The Graphic: An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper from London, Greater London, England • 7

Notice. With this Number is issued an Extra Double Page Supplement, entitled Fire 111" Black's story finishes this week. Next week we shall issue the first potion Story by Frances Eleanor Trollope, entitled Madame Leroux," illustrated by Percy Macquoid, which will be continued weekly until completion. January ii, iSgo attendants, forming a most imposing spectacle while no prettie-sight can be conceived than a squadron of Spahis native irregular horse manoeuvring on the plain, and exhibiting, on occasion, wonderful feats of horsemanship. Sidi Okba is one out of many oases within easy reach, being only twelve miles distant, and containing within its Mosque the tomb of Sidi Okba, who, having conquered North Africa from Egypt to Tangier, spurred his horse into the Atlantic, and declared that only such a barrier could prevent him from forcing every nation beyond it who knew not God to worship Him only or die." Sir Lambert Playf.iir, from whose work Guide this extract is taken, considers the Mosque the most ancient Mohammedan building in Africa.

From the minaret we obtained a splendid view of the boundless desert, with its dunes of sand, and of the Aures Mountains to the north and, as we were returning to Biskra, had a perfect representation of that desert illusion the mirage. H. Milner White, F.R.G.S. LEAVING HOME BY A PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL COMPANY'S STEAMER See page 53 BiBiaiHiiisi A BRIGADE ENGINE ON ITS WAY TO A FIRE The most useful manner of commenting on Mr. Charlton's drawing will be to cite a few facts from a Supplement which we lublished on JJecemoer 2gtn, loss, on the Metropolitan Fire invade.

This organisation, to which is entrusted the dutv of Bi languishing the fires which take place among a population as large as that of a second-rate European kingdom, possessed, ud to lulv tasi, on laiiu uiuy-iivc mc-cngiuc buhiujis, auu lour on tne river besides twenty-seven hose-cart stations, and a hundred and twenty-seven fire-escape stations. Each fire-engine station contains a certain number of fire-engine, fire-escapes, and firemen, at least one coachman, and one pair of horses, and an officer in charge. All ranks live in the stations or close by. The whole metropolis is divided into four districts, and the chief station of each of these districts is in direct telephonic communication with all the others, and with the head-quarters, where the chief officer, Captain Shaw, resides. When the fire-bell is rung at any station, and it is ascertained (which occupies only a few moments) that it is a real call for a fire, the officer in charge orders the horses to be harnessed and the engine to be turned out.

The engine travels at about the rate of a mile in four minutes. The officer in charge of the first engine, as soon as he arrives at the fire, sends back a message to report the nature of the fire, and to say whether any additional help is wanted. Captain Shaw had for years pointed out the insufficiency of the Brigade in case several extensive fires broke out at the same time in various parts of London. The Board of Works lent a somewhat inattentive ear to his complaints, but when the County Council came into power, they showed themselves far more complaisant. Accordingly, last July three new stations were ordered to be built, and Captain Shaw was empowered to add to his existing staff and appliances 113 more men, 50 new fire escapes, 25 new hose-carts, and 203 new fire-alarm points.

The Captain hopes, too, that before long hydraulic power will be established for fire-quenching purposes. If this power were distributed all over London, fire engines might be dispensed with, as a jet of water, impelled by hydraulic agency, would rise without further aid to the height of the highest building. THE GRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE QUEEN'S GIFTS Her Majesty's New Year's -e prgented oJanuary to the poor of Windsor, Holy Tnnrty, an R.d;ng tion of the beef took place ir the morn tng windsor Domestic Windsor Castle, in the presence of Chaplain to Her Majesty, Mrs Canon Gee, Vicar of Lawley, Clerk of the Queen the Rev. Arthur Robins and Mr ms tendent of the Royal Mews. T.he dividedlmong them, numbered 878, and the total weight of bee in portions of from 3lb.

to 7 nc. t0 3 cwt, weighed which were given in quantit.es of from I cwt. i nearly 67 tons, and were de vere at ho holders. The value of the Royal ounly, of the Royal Queen also contributes 100. annually to tne Clothing Club at Windsor.

