250 
POPULAR SCIENCE REYIETF. 
It is obvious that there is no use in one ship directly attacking 
another whose plates are entirely beyond the power of any guns 
that can be brought to bear on her ; there are other questions, 
however, that are not so easily disposed of. For example, when 
two ships engage, as we may assume will commonly occur, who 
have the power, under favourable circumstances, of piercing each 
other’s sides, how far will a more powerful gun enable a vessel 
with thinner armour to hold her own by engaging at longer 
ranges than suits her adversary ? This is important, as affecting 
the question of what benefit our lighter-plated vessels would 
derive if we put more powerful guns in them. The matter that 
concerns us chiefly, however, is, first, under what conditions 
would a heavily-plated ship, such as the Inflexible , go into 
action against vessels now afloat, or against such as are known 
to be building. Of vessels at present afloat, the most powerful 
in our own navy are the Devastation , Thunderer , and Glatton , 
carrying 14-inch and 12-inch armour and 38 and 35-ton guns, 
throwing 600-lb. shot. 
The ships carrying the thickest armour among the navies of 
foreign Powers that we can hear of as at present afloat are, the 
Russian circular ships, Admiral Pojpoff and Novgorod , the 
former carrying plating and iron girders, &c., which Mr. Eeed 
estimates as equivalent to 18 inches of iron, and the latter 
armour equivalent to 11 inches. With the 12 inches backing 
and edge plates of the 1^-inch skin, our 14 inches of armour, 
which includes the bare thickness of the front plate, is probably 
quite a match for the former, and probably the guns of the 
Fojpoff are not nearly as powerful as the 35 and 38-ton guns in 
our ships. Russia is, however, building a notable ship, the 
Great Feter , which is to carry 15 inches of armour and 
40-ton guns. She, therefore, ought to be rather more -than a 
match for the Thunderer whenever she is afloat ; but there has 
been much delay and disappointment, and it may be questioned 
whether we are justified in assuming that she will come up to 
this standard in all respects. The Turkish navy has ships with 
12 inches of armour and 9 inches of armour. The French have 
nothing afloat with more than 8J inches and 21 -ton guns ; but 
they have vessels building with 15 inches and 12 inches armour 
and 21 and 35-ton guns. The Italians have two enormously 
powerful ships building, the Duilio and Dandalo , which are to 
carry guns of 100 tons and armour of from 22 inches to 16 inches, 
we believe, on various parts. 
Probably, then, when the Inflexible comes into the service 
with armour of from 24 to 18 inches, and 80-ton guns, she will 
find two Italian ships whose guns ought to be more than a 
match for hers, and whose armour is but little inferior. Until 
trials take place with 100-ton guns, we are not in a position to 
