ADMIRAL MAKAROFF.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 150, 25 June 1904, Page 14

ADMIRAL MAKAROFF.

■-» Makaroff, the Russian admiral, drowned along with 600 of the crew of tho Petropavlovsk off Port Arthur, was, (says tho Daily News) nicknamed "Tho Englishman" by the Emperor Alcxandor 11., owing to his intenso activity and devotion to outdoor Kports. Even when long pa.st middlo ago ho allotted two hours a day to physical exercises. 110 rode before breakfast every morning, but his favourite ovsrciFo waa swimming, and it is ono of tho ironies of fate that such a man, so much at homo on the water, should die from drowning. Not only was Makaroff a first-rate swimmer, but ho attempted to coerce his subordinates into equal proficiency. In 1900 he gavo a silver cup to be competed for by tho tailors at Kronsladt, and, timing tho race, was much disgusted to jind that the winner had taken longer to cover half a vorst than ho had often ilono it in himself. Every morning ho was rowed in a boat from the Government quay for the purpose of bathing, aud "Old Blue Beard," with a towel across his arm, «m seen walking to tho quay within n week of tho itrCiiking up of tho ice.

ARC TIC ICK TUNNEL. In "Four Years in tho Aiclic Region;'," Otto iSverdrup (Longniaiw) described his ixplotttthm of Iho Arctic Sea to the west of Grov.til.uid in tho Fiani, th<- vessel he jii-ovinusly commanded when Xan-tca attained bis "furthest noith." Among tho descriptive iias.vg<v> in tha book i» one depicting j>n ic<> tunnel : "1 ."hall not forgot the moment when we entered the tunnel, lhavo I did not feel — I openly oonfv.s.x it; in fact, I was afraid lathr-r than otherwise. And yet it w.is not fear that had most hold* of me, but lMtlier an unej.iy fre-ling of a wo. '•If<-re were lofty v.uilts and spaciousness bilvA-ou tlio, walls. From tho -roof hung threateningly above our hwnls gi(j.intie blucLs of no, e-ci'ini'd and cleft and f;lil(ciii)L' sinLsterly; and all around wore icicles liKis aloel-bripht Mpcars, and Unices piercing downwards on u.*-\ "Alonp the walk* wu*e fpotto after grotto, v.iu.t after vault, with pillars and <\ipit.;ils iv rcw>, like giants in rank; «nd over (ho \\ lmlc Mionc ;i ghost-like bliii.vhv/liite light, which became deeper and gloomier i\a we went on. Jl waa like lniryl.ind, beautiful aud fear-inspiring at the Aiiiiie time; it was like driving Ktiniftht into Roria Moria, Castle, 'the c-H.stle 'cn*t of tlip nun and wefot of the J moon,' the most glorious of them all. "I dm c<l not ><}>eak. It .seemed to me that in doing bo 1 should be committing a deed of desecration ; I felt like one who has impiously broken into something sacrod which Nature had wished to keep cloSetl to every mortal eye. I felt mean and contemptible as I drove through all this purity. The nlodgeA jolted from block to block, awakening thundering echoes in their pawsuge; it seemed as if all the spirits of tho ice had been aroused and culled to arm*) against tho 'intruders on their church-lilce peace. "I breathed more freely when I saw a glimpse of daylight in the distance, and so probably did Fashe-im. We looked ;it ono another. It is very wondviful, now and again, to come right under tho mighty hand of Nature."