288 There are three other 18-ton turret ships of the fourth class, viz., the "Cerberus," belonging to the Victorian Government, and stationed at Melbourne, and the "Abyssinia" and "Magdala," belonging to the Indian Government, and stationed at Bombay. Un- From the experience of the American civil war and the cruise of armoured the " Alabama " was born the modern type of cruiser, the object cruisers, of these being to overtake and capture the cruisers of the enemy and to destroy his commerce. It is not supposed that they would be charged with a convoy. The "Inconstant," commenced in 1866, was the first of this class. With a view to retain the advantages of copper sheathing in com bination with the iron construction which was necessary in so long a ship, she was built of iron, of 5782 tons displacement, cased with wood in two thicknesses, and coppered. She was heavily armed, and attained a speed of 16 knots at full power. Her coal supply would last two and a quarter days at this speed, but it sufficed without the use of sail for forty-one days at 5 knots an hour. The "Active" and "Volage" were laid down at the same time on a reduced scale, and their speed was 15 knots. The "Shah" and "Raleigh," commenced in 1870, were of the same type as the Inconstant, " while the Boadicea, " Bacchante, " and Euryalus " were of intermediate type, 4140 tons displacement. They were all built of iron and cased with wood and sheathed. The " Iris" was commenced in 1875. She is remarkable as the first war vessel constructed entirely of steel. She was intended for an armed despatch vessel, and in order to obtain the highest speed it was imperative to use the lightest, or, in other words, the strongest, material in her construction. There was at this time, moreover, a great difficulty in getting uniformly good iron even at extravagant prices. On these grounds a mild steel was employed, which enabled her designers to put 7700 horse-power into a hull with a load displacement of only 3730 tons, and to attain the speed of 18-572 knots, with a length of only 300 feet. The sister ship, the "Mercury," did even more, realizing 18 876 knots, or nearly 22 miles an hour. The "Comus" was the first of nine vessels built in 1879, and called the C. class from the initial letter of their names. They have iron or steel bottoms, cased with wood, and iron or steel frames and internal fittings. The engines and boilers are protected by a 1^- inch steel deck over them, as well as by the coal as much as possible. They are smaller than the "Active" class, and are intended for foreign service. They are variously armed ; the "Canada" carries ten 6-inch guns on the broadside. The two foremost ones are mounted on central pivot carriages on sponsons or projections from the side. By this method they each cover half the horizon. The "Calliope" and "Calypso" are building on a somewhat larger scale. They will mount four 6-inch guns on sponsons, two forward and two aft, with ten 5- or 6-inch guns between them on the broadside. All are coppered. There are six of a class called the Gems, " of which the Ruby " is the type. They are composite vessels, with iron frames and wood planking, and sheathed with copper. The next is a new class, built entirely of steel on the lines of the "Iris," and described as second-class cruisers. All this class have twin screws, and their armaments are arranged in a similar manner to that of the "Calliope, "and in an open battery. The "Leander"of this class is of 3750 tons, 5000 horse-power, carries 700 tons of coal, and will have a speed of 16 knots. The "Mersey " is rather smaller, being of 3550 tons, but she has 500 horse-power more, and is expected to steam 17 knots. She will mount fourteen 6-inch guns, and has a covered battery. All the above-named vessels are protected by a steel turtle-back deck. In the "Mersey" class this deck will be carried through out the length. They will have the Whitehcad torpedo and two second class torpedo boats. There are, besides, numerous sloops and gun vessels, chiefly com posite. The floating gun-carriages of the "Staunch" type, designed by Mr Rendel in 1867 to carry an 18-ton gun, are small, low, mastless boats, with a speed of about 8 knots. The gunboats forming the " Mosquito" fleet in 1854 have mostly disappeared. The accompanying table gives a list of English unarmonred ships. The vessels named in italics have a protecting deck the " Mersey," " Severn," and " Thames " throughout, the others over machinery and magazines. Materials of Construction. Henceforward we have a new depar ture as regards the material for ships of war. As the iron displaced the wooden walls, so now steel is displacing iron. All the new ships, whether armoured or not, are of steel. A remarkable economy in cost has been effected by these means. The steel is so uniform in quality, and the manufacture is so precise, that there is fair competition, and therefore a nearly uniform rate all over the country, and this rate is only one-half of what was given for iron for the royal dockyards when the "Iris" and "Mercury" were commenced. At that date (1875) the contract price of Admiralty plates of a standard size was over 20 per ton. Iron plates supplied to the same specification, but not subject to tests, were supplied by different makers at prices differing from each English Unarmoured Ships.i Name. Dis place ment. Indi cated Horse power. M 1 Breadth. When Built. Material of Hull. Speed in Knots 2 Tons. ft. in ft. in Inconstant. 