The San Francisco call., 1897-03-01
NEWS OF FOREIGN NAvIES.

The British battle ship Canopus, building al
the Pembroke dockyard, is to be completed in
twenty months. During the first four weeks
after the keel was laid 6O2 tons of material
was put up in the HULL
schichau. at Elbing, Prussia, is building six
152-feet torpedo-boats, with 230O horse
power, for the German navy and four torpedo
boat destroyers for China, which are 1913 feet
inches in length, have horsepower OF
600 and are to have speed of 80 knots.
The Corrientes, torpedo boat destroyer built
in England for the Argentine Republic, left
London February for her voyage TO Buenos
Ayres. but returned to Portsmouth three days
later, having met with severe weather IN the
Bay OF Biscay. The craft leaked considerably
and the machinery got out of order. Her
repairs will be considerable.
Yu Lu, Tartar general of Foochow and I'm.
perial High Commissioner of the Foochow ar
senal has reported to Peking that he has ar
ranged for the. purchase of centrifugal pumps,
hydraulic lift for the patent slip, shears and
machinery for lifting heavy guns. ETC., and
states that with the addition Of modern ma
chine tools the arsenal will soon'be able to
turn out modern warships of steel and also
battle-ships of small size.
The Centurion, first-class barbette, armored
ship of the British NAVY, lately attached to the
China squadron, had four hours sea trial re-
Gently, during which she averaged 1S.2knots,
and for half an hour worked up to 10 knots.
She is rated in Brassey's at "1S.5 knots by
log" and her recent performance 10 certainly
very satisfactory, indicating as it does that the
engines and boilers have been well cared for
during the three years OF commission.
The Chinese Goverhmens has seeared the
services of Commander +. G. Dundss of the
royal navy, with the permission of the British
Government 1t was necessary, however, for
the Chinese first to apologize 10 the British
Foreign Office for the treatment to which the
former English officer lent to China he been
subjected, and the newly appointed officer will
be solely under the immediate orders of the
Viceroy of Chill, to whom he will alone be re.
sponsible. Commander Dundas will leave for
China early in March. =.
The Yashima, battle-ship for the japanese
navy, building at Armstrong;, Elswick, IS
nearly ready for her trial trip. She presents
many novel improvements over ships of simi-
lar class and will be very formidable. Her
dimensions are 372 feet length, 70 feet q
inches beam ana 26 feet 3 inches main
draught. disp,acing 1920 tons. The armor
belt. of Harveyized STEEL is 226 feet in length
8 feet in depth and ranges from 15 to Ia
inches in thickness. The barbettes and con.
ming tower are IA inches thick. The arma-
ment consists of four 12inch rifed guns ten
6-inch, fourteen 3-pounders and ten 215
Founders, all, OF course, rapid firers. Under
natural draught the speed is expected 10
reach t6s4 knots and 1SH knots under forced
draught. The coal-bunker capacity is 1900
tons in sea-going draught.
The gunnery trials OF the Chilean cruiser
Esmeralda took place yesterday off the mouth
OF the Tyne and proved satisfactory. The Es-
meralda was built by Sir w. G. Armstrong &
Co., and she is the most heavily armored
cruiser in existence and with the exceptional
speed under natural draught of % knots. She
is of 1900 tons displacement, has Harveyized
steel belt, and carries two S-inch, sixteen
6-inch, six I2-pounders of 40 caliber, two IL
Founders OF 23 caliber, nine 6-pounders. two
3-pounders and fonr Maxim Nordenfelt guns.
all being quick firing. ELECTRICITY is used for
training the heavier guns and for hoisting
shells and ammunition. The severe test OF
firing an 8-inch aud four six-inch guns stimuli
taneously in the line OF keel fore and aft was
done without any damage whatever to the
ship, not even the ornamental wood work of
the cabins below deck showing any signs OF
starting.