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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
turrets, where the side armour is increased to 8 inches instead 
•of 7-inch, as in other parts. The turrets of both vessels are of 
nearly equal strength — namely, 8-inch plates — except at the 
ports, where 10-inch plates are used. This armour is supported 
by 10 or 11 -inch backing, and l^-inch skin-plating in the 
Monarch, and 1-inch skin in the Captain. The low upper 
deck of the latter vessel, being exposed to injury from the 
depressed fire of an enemy, has also to be protected ; and for 
this end is covered with 1^-inch or 1-inch plating. The Mon- 
arch's upper deck obviously does not require similar protection, 
being so much higher. This condition also renders any jam- 
ming of the turrets much less probable in the Monarch than in 
the Captain. 
The turret armaments of both ships are of equal power, and 
consist of four 25-ton 600-pounder rifled guns. But in both 
the range of the guns in a horizontal direction — that is, techni- 
cally, their “ arcs of training” — is limited. The original idea 
of a turret-ship was that she would possess c£ all-round fire ” — 
in other words, that her guns could be pointed at an enemy in 
any and every direction ; but the necessity of protection from 
the weather or from the sea — in short, the fitting the turret- 
ships for ocean-going purposes, has induced modifications which 
very largely restrict this essential quality, and leave now but 
very little difference between the utmost extent of the hori- 
zontal range of the guns in turret and broadside ships. The 
poop and forecastle of the Captain , for example, prevent the 
turret-guns from being trained nearer to the fore and aft direc- 
tions than angles of 23 degrees forward and 25 degrees aft. 
In the Monarch a similar limitation occurs, The latter ship, 
however, possesses absolute fore and aft fire in the 6^-ton guns 
(115-pounders), carried as bow and stern chasers in the pro- 
tected batteries previously referred to ; while the Captain has 
no fore and aft fire from 6( protected guns ” — a very important 
deficiency in an armoured ship — although she does carry two 
similar 6^-ton guns on the forecastle and poop, which would be 
of service at long ranges. The “ all-round ” protected fire 
which the Monarch in this way possesses, and her greater 
capacity for fighting in a sea-way, obviously render her superior 
to the Captain in offensive powers ; and although the Monarch 
may be slightly inferior to her competitor in the strength of 
some portions of the side-armour, she is, on the whole, a more 
efficient war-ship. She is, of course, larger and more costly ; but 
she is also more commodious and more speedy, and these qualities 
are most important in fighting ships. 
The Monarch is the fastest iron- clad yet built. She is driven 
by engines of 1,100 horse-power nominal, working up to about 
seven times, and on her measured mile trial made very nearly 
