FRANCE. 



293 



and 34 smaller quick firers; and she is better pro- 

 tected, though the heavy plating is reduced to 

 13i inches. She is fitted with Belleville boilers. 

 A sister, the Suffren, is building at Brest. The 

 latest development in second-class battle ships is 

 the Henri IV, of 6,889 tons, armed with 1 12-inch, 

 10 5.5-inch, and 10 small quick-firing guns. The 

 newel- type of armored cruiser has been devel- 

 oped from the Dupuy de Lome, launched in 1890, 

 having a displacement of 6,305 tons, an armament 

 of 2 7.6-inch guns, 6 6.5-inch quick-firing guns, 

 and 20 small ones, and engines of 14,000 horse 

 power, giving a nominal speed of 20 knots. The 

 Latouche-Treville, Charner, Bruix, and Chanzy, 

 of 4,600 tons and upward, with curved turtle 

 decks, carry also 2 7.6-inch guns, but a smaller 

 secondary armament, and can make 18 or 19 

 knots. The Pothuau, of 5,275 tons, launched in 

 1895, has 10 5.5-inch and 18 smaller quick firers, 

 besides the 7.6-inch guns. The Foudre is a tor- 

 pedo cruiser, launched in 1895, with a displace- 

 ment of 6,090 tons, a powerful quick-firing arma- 

 ment, and engines capable of making 18 knots. 

 The D'Entrecasteaux, launched in 1896, is a pro- 

 tected cruiser of 8,114 tons, armed with 2 9.5-inch 

 guns and 12 5.5-inch and 12 small quick-firing 

 guns, and having engines of 13,500 horse power, 

 giving a speed of 19 knots. Higher speed was 

 aimed for in the Guichen, launched in 1897, which 

 has a displacement of 8,277 tons, a quick-firing 

 armament only, consisting of 2 6.4-inch, 6 5.5- 

 inch, and 10 smaller pieces, and engines of 24,000 

 horse power, capable of giving a sustained speed 

 of 23 knots. The Chateaurelault is an improve- 

 ment, being a little lighter and, while carrying 

 the same number of guns, making the same speed 

 with engines not quite so powerful. This is the 

 rate of speed marked out for the new armored 

 cruiser Jeanne d'Arc, which has a displacement 

 of 11,270 tons and engines of 28,000 horse power, 

 and is armed with 2 7. 6-inch guns and a second- 

 ary battery of 8 5.5-inch, 12 4-inch, and 26 small 

 quick firers; also in the protected cruiser Jurien 

 de la Graviere, of 5,500 tons, with engines of 

 17,000 horse power and an armament of 8 6.4- 

 inch and 12 1.8-inch quick firers. The Montcalm, 

 Dupetit-Thouars, and Gueydon are armored 

 cruisers of 9,517 tons, carrying 2 7.6-inch, 8 6.4- 

 inch quick-firing, 4 4-inch quick-firing, and 24 

 smaller guns, having engines of 20,000 horse 

 power, capable of making 21 knots. The Gloire, 

 Conde, and Sully, of the same class, are made a 

 little larger, 10,000 tons. The Kleber, Desaix, 

 and Dupleix, of 7,700 tons, with an armament 

 of 10 6.4-inch and 16 smaller quick firers, are 

 designed to make 21 knots with engines of 17,100 

 horse power. The vessels of the Gloire class have 

 a complete belt of armor, 6 inches at the water 

 line and thinner above, with armored decks hav- 

 ing a splinter-proof lining, and their 2 heavy guns 

 are mounted in armored turrets, the others in 

 casemates. The smaller cruisers are like these 

 in general design, and all are fitted with tubular 

 boilers. The newest French torpedo boats are 

 very fast, excelling even the Forban, which at- 

 tained a speed of 31 knots. 



Commerce and Production. The soil of 

 France is naturally fertile, and by diligent culti- 

 vation is made to produce a great quantity and 

 variety of crops. In 1897, when the product of 

 wheat was only three fourths of an ordinary 

 crop, and many other crops showed a like de- 

 ficiency, the yield of the principal agricultural 

 products was as follows : Wheat, 86,900,088 hecto- 

 litres; barley, 14,503,560 hectolitres; oats, 80,204,- 

 076 hectolitres; rye, 16,964,215 hectolitres; buck- 

 wheat, 9,372,470 hectolitres; maize, 10,713,182 



hectolitres; mixed grains, 3,096,871 hectolitres; 

