upper reaches of the pretty river Clutha in Otago, New Zealand, with salmon fry from ova imported from England. The incipient salmon flourished until in the course of natural development they reached the" parr" stage of their career. Then in an evil hour they journeyed seawards until they reached the estuary of the river. A school of barracouta had just previously crossed the bar from the sea, and in their search for living food happened upon the toothsome innocents from the secure spawning-beds above. Long did the patient watchers up-country waît, but never more did one of those youthful salmon return to them. All the money spent was wasted, and all the high hopes of a plentiful supply of indigenous salmon were frustrated for years. There are, of course, many other marine monstrosities to which with more or less show of reason the satanic epithet has been applied; but they are very little known or noticed, except within certain narrow limits. Probably enough has been said to justify simple savages and almost equally simple-minded seamen in bestowing upon the creatures of their dread a name which to them embodies all they are able to conceive of pitiless cruelty, unquenchable ferocity, and unmatchable cunning.-Cornhill Magazine. THE PROGRESS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. BY EDWARD LUNN. PEOPLE have by this time quite forgotten the tremendous sensation created by the announcement of the FrancoRussian Alliance. Yet if we look back we may see at a glance how far-reaching have been its results-beneficial in every way to both nations. Prior to the alliance Russia was unable to force herself into the arena of Western European politics. The English press never regarded her as more than an Eastern power. The average education of an Englishman generally includes, even today, the careful instilling of exaggerated accounts of Siberian prison horrors. He is taught to believe that the ordinary Russian is in daily dread of being suddenly taken from his home and marched off to some Siberian mine, where he must work for years if not for life, where he must bear patiently every insult and cruelty imposed on him by his task-masters, and where he can obtain no redress or hope of regaining freedom except through the caprice of these task-masters. Unfortunately the popular writers of stories dealing with Russia have taken up this easy vein, and worked it for all it was worth, while the quiet, gradual development of the nation has remained hidden from us. From ignorance of her internal de velopment the natural thing was to drift on to the false conclusion that she was on the down-grade. Coupled with this was our fancy that the frequent discovery of plots against the Government presaged the breaking-up of the Empire in the near future. The expression of such views had for its natural sequence the feeling of contempt and animosity which, until quite recently, has animated the press of our own country. I say "until quite recently," because a very noticeable change has come to be marked. Our animosity may still be as bitter, but the effect of Russian diplomacy has been such that, rather than adding contempt, it has caused us no inconsiderable trepidation as to what would be their next coup. They have not held by the accepted canons of good faith, but they have shown more than Eastern skill and shrewdness in their foreign. policy, which is terribly progressive. The Russian is undoubtedly the greatest linguist of the day. It is no uncommon thing for him to speak four or five languages, and he shows his pride of the fact in curious ways. He will nudge you as he passes you in the corridor of a train, then apologize in French, or, perhaps, if you are Eng lish, in English. Then he will attempt a conversation, and if you express surprise at his fluency in a foreign tongue, he will gracefully bow and bring his feet together with a click. The writer once, passing through a Tartar village in the Crimea, met at the house of a wealthy Russian some five or six naval and military officers. He was surprised to find four of them spoke English, and every one spoke French. French is spoken universally by the upper classes, and the élite speak English perfectly. Many of the nobility in Russia and subordinates in Government posts are of German origin, and naturally there is a wide acquaintance with the German language, but it is rarely spoken, and is by no means popular. The causes of this widespread familiarity with foreign languages are, first, the difficulty foreigners find in learning Russian; and secondly, that until within the last year or two their language was thought common and vulgar. It was the language of the moujik, and the nobleman objected to hold conversation in it. Indeed, some went even so far as to boast of their ignorance of their mothertongue. Although this unnatural state of things is rapidly passing away, and the proper study of the Russian language is becoming popular, they are too shrewd to overlook the immense advantages which have already accrued from their extensive acquaintance with other tongues. The Russophobe sums up his dislike with the pat quotation: "Scratch a Russian and you find a Tartar." In some instances it is possible to trace Tartar blood, but the pure Russian is a white man, a European, and possibly of the same Aryan stock as we ourselves. The extensive study of modern language is a feature of Western civilization, and in it the Russian certainly takes a lead. Within the last few years cottonmills and factories have sprung up in all parts of the Empire. Where at one time they were content with Manchester goods, the German gradually crept in with the cheaper article, better adapted to Russian tastes and requirements. Presently their ambition rose above this, and they asked why they should not themselves become producers. Factories were started, English machinery imported, and English foremen and engineers placed in control. Then the English engineer was supplanted by the German, the machinery perhaps got out of order, and the introduction of German machinery, accompanied by American, naturally followed. By this time Russia had started schools for the training of a special class as engineers. These are known in Russia as "techniks." They are men carefully trained in all the theories of mechanics, and can pass through the most rigid tests on paper," but in the opinion of foreigners do not make practical engineers. Be this as it may, they are supplanting American, German, and English in their own country, and are beginning to turn out machinery of their own design. It is interesting to note that as the country gradually develops in manufactures, it at the same time is slowly turning to invention. 