The first class cruiser Europa, which has just taken reliefs out to the ships of the Australian station, instead of going home again, is going up to North China, where she will be an important addition to British naval strength, The Europa is a ship of 11,000 tons and cost £560,000, her complement being 760 officers and men. She is armed with sixteen six-inch guns, and many smaller guns. She has her 16 ix-inch guns so distributed that she can fire them from the upper and lower decks, the bow, and the stern. Half the guns are in casemate, and the rest: mounted in the ordinary way. Her defect is suid to be her large coal consumption. During the voyage to Australia, though many attempts and experiments were made with a view to reduce the fuel bill, very little gain was obtained. The Europa, with her 30 boilers going, can steam 2 knots per hour, but to maintain that she would burn 350 tons of coal per day, and as her bunker capacity is only 2,100 tons, her sphere of usefulness would be limited to a ridiculous extent. Doing 14 knots she consumes 200 tons a day, and 13 knots requires 150 tons per day.
The French first-class deck-protected cruiser Guichen arrived at Singapore on the 21st instant from Djiboutil, and anchored in the Roads, afterwards exchange ing a salute. Her destination is Saigon and China, and she was expected to leave on the 22nd. The Guichen, a vessel of 8,279 tous, was built at St. Nazaire at a cost of £611,945 and launched in 1897. Her armament consists of two six 4-inch quick-firers and 16 smaller guns; her engines which indicate 24,000 h.p. maintain a speed of 23 knots and her crew number about 600, HIM. cruiser Mohawk arrived here yesterday, having made an unexpectedly rapid passage from the Australian Station and being no less than five days ahead of her time.
The transport Nevasa left for the North with the Bengal Sappers and Miners and part of the Native Hospital on board.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.