Part 2 of 2

+-----------------+---------+-----------+---------------+ | | Draught | Maximum | Heaviest Guns | | NAME OF SHIP. | of | Thickness | carried. | | | Water. | of Armor. | | +-----------------+---------+-----------+---------------+ | | Feet. | Inches | | | Bayard | 23 3 | 10 | 4 of 16 tons. | | Duguesclin | 23.3 | 10 | 4 ” 16 ” | | Turenne | 23.3 | 10 | 4 ” 16 ” | | Vauban | 23.3 | 10 | 4 ” 16 ” | | La Galissonière | 23 | 6 | 6 ” 16 ” | | Triomphante | 23 | 6 | 6 ” 16 ” | | Victorieuse | 23 | 6 | 6 ” 16 ” | | Reine Blanche | 21.8 | 6 | 6 ” 8 ” | | Thetis | 21.8 | 6 | 6 ” 8 ” | +-----------------+---------+-----------+---------------+ Of the above ships it may be remarked that the _Thetis_ and _Reine Blanche_ have been nearly twenty years afloat, the _Galissonière_ was launched in 1872, the _Victorieuse_ in 1875, and the _Triomphante_ in 1877. The remainder of the nine, as previously stated, are modern vessels, the _Duguesclin_ being not yet completed. The _Duguesclin_ and her sister ships are of the _Duperré_ type, much reduced in dimensions. There are nine completed coast-guard iron-clads and eight armored gun-boats in the French navy, as follows: TABLE C.—FRENCH IRON-CLAD COAST-GUARD VESSELS. +---------------+-----------+--------+---------+-------------+ | NAME OF SHIP. | Displace- | Speed. | Maximum | Principal | | | ment. | | Armor. | Guns. | +---------------+-----------+--------+---------+-----+-------+ | | Tons. | Knots. | Inches. | No. | Tons. | | Fulminant | 5600 | 13.22 | 13 | 2 | 28 | | Tonnerre | 5700 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 28 | | Tempête | 4523 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 28 | | Vengeur | 4523 | 10.8 | 13 | 2 | 48 | | Bélier | 3600 | 12.3 | 8.5 | 2 | 16 | | Bouledogue | 3800 | 12.25 | 8.5 | 2 | 16 | | Cerbère | 3800 | 11.4 | 8.5 | 2 | 16 | | Taureau | 2700 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 23 | | Tigre | 3500 | 13.5 | 8.5 | 2 | 16 | +---------------+-----------+--------+---------+-----+-------+ TABLE D.—FRENCH IRON-CLAD GUN-BOATS. +-------------------+-----------+--------+---------+-------------+ | NAME OF SHIP. | Displace- | Speed. | Maximum | Principal | | | ment. | | Armor. | Guns. | +-------------------+-----------+--------+---------+-----+-------+ | | Tons. | Knots. | Inches. | No. | Tons. | | { Achéron | 1639 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 28 | | First { Cocyte | 1639 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 28 | | Class.{ Phlegéton | 1639 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 28 | | { Styx | 1639 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 28 | | | | | | | | | { Flamme | 1045 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 16 | | Second{ Fusée | 1045 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 16 | | Class.{ Mitraille | 1045 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 16 | | { Grenade | 1045 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 16 | +-------------------+-----------+--------+---------+-----+-------+ The vessels in the tables C and D are all revolving-turret vessels, with the exception of the _Taureau_ and of the four second-class gun-boats, which fire their guns _en barbette_. They embrace very different types of construction, involving different degrees of sea-worthiness—very low degrees in some of them, I fear. With the exception of the _Tempête_, they are all furnished with twin screws. The _Fulminant_, _Tonnerre_, _Tempête_, and _Vengeur_, in Table C, and the whole of the vessels in Table D (as yet incomplete), are of iron or of steel, or of the two combined; the remainder have hulls principally built of wood. I have chosen for illustration the turret-vessel _Vengeur_, as seen on page 87, which has been engraved from a photograph sent to me by a naval friend in France. We come now to the unarmored ships of France, and as in writing of these I purpose accepting the official classifications adopted in France, which are not identical with those employed in England, it may be well to repeat here a caution which the British Admiralty has given in a memorandum prefixed to a recent “return” of theirs “showing the fleets of England, France, Russia, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Greece.” The caution is to the effect that France includes under the heading of “cruisers” vessels of about similar value to the larger class of English sloops, which are excluded from the English “cruiser” class. But I regret the necessity of observing that the Admiralty officers, while careful to put this explanation well forward, appear to be equally careful to withhold an explanation of much greater moment concerning three French cruisers of large size and of greater importance—withheld in pursuance, apparently, and as I have most reluctantly come to fear, of an uncandid, and indeed of a misleading spirit, which seems to have taken possession of some persons who have to do with the preparation of Admiralty returns to Parliament. The exercise of this spirit has