A. Brassey. Portsmouth: Grifin & Ca. resources of the country. It would not have Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, Ld. been possible elsewhere. Private firms have built, alone, half the ships and supplied at the same time the five Government For next year's shipbuilding programme, yards with all the machinery and material it is at present proposed to lay down in the they required. dockyards: 2 battleships, 2 armoured first-'The Progress of Forein Navies, was class cruisers, 3 smaller cruisers, 2 sloops written for years by that able authority of a design not yet decided, but probably BL. Weyl, who this year declines to do so like the Algerine and Pheniz. There will on account of the feeling that was shown in also be about the usual amount given out England towards France over the Fashoda on contract. incident. He was at all times a careful In Naval Ordnance, the manufacture of writer, and a strictly conscientious critic, guns has progressed satisfactorily, and the Desides being a very clever man, The production keeps pace well with the re-editor hopes that, as there exists now a quirements of the ficer. The design of a more friendly feeling between the two newer and more powerful 12-in, breech-countries, next year he may again prevail loading wire gun, mark IX, has been upon M. Weyl to take charge of this approved, and the first gun delivered from chapter, which this year the editor has had Woolwich for trial. These are the guns to write himself. The opinions of an inarm the Formidable class. A new design dependent foreign expert like this one are fora 9.2-in, b.l. wire gun has also been worth studying, and it is a pity we cannot approved of; they are intended for the do so this year.
Cressy and Drake classes. The supply of Lord Brassey writes that the efforts the magazine rifle to the whole of the made during the last ten years to place the naval service has been completed. There navy in a fit state to protect the great has been a good supply of ammunition by interests involved have not been without the trade and ordnance factories, and much practical result. For the first time in larger quantities can be delivered if want-my memory," said Admiral Sir Noel ed. Cordite has been generally issued for Salmon at the city banquet to Lord the quick-firing guns, and as the trials in Kitchever, "the nation has been brought the heavy guns have been successful it will face to face with the prospect of a war, now be supplied to them, Improved types without suffering from a war scare. This of projectiles are being tried and the is due to the able administrators we have earlier patterns of torpedoes are being replaced by modern ones.
"He also quotes an opinion recently delivered by M. Clémencenu, the Considerable dockyard and _harbour leader of advanced polities in the French works are being carried on at Chatham, Assembly, that England was now decidedly Portsmouth, Dover, Pembroke, Devon: the arbiter of all contests upon the sea, port Keyham, Gibraltar, and Malta. At the seales being certain to del oct to th side upon which she will bring the strength establishment of a Naval depot, and dredge Weihaiwei it is proj to b es the of her fleet, her manufacturing resources, ing operations have already been comand her credit. "Any attempt by France to menced. At Hongkong, Sharp's buildings meet her fleets in line of battle would be have been acquired and the War Office vain, the only successful policy would be has transferred the North Barracks to the attack her commerce. But this would Admiralty. The area of the dockyard and be sure to injure other Powers, and the water frontage has thus been doubled. especially the United States who would The Admiralty are now doing the work, not tamely accept it. Another opinion given but contracts will soon be concluded for is that of Rear-Admiral Dupont, a dis the principal patts. tinguished French naval officer: England can' now put into line thirty-four battle-given at the end of the Estimates shows ie usual ingram of new construction ships of from 9,000 to 15,000 tons, fifty-two graphically the expenditure for the Inst large cruisers, anda very large number of twenty-eight years rising and falling, but smaller vessels, among which should be generally with a strong upward tendency, noted a numerous flotilla of very pid from £800,000 in 1872 to over £9,200,000 destroyers. Besides these vessels twenty for this naval year, Making every allow-older battleships, for the most part reance for the increase of other navies, if this modeled, may be reckoned as a solid expenditure is necessary now, Great reserve to this already formidable force. Britain must have been very weak and What have we to set. against this array? open to attack in the seventies. Mr.
Sixteen new battleships, eight good coast Goschen proposed to provide in 1898-99 defence vessels, about ten old battleships for an expenditure of £24,000,000, over of mediocre value, and twenty-three mod-£8,000,000 of which was to be proem cruisers. Reckoning on both sides vided for new construction in the form of the vessels that ate of no use for service, three battleships, four large and four and taking into account breakdowns and small cruisers. Mr. Goschen made his accidents, we may say on the whole that statement, as usual, in March; but the strength of our navy is between a third in June a large shipbuilding programme and a half of that of the English navy. for the increase of the Russian navy "The qualities of similar vessels in both became public, and upon such a form and navies is about the same. The English scale that Mr. Goschen decided that there vessels have in general a look of greater was no time to lose. In July he brought strength, they can go greater distances and forward a Supplemental Programme asking their tonnage is greater, which enables for an additional £7,000,000 for the con-them to be better armed and equipped struction of three battleships, four large Their guns are well pliced but Jess power-and three small cruisers; this expenditure ful at-an equal calibre. The speed is very plainly and to the point, making no to be spread over four years. He spoke usually inferior to ours, and can be less easily kept up, in spite of the nominal secret about what he considered to be the figures to be found in the numerous lists necessity for this extra vote, and the money published in both countries. In" word, was at once granted. For the year 1898- the value of similar types is approximate: 99, £2,000,000 of this vote was spent, ly the same, but we remain in the pre-bringing the total for that year's new con-sence of a crushing numerical superiority.. struction up to £10,000,000; an amount 'The staff is as good on one side: of the which largely exceeds that' of France, channel as the other. The training of our Russia, and Germany combined. In the officers and men is as good as possible, last eleven years the total appropriations having been for years the object of con-for new ships and armaments for the Bristant attention. It may, therefore, be tish maw exceeded £60,000,000. These afirmed, and I think without misplaced
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.