THE ENGLISH NAVY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2054, 4 February 1889, Page 2

THE ENGLISH NAVY

[PBB PRKBS ASSOCIATION ]

London, February 2Lord Brassey, m addressing a meeting of the London Chamber of Commerce, urged that the Imperial Government should be requested to immediately commence the construction of four first-class ironclads and ten of the second class, at a cost of seven and a half millions sterling. At their completion, he thought England should also undertake to build several cruisers and battle ships which would be twice as fast as the best of the French fleet, the cost to be about a million and a half, The Admiralty also required to adopt m existing battle ships the modern pattern of boilers and engines. Lord Brassey m a resumd of the Navies of Great Powers expressed the opinion that England was not m a position to resist the combined fleets of France and Russia. He added that vessels like the Valiant, Defence, and Hector were worth being put m proper repair for the defence of such harbors as Adelaide.

Admiral Hornby, who spoke after Lord Brassey, declared that upwards of a hundred fast cruisers were necessary to protect the commerce of Great Britain and act as scouts for the Navy.