forced me ere now to draw the attention of Parliament to the matter, and in one instance to have an official return, which contained erroneous and too favorable classifications of British ships, withdrawn. Any one referring to the Parliamentary return of British and foreign fleets just adverted to will find under the heading of “Unarmored Vessels Building” two large and remarkably fast steel cruisers, the _Tage_ and the _Cécile_, the former of which exceeds 7000 tons in displacement, while the latter approaches 6000 tons, and both of which are to steam at the immense speed of 19 knots an hour, or a knot in excess of the fastest armed vessel (neglecting torpedo craft) in the British navy. These two French cruisers are respectively 390 and 380 feet in length, and are to be driven by over 10,000 indicated horse-power in the _Tage_, and by nearly 10,000 indicated horse-power in the _Cécile_. A third vessel, the _Sfax_, launched at Brest in 1884, of 4420 tons, 7500 indicated horse-power, and 16½ knots speed, is also given without remark in the Parliamentary return as an “unarmored” vessel. Now even this last-named vessel has a steel deck one and three-fourths inches thick to protect her boilers, machinery, and magazines, while the _Tage_ and _Cécile_ have such decks three inches thick. These, being mere decks, do not, of course, remove the ships out of the category of unarmored ships, and the return is correct in this respect. But now in this same return all the British ships provided with protecting decks of this character are kept out of the lists of unarmored or “unprotected” vessels, and are classed separately, and are described as “protected” vessels. And not only is this true of vessels like the _Mersey_ class, which have such decks two and one-half inches thick in places, but it is true likewise of some twenty vessels, ranging, many of them, as low as 1420 tons in displacement, and with decks and partial decks of less thickness than that of the _Sfax_, the weakest of the three French ships in this respect. In short, while the twenty-two English ships are withheld from the category of unarmored ships, although every one of them is inferior in protecting decks to the three French ships, the latter are placed in the inferior category, and not a word of explanation is offered to prevent the uninitiated and unsuspecting reader from regarding as weaker than our vessels those French vessels which are in fact the strongest and best protected. I must say that, as an Englishman, I grieve to see returns to the British Parliament made use of for the dissemination of information so misleading as this; and I should do so if I could believe there was nothing but official negligence involved; but I am sorry to say I cannot doubt that had the mere reproduction of foreign classifications put three of the very fastest and most important cruisers of our own navy, of Admiralty origin, at the very great disadvantage to which the French ships are put in this return, we should have had a very full and a very prominent explanation of the seeming discrepancy given. It is to the credit of _Lloyd’s Register_ office that what the Admiralty Office failed to do in a paper issued at the end of July was properly done in their _Universal Register_, published two or three months earlier; for in the latter the three French ships are separately detailed under the heading of “Deck-protected Cruisers.” [Illustration: THE “VENGEUR:” FRENCH IRON-CLAD COAST-GUARD VESSEL.] It is absolutely necessary to bring to light the matter just explained, for otherwise the present state and the prospects of the French navy cannot be properly understood, the _Tage_, _Cécile_, and _Sfax_ being, on the whole, the most important of the French ships which are without armor-belts. Two others there are, however, which are weaker than the _Tage_ and _Sfax_ only in the fact of their being without special deck protection. These are the _Duquesne_ and the _Tourville_, two ships approximately alike in size and construction, and both having their iron bottoms sheathed with two thicknesses of wood and then coppered, after the manner introduced by myself in H.M.S. _Inconstant_. Both of these French ships have attained 16-9/10 knots of speed. They are armed with seven guns of eight tons and fourteen of three tons weight. The remaining unarmored vessels of France must be rapidly summarized. It is impossible to neglect in this case, as was done in my article on the British navy, all the frigates, etc., which have frames of timber, because to do this would be to omit all unarmored frigates of the French navy except the _Duquesne_ and the _Tourville_, already described. But it is not necessary to do more than name the _Venus_, _Minerve_, and _Flora_, all launched prior to 1870, and all slow, and to say that there remain but four unarmored wood frigates of 14 knots speed, of about 3400 tons, and armed with from two to four guns of five tons, and eighteen to twenty-two guns of three tons. These are _Aréthuse_, _Dubourdieu_, _Iphigénie_, and _Naïade_, which, although wooden ships, have all been launched since 1881—the _Dubourdieu_ in 1884. Of French first-class cruisers which do not rank as frigates (having no main-deck batteries) there are nine in number, all built of wood except one, the _Duguay-Trouin_, which is the fastest of them all, steaming at 15-9/10 knots. This vessel has 3300 tons displacement, and is armed with five guns of eight tons and five of three tons. None of the remaining eight exceed 2400 tons in displacement, none exceed 15.3 knots in speed (but none are less than 14 knots), and each of them carries fifteen guns of three tons. Next come thirteen second-class cruisers, ranging in displacement between 1540 and 2100 tons, and in speed between 11½ and 15 knots; they are principally armed with 3-ton guns. There is another vessel, the _Rapide_, in this class, but I only know of her that her tonnage is 1900 tons. Of cruisers of the third class there are fifteen, ranging from 1000 to 1400 tons, and principally armed with 3-ton guns. Their speeds vary from 10 to 13 knots; one, however, the _Hirondelle_, steaming at 15½ knots. The French have likewise thirty-five vessels, “avisos,” etc., of which about one-half are from 1400 to 1600 tons, and the remainder are from 720 to 1000 tons. About six of them reach or approach 13 knots, but most of them range between 10 and 11 knots, some of them falling as low as 8 knots. I have further to make mention of two very fast vessels—for they are to steam 19½ knots—now under construction, named the _Surcoup_ and the _Forbin_, each of 1850 tons, and each armed with two 3-ton guns. There is also a vessel of 1540 tons, named the _Milan_, which steams 18 knots, and is armed with five very light (24-cwt.) guns. The French navy possesses also ninety-nine vessels, most of them carrying guns (many of 3 tons, some of 5 tons, and one or two of 8 tons), and also twenty-eight steam transports, varying in size from 1200 to nearly 6000 tons, the largest of them, the _Nive_ (of 5680 tons), steaming 14 knots. The navies of Europe, including the British navy, have undergone of late considerable expansion in respect of their very fast unarmored steel vessels, the designing and successful construction of which have been brought about by improvements in the quality of ship steel and in steam-machinery, notably as regards the latter, by the employment of “forced draught.”[27] These are called torpedo-vessels, as distinct from torpedo-boats. There are in process of completion for the British navy eight of 1630 tons (the _Archer_ class), each carrying six 6-inch 5-ton guns, and estimated to steam with forced draught from 16 to 17 knots; two of 1430 tons each (_Scout_ class), carrying four 5-inch 2-ton guns, with an estimated maximum speed of 16 knots; and two of 785 tons (_Curlew_ class), called “gun and torpedo” vessels; speed, 15 knots; armament, one 6-inch 89-cwt. and three 5-inch 36-cwt. guns. There is also a class of “torpedo gun-boats” (the official designation, but not one which expresses any very manifest distinction from the last-named class), which are of a very notable character. This (the _Grasshopper_) class, of which each vessel is of only 450 tons displacement, is to be supplied with engines of 2700 indicated horse-power. The diagrams on page 90 exhibit the general form and particulars of these very remarkable little vessels, which are expected to steam at fully 19 knots (22 miles) per hour. Against the above torpedo-vessels of the British navy are to be set, in the French navy, four torpedo-cruisers of 1280 tons, 17 knots speed, carrying each five 4-inch guns; and eight torpedo despatch-vessels, each of 320 tons, and designed to steam at 18 knots, carrying machine guns only; such machine guns being also carried, of course, by all the fast torpedo-vessels and gun-boats, both French and English, previously referred to, but in their cases in conjunction with their other guns. These 320-ton torpedo-vessels of France are to be driven by machinery of 1800 indicated horse-power. [Illustration: BRITISH TORPEDO GUN-BOAT OF THE “GRASSHOPPER” CLASS (SIDE VIEW).] [Illustration: THE “GRASSHOPPER”—PLAN OF UPPER DECK, POOP, AND FORECASTLE.] It may be observed with regard to these small craft furnished with such enormous steam-power (in proportion to their size and tonnage) that there is much uncertainty as to the speeds which they will attain. Not only are the builders without experience of similar vessels by which to guide themselves, but where the proportion of power to displacement is so great, slight differences both in hulls and machinery, no less than in immersion and trim, may produce unforeseen results. As designers who fail to realize promised speeds are liable to be discredited, while those whose vessels surpass their promised speeds may be unduly praised, it is but reasonable to expect that the promised speeds will usually even be more than realized. This has been the case with the _Bombe_, the first of the French torpedo despatch-vessels which have been