New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-19
FOREIG n NAVAL NOTES.


appear to be much sought AFTER considering it is open
10 public competition. Lord George Hamilton few
months ago made positive statement that the Nd
miraty could obtain as many engineer students as were
required But the experience has been quite TO the
contrary For the forty vacancies for engineer students
recently there only eighty applicants and
only thrtyone reached the standard requisite pass.
And at later examination for fifteen vacancies only
five candidates presented themselves. OF these only
three passed and one of these has declined to accept
OF tho appointment. The causes for this inadequate
supply are said to be the indlsposition Of the line
ofcois permit the engineer officers to have actual
rank and title, the same as have the line; the In.
suciency OF pay, and the great demand made 0y civil
institutions Tor engineer experts, as ehsneer Cnlcers
Of the Navy must be. Practically the same conditions
exist with the officers Of the engineer corps OF the
United States Navy, and the large proportion Of resig
nations from that corps Of atc Is ATTRIBUTED 10 those
conditions The remark quoted from Admiral PorteTs
report the secretary Of the Navy couple OF years
ago, regarding the condition OF the Navy, and echoed
by some Of the abest officers Of other nayes since,
was " As things are now the engineer Officers arg
without doubt the most important and the most
essential to the fighting efficiency Of the ship
The new British cruiser Pallas was chrstened and
noated ont Of her launching dock at Portsmouth on
July = She has cost the British Government up to
this time little than $4,000, and yet she is
TO be only a IS 2 knot vessel She Is 265 fee: in
length, II feet team and 2,575 tons displacement
Her armament will consist " eight 434inch rifles
and eight 3-p0under rapid firing guns
The school of Junior officers Of the French Navy have
come in strong opposition To the tendency toward
building monster battleships. They pronounce them
an absupty, and argue that Size must not be mis-
taken for strength and that small boats may be made
capable to attack. 10 pursue, to force, TO combat ana
even to reduce roncads Of the largest tonnage They
hold that the jl-2inch quckhrng gun is the best
naval arm II today and Sir Armstrong IS quoted in
support Of the value Of that arm IL Is also declared
that although the Forn is the fastest of the French
fleet and in many ways excellent, SIC cannot represent
the war vessel Of the future; nor does the Davout.
though superior all previous French cruisers, rep
resent the t?;c type Of the modern Wash.p they
rpcari vessel, much lie the English cruisers Mersey
Thames, PhactDn, etc, Tut longer ana Win eieauT
batteries OF quick firing guns the id,ol war weapons
They also recommend engines OF $4,000 morse power
n give speed OF twenty iour Knots an h0ur. s.Nelai
othc2 Improvements over the present methods OK naval
construction are suggested
The board Of survey on the Sultan which vessel was
mysteriously stranded in the Mediterranean two
years ago and noated OIL by lot OF Italian wreckers
at n cost to the British Government Of quarter OF
million dollars. has at last submitted its final report
IL APPEARS that an expenditure Of $4,000 viii lie
required 70 repair the hulk Of the sultan, and that
the new guns and engines viii cost az least 100000
more The Admiralty hes not yet decided what to CO
with the rport, but tie members haVe been cas'u
with such prodicate exrravagance In the past that
would not surprise any one II they should order ths
million more OF dollars 10 be spent.
The United Service Gazette Of London, has .
long ard interesting article upon the designs OF the
American battleships II says The battle-ships OF
great endurance would constitute the basis of feel
for distant service having the power 20 attack points
on this side OF the Atlantic. The bateshlp Of limited
endurance would serve the purpose of keeping Amer
can ports open and destroying an enemys bases Of
supplies within 1000 miles OF the coast. The low
draft OF water OF the smaller ships would enable them
10 enter ports along the Southern coast which tho
larger vessels could not enter The main object Of all
these bate-ships the protection of the American
coast The article then proceeds TO crtciso
and admitting that tia
latter have the fighting power and protection stu
further developed than other vessels. and that they
would probably overpower any vessel OF the cruiser
deDendeut of the cost there Will matter OF cOurnc,
many dcultieS To overcome before American Naval
officers will obtain the realization OF their ideal hcet
Perhaps before then the solidarity ~ tie lcutohc
race in IFS three great acknowledgements England
and (iermany--will become more stable and the cir
cums'ances which az present appear 10 exist for me
AmcT.-a-S % regard the British nation as a possible
enemy Will have passed away or be greatly modified
textbook for the of the cadets on the French
training ship entitled sea Terms and Phrases in Eng
lsh and French by captain Of the French Navy, Is
very useful little book. but there many little slips
on the English Of the page which suggest that the
author was far too cochsurc of his ability 10 translate
These are little pitfalls for the French cadet and after
all they do not detract from the books value TO tho
Engllshman who does understand French. For
Instance "FigUrez vous rapparence' Is translated
" Describe tho appeaancc.r And the student is told
that the word "topgallant' Is 10 be pronounced
" tcuglante.r There has bocn no little confusion In
the world as 70 why thus word should be pronounced
"togalantr and that other words In the nautical
vocabulary should be chopped OH so abruptly But "
Is nautical