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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
gradual erosion of the vent. This erosion very rapidly widens 
the vent, and at last disables the gun, and the fire has to 
be suspended until it is revented. Thus this system of firing, 
which has been invented by Capt. Noble, R.A., would greatly 
increase the efficiency of the gun. 
Some idea of the amount of ammunition required for the 
81-ton gun will be given by the following calculation : — Let us 
suppose that in an action the Inflexible would fire only ten shots 
from each of her guns; she would use up more than 1,300£. 
worth of ammunition, burn upwards of 100 barrels of pebble 
powder, and hurl nearly thirty tons of iron at the enemy. 
As a new type of man-of-war, we may sum up the leading 
features of the Inflexible as follows : — The armour is confined to 
the central fighting portion, and to the main substructure which 
floats the ship. An armoured deck, seven feet under water, 
divides the vessel into two separate portions. The unarmoured 
ends are so constructed that the vessel will float even when 
they are penetrated. The ship has a wide beam and a com- 
paratively light draught. The deck-houses give a high bow 
and stern, and the turrets are so arranged as to enable all 
four guns to be fired both ahead and astern, or on either beam. 
The Inflexible has been accepted as the type of our future 
line-of-battle ship; a few years may perhaps introduce into 
naval warfare such changes as to render the principles 
on which she has been constructed obsolete. But with our 
present knowledge no better design could be adopted, and 
already the Grovernment has determined on immediately laying 
down two new ships of the same type, but of smaller size. They 
are to be called the Ajax and the Agamemnon. Their dis- 
placement will be about 8,000 tons — that of the Inflexible is 
11,000. They will carry 18-inch armour on the central section, 
and two 38-ton guns in each of their turrets. 
Note. — T he deck-plan of the u Inflexible” is only a rough sketch in- 
tended to show the arrangement of turrets, decks, &c., in order to obtain a 
fire, ahead, asters, and on either beam, for all four guns. 
