The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-20

Present Condition of the French Iron-Clas
Fleet.

Present Condition Of 1.-THE the French lr"n-CiHd
From tho Pal Hau Gazeae.
In the building OF ships of war the French have
made but little progress during the last twelve
months and there nsS ssv Which fe a
back reigned in their dockyards. The marine au-
thorites may think that what has been accomplished
about them before venturing any further IL is now
eight years ago that the French Government drew up
naval programme and settled the number OF vessels
which it deemed would be necessary to defend the
honor and interests OF the country The feet OF the
future was to consist OF forty nrst-class and
twenty second-class ron-clads, with thirty floating
batteries, coasters, despatch boats wooden vessels
and transports, amounting in all to 449 ships All
though a good number Of vessels have stiil to he
Dullt before this programme is completed, nearly
the whole attention Of the French Admiralty has Of
late been turned to the question of armament Last
year great reduction in the number of guns on
board various ships was made; for instance the
Magenta, which carried hftytwo guns had her arma-
ment decreased to ten guns of "a centimetres C945
inches) and similar change was made in some of
the frgates afoat. good deal of uncertainty still
prevails as to the exact number OF guns which the
various types OF vessels should carry the position
they should occupy and hence 1t has happened that
some ships have been armed, disarmed and rearmed
three or four times since the day when the necessity
getting heavy metal on board was recognized. 1t
may be remarked here that the French cling with
singular obstinacy to their breech-loaders they not
only continue to place them on board their vessels,
and this in spite of the fact that the breech ma
chinery has been found defective, and unable to
stand the strain Of heavy charges There can be no
totally disabled during trials on board ship, and
that, in many instances, great difficulty has
been experienced in charging the gun after the
firing of a few rounds. However, the heads of
the department are either too enamored OF their
system to perceive its defects or else they are un-
willing to acknowledge to the country that the
2o,0OO00Of voted for the rearming OF the fleet have
been cast into the sea- The French authorities Of
course tried these guns before adopting them, but
the experiments were conducted under the careful
superintendent OF the inventor, and they passed
muster Still, it seems odd that the artillery COM
mlttpe should have accented system almost
universally condemned, far as heavy artillery is
concerned, without subjecting it to the severest
tests.
Since we wrote an account of the French feet
last year, the Ocean has been set afoat and will
be ready for sea- This vessel is little larger than
the Magenta, and will carry fourteen guns thus dis
tributed:-Four guns OF twenty-seven Centimetres
945 nches) in her central battery; four guns of
twentyfour centimetres in the fixed turrets at each
corner of the battery, and on the upper deck four
bronze pieces of twelve centimetres. The guns con-
tained in the turrets will be placed on movable
platforms, which will allow of each piece sweeping
demicrce, and this at an elevation OF eight metres
and a half above the water-line. The Ocean will
have four sister shipszthe Friedland, Marengo,
been for some time the stocks, but the latter
which will differ from the others in so far that it will
be propelled by two screws, has only just been de-
signed The next class has only two representatives,
the Magenta and SOlferino The former vessel,
which last year carried only ten guns of the cabre
ten guns in her central battery and four guns of 10
centmetres S0 nches) on her upper deck. 1t is in
Gue WHICH mas as vet SnlDDed
no heavy metal, shall be armed in the same manner.
Ihe next is known in France as the Magnanime
type, and the frgates OF this class nearly all
armed last year with seventeen guns; but this arma-
ment has now been reduced to twelve guns eight "a
centimetre guns and four 19-centmetre guns on the
upper deck To this class belong the Flandre Gau-
oise, Guyenne, Provence Revanche, Savoie, Sur
1elante, Valereuse, and Heroine After these pow
,rful frgates come the Gloire Invncible Normandie
tnu Cour0nne. The GlOife, when she was first
aunched and astonished the naval World carried no
ever a tnan tnlrtytwo guns, but now her armament
n @ TO SIX A-centmetre guns in her
hen have the coryettes of the Thets cio. III
nd Jeanne on 9S.at stations; th Alma Armide
atlanta. Mo".~-' completed, and the
=" ...odLm, and Refine Blanche have been
aunched The Lagalssoniere still remains on the
stocks The Thetis carries four 19-centmetre guns
n her central battery, two guns of the same cabre
n her turrets and four 12-cenmetre bronze guns on
leck. She makes from II to 1919 knots under steam
and is said TO do well under canvas. The Bell-
lueuse which has been for some years in the Pacific
belongs to the Thetis type, but she has turrets
rhe corvettes had at first four turrets like the large
Irigates but the weight was too much and they mad
10 be reduced to two; they are also armed with
spur weighing about twenty tons.
In the list of iron-clad coastguards still appears
the name of the Rochambeau, late Dunderberg,
which expenditure of 100000 francs laid out in
repairs and alterations has made perhaps the most
formidable vessel in the French navy. She has been
furnished with engines of 1900 nominal horse power
and carries fifteen guns OF the largest caibre 1t Is
true that she does not inspire much confidence as
sea-going vessel, and that she is kept laid up at
writer in the ReUue Contemporaries
suggests that no admiral would assume the re-
spOnsibilty of allowing her to join his squadron,
and the charge long ago made, that is reiterated,
that the Rochambeau is built of bad timber, and
would soon shake herself to pieces; but ut borings
hension on this head, and the Rochambeau
is probably only biding her time. The
other coastguard vessels anoat the Onondaga,
likewise an American production, the Taureau and
the Cerbere whilst the Belier, Bouedogue and Tigre
are in course of construction OF floating batteries
the French have formidable heet-the Devastation
Foudroyante, Lave, Tonnante, Paixhans, Palestro
Peiho, Saigon, Arrogante, Implacable, Opiniatre
Embuscade, Impregnable, Protectrce and Refuge
The batteries carry from four to eighteen guns but
their armament cannot be regarded as permanently
decided upon. In addition to the above there
eleven floating batteries, constructed so as to be
easily taken to pieces and put together again. These
crafts, intended tor lake river SERVICE are kept in
store. Suchas far make out, is the present
state Of the French iron-clad fleet. ..
A Convict Killed.
Yesterday morning coored prisoner at the work
house of the Washington Asylum, d. c., named
DIANA WVE.f.aa