A. A. M.

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[Illustration: THE EARTHLY PARADISE.

_Coster_. "SEE THAT, LIZ? THERE'S A COUNTRY FOR YOU!"]

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[Illustration: PEACEFUL PERSUASION.

(JONES IS NOT NATURALLY A GENEROUS MAN.)]

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THE ROMANCE OF A BATTLESHIP.

_(From the Navy League Annual of 1916.)_

I have just returned (writes a Naval correspondent) from an
interesting visit to the condemned battleship, _H.M.S. Indefensible_,
which is now anchored off Brightlingsea, in the charge of retired
petty-officer Herbert Tompkins and his wife.

The history of _H.M.S. Indefensible_, as gathered from the lips of her
present curator, is so romantic as to be worthy of permanent record.
In reply to my first question, "Whom did she belong to first of
all?" Mr. Tompkins said, "Well, she was ordered first of all by the