288 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



mander in war for the first corps, in that his ap- 

 pointment was described as a preliminary to his re- 

 tirement. He replied in an angiy speech to his as- 

 sailants, and when, yielding to the outcry, the Gov- 

 ernment canceled the appointment, another storm 

 of reproaches broke out, and the officer, who was 

 liked in society and in the army, became a popular 

 hero, Major-Gen. Sir John P. D. French was as- 

 signed to the command of the first army corps. 

 The War Office will henceforth be constituted very 

 much as it was before the last transformation, 

 with the Secretary of State as president of the 

 council, the eominander-in-chief next, and as 

 other members the Parliamentary and Permanent 

 Under-Secretaries. the Financial Secretary, the 

 Quartermaster-General, Inspector-General of Forti- 

 fications. Director-General of Ordnance, Adjutant- 

 General. Director-General of Mobilization and In- 

 telligence. Director-General of the Medical Depart- 

 ment, the Secretary of the Council, and any staff- 

 orticers that may be specially summoned. An ex- 

 ecutive committee is constituted, consisting of the 

 Permanent Under-Secretary and the deputy chiefs 

 of the several departments, who will consider all 

 important matters concerning more than one de- 

 partment, and each department will have its spe- 

 cial committee, to report to the Permanent Under- 

 secretary. The Director-General of the Medical 

 Department is added to the Army Board, which, in 

 addition to its present duties, will consider the 

 annual estimates of each department and the allo- 

 cation of sums allotted for military purposes, the 

 establishments of officers and men of the regular, 

 militia, yeomanry, and volunteer forces, and any 

 bubject submitted for discussion by the com- 

 mander-in-chief or the chief of a department. 



The army estimates for the year ending March 

 31, 1902, provide for a total expenditure of 87,- 

 915,000, about 1,000,000 less than the expendi- 

 tures, including supplementary estimates, for the 

 year ending March 31, 1901. The war expenses 

 were computed at 58,230,000, against 64,7.36,- 

 000 in the previous year. Permanent additions 

 and automatic increases of expenditure make the 

 ordinary expenditure 25,450,000, not including 

 the additions proposed in the new army scheme, 

 the expense of which was estimated at 1,912,000, 

 nor the annual installment for the rearmament of 

 fortresses and the accumulation of stores ap- 

 proved by Parliament in 1901. 



The Navy. There were 14 first-class battle- 

 ships completed on Jan. 1, 1901; launched, but 

 not ready, 7; building or projected, 8; second- 

 class battle-ships ready for service, 12; third-class 

 battle-ships ready, 11; armored cruisers, 6 com- 

 pleted, 8 launched and completing, and 6 building 

 or authorized; protected cruisers, 125 completed 

 and 2 building; torpedo gunboats, etc., 33 com- 

 pleted; destroyers, 96 completed, 1 launched, and 

 12 ordered; first-class torpedo-boats, 11 ready and 

 4 building; second-class torpedo-boats, 71; tor- 

 pedo-vessels, 2; antiquated battle-ship, 13; coast- 

 defense vessels, 10; third-class torpedo-boats, 95. 

 In the year ending March 31, 1901, there were 

 under construction 15 battle-ships, 20 armored 

 cruisers, 2 second-class cruisers, 8 sloops, 41 de- 

 stroyers, 4 torpedo-boats, and 1 royal yacht. 

 There were 174 vessels in commission on Jan. 1, 

 1901, of which 43 were in the Mediterranean and 

 the Red Sea, 14 formed the Channel squadron, 15 

 were stationed on the coast of North America and 

 in the West Indies, 10 in the East Indies, 30 in the 

 China seas, 16 at the Cape of Good Hope and on 

 the west coast of Africa, 8 in the Pacific, 12 in 

 Australia, 4 on the southeast coast of America, 

 11 were on particular service, 7 were on survey- 

 ing service, and 4 formed the training squadron. 