tried under steam, and which, under the promise of 18 knots, realized no less than 19½ knots on the measured mile. It should be added that all of these extremely fast small craft in both navies are propelled by twin engines and screws. As great public interest will be felt in the trials of these very novel and special vessels—as mere steamers no less than as war craft—it may be well to give their names, to facilitate their identification hereafter. ENGLISH TORPEDO GUN-BOATS: _Grasshopper_, _Rattlesnake_, _Spider_, _Sandfly_—each having a displacement of 450 tons, 2700 horse-power, 200 feet length, 23 feet breadth, 8 feet draught, and a speed estimated at 19 knots. FRENCH TORPEDO DESPATCH-VESSELS: _Bombe_, _Couleuvrine_, _Dague_, _Dragonne_, _Flèche_, _Lance_, _Saint-Barbe_, _Salve_—each having a displacement of 320 tons, 1800 horse-power, 194.3 feet length, 21.4 feet breadth, 5.1 feet draught, and, with the exception of the _Bombe_, a speed estimated at 18 knots. The actual speed of the _Bombe_ is 19.5 knots. Besides the above vessels, the two navies (English and French) are provided as follows with torpedo-boats: The English have nine small (56 feet long) and slow (14½ to 15 knots) of wood; fifty small (60 to 66 feet long) and slow (15 to 16 knots) of steel; nineteen others of greater length, but all less than 93 feet, and of speeds varying from 16 to 19 knots; six of 100 to 113 feet, and 19 knots; fifty-three of 125 feet in length, and 19 knots; and two building, _viz._, one of 135 feet in length, and 22 knots, and one of 150 feet in length, and 20 knots; in all, one hundred and thirty-nine torpedo-boats, of which the 135-feet boat carries four 3-pounder quick-firing guns, and the 150-feet boat carries five 6-pounder guns of that kind. The French have nine under 70 feet in length; forty-one under 100 feet in length, steaming at 17 to 18 knots; eighteen of 108 feet in length, somewhat faster; nine of 113 feet in length, steaming at 22 knots; and fifty-one of 114 feet in length, steaming at 20 knots; in all, one hundred and twenty-eight torpedo-boats, all armed with machine guns only. As the nine slow wooden boats of the English navy can hardly be regarded as torpedo-boats at all, it may be said that of torpedo-boats, built and building, the English have one hundred and thirty, and the French one hundred and twenty-eight, of which the English have seventy-nine completed, and fifty-one building and completing, and the French have sixty-eight completed, and sixty building and completing. The English navy is therefore slightly, but only slightly, in advance of the French in the matter of torpedo-boats proper, while in respect of extremely fast sea-going torpedo-vessels of 320 and 450 tons respectively, the English have three under construction and one completed, while the French have one (the _Bombe_) completed and seven under construction. NOTES. Of the 150,000,000 francs appropriated in France this year for the construction of war-ships nearly nine-tenths were set aside, not for the building of large armored vessels, but for the following fast cruisers and auxiliary classes: “Six cruisers, class I., 30,000,000 francs; ten cruisers, class II., 26,000,000 francs; twenty torpedo-catchers, 12,000,000 francs; fifty gun-boats, 15,000,000 francs; one hundred torpedo-boats, 25,000,000 francs; three coast-defence vessels, 25,000,000 francs.” Notwithstanding the late change in administration this seems to show that the policy of Admiral Aube, referred to in the introductory chapter, is still potent, and that the government believes the next war with England will be carried on by French cruisers attacking British commerce, and that sharp, destructive dashes will be made against the enemy’s coast by ships with great speed, and such sufficient power that “all of England’s littoral towns, fortified and unfortified, whether purely peace establishments or warlike,” will be burned or pitilessly ransomed. “In any future war,” continues this exponent of the new ideas, “France will come down from the heights of the cloudy sentimentality which has created that monstrous association of words, _rights_ of war, and her attack on every source of English riches will become not only legitimate but obligatory.” It is certain that French naval activity is now mainly directed to the construction of vessels just suited to these new theories. At the same time she has a formidable fleet of heavily armored vessels, a rough comparison with those of England being as follows, in the classes which have over fifteen inches of armor protection and carry guns above forty-three tons in weight: Ships. Armor. No. Guns. Weight. 