No more important and interesting phase in the development of the wheel has recently occurred than the consideration and partial adoption of the cycle in military affairs. Already this subject has engaged the attention of English and continental war departments. At first the tricycle was adjudged the most promising form of man-motor carriage for the army, but latterly authorities have directed their attention to the more sensible and practical plan of adopting the Rover-type Safety. Some advantages could be named favoring the tricycle, but certainly, with the slight effort needful to master the rear-driver, if the cycle ever attains any prominent place in the military field, it will be in the form of a single-track machine. In all countries where reasonable roads can be expected the cycle must succeed in this warlike department of usefulness; not that we ever expect to hear of the charge of the cycle corps, or of a hand-to-hand sword combat upon the “festive bikes,” though such things are within the pale of possibility; what we do expect to hear of in the next war is the cycle scout and forager and of the cycle corps getting there ahead of the cavalry. With a light bicycle that can be lifted over small obstructions, an expert could go almost anywhere that it would be practicable to take a horse, and when you consider how much easier it would be to conceal your cycle, in case a little excursion on foot were necessary, and how much less danger there would be when no provender or shelter is required for the steed, certainly the idea is feasible. It has been said that a horse can go where a cycle cannot; while this is sometimes true, on the other hand, there are places where the cycle can be taken when the horse would have to be left behind. For instance, a steep rocky cliff might be surmounted by the man and his bicycle, since the latter could be easily drawn over after him; in fact, he could go with his machine over almost any place which it would be possible to clamber himself, while by no means would this apply to the horse; in short, we feel assured that war cycling promises great development in the armies of all civilized nations, and to this end the most solid, powerful, unbreakable, and at the same time light, wheel must be striven for by any maker who would advance the art in this direction, and reap the consequent substantial returns to his exchequer. STEAM, ELECTRICITY, SPRINGS, AND COMPRESSED AIR AS MOTORS.