The estimates of 1901 provided for 82,821 offi- 

 cers and men on sea-service, 4,200 in the coast- 

 guard, 1$,590 marines, 1,531 officers and men and 

 215 marines on other services, 1,003 pensioners, 

 and 6,520 boys in training, making a total of 114,- 

 880 of all ranks, an increase of 4,240 over the pre- 

 vious year. The estimates of 1902 provided for a 

 further increase of 3,745 officers and men, making 

 the total number of 118,635. The sum voted for 

 the navy was 30,875,500, against 28,791,900 

 in 1901. The ship-building vote showed an in- 

 crease of 1,274,900. 



The vessels built since 1896, including the 

 Canopus class, are fitted with water-tube boilers. 

 Construction of the later ships of this class and 

 those of the newer Formidable class, as well as 

 armored cruisers, destroyers, etc., was delayed 

 by the engineering strike. The Formidable, 

 launched at Portsmouth on Nov. 17, 1898, the 

 Irresistible, launched at Chatham in December, 

 1898, and the Implacable, built at Devonport, are 

 improved Majesties having a displacement of 14,- 

 700 tons, driven by 15,000 horse-power, developing 

 a speed of 18 knots, and armed with 4 12-inch 

 guns in barbettes, and 12 6-inch and 16 3-inch 

 quick-firers. According to the program for 1899 

 3 others of this class have been built. The Lon- 

 don was launched in September, 1899, and was 

 followed by the Bulwark and the Venerable. A 

 supplementary program called for 4 more battle- 

 ships of 14,000 tons, and 2 have since been added. 

 The vessels of this class are named the Duncan, 

 Cornwallis, Russell, Exmouth, Montagu, and 

 Albemarle. They have 11 -inch armor, an arma- 

 ment of 4 12-inch, 12 6-inch, and 12 3-inch guns, 

 and engines of 18,000 horse-power, capable of 

 making 19 knots. The Canopus, Ocean, Goliath, 

 Albion, Glory, and Vengeance displace 12,900 

 tons, carry 4 12-inch guns, 12 6-inch quick-firers, 

 and 6 12-pounders, and with 13,500 horse-power 

 make 18| knots. The protected cruisers Powerful 

 and Terrible, of 14,200 tons, armed with 9.2-inch 

 guns fore and aft and 12 6-inch quick-firers, 18 

 12-pounders, and 12 3-pounders, have made 22 

 knots with 25,000 horse-power. The Dido, Doris, 

 Isis, Furious, Gladiator, Vindictive, Arrogant, 

 Hermes, Hyacinth, and Highflier, of 5,600 and 

 5,750 tons, have powerful quick-firing armaments, 

 and can steam 19 and 19^ knots. The Diadem, 

 Andromeda, Niobe, Europa, Spartiate, Argonaut, 

 Amphitrite, and Ariadne, of 11,000 tons, carry 

 quick-firing guns only, 16 6-inch, 14 12-pounders, 

 and 20 small ones, and .with 16,500 horse-power 

 engines are designed to make 20 knots. The 

 Cressy, Hogue, Aboukir, Sutlej, Euryalus, and 

 Bacchante, armored cruisers, of 12,000 tons, have 

 21,000 horse-power engines, giving a speed of 21 

 knots, and have the same main armament as the 

 Powerful. The Kent, Monmouth, Bedford, and 

 Essex, also armored, armed with 14 6-inch quick- 

 firers and 13 small ones, displace only 9,800 tons, 

 but have engines of 22,000 horse-power, giving a 

 speed of 22 knots. They are 440 feet long, with' 

 66 feet beam and 24J feet draught, and* have 4 

 inches of armor on their sides. The armored 

 cruisers Drake, King Alfred, Leviathan, and Good 

 Hope have 14,100 tons displacement, and will have 

 engines of 30,000 horse-power, expected to develop 

 a speed of 23 knots, with an armament a little 

 stronger than that of the Powerful. The Ber- 

 wick, Cornwall, Cumberland. Donegal, Lancaster, 

 and Suffolk, armored cruisers of the same size as 

 the Kent class, have 14 7.5-inch quick-firers and 

 many small ones. The Encounter and Challenger 

 are new protected cruisers of 5,600 tons, able to 

 make 19 knots and carry 11 6-inch and 15 small 

 quick-firers. The Queen and the Prince of Wales 



