The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-07-11 00:00:00

THE NAVAL FORUM OF EUROPL

Now that geueral attention is centred upon the armed
strength of every country sufficiently important to play a
leading part in the European Ktie/sspi,f, it will be both
interesting and useful to compare the relative proportions
of the Navies of Europe; more especially as, should the
war-flanie in the East be fanned by any of the Western
Powers, the sea-combats will be as nunierms as the
contests on land.
_

To begin with France. The French Navy consists of
03 iron-clads, and Ill) other vessels of every description,
the greater number being obsolete wooden ship+ and
despatch vessels. The whole force carries 3,073 guns,
and is manned by nearly tO,OOO officers, seamen, and
marines.

--1-1;;-Derman Navy consists of ea ship, of every descrip-
tion, II of which are iron-clads. The whole force is
manned by nearly 14,1160 olicers, seamen, and marines.
The Russian Navy numbers 144 ships of war, of which
24 are iron-clads and wooden vessel, converted into iron-
clad shipe. There are required to man them vessels 1,03
officers and 7,300 seamen.
Spain has a total of 12.2 war ships, of which seven are
iron-clads. Don Alphorucis Navy consists of 9,600 sailors,
5,501 marines and about 4,000 offleers.
. _

The Italian Navy consists o s ipa, of which nine are
iron-clads. The Navy is manned by 11,200 sailors, 060
enzinecrit, and 1,271 officers ; and the marines number 2%
officers and 2,700 soldiers. .

The Navy of Austria numbers 40 steamers, of which 11
are iron clads, four having been converted from woodilen
line-of-battle ships. fin a war-footing, the sailors
(obtained by conscription) number ILSE, and the marines
1,500.
The Danish Navy consist. of 31 steamers. nix being
iron-dads. The Navy ii manned by 1,100 officers and
seopien. . . .

ha only one iron-dml, a very weak ship, and 13
other.vesiiela, manned by fitit !Accra and seamen.

• Portugal has 21 steamers. Thu PortugcaeNavy nunibers
:010 officer', seainen, and marines.
The Duteh Navy consists of n 7 steamers, of which 17 are
iron-clads. The whole fleet is mannml by nearly 10.010
officers anti tteamen. and there is a force of marines
of 01 officers, anti 2,M0 privates and nomconatnissiuned
officers. .

hsvelih N.sy numbeni 1:11 %mania, of which 11
are iren-clada. The lint is manned by 5,01.10 seamen and
'Darien.
•

... ...
The Navy of Norway Ma 20 men-of-war, four being iron-
clad turret-ships of the Swedish type, carrying eight guns
each, and manned by 2,050 seamen and agicers.
The Egyptian Navy is unimportant It numbers seven
ships of the line, nine corvettes, seven brigs, Is gun-boats,
au,l 27 transports, mostly manned by foreigners.
Turkey possesses a very line Navy, 20 of her ships being
powerful iron-clad; and 70 steamers, manned by 30,1010
seamen and 1,000 marine; all in the highest state of
efficiency.
Turning to the British Navy, we lied that there are
over vessebi, which does not include the old sailing
ships and small coastguard veseeLs. Of this number 62
are iron-clads, and are iron-clad gunboat; carrying one
18-ton gun each. The total number of officers, seamen,
and marines was, in 1075, a little over 00,000, of which
more than Mimi were blue jackets. With the Turkish
Fleet acting with them, Sir James Drummond is in a
position to out number in guns, men, and strength, the
forces of all the other Powers combined.

IiItEACII OF PROMISE AGAINST A CLERGYMAN.
An action in the Exchequer Division of the High ("owl
of Justice, in which judgment WAS allowed to go by
default, was heard Thursday, before Mr. Cutler-Sheriff
!barbell :lila a special jury, in the ease Thomas s. the
Rev. John Rowlands, in which Use daustages were laid at
JAM. The plaintiff, her mother, and brother were the
witnesses called lii support of the ease, and no evidence on
the other side was give. A number of letters were read,
written on Isuli sides. They were couched in great affec-
tion anti breathed a spint of religious fervour. The
defen lank who is now M, and the plaintiff %, was vicar
of a place called Rwlehydban, Montgomeryshire, and her
father was the clerk and sexton. She was the Sunday
school teacher, and became housekeeper to the defendant,
and they became engaged. He assisted her education,
and she was now the schoolmistress at the place mentioned
Afterwards the defendant was presented to the rectory of
Hope, in Ilintshire, and he told her it was worth about
.1.:500 a year, and would amout to COW. The defendant's
father, the rector of another parish in Wales, who, it was
stated, hal married a rich second wife, objected to the
marriage, and it was broken off. Letters written after the
father's interference were read, and both the plaintiff and
defendant detailed their great affection towards each
other. The father was in court Thensday, but not the
plaintiff, and he was not called. The young lady wave her
evidence, and her letters showed her to be a person of a
relined mind.

ATTNE Durham anises, an ex-policeman, named Jose iii
Christison, was sentenced to 20 years' penal servitude for
the manslaughter of a quarryman, named John Hamill,
near Towlaw, on the sth June.
Clung AND JUSTICE IN IRELAND.—JUStiCe has again
battled in the rase of the murder of Scanlan, at 'Cilium*
county Tipperary. Michael Brook wax put on his trial for
the fourth time at the present assizes, and again the jury
dintgrreal. Since the Isst trial theprisoner's father, who
giougLNl as so aosnitplitu in the erime, died in gaol.
It will be remembered that the d‘sssamsl lived in the house
with the ~b 1 wan Ilrook, whose daughter he had
And to ii 1,14 lit lust adviunssl money and gut possossjoo
of the leo,. to satisfy the a.m.. Th.: prisoner. as W,II as
his father, was indignant Haat the farm had gone into
Seimlan's bands, and is, his return from marts on Sunday
evening he was shot dead. Immediately Mrs. Scanlan
charged his father and brother as the murderers. It was
shown in evidence that the prisoner and his father, who had
prgsqussly been on had terms, were seen together ta
publichouse shortly before the murder, and that on the day
of the crime the old man took a gun out of the house, and
one witness swore that he saw a man, whom he idened
as the prisoner, running away nod trying to conceal him-
self immediately after the shot was tired. The defence
was that the identification could nut be relied upon and
that the prisoner had no motive to commit the crime. The
jury disagreed, being, it is sale!, equally divided. Each
disagreement it need heartily be said makes the ultidiete
chance of a verdict more remote,