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MARINE REVIEW. [August 29, FRUIT TRADE--GREAT BRITAIN AND JAMAICA. ELDER, DEMPSTER & CO. HAVE SUCCEEDED IN BUILDING UP AN ADMIRABLE TRADE WITH THE ISLANDS. It will probably not be questioned by anyone--at least not by anyone in Great Britain--that the trade with Jamaica has been developed through the enterprise of Elder, Dempster & Co. This company inaugurated a mail service between Great Britain and its West Indian colony at a time when almost everyone was of the opinion that such a service could only be carried on at a loss, there being seemingly very little outward cargo and of homeward cargo none at all. No sooner had the mail service been established than the guiding spirit of the company, Mr. A. L. Jones, set about to create trade with Jamaica. That he has succeeded is evidenced by the splendid line of steamships which now ply between Kingston and Avonmouth. Among the things which the company did was to offer a prize of a considerable sum of money for an essay upon the development of trade with Jamaica. Two of a great number which were submitted were selected and have been beautifully bound and distributed by the company. These essays show the hard practical sense of the writers. tween Kingston and Bristol. The smaller boats have accommodations for 20,000 bunches of bananas, and although the Port Morant holds the record for the passage between Bristol and Kingston of 11 days 12 hours steam- ing, their passenger accommodation is limited to forty first and sixteen second-class. The products of Jamaica are bananas, pineapples, tobacco, coffee. sugar and spices, which require but little care for their cultivation. The soil yields so generously that the natives, before the advent of the English, made no effort at cultivation whatever but lived upon what nature volun- tarily contributed. The steamship company has secured the control of the hotel which the government built upon the island ten years ago and has every facility for caring for the tourist. The cost of living upon the island is exceedingly moderate. The steamship service is only a few months old but there are already sufficient indications that the develop- ment of Jamaica during the next few years will be swift. ACTIVITY IN PHILADELPHIA SHIP YARDS. Philadelphia, Aug. 28.--Towards the end of next week the Russian battleship RKetvizan will leave Cramps' ship yard on her first official trial trip. The date was originally set for Sept. 11, but it is thought by the officials in charge that the Czar's big fighter will be ready at least a week THE STEAMSHIP PORT ROYAL IN THE BRITISH-JAMAICA SERVICE. Built by Messrs. Sir Raylton Dixon & Co., Ltd., Middlesboro-on-Tees. They are not literary productions but a careful discussion of trade condi- tions. The one thing which Jamaica has to offer to the world in an unending profusion when properly cultivated is the banana. Mr. Jones had stimulated the cultivation of the banana in the Canary islands and had introduced it to the British palate, which took most kindly to this admirable fruit. The Jamaica banana is no less a success. The distance from Avonmouth to Kingston is about 4,000 miles and the voyage is accomplished in twelve or thirteen days. The Review pub- lishes in connection with this article pictures of two of the steamers employed in this service--the Port Antonio and Port Royal. These ves- sels were built by Messrs. Sir Raylton Dixon & Co., Ltd., Middlesboro- on-Tees, and engined by Messrs. Richardson, Westgarth & Co., West Hartlepool, and are 382 ft. in length, 46.6 ft. in width and 32.7 ft. in depth. The upper and lower 'tween decks are insulated for the carriage of bananas and the temperature in these holds is kept down by means of Messrs. J. & E. Hall's cold air system. The air, driven over cold pipes, is forced by fans through trunkways which run fore and aft in these decks, and which are supplied with shutters which deflect a certain amount of the air into different portions of the deck, thus enabling the carriage of 25,000 bunches of bananas in good condition. The capacity for general cargo is about 1,500 tons and in addition to this the steamers are fitted with splendid accommodation for 100 first-class and sixty second-class passengers. Everything possible has been done to insure the comfort of those traveling on these steamers. The saloon itself is beautifully paneled in marble and presents a delightfully cool appearance. The hull of the Port Royal is painted white, which gives an added effect of coolness, These two steamers, together with the steamers Port Morant and Port Maria, vessels of a much smaller type, keep up a fortnightly service be- before that time. Gen. A. Brynk, first assistant to the chief or ordnance of the Imperial Russian navy, is expected in Philadelphia today. He has been appointed by the minister of marine to supervise the firing tests which will be an important feature of the coming trials at sea. It is understood, in fact, that the object of this first run is merely in the nature of a test of the structure of the ship, although the builders will doubtless assure themselves that she has the ability to meet the stringent contract requirement of 18 knots an hour during twelve consecutive hours' steam- ing. : The thoroughness of the tests required by the Russian government in connection with a new ship for their navy is well illustrated by the nature of these that are to be made of the structure of the Retvizan. Almost daily for months past the board of Russian officers supervising the construction of the ship has been conducting experiments of one kind or the other to satisfy themselves of the quality of work which has been done on the Retvizan. Especially searching tests have been made of the various compartments, but the big ship has naturally been put through no such trial as she will receive in a very few days. Each of the big 12- inch guns will be fired to discover any possible flaws in the structural strength of the hull. In the case of the cruiser Variag, the Russian ex- perts were thoroughly satisfied with the outsome of the test, and express confidence that the Retvizan will meet the requirements as well. The number of rounds of ammunition which will be fired from each gun will depend upon the desire of Gen. Brynk in the matter. Only the 12-in. guns will be fired and no sailors in addition to those already at the yard will be needed. There are here now thirty-eight men and five warrant officers, enough to man the big guns. Early in October, before the official speed trial, which will be run off the Maine coast, eighty-nine