3 21½ inches 6 breech-loading rifles 75 tons. 5 20 ” 8 ” ” 75 ” 6 18 ” 8 ” ” 50 ” 2 15 ” 24 ” ” 48 ” -- -- 16 46 England has three ships with armor from twenty-four inches to eighteen inches thick, and twelve ships with armor eighteen inches thick; three ships carry six 110-ton guns, six carry twenty-four 67-ton guns, five carry sixteen 43-ton guns, all breech-loading rifles, while one has four muzzle-loading 80-ton guns. The latest additions to the armored fleet of France are the _Hoche_, of the Marceau type of battle-ship, and the _Cocyte_ and _Mitraille_, coast-defence gun-boats. The _Marceau_, launched May 24, 1887, is built of steel with an under-water skin of iron; a double bottom extends below the engines, boilers, and magazines, and the hold is divided into thirty-one water-tight compartments by horizontal and longitudinal bulkheads. The armor-belt encircles the ship, dips forward to strengthen the ram, is carried twelve inches above the load water-line, and varies in thickness from 13.7 to 17.7 inches; the barbette towers are 15.7 inches thick, and the armored deck, above which there are many compartments, is 2.6 inches thick. The armament is made up of four 13-4/10-inch guns mounted in the towers, of one 5½-inch gun at the bow, and of sixteen 5½-inch pieces in broadside; the secondary battery includes twenty Hotchkiss guns and four above-water torpedo tubes. The estimated horse-power is 8548 (not 5500 as stated on page 76) with natural draft, and 12,000 with forced draft, the estimated speed being 16 knots, the coal capacity 800 tons, and the coal endurance 1500 miles at full power and 3500 miles at 11 knots speed. The _Neptune_ and the _Hoche_, of the same general plans and dimensions, were launched in the spring of this year. As originally designed the _Hoche_ was expected to develop 16 knots and 7000 indicated horse-power, but by the application of forced draft the speed was increased to 17½ and the power to 12,000. The armament consists—not of the four 52-ton guns given in the table on page 76—but, as stated in the text, of two 13.4-inch guns (34 centimetre) mounted one in each of the midship turrets, of two 10.6-inch guns (27 centimetre) carried one in each of the waist turrets, and of eighteen 5.5-inch guns (14 centimetre) so disposed in broadside within the unarmored central superstructure which occupies the deck between the turrets that the forward and after pairs are given bow and stern fire respectively. The armor-belt is similar to that of the _Marceau_, but the protective deck is from 3.15 to 3.54 inches thick, and the heavy gun sites are protected by 15.75 inches of compound armor. The _Amiral Courbet_ (formerly the _Foudroyant_) carries four 10.6-inch, six 5.5-inch, and twelve rapid-fire guns. She developed 6016 horse-power with natural and 8088 with forced draft, the mean speed being 14.2 knots on a consumption of 2.35 pounds per power each hour. The _Indomptable_, _Requin_, _Caïman_, and _Terrible_ are sister battle-ships. They were originally laid down in 1877, and the _Terrible_ was only completed ready for sea in 1887. They are constructed like the _Marceau_, of iron and steel, the outer skin of the under-water body being of the former metal; the compound armor is from 13 to 19⅝ inches in thickness, and carries five feet of its seven feet six inches width below the water-line. In each of two pear-shaped barbette towers situated on the longitudinal midship line, and protected by 17¾ inches of armor, a 16.5-inch gun, with its axis twenty-one feet above the water is mounted; in addition there are four 4-inch breech-loading rifles and a secondary battery of rapid-fire guns and torpedo-tubes. The _Indomptable_, launched in September, 1883, made in her trial trip in August, 1886, a speed of 15 knots, and is officially rated as having a sea speed of 13.5 knots. All work upon the partially protected ships _Brennus_ and _Charles Martel_ was stopped in 1886, and their specific appropriation has been transferred to the sum already assigned for the construction of fast cruisers and torpedo-boats. The _Cocyte_ and _Mitraille_ belong to a new class, or rather they represent a type which, after disappearing for a season of doubt and denial, has had its value so much recognized that three Continental nations are giving it earnest study. A late French Minister of Marine asked within a year for money to construct fifty of these gun-boats, but was then refused the grant, a decision for which Admiral Sir George Elliot thinks England ought to be very grateful. This distinguished officer believes in the value of the type, and hopes that the Admiralty “will take note of the threat thus made” before the theory is allowed to prevail that adequate security can be given to the British coasts by sea-going cruisers, submarine mines, shore batteries, and torpedo-boats. The boats present a small target, and give good armor protection to guns which, when the vessels are inshore or reinforced by land batteries, have sufficient power to keep battle-ships at a distance. They are very handy, have good speed, and are economical, because for the same money they can, as flotillas, bring into the action four times the gun-power possible in the large battle-ships. In France this type is divided into two classes—the _Achéron_, _Cocyte_, _Phlegéton_, and _Styx_, of 1639 tons, belonging to the first, and the _Fusée_, _Grenade_, _Mitraille_, and _Flamme_, of 1045 tons, to the second. The iron and steel hulls are extensively subdivided into water-tight compartments, and are protected by complete belts of steel armor at the water-line, and by arched steel-armored decks. The superstructures above the protective decks have water-line belts of cellulose. The armament consists of one heavy gun mounted in a barbette tower, and of a strong secondary battery of machine guns and torpedoes. The most important contributions to the sea-going navy of France are the cruisers. In the naval programme adopted after the war with Germany, ships of high speed were decided to be of such great value that thirty-four—sixteen of the first and eighteen of the second class—were provided for. At the present day French naval policy seems to pin its faith to fast cruisers, 5½-inch breech-loading guns, and torpedo-vessels. In pursuance of this belief the _Tage_, the largest unarmored cruiser yet designed by any nation, was laid down in 1885; she is ship-rigged, has a complete under-water curved deck, lightly armored bulkheads forward and abaft the battery, a steel conning-tower, and heavily plated hatchways. A belt of cellulose along the water-line, and the subdivision of the space above the protective deck into water-tight compartments, will, it is claimed, insure the safety of the ship in action. This employment of cellulose to stop leaks automatically was very successfully demonstrated in the experiments made at Toulon with a target “composed of fourteen parts of cellulose and one part of cellulose in fibre, the whole compressed into a felt-like mass, with a lining two feet thick. A shot seven and one-half inches in calibre was fired against this target at a distance to insure penetration. The result was not only satisfactory but extraordinary. The shot, which carried away about one-fifth of a cubic foot of the composition, had no sooner passed through than the cellulose closed up so firmly that a strong man was unable to insert his arm into the hole. A tank filled with water was then hung against the place where the shot had entered, and after an interval of fifteen minutes water began to trickle through, but not more than a man with a bucket could easily intercept. As soon as the composition became thoroughly soaked, it offered increased resistance to the entrance of the water, which eventually ceased to flow, and the breach was closed automatically. The results were the same where shells were used instead of shot, and red-hot coals were heaped upon the composition without causing its ignition.”[28] The twin-screw cruiser _Cecile_, which was designed before the _Tage_, and is somewhat smaller, illustrates the principle of duality in construction; the two main engines are situated in separate compartments, and the six boilers are arranged in three different groups. The sail area is 2153 square yards, and the steel lower masts serve as ventilators to the hold, and carry steel crow’s-nests in which are mounted rapid fire and machine guns. The primary batteries of the two ships are similar, each carrying six 6¼-inch guns on the spar-deck (one forward, one aft, and four on sponsons) and ten 5½-inch pieces on the covered deck in broadside. The secondary battery of the _Cecile_ consists of ten 37-millimetre (1.45-inch) guns, and that of the _Tage_ of three 47-millimetre (1.85-inch) rapid-fire guns, and twelve 37-millimetre revolving cannon—all of the Hotchkiss pattern. Both ships are supplied with above-water torpedo tubes, the former having four, the latter seven. The estimated maximum speed of the _Tage_ is 19 knots, with 10,330 horse-power, and that of the _Cecile_ is 18½ knots, with 9600 horse-power. The latest cruisers laid down are the _Jean Bart_ and the _Dupuy de Lôme_, the first bearing the name of the rugged old sea-wolf who entered the navy as an apprentice and died a famous admiral, and the other that of the constructor who designed both in wood and iron the first steam line-of-battle ships. These vessels are of 352 feet length, 43.6 feet beam, 18 feet 10 inches mean draught, and 4162 tons displacement; their estimated maximum speed is 19 knots. The main battery is composed of four 6.3-inch guns mounted on sponsons, and of six 5.5-inch carried in broadside, and the secondary armament has six 37-millimetre revolving cannons, four 3-pounder rapid-fire guns, and the usual torpedo tubes. The _Alger_ and _Isly_ are similar in construction to the _Cecile_, but have the dimensions and armament of the _Jean Bart_; they are designed for 19 knots, and a coal endurance of 3600 miles at 13 knots. The _Mogador_ is a rapid cruiser of 4325 tons, and of nearly similar design, armament, speed, and endurance as the above. The _Chanzy_, _Davoust_, and _Suchet_ belong to the same class of “croiseurs à barbette,” and are of 3027 tons displacement, with an estimated speed of 20 knots. The _Surcoup_ and _Forbin_ illustrate another favorite type of cruiser. They are 311 feet 7 inches long, have 30 feet 6 inches beam, and on a mean draught of 13 feet 