supply of eels to London town, and no vessels are allowed to moor or bring up inside them on the north side. Greatly to the credit of these good Hollanders, no case is known of any of them being up for misconduct during the many years the schuyts have been coming, for four centuries indeed. These craft are most typical, with a bent flag-staff rising from the back of the rudder; pole-mast with the conventional Dutch whiff; curved gaff, the bluff bows half hidden by fenders, eel baskets, and technical paraphernalia; and, most characteristic of all, on each side the sweerds, or lee boards of the old form, the same as in the days of Vandevelde.

Next akin to these schuyts, which come from Zealand in the north part of the Zyder Zee, are the Scheveningen herring boats, called "pinks." Their dimensions, like the laws of the Medes and Persians, alter not. Length 40 ft., beam 20 ft., depth 12 ft. Some years ago, when the builder at Scheveningen was asked if he always built to those dimensions, he said, "Yes, always. Would you believe, sir, that a man came to me wanting me to build him a pink 40 ft. by 19 ft. ?" "19 ft! No, sir, you are foppish, you must go,” answered the builder, and the new order was declined. From the great interest taken, the builder wanted to know if we thought of running a matscapay to build pinks in London; if so he would like one share, but they must be true, 40 ft. by 20 ft. beam, or he would not invest. The rig of these boats is very simple, leaving them for the most part on an even keel. In very fine weather they carry a narrow topsail, called a "Mars" sail, which does not come lower than the head of the fore stay. The hulls are picturesquely painted with a scroll pattern on the weather boards forward; the head of the "sweerd" or leeboard is ornamented with some geometrical pattern; the heads of the mast yard are painted various colours, the whole topped by a gay vane when they start, and only a very frayed bit of bunting when they return. These craft have no bulwark or gunwale to protect the crew in bad weather, the wash-boards forward being considered sufficient. Being flat on the floor, they come on the sand of the beach, as directed by the flagman, sail set; and once they touch they settle down, with the sea breaking over them in the most unconcerned way, and wait for the ebb tide to leave them high and dry. In the winter they are hauled right up on shore. The herring carts are the same old build as the pinks, with very high backs. Each cart will hold seven thousand herrings, is painted green, and is drawn by three horses abreast. The boats, the carts, and the costume of Scheveningen women form a most picturesque tout ensemble.

HELIGOLAND (Anglice), Helgoland (German) is an island at the entrance of the Eider, which has of late absorbed the attention of yachting men and the yachting world, especially in the month of June.

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On the occasion of her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, 1897, the German Emperor announced that a cup of the value of £500 would be given by his Majesty to be competed for by English yachts over 50 tons, the time allowances to be according to the Royal Yacht Squadron rules; course, Dover to Heligoland, about 300 miles. Perfect arrangements were made to welcome the English visitors, who were to be towed up after the race through the canal to Kiel to join there in the Segelregatten des Kaiserlichen Yacht Clubs at Kiel. The whole thing was a great success, and so satisfactory to his Imperial Majesty that again in 1898 a similar prize was given and more yachts entered, amongst them the new schooner yacht Rainbow," 317 tons. Although the race was only open to cruisers to sail in cruising trim, the Rainbow" was to all intents and purposes a racing schooner, with 12,600 square feet of canvas, a lead keel of about IIO tons, drawing 17 ft. of water. "Caress," being a forty rater, could not be accepted. Charmian," a recent schooner by Fay, was entered 175 tons. Then "Latona," 175 tons, was a likely vessel to get the much coveted prize in a long stretch of sea-way like the present course, one condition being to keep outside all lightships on the German and Dutch coasts. One schooner represented the old order of things, the "Egret,” built in about 1858. One entered, but a non-starter, which should have done well had there been a heavy blow, was the "Goddess," true Brixham trawler type but larger, being 176 tons T.M., or Thames measurement, instead of the usual tonnage, 60. She was originally built for Mr. Schenley, and now is numbered in the fleet of Mr. F. W. L. Popham.

Eight yachts started from the Admiralty Pier at two p.m., all getting away well together, with a four-knot tide under them and a grand breeze behind them, some of the yachts carrying flying square-sails. The last seen of them from Dover Pier was that "Rainbow " had a fine lead and those aboard her were probably feeling rather confident of receiving the