5,780 7,360 337 4 50 3 1868 Iron (sheathed 16-20 with wood). Raleigh 5,200 6,160 298 49 1873 H 15-32 Shah 6,250 7,480 334 8 52 16-20 Mersey (T). 3,550 6,000 300 46 Building. Steel. 17-00 Severn (T) . 3,550 6,000 300 46 17-00 Thames (T). 3,550 6,000 300 46 < 17-00 Active 3,080 4,010 270 42 1869 Iron (cased). 14-97 Amethyst.. 1,970 2,140 220 37 1873 Wood. 13-24 Bacchante.. 4,130 5,250 280 45 6 1876 Iron (cased). 15-00 Boadicea.... 4,140 5,290 280 45 1875 Iron (cased;. 14-70 Briton 1,860 2,150 210 36 1869 Wood. 13-13 Canada 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 Building. Steel and iron 13-00 cased with wood. Caroline.... 1,420 1,500 200 38 ( Composite. 13-00 Carysfort... 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 1878 Steel and iron 13-00 cased with wood. Calliope 2,770 3,000 235 44 6 Building. M 13-75 Caltijmo 2,770 3,000 235 44 6 ,, ( 13-75 Cleopatra .. 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 1878 Steel and iron 13-00 cased with wood. Champion.. 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 13-00 Comus 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 u 13-00 Conquest 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 , f 13-00 Est. Constance... 2,380 2,300 225 44 C Building. ,, 13-00 Est. Cordelia 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 1300 Curagoa 2,380 2,300 225 44 6 1878 13-00 Diamond.... 1,970 2,150 220 37 1874 Wood. 12-56 Dido 1,760 2,520 212 36 18C9 13-50 Druid 1,860 2,270 220 36 , 12-90 Eclipse 1,760 1,950 212 36 1867 " 12-90 Emerald 2,120 2,170 220 40 1876 Composite. 13-20 Encounter.. 1,970 2,130 220 37 1S73 Wood. 13-19 Euryalus.... 4,140 5,270 280 45 6 1877 Iron (cased). 14-72 Garnet 2,120 2,000 220 40 Composite. 13-00 Heroine 1,420 950 200 38 1878 13-10 Hyacinth 1,420 950 200 38 13-10 Juno 2,240 1,380 200 40 4 1867 Wood. 10-87 Modeste 1,970 2,180 220 37 1873 12-79 Opal 2,120 2,120 220 40 1875 Composite. 13-37 Pylades 1,420 1,500 200 38 Building. 13-00 Rapid 1,420 1,500 200 38 13-00 Hover 3,460 4,900 2-0 43 6 1874 Iron (cased). 14-53 Royalist 1,420 1,500 200 38 Building. Composite. 13-00 Ruby 2,120 1,830 220 40 1876 12-28 Sapphire 1,970 2,360 220 37 1874 Wood. 13-58 Satellite 1,420 950 200 38 1879 Composite. 13-10 Tenedos 1,760 2,040 212 36 1870 Wood. 12-80 Thalia 2,240 1,600 200 40 4 1869 11-14 Thetis 1,860 2,270 220 36 1871 13-39 Tourmaline. 2,120 1,970 220 40 1875 Composite. 12-62 Turquoise... 2,120 1,990 220 40 1876
12-32 Volage 3,080 4,530 270 42 1869 Iron (cased). 15-08 Iris (T) 3,730 7,000 300 46 1877 Steel. 18-00 Mercury (T; 3,730 7,000 300 46 1878 M 18-00 Leander (T) 3,748 5,000 300 46 Building. n 16-00 Phaeton (T) 3,748 5,000 300 46
,, 16-00 Arethusa(T) 3,748 5,000 300 46 H ,, 16-00 AmpMon (I ) 3,750 5,000 300 46
16-00
Scout (T)
1,430
3,200
220
34
B
16-00 Albatross.... 940 840 160 31 4 1873 Composite. 10-51 Alert 1,240 310 160 31 11 1856 Wood. 7-68 Cormorant.. l,l:>0 950 170 36 1877 Composite. 11-31 Daring 940 920 160 31 4 1880 10-64 Dragon 1,140 1,010 170 36 1878 11 52 Dryad 1,620 1,570 187 36 1866 Wood. 11-87 Egei ia 940 1,010 160 31 4 1S73 Composite. 11-30 Espiegle 1,137 900 170 36 Building. 11-50 Fan tome 940 970 160 31 4 1873 ,, ll-Ofi Fawn 1,050 480 160 31 10 1856 Wood. 9-36 Flying Fish. 940 840 160 31 4 1873 Composite. 10-96 Gannet 1,130 900 170 36 1878
11-53 Kingfisher... 1,130 900 170 36 1879 , 11-60 Miranda 1,130 900 170 36 ,, , 11-50 Mutine 1,137 900 170 36 Building. , 12-00 Osprey 1,130 1,010 170 36 1876 , 11-20 Pegasus 1,130 970 170 36 1878 , 11-47 Pelican 1,130 1,060 170 36 1877 , 11-60 Penguin 1,130 760 170 36 1876 ji 10-00 Sappho 940 880 160 31 4 1873 M 10-59 Wild Swan.. 1,130 800 170 36 1876 Composite. 10-35 Enchantress 1,000 1,320 220 28 2 1862 Wood. 14-02 Helicon 1,000 1,610 220 28 2 1865
13-05 Vigilant 1,000 1,810 220 28 2 1871 . 13-27 Hecla 6,400 1,760 391 7.4 38 9i urchased Iron. 11-70 in 1878 Vesuvius(T) 244 390 90 ^2 1874 M 9-71 Bittern (T; 3 805 850 170 29 1869 Wood. 10-70 Algerine 4 ... 835 810 157 29 6 1880 Composite. 10-50 Flirt (1)5.... 603 530 155 25 1867 " 9-68 1 Those marked (T) have twin screws. The "Enchantress," "Helicon," and " Vigilant " have paddles. 2 These are speeds at measured mile, at load draught of water, either ascer tained or estimated. 3 In this class, of tonnage 805, there are 3 gun-vessels. 4 In this class, of tonnage 720 to 950, there are 16 gun-vessels. 5 In this class, of tonnage 603 to 756, there are 9 gun-vessels. There are 74 gunboats of tonnage from 180 to 560.
