P r e f a c e n 



The reader who expects to find any such glowing pen-pictures in this book as 

 are to be found in Mr. Porter's description of the great race between Wagner and 

 Grey Eagle, will be disappointed. Nor will he discover in these pages any such crisp 

 and elegant English as characterizes the works of Mr .H. H. Dixon, who wrote over the 

 signature of "The Druid," for two reasons : First, because I am not competent to 

 write in a flowery vein, even if I so desired ; and second s because this is a book that is 

 largely technical in its nature and, therefore, all florid rhetoric should be avoided. It 

 is written for the perusal of plain men ; it deals with plain and stubborn facts ; and for 

 that reason should be couched in the plainest language possible. 



THOS. B. MERRY. 