 potatoes, 113,176,149 quintals; sugar beet, 77,- 

 617,324 quintals; other beets and turnips, 120,- 

 641,874 quintals; colza, 572,993 quintals; linseed, 

 133,060 quintals; flax, 186,990 quintals; hemp- 

 seed, 95,077 quintals; hemp, 233,303 quintals; 

 wine, 31,943,073 hectolitres; tobacco, 265,758 

 quintals; clover, 42,760,072 quintals; hay, 200,- 

 890,003 quintals. The total area of the vineyards 

 in 1898 was 1,706,513 hectares, larger than that 

 given up to potatoes or rye. The imports of wine 

 were 7,529,000 hectolitres, and exports only 

 1,774,862 hectolitres. The production of cider 

 amounted to 10,637,000 hectolitres. The value 

 of the chestnuts and walnuts, olives, cider apples, 

 prunes, and mulberry leaves produced in 1897 

 was estimated at 171,132,758 francs; of oranges 

 and lemons, grown in the departments of Alpes 

 Maritimes, Var, and Corsica, 1,140,355 francs. 

 The live stock at the end of 1897 comprised 2,899,- 

 131 horses, 205,715 mules, 361,414 asses, 13,486,- 

 519 cattle, 21,445,113 sheep, 6,262,764 hogs, and 

 1,495,756 goats. The production of silk cocoons 

 in 1897 was 7,760,132 kilogrammes. The export 

 of cocoons was 463,232 kilogrammes, valued at 

 4,053,280 francs; of raw silk, 4,142,009 kilo- 

 grammes, valued at 89,308,843 francs. The chief 

 mineral products are iron and coal. The num- 

 ber of separate mines in 1896 was 499; the total 

 value of the product, 345,092,580 francs. The pro- 

 duction of coal and lignite was 29,189,900 tons; 

 of iron ore, 3,409,372 tons; of pig iron, 2,340,000 

 tons; of finished iron, 829,000 tons; of steel, 917,- 

 500 tons; of zinc, 35,585 tons; of copper, 6,544 

 tons; of nickel, 1,545 tons; of aluminum, 370 

 tons; of silver, 70,479 kilogrammes. The silk 

 industry in 1896 employed 1,624,530 spindles for 

 throwing and 150,000 for spinning and 28,270 

 power looms, besides 39,165 hand looms. In the 

 cotton industry 4,024,811 spindles were at work; 

 in the woolen industry, 3,173,274 spindles, 5,593 

 carpet looms, and 11,714 power and 16,604 hand 

 looms for weaving cloth. The imports of woolen 

 yarns were valued at 10,800,000 francs, and ex- 

 ports at 24,100,000 francs; imports of woolen 

 cloth at 40,000,000 francs, and exports at 265,500,- 

 000 francs; imports of silk goods at 52,000,000 

 francs, and exports at 270,900,000 francs. The 

 number of sugar works in 1897 was 358; the pro- 

 duction of sugar was 668,545 tons. The produc- 

 tion of alcohol was 2,208,140 hectolitres. The 

 products of the fisheries in 1896 were valued at 

 101,624,792 francs. The codfish and oil brought 

 home amounted to 569,155 quintals; herring, 

 319,186 quintals. The cod fishers receive premi- 

 ums from the Government amounting to 4,983,- 

 000 francs per annum. 



The general commerce of France in 1897 had 

 a total value of 5,137,500,000 francs for imports 

 and 4,803,100,000 francs for exports. The value 

 of the special imports was 3,956,000,000 francs, 

 of which 1,029,000,000 francs represent food prod- 

 ucts, 2,319,000,000 francs raw materials, and 608,- 

 000,000 francs manufactured goods. The special 

 exports were valued at 3,598,000,000 francs, of 

 which 721,000,000 francs represent food products, 

 944,000,000 francs raw materials, and 1,933,000,- 

 000 francs manufactured goods. The principal 

 imports and their values in the special commerce 

 of 1897 were: Raw wool, 343,700,000 francs; wine, 

 280,300,000 francs; raw silk, 266,400,000 francs; 

 cereals, 247,400,000 francs; coal and coke, 189,- 

 500,000 francs; timber and wood, 154,600,000 

 francs; oil seeds, 135,600,000 francs; hides, skins, 

 and furs, 116,500,000 francs; coffee, 105,400,000 

 francs; ores, 62,700,000 francs; silk manufac- 

 tures, 52,000,000 francs; flax, 51,400,000 francs; 



