The contest for America's Cup, the emblem of the yachting championship of the world, has attracted a great deal of attention during the past few weeks. This is the thirteenth time that this famous cup has been the subject of friendly rivalry between this country and challengers from England, Scotland, Ireland and Canada, and the races this year are of unusual interest, because each boat is considered the best ever built in the country where it was constructed.

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A brief account of former contests may be of interest to our readers. In 1851 the cup was first won by the schooner yacht America, in a race with yachts of all nations around the Isle of Wight, and soon after the cup was given to the New York Yacht Club to be a "perpetual challenge cup." The first challenge came in 1870 from James Asbury, of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, and his boat was the Cambria. The Magic, owned by Mr. Osgood, won this race against the challenger. 1871 Mr. Asbury returned with the Livonia. The Columbia, also owned by Mr. Osgood, was chosen as the defender, but after winning two races and losing one, this boat was disabled, and the Sappho completed the victory. The Royal Halifax Yacht Club challenged and was defeated. In 1881 the Atlanta, of Canada, was the challenging boat, and raced with the Mischief, the American boat being again victorious. Up to this time the contesting boats had been schooners, but since 1881 single-masted yachts have been used.

In 1885, the contest became more

spirited, and the Puritan was built to defend the cup against Sir Richard Sutton's Genesta. The Puritan won one race, and then fouled the Genesta, and Sir Richard was asked to sail over the course alone; this he refused to do, and in the contests that followed he was defeated. The Mayflower won three races against the Galatea, of Scotland, in 1886, and the Volunteer defeated the Thistle in 1887. In 1893, Lord Dunraven's Valkyrie II was defeated by the Vigilant, and in 1895 Dunraven, with his Valkyrie III failed to win the race against the Defender.

In 1899 Sir Thomas Lipton came with his Shamrock I, a boat designed by Fife, and the Columbia, a boat designed by Herreshoff, won the race. Again, in 1901, Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock II was defeated by the same boat.

This year the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, of Belfast, is the challening club, and Sir Thomas's beautiful Shamrock III was selected as the representative. The defending boat is the Reliance, of the New York Yacht Club, and C. Oliver Iselin is its managing owner. The Reliance was designed by Nat. G. Herreshoff, who had already designed three former successful defenders-the Vigilant, the Defender and Columbia. She is built of Tobin bronze, with a top streak of steel, and is the largest singlemasted boat ever constructed. The Shamrock III is not as large as the Reliance, but has an immense area of canvas. She was designed by Mr. Fife, and is built of nickel steel. Capt. Charles Barr is the skipper on the Reliance; he is a Scotchman, who came to America

many years ago. The skipper of Shamrock III is Capt. Robert Wringe, of Brightlingsea, England, so, as far as the captains are concerned, it is a contest. between Englishman and Scotchman.

During the few days immediately preceding the races, New York was almost "yacht crazy." The two boats were in dry dock at the Erie Basin, and thousands of people visited them daily to admire and wonder at their beauty and marvelous construction. Men were at work on each, polishing the hulls, and the reflection of the inside of the dock was plainly seen on the sides of the yachts. Every piece of rigging was carefully tested, and neither pains nor money was spared in fitting them for their contest.

The money Sir Thomas Lipton has spent on his three boats Shamrock I, II and III is over $2,000,000, and shows the interest he takes and his great desire to gain the coveted treasure. The cost of Shamrock III was about $200,000, but with extra sails, rigging and the many other expenses connected with the contest, the entire cost is estimated at about $650,000. Sir Thomas is so genial a man, and has become so popular during his stay here that he has won the good will of his opponents, and many Americans almost wish him success in this his third attempt to gain America's Cup. But the results of the races already held make his defeat almost certain, but, if he must go back disappointed, we can assure him that he has won the friendship of America if not the coveted America's Cup.

BRITISH ARMY'S FAILURES. LONDON, Aug. 29, 1903.-The evidence given before the Royal Commission on the South African war was issued yesterday in the form of three bluebooks containing over 1,700 pages.

Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener, Lord Wolseley and other generals gave various reasons for the failures of the war. Lora Roberts gave specially lengthy opinions regarding the most important lessons to be learned from the war. He considered the initial error of strategy was practically irretrievable. He criticized the War Office with regard to the general preparations and equipment, the first plan of campaign, the underestimating of the strength of the enemy, ignorance as to the geography and extent of the country, and the lack of artillery and mounted infantry.

Sir Redvers Buller said he was hampered by the refusal of the War Office to accept his plans and the failure on the part of the War Office to give him definite instructions and information.

Lord Kitchener said the officers in many cases were not qualified for their work, and expressed the opinion that the juniors were better than the seniors. He praised the men, but said the chief difficulty was the lack of training of the reservists and volunteers.

Lord Wolseley, in a memorandum, complains that the Commander-in-Chief has become the fifth wheel to the coach, and that the Secretary of State for War is the actual Commander-in-Chief.

Replying this criticism, Lord Lansdowne (War Secretary during the early part of the South African war) and Mr. Brodrick (present War Secretary and Lord Lansdowne's successor) suggest that Lord Wolseley was ignorant of many of the powers of a Commander-inChief or failed to use them.

The whole publication teems with evidences of mistakes and failures at home and in the field, resulting in the report of the Royal Commission embodying its recommendations, which were cabled August 25th.

and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Since that time he has been steadily and successfully engaged in the practice of his profession, excepting for the periods spent in the public service. Mr. McClelland early developed a taste for politics and for public life. He made his home in Westchester County, and became one of the leaders of the Democratic party there. In the fall of 1884 he was elected to the State Assembly from the First District of Westchester County, for the year 1885. He quickly made his forceful presence felt in that body at Albany, and served his constituents so well that he was reelected the next fall for the year 1886. At the end of that session he retired from the Assembly for a time, but remained in the public service, as a manager of the Hudson River Hospital for the Insane, which place he filled from 1886 to 1896, and also as Special Deputy Collector for the Port of New York, from December, 1886, to April, 1890. He was recalled to the legislative service of the State in the fall of 1890, when he was elected to the State Assembly again from the same district as before, and served during the session of 1891. During that session he was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and leader of the majority party on the floor of the Assembly. In the fall of 1891 he was elected to the State Senate, for the years 1892-93, from the district. composed of Westchester and Rockland counties. In the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Insurance, and in that capacity framed the existing codification of insurance laws of the State of New York. In 1902 he was again elected to represent Westchester County in the State Senate, and is

consequently a member of the present Senate. In addition to these State and national services, Mr. McClelland has been active in local affairs. His home for thirty-two years has been in the beautiful suburban village of Dobbs Ferry, on the Hudson River. For two years he was president of that village. Since 1890 he has been continuously a member of the Dobbs Ferry Board of Education, and since 1897 he has been president of that Board. He is also counsel to the Dobbs Ferry Bank, and to the Greenburgh Savings Bank at Dobbs Ferry. He is a prominent member of the Dobbs Ferry Athletic Club, and in other respects is among the foremost citizens of that village, where he has an attractive home on Clinton aveHis office is at 32 Nassau street, New York City, and there, of course, the bulk of his professional work is done. He is a member of the Democratic Club of New York, of the Burns Society and of the St. Andrew's Society of the State of New York, of which latter representative Scottish organization he has been a member of the Board of Managers for the last six years. A few days ago

nue.

President Roosevelt tendered to Mr. McClelland an appointment on the Board of United States General Appraisers, with life tenure, and he has accepted. This will necessitate Mr. McClelland's resignation as a Senator. Mr. McClelland was married at Natick, Mass., on September 6, 1879, to Meta Janet Babcock, and has four childrenGeorge William, Myra Belle, Clarence Paul and Meta Josephine McClelland.

JAMES COLIN MACEACHEN.

James Colin MacEachen, LL.B., a descendant of Scottish Highlanders, and a son of John and Christine (Gillis) MacEachen, was born at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, on November 17, 1863, and was educated at St.