THE BRITISH FLEET.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 956, 18 July 1877, Page 3

THE BRITISH FLEET.

[From the London “ Daily News.”]

According to the latest Admiralty returns, Great Britain is represented in the Mediterranean by seventeen men of war, besides several smaller vessels; but of these, two iron clads, the Hercules and the Triumph, are now on their way home. The Hercules, with Vice-Admiral Sir James Drummond on board, has been relieved by the Alexandria, bearing the flag of Admiral Hornby, who now holds the Mediterranean command. The latter lias with him eight other ironclads, namely, the Monarch, Hotspur, Pallas, Research, Rupert, Sultan, Swiftsure, and Devastation. The last mentioned is the most heavily armed and armoured turret-vessel in the whole of the Mediterranean waters, while the Alexandria, on the other hand, stands unrivalled as a broadside ironclad. Our Channel squadron which has been cruising off the Spanish coast, and has now been ordered home, consists of but four iron-clads —namely, the Minotaur, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Seymour; the Black Prince, the Defence, and the Resistance. On the China station there is just now a numerous British force, but most 'of the ships are but gun-vessels; the Audacious, with Admiral Ryder on board, being the only iron-clad of the fleet. There arc besides six corvettes and sloops, nine gunvessels, and several small gun-boats. The detached squadron, for particular service, under Admiral Lambert, is composed of four or five frigates and several despatch vessels. The North America and West Indies station, commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir Cooper Key, in the Bcllerophon, consists of half a dozen corvettes and sloops ; and the Pacific station, under Rear-Admiral De Horsey, has a similar number of vessels upon it. In the East Indies there are ten frigates, corvettes, and gun vessels, under the command of Sir R. McDonald, in the Undaunted ; and in Australia the commodore has five corvettes and other vessels under his orders. At the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa there are a dozan vessels to look after British interests under the command of Commodore Sullivan, but none of them are very powerful. Corvettes, gun-vessels, and gunboats are more useful than heavy ironclads, or big frigates, to protect trade upon the African Coast. Beside the insignificant channel ’squadron, there are many ships at Portsmouth and in the First Reserve available for the protection of the coast, already commissioned and ready to proceed to sea, but they are not attached to any special command ; and there are again others, like the Temeraire, the Dreadnought, and the Inflexible, which require but a few months to fit them for active service.