The recent naval manceuvres in the Mediterranean have drawn attention to serious defects in the organisation of Toulon as a coaling and victualling station. The fleet, consisting of forty-one vessels, arrived in the harbour on the 11th, and coaling was carried out at a fairly satisfactory rate until the lighters had to be refilled. 4.en it became evident that they were too few in number, no extra lighters being at hand to keep the ships going while the empty ones were towed back to the wharves. Then the contractor's men found the work too hot for them and went on strike. There were no others in reserve, and the admiral had to employ the dockyard staff, who were not, over pleased at being let in for such a job and did not exert themselves more than they could help. In all, the coaling and revictualling of the fleet took four days. The highest speed obtained in getting coal on board before the supply gave out was 160 tons an hour, or 20 per cent slower than the "Majestie's" record. Apropos of naval matters, the big new cruiser Jeanne @Are has broken down badly and will probably have to be entirely re-boilered. These things may show Englishmen that their own navy has no monopoly of troubles.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.