M. Lockroy's agitation for the streng-thoning of the navy is bearing trait. The Navy Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, in their report, just issued, recommend the Chamber to vote the 200 million francs asked for by the Minister of Marine for the construction of new vessels, and, in addition a sum of 60 million francs, cne third of which it is proposed to use for ropaising and modernizing ships now in commission, and two-thirds for the establishment of depots and coaling-stations' at home and in the colonies, notably Tunis, Algiers, Saigon, Madagascar, Dakar, Gorge, and Martinique. The Committee point out that 9 buttle-ships out of the 20 now in commission, and 5 coutdefence veasls out of 8, ret ire either new guns or new boilers, and they recommend that the necessary work, estimated to cost 17 millions, bs taken in hand at once and entirely completed before 1900, With regard to the 200 millions f-r new vessels, they recommend that 12 millions be devoted to the construction of large armoured cruisers, 60 millions to torpedo-brat destroyers, and only 20 millions to battleships.
18th June,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.