The Caucasian., 1905-05-28
tbs FRENCH NAVY.
70 10 Aads o. Strong 40 che Navies
a Gho TvfHa0 Alliance, l.


- - Aade o. stronx 40 che Nsvie.
! a She Tsfsao Alliance.
y During the epcel:, debate on the
French na~Aa estimate NJ. Charles Bos
~arned The chamber Of deputies not to
be fed inte estimating the fighting value
of che navy By ieS nunerical strength
Aztec suppreSSing Host of tie vessels
Constructed before 1891, which could
no longer be eeSaritd as having anv
eeal value, Gle situaton Of she navy>
was, be said, becoming a precarious
one in view Of Che more Eapil progress
1 made by other countries. ana it VIA
therefore absolutely necessary TO re-
place TheSc units as soon as they hal
| beconN obsolete. " Thomson, the
oinister Of marnes seemed disposed Y$o
hcl>nlc tile Dew vessels. to re,laca
chose Going Ont Of service, in elle rro-
gramme of constructors o. be in,ro-
duccl eext year ". de Ianessan.
howegcr is Of Gle opinion that IL would
b. preferable g. bring "he navy IN o.
its 9uii Bun@rical s91rn-th nIepend-
emily of H.. programme, ani he has
just introduced a hilI foe the construc-
tion OF n NUMBER Of vessels, ehich are
TO be stapted upon ,iurisg Che present..
year. 1he bin provides for the build
ing Of six bataltship~ cf an Identical
type 70 form homoeeneous squadron,
and three aFnored cguisevs to consti-
tute homogeneous division. as well a,
CT = ip1vA HOv ~
4 number Of submersibles and subma.
rines 10 be 6xed D. The aonseil supe.
TieuP de fa narin@
In ITS general unes Che Oily aerely
confirms the estimates for construc.
tions recently voted except as regards
the addtsios of q number OF smaller
eraH. The sQuadron battleships aid
armored cruisers have already been
authorized b@ parliament, but the de-
stfosefs ana torpedo boats, although
provided tbr under the 1900 program4e
were noe Included b the 1905 budget
The 0in. therefore. win not entai9 any
considerable addition to the expendi-
ture recently eotea.
Thoaim % N. de xanessan is 70 start
upon the construction OF these vessels
in ehe present year and 20 insure chat
the sessels forming complete SQUAD
rons shan re built 20 exactly the same
type, 3or which purpose a clause is in
serted' in tile bill to the effect that the
dimensions and armaments of all these
vessels ere 20 figure in the law author
iZing 6eir construction and that no
subsequent changes Gag be carried out
unless sanctioned by new law. In
0e preamble to his bill NJ. de Lanessan
says that in 1903 France will possess
twenty-eight first class battleshps, Of >
which six were launched between 1875
ana 1SS? and with these vessels it will
only be possible to compose two squad
rons Of six battlrships. One of them
will not even he homogeneous. At the
same time England will have fiftv-two
first class batt,eships. all launched
since 1891. while Germany will have
twenty-five. The former minister Of
the marine says that there is no reason
for trying 10 rival England in the nuW-
Der Of ships under construction, Rm
France cannot afford to allow herself
70 Se outdstanccl by Germany and
nuse be capable Of more than holding
kcr own against the combined naval
forces Of Che triple alliance.-London
Enginee.
Cannibak Epicures.
Shat there is epicureanism among
cannibals was sAowu by Sir Harry
Johnston, the African explorer, lectur-
ing tecently before the Royal Geo.
graphical society oA Liberia, the in,
dependent coast land Of west Africa,
Which is tle euL Of northern Guinea.
Within tie Imits OF the forest, he
sai,k there was No doubt that canni-
balism prevailed. it was a marked
feature in the lie Of the Bella. These
people arc said 70 relish most keenly
Tho 4ands and feet, and this very
lain1y dish is usualts seq before king
u chief alone"
AnotheR interesting feature mention
ID WAS that ia alberta no one had ever
Observed complete nudity among either:
nen OK women. She minimum conces-
sion to clotLinS was 4 strip of bast
bark CLOTH from Il fig tree LiberianS
10 not wear dressed skins for gas
reason. i am sold,' said
lie lecturer, that 50 greedy are they
sfteI food that when any beast is
killed the hide j., FDuStrl and eaten."f
Sir Harcs says that the great wealth
II I.iber.l dos 10 its t'lbDcr. the trade
d which is there still in its Infancy
LonL % Mail.