SKATING IN THE ENGADINE DAY after day at this time fyXSLfslerlat? which theEngadine. take SdPn. Here lZt vernith strong ice, or of them, on another part of the lake, patiently stand st.ll at the request of the ubiquitous photographer. The crreatest interest was aroused at bt. Montz Dy tne pre sence ofhe two Dutch skaters, Pander and Kingma who were trTinins for the International Skating Contest, wh.ch took place at Amfterfam on the 3rd, 4, and cth in.

adopted by speed skaters is seen to advantage our illustrations of Pander and Kingma at engravings are from photographs sent us by Mrs. Elizabeth Main, Engadmer Kulm, St. Moritz. THE TUDOR EXHIBITION See page 40 "THE NEW PRINCE FORTUNATUS Mr. Black's new story, illustrated by William Small, is concluded this week.

GREEK WOMEN IN AN ATHENS FACTORY The women represented in Mr. Melton Fisher's drawing are engaged in making silk and gold thread veils. The factory in which they work is under the direct patronage of the Queen of Greece, and is managed by a committee of ladies. Poor children are also instructed there, until they have gained sufficient experience to earn their own living. The institution was originally founded as a charity, but now, with the help of legacies left to it by patriotic Greeks, and the profits derived from the sale of the manufactured fabrics, it pays its own way.

The work produced is extremely beautiful, and is all wrought by hand. PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR AT A WILD ELEPHANT HUNT IN MYSORE From Seringapatam Prince Albert Victor went by special tiain to Mysore, where he was received at the station in great State by the Maharajah. On November 24th the Maharajah drove the Prince in his drag to the elephant camp, a distance of fifty miles. They then proceeded to the immediate scene of operations, and there saw a drove of thirty-seven elephants successfully captured and stockaded. This feat is accomplished by means of a keddah," an elaborate contrivance for impounding these animals.

The keddah is usually situated in dense cover in the track ordinarily taken by the elephant-herd, and in a locality affording facilities for capture in the shape of natural obstacles. Three enclosures are then made, opening one into another, and each surrounded by a wide, deep ditch. Elephants will not cross such an obstacle as this, and by strengthening the weak points water-courses, for example with a palisading of strong posts, a herd once impounded within such an enclosure finds it difficult to get out again. Next day the Prince was present while the elephants were being tied up, and ran some risk of an attack from an infuriated female elephant, which, however, was frightened off by the officer in charge. Our engravings are from photographs by Mr.

C. G. Brown, of Bangalore, who secured these views during the operations above described. SKETCHES IN THE LAW COURTS. VII.

See page 50 BISKRA, ALGERIA Biskra, a large oasis on the Sahara Desert, may now be reached by an energetic traveller in three days from England. French enterprise is conspicuous throughout Algeria, but especially in the matter of railway progress, and new lines of rail are being rapidly laid all oyer the colony. Tunis, too, is now connected by a' continuous line of rail with Algiers, while the western line has long since reached Oran, and will shortly be extended to Tlemcen The climate of Biskra is very delightful for six months' in the year, and even in the middle of May the heat is by no means he iS ear' the desert air dfy and invigorating-though the sand finds its way in everywhere-the sunsets are magnificent, and the moonlit nights have a splendour beyond description. Then there is the novelty and interest attaching to the manners customs, and dress of the inhabitants and ofth Bedouin Arabs, and the beautiful view over the burning desert with heAures Mountains to the north, with here and there an oLlt -eXCUrsionS sufficie' visit of some In the French quarter there are at least two good hotels There are oyer 100,000 date-palms at Biskra, but there are Un many other varieties, and in the beautiful gardens of JYt Landon Thf iPlantS flUrish in S1 lriancf The children are half-naked, but a o7 fa a. sight not to be forgotten; the men as a rule coment tnlmf l' burnous-often of XS tents are filled with a strange cXtio W', chickens, and children, wit perhaps cZeLflT' Soats-and only part, of the live-stock tW' formmS Part.

