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Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIII, Issue 7213, 18 May 1898, Page 4

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The late Mr James Payn, novelist, was originally inte'rided for the church—a destiny upon in his autobiography, he has the following remarks :—"Literature, it was thought, 1 it was not a good profession to marry upon, and to judge by the profits ib has yet produced me, it was certainly not. As an initial step to my becoming a divine, was, however, necessary to pass ' the Voluntary '—"a theological examination In my case very inappropriately named—and at the brink of this I, so to speak, shied. I.overheard two friends discussing the matter. I He has no ■" call," observed the more serious of the two. 'He has a " call '" returned the other, ' but it is in the opposite direction. . The observation was an injurious one as regarded the literary profession, but its personal application was so far true that I doubted my fitness for the ministry. It was true I had once preached an extempore sermon, followed by a ' collection,' for two poor persons (one of them the preacher), but that, success had not convinced me of my suitability for the priestly office ; it was not that ' lb was not good enough,' but thab ' I was nob good enough,' and in thab moral conviction I turned my back upon 'the Voluntary,' and the Church of England lost a divine." In the Goliath, lau ached yesterday at Chatham (says the Daily News of March 24th), we have certainly a tremendous engine of war. She is of the Renown class, and she carries a central " citadel," aimoured on both sides and fore and aft, to protect her againso fire from any quarter. The citadel has, moreover, a protective deck of steel. Her heavier ; guns fire shoe of 8501b weight, with a oharge of 1661b of cordite for each gun. Taking all her larger guns together, and includingthe 12 quick-firers, she might deliver in two minutes about 31,0001b of shot, or at the rate of seven tons a minute. - And this leaves out of account the fire from the 15 machine guns. Her speed under natural draught is 18| knots as against 17i of the Majestic under forced draught, Nothing is said as to her coal consumption, a most important point. In this respect the Powerful, with its much-lauded Belleville boilers, seems to have been a bit of a failure. She was designed to ruii22 knots, but it has been shown that if she attempted' to do anything of the sorb she would exhaust her coal bunkers in less than 48 hours. Even at 11 knots she could not keep to sea very long without renewing her supplies.