NAVIES OF LITTLE ACCOUNT.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 8, Issue 26, 29 March 1907, Page 2

NAVIES OF LITTLE ACCOUNT.

Egypt, is one of the Powers which have not edicient warships, while the Republic of Ecaudor has a navy consisting of two old French despatch vessels—the “Papin ” and the ‘•.lnconstant ’ —built of wood and iron IHcSti, In addition t 0 this “squadron ” the Government possesses a torpedo-boat and two steam transport vessels.

Helgiuiu has a navy of packets, twelve such vessels of between 419 and 084 tons were built between 1870 and 1888, and constitute th.> power of Belgium on the sea. A lew years ago the calamity overtook Liberia of the total loss of her 'll ire n ivy. She had only two vessels—the “Grorronoinonah ” and the . ow n. i lie former sans as she lay at. anchor, and the other was wrecked.

impoverished Turkey has at various times placed contracts with shipbuilding firms for the construetit n ol vessels of war, and Krupp's the German gumuakers, are under contract to supply a large number ot quick-firing guns; but snmwhow tile ships fail to materialise. Bulgaria has a navy, { ,f eleven steamers 0 f small .size, of which on? is the FTince's yacht.

Haiti possesses a steel gun-vessel of 9dO tons, a gunboat of 250 tons, an iron corvette of 1,200 tons, a nd three iron or steel sloops of from 500 to 900 tons. Most of these vessels are armed with quick-firing machine guns.

Tlie navy of Morocco consists of a torpedo cruiser of about 1,200 tons displacement, 2,500 horse-power, 18kuot speed, and carrying two gum; and two gunboats of 450 tons. Persia has a i ,200-tnu despatch vessel, capable of attaining high speed, called the “Uetsepolis ” ami armed with five small breech-loading guns.

Peru has an armed vessel of 1,700 tons, and a screw steamer of 400 tons.

Neuman i a has finite a good navy as compared with some other an I larger nations, and enjoys the opulent luxury of a shipbuilding programme. The navy consists of a 1 .MOD-tons protected cruiser, a H")Ulon coni|)osile gunboat, six very small gunboats, six 95-ton coastguard vessels, a screw steamer of 240 tons, and six torpedo-boats of 21-knot speed, built, however, in ISB2. lioumania intends to build eight monitors of 500 tons, twelve torpedo-boats, and eight vedettes for the Danube, six coast-defence vessels of 0,500 tons, four destroyers of 300 tons and twelve torpedo-boats. Santa Domingo possesses three vessels. One of them—the ‘'Lnclependencia ” —was built in England in 1891 and carries seven Hotchkiss quickfiring guns. Venezuela has a gun-vessel of 832 tons, and this navy will he augmented some day by four river gunboats now in course of construction.

Three gunboats of 'l2-knot speed constitute the invincible navy of Uruguay—a force which would have a hard time with the mobilised fleet of Siam, which has two 800-ton corvettes, six gunboats, a 2,500-ton, deck-protected cruiser, armed with fourteen guns, and a 050-ton cruiser,