1874.| Loss of Life at Sea. 487 
As we now propose to show:—Mr. Reed wrote, ‘the 
steadiness at sea of our ironclads is due to their want of 
stiffness or stability;” also that it had been found that 
raising the centre of gravity tended to ‘‘check rolling, and 
that it was a popular fallacy to suppose the armour-made 
ships roll.” 
It was recommended by Mr. Froude with a view to reduce 
the tendency to roll to raise the centre of gravity of ships, 
and to distribute their weights towards their sides. 
Sir Spencer Robinson accepted the principle involved in 
these statements and writes :—‘‘ It is remarkable, that ac- 
cording to theory, the rolling of the ships being very much 
influenced by the position of the centre of gravity with regard 
to the metacentre, and by the moment of stability, the order 
of rolling of the French ships as observed follows that law.” 
The heat of the metacentre above the centre of gravity in 
these ships is as follows :— 
Armoured  Solferino, 4°5 ft. Armoured Couronne, 5°37 ft. 
Unarmoured Napoleon, 4’9 ,, ty Invincible, 6°36 ,, 
Armoured Magenta, 5:0 ,, ve Normandie, 6°59 5, 
Unarmoured Tourville, 5°31 ft. 
‘*This,” he says, is “‘ precisely the order of merit they have 
taken as to rolling.” The Solferino rolling least and the 
Normandie the most. 
Now we unhesitatingly affirm that there is nothing to 
justify the conclusion that these gentlemen have come to, 
viz., that the greater rolling was caused by the greater 
metacentric height, but the reverse. 
We accept the statement as to the performances of these 
ships as given by Sir S. Robinson. 
Ist. He says ‘‘that the Solferino is superior to all the ships 
of both squadrons,” but this includes the Achzlles, yet her 
metacentric height is only 31 feet, while that of the Solferino 
is 4°5 feet; therefore the theory breaks down; nor is this 
all, for the Solferino is nearly one-third smaller, 7.¢., of 
2600 tons less displacement, than Achilles, and, therefore, 
might reasonably be expected to roll more instead of less; 
and while they have the same extreme breadth, which is the 
disturbing dimension, the Achilles is go feet longer ! 
The decided superiority of Solfeyino must be due to the 
lower centre of gravity and greater metacentric height, and 
the weights being on her bottom tending to limit the arcs 
rolled through or to “ check rolling.” 
Again he states ‘‘that Achilles is quite as good as the 
Napoleon ;” what! not much better? Why the metacentric 
