The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-02
THE BRT7JSH NAVY or YC-Dir
The Advance That Has Been Made TN II
Hurting the Las: slx Ncnrr.

WASHINGTON. July 30. -Whilo the discussion
OF the naval progress of the United states WAS
| recently going on In Congress, the British pub
lie were engaged in Il similar review Of tho
growth Of their fleet during tho last half n
dozen years. Tho occasion was the appoar.
nncc OF Lord Salisbury's manifesto. in which
h dwclt upon the advance that had bcen made
in the ships and guns Of tho royal navy since
he took Office in 1886: and the result WIS 10
show clearly what the British sca strength ia
at tho present time.
In 1886 Great Britain had ~ battle ships and
armored cruisers. carryin. 49, muzzle.l oaL-
ing and AL brecch .londin@ suns. and 722
small. duick-iirc mud machine guns. There
wore then no largo Iuick-hrn guns whatever.
Tho maximum speed of tho battle ships was
lOi knots and thor total displacement 524.-
80 tons. In that list wcro 10 vessels which
had never been to sea and wcro in various pro-
cesses OF construction. somo OF them only
Just laid down. These 10 vessels comprised
loS.5Oo tons. so that ths available displacc-
ment in 1886 was reduced by that amount.
We find to-day. with three of tho old iron
clads withdrawn. u remaining total IT seventy
nino battle ships. armored cruisers. and coast
defcnse vessels. with an aggregate displace-
ment Of G43.7G tons. Tho maximum speed
OF these vessels has risen to eighteen knots.
All the guns that have been added are brooch
loading. and against l4l of these in 1893, there
are 391 to day. Tho machine and small quick
fire guns have bocn moro than doubled 80 that
in place Of 122 in 1886 there are now 5l3
The heavy luick-tre pieces Of 4.7-nch and g.
inch calibrcs. which did not exist ut all in
1885. now number 1872.
If We examine in detail this list OF now
armorclads We find. to begin with. tho eight
great armorcads. Hood. Empress OF India,
Ia mi Inf u.
Oak. and Royal Sovereign. The last named is
finished. the first four are completing. and tho
other three arc building. Each of these enor-
nous vessels OF IA. $50 tons carries four 13ts-
inch guns. ten C-iuch quick fire guns and
thirtv-tnrce machine guns. They will have
speed of at least Tx knots. tho Royal Sover-
e!gn. the pioneer OF the class showing -
knots. still. while these vessels surrass our
own Indiana. Massachusetts. and Oregon in
speed the latter are believed t. be superior in
aggregate battery power. BESIDES these eight
vessels Lord Salisbury's administration has
aided the Barileur and Centurion. armor-
!nch guns. ten 4.7-inch uuick-frc guns. and
ttwcnty-i2Tr pieces in the secondary battery.
They VIII DO nunched next month, and their
Tho ~ ships not completed in 1896 arc now
llnishod. and. in fact. all of tho 4, vessels OF
will nave been launched By. tho end of this
year, the net difference IN increment being
turning to unnrmorod vessels. We find that
in 1886 these numbered 1lS. having nm aggro-
gate Of 2lS."14 tons di-p!accment. They wero
armed with AS muzzle-loahing and so
breech-loaiing guns besides 724 In tho sec
1ondary, batteries. The highest speed was
Is 3-5 knots.
In 1892 We find total Of 2l2 unnrmored
GTfuffers; having ran an aEg:Ggate q 40: 2e2 tons
fallen of, to lGs. but tho brooch !oaders have
increased to 7s9. while 40 heavy quick lro
guns have been added, The secondary bat
IN ~ IN md fbn
maximum speed has increased to 20t. knots
The balance IN favor q lS!,2 in unarnlored
vessels is 81 ships. OF I35.3lS tons and 1,43l
guns: Tho displacement has more than dou-
nled in this period and the battery power has
had corresponding growth. while tho ad-
vance in speed is also notable
OF course. there have been minor details OF
progress. Thus the old Nordenfedt machine
guns have given way to the G-pounder and =
FOUNDER liotrhkiss. Some OF the old ironcluds
have been ro-cngined. remasted. reitted. and
partly renrmed.. The Introduction OF quick
fire heavy guns is al unluestlonable gain.
These facts indicate that while the pcssi-
mists have n good deal to say about the Lecn-
dencc Of the british navy. MS compared with
that OF other nations. it hns been growing very
fast in absolute. whatever may be the facts as
to relative, strength.