, picturesque town of Mogok, Burmah, cradled in wooded hills dotted with temples and bungalows, who would dream that its life has been a life of dread mysteries and awful crimes? Yet the Ruby City has seen things not to be recounted, because of its treasures, from King Solomon's day to that of King Thebaw. Indeed, were it not for the red glowing stones a king would now be reigning at Mandalay instead of a British subject.

In Mogok they see everything in a ruby light, men, women and children. Every visitor must want to buy, they think. However hungry or thirsty the traveler may be on arrival, the first thing he hears spoken of is rubies. All Mogok seems to be fishing with bamboo hoisters. And they are fishing-for rubies, in the precious "byon," that rivals in richness. the famous "blue ground" of Kimberley.

Each man wears a conical hat, and as he squats he digs between his knees with a broad-bladed tool two feet long, tossing the soil into a shallow basket with a