STATE of AFFAIRS m BELGIUM.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 723, 13 October 1870, Page 2

STATE of AFFAIRS m BELGIUM.

(PEE GBEYILLE AND CO.'s TELEGKAM COMPANT.)

Brussels, August 9. The general elections for the Belgian Parliament took place on the 3rd August. The Liberals were nearly everywhere defeated. The country people flocked to tho towns or polling places, led by the priests, and the Catholics, or Ultramontane parly, have now a majority of twenty votes in both Houses. A revolution is feared.

Serioua disturbances have already taken place in Ghent and Antwerp. In Antwerp, the people gathered in front of one of the King's palaces, shouting " Vive la Belgique !" " A basle Eoi!" and the burgomaster, who was trying to restore order, was insulted.

The people went to attack tho convents, and the Jesuits had their windows Binashed by the throwing of stones

The Parliament had been dissolved, and was convoked again on August 8. The King became unpopular for having accepted a Cabinet composed of Ultramontaues and mon inexperienced in political matters, when, in presence of the situation of Europe, tried men should have been called to the front.

The nation generally protests against the dissolution of the Chambers, which brought on the disturbance and crisis.

In Brussels, cries were heard of "Vive la Belgique independante!" "Vive la Republique!" "A has le Boi!"

Business is stopped altogether. In Antwerp, a stock of 00,000 bales La Plata wool (a quantity equal to about 140,000 bales Port Phillip) remains unsaleable.

The banks have withdrawn every facility for credit.

The Count of Flanders has subscribed 10,000f towards relieving the families of recruits.

The people of Brussels and other cities have voted addresses of congratulation and thanks to the Queen aud people of England for their geneprotection of Belgian neutrality and independence.

NAVAL FOECES. The following is from the Pall Mall Gazette: — It is only a few days—last Tuesday (July 12) in fact—since the small ironclad squadron of Prussia left Plymouth on its return to the Baltic. The squadron comprised the celebrated King William, the Prince William, the Prince Carl, and the Prince Adalbert —the first-named the most formidable ironclad afloat except the Hercules; the two next are first-class ironclads, and the last is a powerful, swift, little armour-clad gunboat, carrying two very heavy guns of Krupp's steel.. The King William deserves more than a passing word. She was designed by Mr Eeed, and built at the Thames Ironworks for the Turkish Government. When she was finished the Sultan could not afford to pay for her, so she was offered at the same price to the then Board of Admiralty, who declined to buy her, and Prussia at once came forward and offered £30,000 more. When Prussia had got her the English Admiralty saw their mistake, and tried to out-bid Prussia, but it was then too late. This vessel has a speed of fourteen knots, carries 8-inch sxrnour, and has twenty-eight guns—four 600-pounders and twenty-four 300pounders. The King William is, in fact, not a vessel, but a little fleet in herself. Being very long, she is not hand}' or very easy to turn, and is therefore liable to the danger of being " rammed." If she can avoid this she would be an overmatch for any four ordinary ironclads. The squadron, of which the King William was the flagship, had orders on leaving the Baltic to coal at Plymouth, make an experimental cruise in the West Atlantic, and then rendezvous at Madeira. Before the squadron left, however, the Franco-Prussian diffic\ilty had broken out, but Prince Adalbert, with the squadron under his command, left as appointed for the Atlantic. Where he went it is not easy to say, but wherever it was it was not far, for on Tuesday he was back at Plymouth again. He then telegraphed to his own Government, and having received instructions, left, apparently for the Baltic. During his absence from Plymouth, however, the Plandre, with three other ironclads of the same class, was despatched by the French Government to follow and watch the Prussian squadron, and these four are now actually on their way to Madeira, while the Prussian squadron is on its way back to the North. Even in case of war, the four French vessels of the Flaudre's class would have quite enough to do to take the King William alone, to say nothing of her two powerful cousorts and the armed gunboat. In the Baltic the Prussian squadron will, if it is wauted, join with six other Prussian gunboats, all of which are heavily armoured, —carry two of Krupp's monstrous guns—and have a high rate of speed. The other vessels of the Prussian navy are wooden frigates and corvettes, flinch would be of small account as cruisers, and could never attempt to keep the sea. The Spanish navy is even weaker than the Prussian; there are only twenty-six ships in commission now, and of these four aro ironclads; none of them, however, are more than second class. The rest are wooden corvettes and frigates of an old type. The French authorities always profess to make a groat mystery about their ironclads, their number, tonnage, guns, thickness of armor plating, &c. But it is only outsiders who are mystified. Everything which the French aro doing and have done is as well known not only at Whitehall, but also at Vienna, Berlin, and St Petersburg, as it is at Brest or L'Oriont, Cherbourg or Toulon. The French havo now on thoir list of ironclads 51 vessels : 45 of these are finished and at sea, or could bo at sea within a month; six aro building and not likely to be finished within the next two years. Of theso

vessels no fewer than 36 are wooden vessels razeed and plated with armor ; only 11 are built entirely of iron ; and one, the Marengo, is composite, with a frame of iron and sides of wood coated with armour. The most costly French-built vessel is the Couronne, which cost for hull and fittings £191,000. The most costly in the whole fleet is the Rochabeau (late the Donderberg), which the French bought from the United States in 1867, paying £480,000 for her, of which amount £410,000 is to this day regretted in French nautical circles. With the Donderberg came also the Onondago, which was cheap at £BO,OOO. The three most formidable vessels which the French have ever planned are the Colbert, Trident, and Eichelieu, which were begun last December at Toulon. The first two are sister ships of 8314 tons, 320 feet long, coated with 8-inch armour, and intended at present to carry 30 ponderous guns. The Richelieu is to be of the same length and armour, but of 7180 tons. These vessels will be larger than any ironclads ever yet projected. The Victorieuse, another great ironclad, of more than 4000 tons, figures in the French list, but this haa only been ordered, and not yet begun. La G-alissoniere, too, is very backward in its progress, and will take more than another year to finish. Of the French fleet, 11 are under 1200 tons, 14 under 3000, and 14 over 3000, but under 5000. Taking the mean average of the speed of all on trial trips, it gives scarcely lOknots; the highest—the Marengo—giving only 14.5, and some as low as seven knots. The average armour plating of the French vessels is 5| inches, ranging from 4 inches to 84- inches. The thickest armour, however, is a mere belt above and below the waterline, and none of the French vessels have the powerful bulkhead across the stem and stern to save them from a raking fire, under which they would fall easy victims to an active enemy. The greatest weight of armour which the largest class of French vessels carry is 1800 tons, and the smallest ' 279 tons, and their greatest number of guns is 14. The English have now ready thirtyfive ironclad vessels either at sea or ready for it, and five more could be added to this number in less than three months—4o in all. Others, of course, are building or launched, such as the Sultan, Audacious, Invincible, Iron Duke, Vanguard, &c, and could soon be got ready. Still, in number we should have five vessels less than the French, though in actual fact our fleet as to theirs would be as one hundred to fifty, in consequence of their greater size, speed, strength, and armament. The average speed of the whole English fleet is as nearly as possible 12 knots, the highest, the Agincourt, being lift knots, and the lowest, the Vixen, 8.894. Only four vessels in our list—the Enterprise, Vixen, Waterwitch, and Viper which are mere gunboats, though armoured, and carry heavy guns—are smaller than those in the French navy. Class for class, we immensely exceed the French in tonage, thickness of armour, and number and weight of guns. The difference on the whole of the two lists may be represented between France and England as five to eight.