The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-15
the BRITIsH NdTY ~ 1878.

rFt. tint IL becomes worth while Ia ucHn" ino
extent and character of that fleet. which must
always constitute tho mnin fnctor Of Englnnds
fighting strength. promising that large share
of thu recent supplemental credit hns been de-
vutrd to naval purroscs although tho rruunr
appropriation for 1877 exceeded s5G.ooo.OO0.
AT tho last dato covered by official REPORTS
Dec. ~. is7G--,hc British war fleet wus COM
posed Of PAL vessels In commission. The mum.
Der Of men employed In the service was not lcss
than GO.0On. including upward NJ $4,000 sailors
and $4,000 marines. Wo need not sny that the
most important division Of tho force Is made up
OF nrmorcd ships. or these ut the dntc mrn-
toned there were nfty-cight. from which ag.
grcgnte, however. should lie deducted three
constructed specially for colonial defence md
eight considered too oil or too badly built to
put TO sen. leaving. therefore, net total of for.
ty-sevcn ironclnds. Without running through
tho catalogue Of names. We may any that this list
includes vessels OF all dimensions from the In
flexible. Of moro than IL 900 tons. whose sides
are thirty-nine inches thick thrcc- nfths OF
which thickness Is represented by iron plates.
and which carries four cannon. cnch Of eighty
ono tons weight. besides steam engines OF 5000.
horse power. to the Fnvoritc. the smallest iron.
clad under the English iag. whose arnor is
only four inches thick. but which in any other
navy would be formidable craft, having II
cnpaoIty Of moro than 5000 tons. engines OF
i.TQ0-horse power. and nm armament OF ten
9.ton guns.
Such was the state of things NJ the beginning
OF Inst ycnr. Let us now soc whit progress was
made during tho next twclvrmonth. Accord
ing TO the programme put forward by the First
Lord of the Admiralty. six Ironclnds were to bc
finished during 1877. and all the unnrmorrd ves-
sns then on the stocks were Ia bc brought nigh
10 completion. II was promised. moreover.
Tint new ironclad of tho first class should I've
begun. together with n rum OF sufficient powrt
10 cope with certain rcdoubtabc engines Of war
said 10 I've building In continental hnrbors. and.
in addition. M unnrmorcd corvette. n sloop. and
two smiling vessels. In n word. the Minister
undertook TINT during the financial term 1T
is77-7s tho national yards should add TO the
fleet more than $4,000 tons. while private con.
almost half MS much n9uiu.
Notwithstanding its inability to completely
fufl the above programme the English Gov
rrnmcnt hns added good deal to the veritable
Aolldity al It's naval force Four colossal ronclnds
were finished and sent to sea In 1877. nnmely.thc
Thunderer. the Drcadnnught. the Alexandra.
md the Tcmcrairo. One Of these. tho Thnn-
dcrcr. ought to have been ready for service
much earlier. but on the day when It was to
make n trial trip one Of its boilers exploded,
cnusing IN amount OF damage which 1t required
six months to rcpnir Besides the two engines
Of O000-horsc power which move It's screw.
there are on board this vessel twrnty-six
other steam engines. md n hydraulic ma.
chino for the management Of the helm. the
revolving turrets. and other parts of the
apparatus. The Thunderrr Is covered with
plates about IA inches thick. md carries
t,, ot.,kf Y 1,
speed is said to be thirteen and n half knots.
Besides nrmored ships Of the same character.
tho English Admiralty has lately constructed
number Of vessels not plated. and furnished
with relatively light armament. but designed
to show exceptional fnst-going qualities Some
distinguished specialists have severely crti-
cised these experiments. and the controversy
on the subject Is fnr from being ended. II In
soid. for instance. that the now vessels are too
powerful for simple cruisers and too weak to
engage with ironclnls. 1t is certain TINT one OF
the finest types. the Shah. wis constrained after
n few minutes to rcnouncc the idea Of coping
with the Peruvian ship Hucscar.
The remarkable results obtained by the Rus.
SLAMS from torprdoes on tho Danube and In the
Black sea could not fail to awaken tho attention
Of tho English Admiralty. Numerous expert.
ments have been mndc In tho wny OF making
torpcdocs under the flank Of ntmored ships. or
to launch that species Of explosive provided
with means of automatic movement. Essential
conditions To the efficiency of such crnft are
unusual speed and peculiar fncility OF ovou.
ton. After numerous tcsts the English ship.
wrighs hive fixed upon q model cighty-f four
feet In length and only eleven feet wide. So far
but n single example of tho type hns
boon completed. but this with its pow.
crful engines has attained n speed Of nine
teen and half knota. 1t Ia reported moreover,
that fifteen others are now oh the stocks, and
TINT the builders have guaranteed minimum
speed OF twenty Ave knots. And hero we may
mention curious fact bearing on the useful
ncss OF such vessels. and demonstrated by rc-
cent experiments, namely. that whcrc their
hulls nrc pierced below the water line. very lit.
Tie water prnetratcs. provided the speed be ny
high rs ten knots. and almost mono IL 1t exceed
eighteen. We may add TINT the Admiralty have
lately undertaken the construction Of a subma-
rino vessol intended TO fix torpedoes under the
keel OF hostile ships.
Naval artillery seems u have mnde but little
progress in 1877. Hitherto England has con.
tented herself with the Armstrong guns Of
eighty tons. which are regularly adopted for
the armament OF her ironclads. Up to the
present time Italy alone has gone little further
in this direction, having furnished some of her
armorcd ships with lOO-ton cannon. We un.
derstnnd. however, that the famous English
engineer Ia now constructing Tor Government,
account cannon of l50tops. But whatever may
DO the slight superiority of n few isolated pieces
IA In the case Just named. there Is little doubt
that the British iron feet taken collectively
| both ns regards weight Of armament and drfrn.
sivc power. is match for the Joint naval forces
| Of all the rest Of the world When VIZ consider
too, the incomparnby large number OF sailors
employed on her mcn-of-war. and the immense
scafarlng population from which her crew.
may he recruited. we 500 no reason why Eng
| land might not repeat the superb achievement
| OF seventy years aGO, when she replied TO NnpO
| Icons Berlin decree by bOckading the ports nj
! 4 whole ointment. and chasing every European
! nag, except her own. from the high seas.
Pienitude of Female Models.
Prom N, Rp'finri TYm,.
Several days since, the lifo" class 81 III,