66 No safer criterion of her rapid advance can be obtained than by a study of her improvements in means of communication. When touching on this subject, it is important to note that roads, railways, the river and canal boat services, and the tramways are under the control of a high official whose post is that of Minister of Communications. All railways, of course, are Government railways, no construction is carried on except under authority from military officials, and every line is completed with a careful eye to military strategy. No small credit for Russia's increase in railway enterprise is due to Prince Hilkoff, the present Minister of Communications. One may frequently hear it said that there is no member of the nobility more popular among English and American residents in Russia. This is no doubt largely due to his having lived in both England and America; speaking English fluently and entering into our national sentiments. He is never tired of admitting that he worked as an engineer on American railways for some three or four years, thus fitting him for his post. by gaining a practical insight which theoretical training could never instil. It is under Prince Hilkoff that railways have made such strides, and there is even now communication between Petersburg and the Caucasus, a journey taking considerably over four days. It is proposed to extend the line over the Caucasus, through Tiflis, to the Persian frontier. The line from Tiflis to the frontier has already been commenced. When the Trans-Siberian railway and this line are completed we shall perhaps awake to our position in the East as opposed to Russia's. She will then have three separate trunk lines with which she could swarm the frontiers of Persia, Afghanistan, and China with three armies in three weeks. The time is sufficient, and she has both the men and means. Travelling by rail is far cheaper in Russia than in most European countries. Long-distance travelling is also more comfortable, excepting where the Government lease the right to run sleeping-cars to a foreign company, when the usual cramping of passengers is met with. On many of the trains there are dining-cars. Where there are no dining-cars the trains stop long enough at all principal stations for meals, where the food and the waiting are as good as, if not better than, at most places in England or the Continent. There is in these buffets a Government tariff for everything. In all the large towns on railway routes there are good hotels where the cuisine is equal to that of first-class hotels all over the Continent, and where English is frequently spoken. The steamers on the rivers are three-deckers of the American type. They have good accommodation for all classes of passengers, and maintain a fair speed, being used in the absence of railways for the carrying of mails. A gigantic scheme is on foot for the construction of a canal between two of their largest rivers, by which through water communication will be established between the Black Sea and the Baltic. Road communication, except in isolated instances, is very primitive. There are practically no made roads in Russia. The only roads in the south are: one in the Southern Crimea for 250 miles, the military road over the Caucasus for 150 miles, and the postroad from Tiflis to Erivan, about 200 miles. The road in the Southern Crimea runs along the hilly sea-coast through charming vine-slopes, with scenery as magnificent as that of Southern France, and rightly called the Russian Riviera. Yalta, the principal town on the coast, is a glorious bathing-place. It is the favorite summer resort of the nobility, being within easy driving distance of Livadia, where the late Emperor died. It is known as the Brighton of Southern Russia. The military road over the Caucasus rises to a height of 8000 feet, the last 3000 feet of which is ascended within the twenty miles, and yet the gradient is so well adjusted that it is possible for a cyclist to ride the entire distance. The Erivan road has fallen into decay for seventy miles since the railway was opened between Tiflis and Akstafa, the present terminus of the railway which will eventually pass through Erivan. An enterprising Armenian has started a motor-car for carrying passengers and mails between Akstafa and Diligan, a small military station on the Erivan road. The distance is forty miles between the two towns, and the car covers it in three and five hours respectively. The ordinary method of travelling on these roads is by tarantass, a heavy vehicle drawn by four horses running abreast. With the exception of these three roads mentioned, communication between towns is over wellworn tracks across the steppes. sionally some half dozen of these tracks converge at a point where no solitary tree, house, or hillock rises above the monotonous plains. There are no signposts at meetings of the ways, and it is pure chance if one takes the right track. The post-houses in the villages on these tracks have not the comforts or the cleanliness of inns at home, but one can rely on generally getting wine or beer, eggs and chickens, Russian tea and excellent home-made bread. Occa The amusements of Russians are simple, few, and unrefined. The national dances are perhaps as pretty and quaint as any in Europe, but they are being forgotten. Heavy eating, heavier drinking, and endless smoking of cigarettes, with countless glasses of tea, occupy their spare time. The low-class music-hall is becoming popular in large towns. There are in Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, and Warsaw, and so forth, theatres and opera-houses where during the season one can always see the best plays and hear the best music. Fabulous prices are paid to attract celebrated actors and musicians from abroad and the charges are high in consequence. Russia herself can boast of some of the greatest leaders of the present day in literature, music, and the fine arts. The number of English travellers who visit Russia is increasing, and is certainly not less than 500 per annum. The number is small, but few of these leave Russia without having their eyes opened. When they meet him they are surprised to find the Russian educated and a gentleman, and are pleased to have made his acquaintance. The friendly intercourse of individuals of the two nations is a small matter. What we have to remember