9 FEBRUARY 1895, Page 26

The new number—a very excellent number it is—of the United

Service Magazine, contains quite a number of seasonable papers, such as Captain Pasfield Oliver's "The Expedition to Mada- gascar," Colonel Maurice's "The War between China and Japan," and Mr. Wilson's "The Actual Sea-power of England To-day." Mr. Oliver's Madagascar paper is especially interesting for the graphic illustrations—they can scarcely be termed maps—which it con- tains. Mr. Wilson makes one significant statement, and asks one significant question. He says, "The question of trained reserves for the Fleet must be faced at once, and, costly though it may be, we must never rest satisfied till we are on a footing of equality in this point with Russia and France combined," and asks, "Though we are probably stronger at sea than we have been for a generation, must we overlook the fact that we are barely able to shut in the French forces, should -we have to encounter France alone, much less the French and the Russians ? "