Year: 1875

whatever universal peace societies may DO in the fu
turc the general armng Or Europe at present fact
that initiates against the successful solution Of the
question which the peaceful brotherhood declares 20 be
automatic Long strides are being made toward tho
opposite pole and the special pride and defence Of the
nsular and coast bound nations attracting the
attention and engenderng the formidable rivalry
OF countries whose seaboards limited and whose
aptitude for marine warfare has been In the past mat
OF sentiment than OF fact Whether armed
vessels deusons there win come an era Of Him
liable guns with consequential lmitable gun-defying
armor prognosticatc still for the impor
tance Of the question be gainsad Though is
impossible discuss II in the same popular way as
many equally important though less abstruse subjects,
yet few words upon its purely practical bearings
cannot be amss TO those whose special
opportunities or aptitude would enabo them
10 consider intelligently and with profit the
scientific and mathematical relations that surround it
Owing to apology OF fleet either armed
unarmed have not had attention called to these
discussions which abroad periodically opposi-
tion arguments, Parliamentary inquiries and news
paper criticism In England, especially, the lveest
interest is taken in all that relates the eet the
estimates or the First Lord OF the Admiralty are at
times scanned and criticised 50 closely as to cause
their discussion occupy the largest share Of the ex
ctement OF session and endanger fate or cab
tnets Dir Reed, late chief constructor OF the English
navy, and Ar Falrbairn the recognized English
authorities on this subject; France the and
best book. is LA Marine Cuirasee,n by P Discre.
translated in part BY Commander Meade or the navy


THE NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.


There can be no question Of the Importance of q
thoroughly built and equipped fleet an isolated mari
time country like England, anchored the edge Of
continent entrusted with the OF worldwide
ests and charged to maintain its power at a time when
the spirit Of invention s setting at naught all past
systems Of warfare mocking at every trace
and tradition Of the time when she won her naval
renown. France and Russia with their extensive sea
boards and Turkey with the and taboo OF tho
Bosphorus 70 maintain, keenly alive the necess
ties OF the hour; Italy crystallzed homogeneous
mass, strives with the instinct Of life for place
IN the scale Of nations. Germany jealous for every
advantage that blood and give is OF all foreign
countries, advancing rapidly, and has now a ncet
far superior and inferior only TO those OF
England France and Russia OF tho lesser Powers
glance at the table below will show their status and
when We learn that far Cathay striving for place
in the in which not even started
il is time for renecting men 10 ask
whittier America is tending. slortifying as the
declaration is, IT may wen be promised that
from occupying the first place eleven years ago. to-day
practically out Of Tie question The OF our
civil war found US with the best manned and best
equipped marine in the world; to-day, the best we
level with Peru and Denmark a little higher
than japan perhaps and long way after Brazil and
Italy on paper feet is very good, but it's real
efficiency and actual condition are well known to
shose intelligent foreign officers who are amongst US
taking, but not printing, notes II does require
any profound knowledge understand tho causes OF
this decay; the bitter opposition to all recommenda-
tons made Congress- the weak policy or the govern
ment and the preponderance OF politics in matters that
should be above the mire and ruck OF that profession
speak too plainly.


SIGNIFICANT FIGURES


few figures arranged IN tabular form may place our
position in truer light According TO the classiAca-
ton Of Dslere, armored ships may be grouped in four
divisions First ships Of the line OF battle (navres des
cadrel; second ordinary station ships tnayres
de statonl third ships for defence fourth iron
cased batteries for service lakes and rivers This
list embraces all that have been built to the date Of
publication Of his work, and has been modified SO as 10
include the numbers in each class the gross tonnage
and comparative standing for each nation based on the
number of vessels the guns class and the total
number, and the gun ratio Of each nation


STATISTICAL COMPARISON