The Warwickshire Herald. — 1896-10-15 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

STRENGTHENING THE NAVY.  FOUR NEW CRUISERS ORDERED.  The Admiralty have just ordered four new firstclass cruisers of 11,000 tons displacement—the Argonaut, to be built and engined by Messrs. J. and G. Thomson, Clydebank; the Ariadne, to be constructed by the Fairfield Company, Glasgow; the Amphitrite, to be built by the Naval Construction and Armaments Company, Barrow-in-Furness; and the Spartiate. to be built at one of the dockyards. T 1... engines of the last-named are to be made by Messrs. 51audslay, Sons, and Field, London. The vessels (Engineering states) are to be of the same type as the Niobe, of which four were ordered last year, one each from the three companies named. The new vessels are to be 435 ft. long, 69ft. beam by 39ft. 9th. moulded depth. They will have fore. castle and a boat deck, but no poop. At 25ft. 3in. draught the displacement will be 11,000 tons. The armament will consist of 16 6in. quick-firers, 12 12-pounders of 12cwt, two 12-vmralers of &wt., three 3-pounders, eight •451 n. Maxims, with two submerged torpedo tubes, and one above water at the stem. 'rhe protection will be by a 3in. and 4in. deck, having a rise of 10ft, with coal bunkers below and above the deck, along the sides of the machinery and boiler compartments. There will be two sets of four-cylinder triple-expansion engines, Us' diameters of cylinders being 34in , 55iin., and two of 641 n., with a 48in. stroke. There will be 30 boilers in all. The contract price for each cruiser Is said to be about £445,000.  At Croydon, on Friday, Albert Wallace, 32, coachMO, of Bt. Andrew's-road, was remanded on a charge of wilfully setting fire to stables belonging to Dr. Neligan, of iligh-atreet. Wallace was discharged from Dr.Neligan's service on Thursday for drunkenness. Later in the day the stables were found to be on lice, damage being done to the extent of over £2,000. A Brussels correspondent says &painful impression has beer. caused there by the suicide of Vicomte Ivan de Floisj' ean a young French nobleman, who, i alter failing n his military career in France, settled in Brussels a few months ago. The deceased was found in his lodging shot through the heart, and surrounding circumstances leave no doubt as to his Intention. _ _ _  sir. Harney Barnet° hill presented Presided Kreger with two magnificent life-size marble lions, which have been erected in front of the Presidency. They are a birthday gift from Mr. liarnato, and also • souvenir of the Reform troublem.  ....,.... ...... Lord Rosebery has cancelled all fus engagement@ for political ,pe,•ches. The question of his successor In the leader.hip is producing much difference off opinion among prominent Liberals. Three members of the Wigan football team were fined at Lancaster for disorderly conduct at Morecambe Railway Station, and one of them was sent b 3 priion for two months for assaulting a railway official. . .  It is ruinoured that Itsnjitsinhil, the cricketer, will contest Brighton in the Liberal interest at the text election. - - -  ...... A new industry has been started on Fox Island, California. The industry is that of tnanufacturiag dogfish oil and fertiliser.  In the jungles of Stunatra the lar:est spldera are found. Sodse of the lar:er specimens meesure Enn. across the back and have 17in. of leg-spread. • •  Hftrthol, French Minister of the Interior, has sent his lier,011(1A to demand an explanation of some exprewions contained in an article by K. COrllUdet in Lb,. Lanterose. Meer-Admiral Church, who has been Admiral Supelintoident of bevonport Dockyard since August, 189. has, owing to pi.wed Ins resignation In the hands of the Admiralty. • • •  The Itali. Iliskiriter of 11:zu in; has consented.t?  the-ea-1-e 00VC11.11,:l. The veasel in luestion has only just ti,,eth : &own at the Sestri • POW ine aLiriyard.