11 inches displace 1848 tons. The hull weighs 817 tons, and the engines (with boilers filled) 544 tons; the coal capacity is 200 tons, and the endurance 2400 miles at 10 knots. The engines are expected, with forced draft, to develop 6000 indicated horse-power and 19.5 knots. They have a four-masted schooner rig, spread 7255.5 square feet of canvas, and carry a complement of one hundred and fifty officers and men. The battery consists of two 5.5-inch guns on the upper deck, three 47-millimetre rapid-fire guns on the poop and forecastle, four 37-millimetre Hotchkiss revolving cannon on the rail, and five torpedo launching tubes—two firing ahead, one astern, and one on each beam. This lightness of battery and small coal capacity indicate with great precision how much weight-carrying power has been sacrificed to spars and sails. The _Coetlogon_ and _Cosmao_ laid down this year are of the same type. Wishing to obtain a small class of steel cruisers, the French government lately invited the leading ship-builders to send in competitive designs for a vessel which at an extreme draught aft of fourteen feet would on the least possible displacement sustain with natural draft a speed of eighteen knots for twelve hours, and with forced draft a speed of nineteen knots for two hours. The coal endurance was to be 2400 miles at ten knots, the main battery to include two 5.5-inch guns, and the protective steel deck to be 1.6 inch thick. Five competitors furnished plans, and finally those of the Société de la Gironde were chosen, and the two vessels now known as the _Troude_ and the _Lalande_ were laid down. Their principal dimensions are, length 311 feet 7 inches, beam 31 feet, mean draught 14 feet, and displacement 1877 tons. The armament will be two 5.5-inch and three rapid-fire guns, four 37-millimetre revolving cannon, and a supply of torpedo tubes. The vessels, as with the _Surcoup_ type to which they are very similar, will have a fore and aft rig and a complement of one hundred and sixty. The _Duguesclin_, referred to on page 84, is an armored cruiser built of steel and iron and sheathed with wood and coppered; an iron armor belt 9⅛ to 6½ inches thick encircles her, and the four barbettes are protected by 8 inches of compound armor. The armament consists of four 9.45-inch guns in the barbettes, of one 7.5-inch gun in the bow, and of six 5.5-inch pieces on broadside, in addition to two 6-pounder rapid-fire guns, twelve revolving cannon, and two above-water torpedo tubes. Her displacement is 5869 tons, draught 23 feet 3 inches, and she has developed 4100 horse-power and 14 knots. The _Sfax_ is a partially protected steel cruiser, which is sheathed with wood and coppered, and has an under-water curved steel protective deck 1.5 inches thick. There is the usual water-tight subdivision below and above this deck, together with the lately adopted cellulose belt. The armament consists of six 6.3-inch guns, four mounted on sponsons, with bow and stern fire, and two in recessed ports with bow and beam fire; of ten 5.5-inch guns in broadside on the main deck, and of eight Hotchkiss revolving cannon. In May, 1887,[29] “with natural draft, the mean indicated horse-power developed for four hours was 4333, and the speed 15.9 knots. With forced draft the mean results of a six hours’ trial were, indicated horse-power, 6034; revolutions, 78; mean speed, 16.84 knots. The trials for coal endurance showed that with full natural draft speed the consumption was 1.96 pounds per hour per indicated horse-power developed, and with forced draft it was 2.10 pounds. During these trials the draught of water was 19 feet 4 inches forward and 25 feet 1 inch aft, which was in excess of the normal designed draughts of 19 feet 8 inches and 24 feet 8 inches. Notwithstanding this fact, and the fact of the indicated horse-power falling much below the estimated power of the engines (5000 with natural, 7500 with forced draft), the speed realized exceeded the maximum estimated of 16.5 knots.” France has been very active in the construction of torpedo-vessels. On the present plane to which the science of naval warfare has advanced the great tactical question is whether torpedo-boats or flotillas are, in high-sea duels or engagements, to take the place of huge ships or large fleets. There are, even in France, very marked differences of opinion upon this point, but so far as official policy and programme can assert a belief, there is no other nation, Russia alone excepted, which appears to hold the torpedo in such high esteem. The manœuvres of 1886 were notable for the prominence given to that type, and of the forty vessels assembled this year for drill and instruction at Toulon, twenty-one were torpedo craft of some kind. The French navy has over two hundred torpedo-boats, which vary in length from seventy to one hundred and thirty-three feet, and in speed from fifteen to twenty-three knots; England has one hundred and eighty-one, of which eighty-eight are built and ninety-three are under construction; these differ as