The New York herald., 1870-08-19
T n ( w A II
coNrrNuEp FROM THIRD PAGE.

,onna I,Heroine Le Magnanime, L'Atalante, lie
Renard. lie MoncaIm, lie Corbere, Onondaga, La
Nissus La Gaatee. Here are twenty-fOur OF
the thrty-seven that we nave referred TO-.
or these the Ocean, Savoie Surveillante and Gau-
lose carry more guns and are Of greater aggregate
tonnage than the entire clad feet OF Prussia. In
addition to the iron-clad vessels, several OF the
French noating batteries are propelled by steam
and are reported to have been escorted 10 the
Baltic
The Prussan iron-clad fleet is composed OF six ves
sells. These are the King william, 2s guns; the
Frederick Charles. 16; the Crown Prince, 10; the
Hansa, s; the Annimus, ], ana the Prince Adalbert
7. The first three are frgates, the others are
coyetIes and gunboats. In addition Prussia has FIVE
turreted corvettes but they do not amount 10 much.
Undoubtedly the best vessel In the Prussan service
is the King William Her armament is tremendous.
comprising. as it does, four 900 Founders and
twenty 800 Founders. Her armor is also very strong
so far as the wooden vessels OF the two navies are
concerned it Is hardly worth the trouble OF referring
10 them, as here the French preponderance is so
great as TO render any comparison absurd. France
possesses navy embracing nearly six hundred
vessels of all kinds and classes which is greater
number than Is possessed by Great Britain. Indeed.
1t viii doubtless surprise many persons TO learn
that the French iron clad feet is considerably larger
than that OF Great Britain-exceeding 1t by some
fourteen vessels and exceeding the whole feet by
forty odd. Prnssia's feet-irOn.clads wooden ships
and floating batteries-numbers only ninety five YES
sels. 1t will thus be that in no sense OF the
word there be equality OF strength on water be-
tween the two nations now at war.
But 1t has been urged by some papers that the
enormous armaments Of the Prussian iron-cads
neutralizes the French superiority OF numbers Let
us examine this argument We have already stated
that the King william carried 900 ana 800 Founders,
and 1t Is possible that all the other ironcads carry
guns OF the last-named cabre. To oppose these
the French have ten, eleven, and as high as fifteen
inch guns. In 1868 the French Navy Department
adopted the breech loading cannon OF heavy calibre
be lost sight Of The French eleven inch guns throw
a $50 pound shot. with twenty-four pounds OF pow
der, while their fifteen inch cannon throw snot
of over 400 pounds In weight. One great ad-
vantage Is possessed by most OF the French
1ron-clads. They lie comparatively low in the
water. Such vessels as the R0chambeau
and Taureau present small surface 10 the shots
Of the enemy that the chances they will prove
more than match for the King William should
there be a naval engagement, the Prussian frigate
being an immense vessel and a comparatively
these facts to pretend that the Prussian navy can
prove match for its antagonist. IT may possibly
gain temporary success just as the Confederate
vessels had a spasm Of victory during the rebellion;
but should the French navy take an important part
In the present war the chances all favor OF its
destroying the neet OF Germany.