iosTtheo There are many excursions to be maderorn BiW can be more interesting or enjoyable than 1 riH aund nothing some distant oasis, meeting on the wav nmK the desert with camels a hundred or more aW hany CaraVans' ana Wlth their numerous BURNING OF THE CASTLE OF LAEKEN On New Year's Day the King and Queen of the Belgians were hold-ine a reception in the Palace at Brussels, and there was no one at the Chateau Laeken except the Princess Clementine her governess, Madame Drancourt, a lady sixty-three years of age and a lew servants. Early in the afternoon, the chimney of one of the under-eround rooms, where some water was being boiled, took fire, the flames spread rapidly, the Princess was saved with some difficulty, but her governess, returning to secure some valuables, fainted, and her calcined remains were afterwards discovered. In spite of the efforts of a number of fire-engines from Brussels, the conflagration continued to rage, until the Castle had the appearance of a huge furnace, and the flames were not finally extinguished for several days. Ihe library, nearly all the valuable pictures, and the Gobelins tapestries were destroyed, and the Queen was especially grieved at losing the souvenirs, which she had carefully preserved, of her children. I he correspondence of Leopold I.

also perished. The pleasant suburb of Laeken lies to the north of Brussels, at the end of the AUee Verte. The Royal Castle which has just been burnt was erected from a design by the Archduke Albert of baxe-Teschen, when Austrian Stadtholder of the Netherlands in 1782-4-From 1802 to 1814 it was in the possession of Napoleon who dated here his Declaration of War against Russia in 1812. In 1815 the Castle became the property of the Crown. Leopold I.

died here in 1865. THE FOREST GATE FIRE SCENES AT THE INQUEST We gave last week a brief account of this terrible calamity, and such full descriptions have since appeared that it will be only necessary here to recapitulate a few of the leading facts. About midnight, just as the Old Year had given place to the New, one of the wings of the Forest Gate District School, which accommodates some 700 children, and is maintained by the Poor-Law Guardians of the Whitechapel and Poplar Unions, was discovered to be on fire. As soon as the alarm was given, the officials set to work with great zeal and courage to rescue the children, and in the main they were successful but twenty-six boys were suffocated by the dense volumes of smoke before help could reach them. As the inquest is still proceeding at the time we go to press, we will not speak dogmatically concerning the cause of the fire but it seems clear that an over-heatedstove-pipewas the origin of the mischief.

The tragedy is rendered more affecting by the fact that the children, who in such institutions unavoidably lead very monotonous lives, had on the 31st been taken to see the pantomime at the Stratford Theatre, and were looking forward to New Year's Day as an occasion of great festivity. Our sketch represents the scene at the inquest, which was opened on January 2nd by Mr. C. C. Lewis, Coroner for South Essex, in one of the girls' school-rooms at the institution.

Among the persons present, besides the officials connected with the schools, were twenty or thirty relatives of the deceased children. The principal witness examined on the first day was Mr. Charles Duncan, the superintendent of the Institution. He endeavoured to put out the flames with a Fire Queen (a chemical extinguisher), and partially succeeded. Indeed, to his courage and promptitude the preservation of the other parts of the building is due but he was eventually driven back and almost suffocated by the dense smoke.

STATUE OF THE QUEEN AT OUDIPUR, INDIA One of the pleasantest features which must strike Prince Albert Victor during his visit to India is the genuine reverence and affection with which Her Majesty the Queen-Empress is everywhere regarded. Evidence of this is to be found in the number of statues of Her Majesty which have been setup throughout the Peninsula. The one represented in our engraving has been erected at Oudipur by His Highness the Maharana, and is to be unveiled by Prince Albert Victor during his visit to that State. The commission was entrusted to Mr. C.