much among themselves as the French boats, their speed range being about the same, and their lengths varying from sixty-three to one hundred and fifty feet. Generally described torpedo-boats may be divided into two classes, the first including such as are of a size to keep the sea and act independently, and the second those carried by ships. The Whitehead torpedoes, the type most generally used, are ejected from their firing tubes by various means, slow burning powder being employed in some cases, though more frequently compressed air or steam. The success of the French boats in China has revived the use of the spar torpedo in combination with the locomotive type, and with us the promised success of the Howell design may cause another revolution in this system of attack. “Boats exceeding one hundred feet in length,” writes White, “have been shown capable of making long sea-voyages unaccompanied, and the fact has been seized upon by enthusiasts in torpedo warfare like the late Gabriel Charmes as evidence that the days of the armored ship, of the large and costly cruiser, were numbered. Actual experience is not favorable to this extreme view. There is a clear and marked distinction between the capability of making long sea passages in safety, when specially prepared for the purpose, and the sure sea-going qualities of large ships. Boats of the largest size and small swift vessels cannot equal large vessels in the power of maintaining their speed and fighting efficiency or rough war. Life is scarcely endurable for long periods in these overturning boats and small craft, cooking is often a difficulty, and it is not every officer who can rival the foreign commander of a torpedo-boat I once met, who had acquired the power of living for long periods on sherry and eggs. M. Weyl stated a fact when he said of the grand manœuvres with the French iron-clads and torpedo flotilla last year (1886), ‘In my experience as a sailor I have always found that the sea is merciful to big ships and hard upon small ones.’ A moderately rough sea that scarcely troubles the iron-clad or the cruiser of considerable size, suffices to render inevitable a reduction in speed of the small vessels, and a serious loss of power in the accurate use of their torpedoes and guns. As adjuncts to fleets, the small swift vessels and boats are undoubtedly of immense value under many circumstances; for the defence or attack of forts and coasts they are well fitted, but as substitutes for all other types, and as the successful rival of large war-ships in sea service, their claim is not, and probably will not be, established. “The discovery of the minimum size of swift torpedo-vessels or torpedo-boat destroyers really capable of independent sea service with a fleet is now engaging attention in all navies. In France the first attempts were made in the _Bombe_ class in 1883; some vessels of this class were tried in the recent manœuvres and favorably mentioned. In England the _Grasshopper_ class was designated in 1885, and the first completed vessel, the _Rattlesnake_, is now completing her speed trials.” Since this last sentence was written the _Rattlesnake_ has made 18.799 knots with a collective indicated horse-power of 2718.27, and though the weather was boisterous, proved that under normal conditions she could furnish a fairly steady platform for her battery. Chief Constructor White continues as follows: “These vessels are of 450 tons, and estimated to steam about 19 knots an hour. Messrs. Thomson, of Clydebank, have just completed another example of the class, intermediate in size between the _Bombe_ and _Grasshopper_, and said to have attained the very high speed of 22½ knots on trial in smooth water. Experience at sea with these vessels will be of immense value to future designs. They combine an armament of light guns with torpedo armaments, and can act either as torpedo-vessels or as destroyers of torpedo craft. Similarly in the largest classes of torpedo-boats light guns as well as torpedoes are provided for. In fact there has been a departure from the original idea of having the torpedo as the only weapon, as the boats have increased in size, and this change cannot but commend itself.” The _Milan_ mentioned in the text was designed in 1879 for a torpedo despatch-vessel, but is now used as a scout. She is 303 feet in length, 32 feet 10 inches in beam, draws 15 feet 1 inch aft, and has a displacement of 1550 tons. She carries a fair battery but no torpedoes, is propelled by twin screws, each worked by two compound tandem engines, and has Belleville boilers. On her trial she made 18.4 knots in a rough sea, and developed with natural draft 4132 horse-power, or more than was expected with forced draft; she carries three hundred tons of coal and has a three-masted schooner rig. The rapid development of torpedo-vessels since her day has resulted in the evolution of different types suited to different demands, and of late France has adopted the following classification for her torpedo flotilla: Displacement.