is that Russia and England are gradually coming closer and closer together in Asia, and ultimately may be face to face along the entire continent. Ought Great Britain to delay the final meeting as long as she can procrastinate? Ought she to allow Russia to oust her from paramount influence at Teheran, Pekin, and Cabul? Ought she to allow Russia to close the old trade routes into Northern Persia, to the detriment of British trade? If she does not approve of Russia's actions, why does she permit these menaces to our empire in the East? If she approves them, surely the sooner we hand over the Government of India to Russia the better. The Siberian Railway, when finished, will not only compete with our carrying trade in the Far East, but it will bring Russian manufacturers into keen competition with British goods in the interior of China. At Schemes have been mooted for connecting the Indian Empire with the Mediterranean seaboard by a hailway to run along the coasts of Beloochistan and Persia, across the Euphrates valley to the north of Arabia and Suez. the present time our influence would be strong enough to overcome all obstacles to a purely British line. It is said that the railway would never pay. Surely it would pay us to have the most rapid possible communication with our Indian Empire, and through it to China. But cold water has been thrown on the scheme. Perhaps on the completion of the Siberian line we shall realize the incalculable advantages of such a line. But who knows that by that time Russia may not have the influence in the south which we now regret having given her in Northern Persia? The interests of every Englishman are bound up with the future welfare of our immense and scattered Empire, and it behooves every one with a love of his country to solve for himself its problems, of which the increasing power of Russia is one of the greatest.-Gentleman's Magazine. A TROLL IN NORWAY. BY P. A. WRIGHT HENDERSON. Or the problems which engage human thought those are not the most important which receive the most attention. The Chief End of Man, the Goal of Evolution, the Future of Democracy, do not press on the average mind with the weight and frequency of the ever-recurring problem, "How and where am I to spend my holiday?" To all who work, from the artisan wishing to make the most of his Bank holiday to the Cabinet Minister weary of China, Russia, Ireland, and the Irish members, a well-spent playtime is of vital importance. Happy is Mr. Balfour in the golf, which he ought to teach his colleagues as he has taught Mr. Asquith, who is the more likely to "lay him a stimie" in the House of Commons after a well-spent month at North Berwick or St. Andrews. In the present furore for athletics, and the no less unreasonable hostility to the culture of the body which that furore has evoked in many quarters, the true purpose and value of "sport -to use the most comprehensive name for outdoor play-has to some degree dropped out of view. Plato, who had more common sense than is expected of an idealist, long ago pointed out that the moral and intellectual powers were braced and heightened by a reasonable yuμνаστiиn, and it was perhaps his asceticism only that prevented him from dwelling on the additional good of innocent pleasure in itself. But a writer in "Maga" need not state a case for sport. What form of sport has not been described brightly and fondly in "Maga's" pages-save perhaps cricket, the pastime of the despicable Southron? permitted to throw a line, were the only days in his year which he counted as rationally employed. The angler sees the beauties of a country as no one else except a painter does. The angler-but enough; he, like other sportsmen, becomes arrogant and wearisome at times. The writer has spent a month in Norway, an account of which may be of interest to some anglers, whose education in fly-fishing has been neglected, or who may be, as he was, debarred by rheumatism, or perhaps by age and prudence, from attempting to scramble over rocks and stand for hours more than kneedeep in a cold and rapid stream, encumbered with landing-net and basket. This every one must do who would fish a Norway river as it ought to be fished, and not content himself with casting from the bank, suffering torments worse than those of Tantalus, who never knew what it is to see fish rising out of reach. Trolling is a form of angling derided. and despised by the ignorant, and that in proportion to their ignorance: it is thought to be no better nor nobler than punt-fishing on the Thames for gudgeon, in a "swim" baited the night before. The writer has met fly-fishersexcellent men in other relations of life The contemplative man's recreation. will hold its own with any other form of amusement. In variety it has no equal: a punt on the Thames; an Eng--who spoke of trolling offensively and lish chalk-stream; a Highland loch; a salmon-river in Canada or Norway, furnish pleasures different in form, but the same in essence: pleasures which can be enjoyed by the most inactive of elderly gentlemen or by the hardiest athlete; by the schoolboy who has saved enough pocket-money to buy a rod and line, or by the millionaire who rents a salmonriver. Angling seems to attract especially the literary man and the philosopher: it must be favorable to thought and composition. For if Paley neglected natural theology, and suspended his labors on the argument for Design, when the may-fly was on the water. Froude has written delightfully about fishing in Norway and on the Spey. Matthew Arnold used to say, with more sincerity than he said many other things, that the three days he spent on a famous water, in which few fishermen were ever illogically: illogically, for they argued that because fly-fishing is good, and trolling is not fly-fishing, therefore trolling is not good-an Illicit Process of the Major Term; offensively, because of ignorant effrontery and an assumption of superiority in themselves and their art, which, even if justified by facts, would have been unbecoming. They were not aware that fishing for salmon on Loch Tay, no mean sport, takes the form of trolling, and that many reaches of the Tay are fished by trolling-fly. Trolling is, in fact, the way to get large heavy fish, even monsters, who will not rise to fly. It is the ever-present possibility of a big fish, such as the fly-fisher can hardly hope for, which sustains the troller and strengthens him to sit for weary hours long after the most persevering fly-fisher has gone home; for the troller is on a higher |