B. Birch, A.R.A., who, as will be seen, has been most successful in carrying out the work. The statue, which is ft. in height, is executed in Carrara marble, and represents Her Majesty in regal attire, holding the sceptre and orb. The pedestal on which it is to be placed is 10 ft.

high, of appropriate design, and native material and workmanship, executed from drawings and models supplied by the sculptor. The frieze under the cornice contains a floral combination of the lotus, rose, thistle, and shamrock the base mouldings are enriched with oak and laurel-leaves and the sur-base contains a laurel wreath, intercrossed with branches of laurel and bay. The front of the pedestal is adorned with a raised bronze panel, on which is the following inscription This Statue, Queen Victoria, Empressof India, has been erected by Maharana Futteh Singh, G.C.S.I., in commemoration of the Jubilee year of Her Majesty's reign, and as a mark of His Highness's loyalty and devotion June, 1887." THE ARRIVAL OF LORD HOPETOUN AT MELBOURNE When Sir Henry Loch was transferred to the Cape, the Governorship of Victoria was conferred upon the Earl of Hopetoun. His lordship was born in i860, and is therefore full young for such an important post but he is energetic, and takes much interest in colonial affairs. Accordingly the appointment was received with great favour in the colony.

An enthusiastic reception awaited the new Governor when, on November 28th, he, with Lady Hopetoun and their little son and heir, Lord Hope, arrived in the Bay on board the P. and O. steamer Britannia. The arrival took place at at early hour but so much time was taken up in presenting the Ministers and other officials who first went on board, that it was long after the appointed time before the colonists could catch a glimpse of their new Governor. In spite of this weary waiting, however, they received his Excellency with the greatest heartiness, and thus his tenure of office began under the happiest circumstances.

Our engraving is from a sketch sent us by Mr. A. Esam, of Mr. Parnell AND Mrs. O'Shea have been served with citations in the divorce-suit instituted by Captain O'Shea.

The case, it is stated, will be entered for trial at the Easter Sittings, about the end of this month, and in the ordinary course of events should be heard about June next. Sir Charles Russell, it is said, has been retained on behalf of Mr. Parnell. The Death, in his seventy-eighth year, is announced of Mr. Serjeant Robinson, who was for many years a familiar figure in the old Courts at Westminster and Guildhall, at the Surrey Sessions, and on the Home Circuit.

Latterly he practised rarely, devoting much of his time to the interests of the Saddlers' Company, of which he was Master, and to the Royal Free Hospital in the Gray's Inn Road, of which he was a Governor. He was the author of Bench and Bar Reminiscences, by one of the last of an ancient race," to wit, Serjeants-at-Law, which was one of the most popular books of last publishing season, and in the composition of a second series of which he was engaged at the time of his decease. Mr. Serjeant Robinson was a Tory of the old School, but had many friends among men of all political parties. The Death of Mrs.

Bryden a few days since, at Linden Gardens, under circumstances which aroused suspicions of foul play, seems to have been accounted for satisfactorily. The police-surgeon, from a post-mortem examination, came to the conclusion that the deceased was suffocated through her false teeth (which were found in her gullet) accidentally slipping into her mouth when she was taking them out for the night. She was organically diseased, and a slight stoppage of breath was sufficient to cause death. A Working Man employed by a firm of contractors who were erecting beds for the use of the new hands at the Rotherhithe Gas Works, was stopped as he was leaving the gates by two pickets who assaulted him severely. One of them was arresteJ, and has been sentenced by the Greenwich Police Magistrate to a month's hard labour.

An Ingenious Attempt to Defraud a Railway Company has been exposed at the Wandsworth Police Court. A labouring-man purchased three single tickets from Wandsworth to Clapham Junction, and, later in the day, travelled with two companions from Richmond to Clapham Junction, a much longer journey, when they eve up the three tickets, pretending that they had come only from Wandsworth. The prisoner's movements, however, had been watched. The magistrate pronouncing the fraud to be artful an 1 disgraceful, fined the defendant 30., with 20s. costs, or fourteen days imprisonment.

When imposing Fines at the City Summons Court on the owners of unmuzzled dogs, Mr. Alderman Lusk remarked that it was melancholy to see how the muzzling order was fought against and resisted. All sympathy was given to the dog, none and this showed a great want of feeling. If a child was bitten, what compensation could be given Yet, in spite of all the goo i that the muzzling order has done, it was still set at nought by all CISlSSCSt The Annual Christmas Tree Entertainment for the patients of King's College Hopital, Lincoln's Inn Fields, will be new on January 23rd. Any donations or toys for the children tree will be thankfully received by F.

W. Gunn, House.