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The Engineer 339 O ct. 29, 1886. THE ENGINEER 339 THE NAVIES OF BRITAIN AND FRANCE. seas. Thisis a great error. We believe that our blows would as to England ’s defence, and in the case of France as the be found far-reaching and quick, if not very heavy; and enemy, raised in its most serious shape. Suffering and A portion of the French Press has latterly adopted a that no Power could carry out this class of undertaking with loss would be entailed on England, but nothing decisive threatening tone towards England. Our occupation of the ease and speed of England. Abyssinia, Ashanti, Egypt, could be effected at once, and it is hard to say what would Egypt has lasted too long, and has excited the jealousy of and the Zula War have all called into play the necessary follow. It might be that gradually the French vessels our neighbours. Hence we are told a war with England machinery for this class of operation, while such machinery would be captured. This is the more likely, as in order to would be popular, seeing that “no general mobilisation is habitually working in India. At the present moment stop our trade from the West they would have to act would be necessary”—we quote from the Standard —“ as we have about thirty thousand men in Burmah. The further from their base of operations than our own. Then an invasion of France was not to be apprehended, and state of the country, no doubt, has been the object of a again other nations would suffer as well as ourselves. When any landing of a French army in England need not be considerable measure of public attention; but who has we find that seven-eighths of the carrying trade of the world contemplated. The object of the war should be to vindi ­ heard of any trouble or effort in sending the troops there, is in British vessels, it exposes a very vulnerable object cate the rights and position of France as a Mediterranean or supplying them 1 The French, who come next to our ­ to attack undoubtedly, but at the same time an object that Power, and to effect this only the navy, and perhaps a selves, make more fuss about the transport of ten thousand concerns the world generally, and not England only. corps d'armee , certainly not more, would be needed. The men from Marseilles to Algiers than we do if we send Would the world put up with this ? The world in the landing of twenty or thirty thousand men in Egypt would double the number to the remotest habitable quarter of abstract is a useless element; but would the world remain not be a work of insuperable difficulty, and this would the globe. in this abstract condition ? We can well believe that some entail the capitulation of the small British force engaged It may be argued, however, that France lies between Powers are jealous of us, and would bear a good deal; but there. That once effected, England would probably be us and Egypt. To this we should promptly reply that this is hardly true of all. America, for example, would glad to sue for peace, especially as her navy was not now practically we are between France and Egypt, It is suffer much, and apart from the Irish element, America in a position to cope with that of France. ” Taking this as only necessary to take a step forward to prove it. would probably wish us well. At all events, the stoppage a sample, it is interesting to examine the data on which France, to send an army to Egypt, must get them past of the cotton trade to England would cause a serious pinch, the soundness of this statement can be tested ; that is to Malta and our Mediterranean Fleet, then land them. and this might soon lead to sympathy, which would be the say, to look briefly at the relative strength of the French French writers appear to think that they could defeat our more valuable as it might take the shape at first of assist­ and British navies, and at our general position in the ships, a thought which we regard as only admissible on ance by telegraph information and irregular means, and Mediterranean. Lord Brassey’s “Naval Annual, ” which is the supposition that they caught us at a disadvantage, and then possibly it might swell into something much more on the eve of making its appearance, deals with the rela­ used torpedo boats with all the success that their advocates definite. The consideration of this, however, would tive strength of the fleets of Britain and those of other anticipate. It is necessary, however, to dispose of our draw us on into the discussion of a large question Powers, and puts a quantity of statistics in a compact form. fleet completely and beat us very badly to get their force unconnected with the immediate subject of our article. Until this appears we must make the best of such infor ­ landed. Whoever turns to a list of naval stations —say in A war in this shape with France would be serious mation as we pick out and shape to our purpose. the “Illustrated Naval and Military Magazine ”—or picks it enough. France herself would feel the stoppage of The first part of the statement we quote we may pass out of the “ Navy List,” will find in the Mediterranean at this her trade sufficiently to prevent such a war being over. We think with the writer that the British are not moment the Dreadnought, the Agamemnon, Alexandra, popular for long, in spite of the light-hearted way in likely to invade France, and that the French are not likely Orion, Superb, Temeraire, and Polyphemus, with the which some French writers speak of it. We can only com­ to invade England. The matter to consider seriously is Thunderer at Malta. These constitute a very awkward pare this language with the suggestion of some of our own whether France could so easily dislodge us from Egypt by ' force to dispose of so completely that the whole expedition officers that we have not sufficient ships, and that on that landing thirty thousand men in that country. There are and its supplies can quietly go on and force a landing. account we ought to have war with France, seeing that in three main elements in this question. (1) The relative The Polyphemus has 17 knots speed; if torpedo ships are times past our navy was largely strengthened by sources strength of our fleets as to fighting power. (2) Power of to prove so good as to give the French a great advantage, of supply found at the Nile and Trafalgar, adding that it organisation of transport. (3) The geographical position what a very unpleasant adversary this vessel would be is a fact that before these events it appeared as if our fleet of our possessions and ports on the Mediterranean. These to a large and necessarily slow expedition, It is was decidedly inferior to that of France both in number and questions are too large to deal with except in the merest to be borne in mind that any delay either before or quality. All this sort of language being put aside, war with outline within the space at our command; but perhaps it after war is declared, greatly increases the difficulty. France would be a grim and terrible thing. We have little may be useful to furnish this so far as means admit of it. India is a few days more distant from Egypt than France, doubt that there is too much good feeling and good sense in We will commence with the fleets. but practically it is very much closer, seeing that forces France to provoke such a catastrophe; but the bare pos­ The statistics of the British and French fleets are and supplies could be poured in with the ease and security sibility ought to spur us on to the construction of the singularly elastic. Experience has shown that with a pur­ of peace operations before war was declared, and without classes of vessels specially suited to protect our commerce. pose in view and a robust conscience a writer can classify much trouble after it. To land thirty thousand men in the ships so as to show almost any result he likes. Sir Egypt, then, France would have to muster her fleet unper ­ British Armour-clads available in the Immediate Future. Edward Reed, by reckoning only the citadels of our ships, ceived in the Mediterranean, to make war without a week’s Date and ignoring the whole tonnage outside the citadel, and notice, and then, without any delay, to destroy the British Displace ­ Armament. Name. of Speed. ment. Primary guns. by selecting a limit of 15in. thickness to the armour, which Mediterranean fleet entirely. Otherwise, she would be launch. arm our. just took in the French Devastation and Foudroyant, and cut up at sea, and also have a force overmatching hers M a x im u m ^OOCOHHONCOOCO |XD excluded our Devastation, Thunderer, and Dreadnought, waiting for her in Egypt. It may be objected that part tons. {■JHHHHHrlrlHiHH HHHHHHHrHHHCO was able to show in his first class 126,288 tons of French of such a force must consist of native troops, who would Hercules.. 8,680 8 —18-ton M.L. CO Monarch .. 8,320 S o ? 2—24 „ OO shipping against 51,570 British. On the other hand, we not face Europeans. The French have not found their CO Audacious 6,010 10—12 „ CO own “ Chasseurs Indigenes ” much inferior to their own OO have seen the line drawn at such a point as to tonnage that Invincible 6,010 10—12 „ GO Ol Sultan 9.200 8 —18 „ CO the proportion may be reversed.
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