New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-29
THE FRENCH AND PRUSSIAN FLEETS COM
PARED
From The Pail Mall Gazette, July Is

From The Pail Mall Gazette, July Is.
1t is only few days since the small IRON
squadron OF Prussia left Plymouth its
the Baltic. This squadron comprised the celebrated King
William the Prince William, the Prince Carl and the
Prince Adalbert the firstnamed the most formidable
ironclad aoat except the Hercules the two next
frstcass roncads and the last is powerful, swift little
armoT-clad gunbOat carrying two very heavy guns OF
Krupp's steel The King William deserves than
al the Thames Ironworks for the Turkish government
When she finished the Sultan could not afford to pay
for her, she offered at the price to the then
Board OF Admiralty, who declined to buy her, and
Prussia at once came forward and offered 10000
When Prussia had got her the English Admiralty
saw their mistake, and tried to outbd Prussia, but
then late This vessel has speed OF Il knots carries
sinch armor, and has % gmns-four l09pounders and
twenty four Founders. The King William is, in fact,
not a vessel but little fleet in herself Being very long,
liable 10 the danger OF being "rammed." II she can
avoid this she would be Oyermatch for any four
tinenta irOnclads The squadron, OF which the King
william is the flagship had orders on leaving the Baltic
to call at Plymouth make experimental cruise in the
the squadron left, however the Franco Prussian diff
Guilty had broken out; but Prince Ad,aleert, with
pointed for the Atlantic Where he went
net a not SS S G%t M %ss AZ w1s
again. He then telegraphed TO his own Government,
and having received Instructions left apparently for the
Baltic. During his absence from Plymouth, however,
the Flandre the Fandre has since been at Cherbourg-
TRBuNE with three other ironcads OF the same class
tcds dispatched by the French Gorenment to toioT and
,cdch The PIussidn SQUADRON and these four are now
actually on their way to Madeira while the Prnsslan
OF war; the four French vessels Of the Fandres class
would nave quite enough 10 10 take the King william
alone, to say nothing OF her two powerful consort ana
the armOred nboat In the Baltic the Prussan squadron
will IL it wanted Join with six other Prussan gnboats
all OF which heavily armOred carry two OF hrupps
mOnstrous guns, and have high rate of speed. The
other vessels Of the Prussian Navy wooden gaes
and corvettes, which would be OF small accounts AS
cruisers and could attempt TO keep the The
Spanish Navy Ia even weaker than the Prussian there
only twenty-siN ships in commission now, and OF
these, four ironclads OF them. however
more than second class The rest are wooden corvetes
and frigates OF an old type.
The French authorities always profess 20 make great
mystery about their irOnclads their number, tunnage
guns thickness Of plating, &c But it Is only
siders who mystitcd Everything which the French
doing and have done is well known, only at
Whitehall but also at Vienna. Berlin and St. Petersburg
II Is at Brest LOrcnt CherbOug, TOulOn. The
French have their list OF ron-cads 81 vessels IS
month; building, and not likely to be finished
within the next two years. OF these vessels fewer
than sc wooden vessels, raced and plated with
armOr; only ii are built entirely OF IRON only l. the
Marengo, is composite, with frame Of iron
and sides OF wood coated with armor The
most costly French-built vessel Is the Couronne
which cost for hull and fittings, 9l9l,OOo The
costly in the whole fleet IL the Ochambeau date the
Dunderberg which the French bought from the United
states 1867, paying 8isOOOO for her. Of which amount
e4io,OOO is To this day regretted IN French nautical
circles. with the DundeTberg also the Onondaya
which cheap at $4,000. The three formidable
vessels which the French have ever planned The Col
bert Trident and Rchelicu, which begun last De-
tuns, $40 feet long, coated with Snoh armOr and in
tended AT present To carry 30 pOnderous guns. The
chOeu In Ia be OF the same length and armor of
Ie0 tuns. These vessels will be larger than any iron
cads yet projected. The Nicoreuse another great
lrOnclad of more than 1000 uns figures the French
list but this has only been ordered and not vet begun
la uassonerc too Ia very backward In its progress
and WILL take moro than another year " finish