Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/882

 526

FRANCE

•committee of inspectors-general, with a series of particular inspectorates, the council of works, and a number of special and permanent technical and pro- fessional committees. For purposes of administration the French coasts are •divided into five maritime arrondissemeuts, having their headquarters at the naval ports of Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort, and Toulon, at each of which the Government has important shipbuilding establishments. At the head of each arrondissement is a vice-admiral, with the title of Maritime Prefect, who is responsible for the port administration and the coast defences, mobile and fixed. The chief torpedo-stations are Dunkirk, Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort, Toulon, Corsica, Bizerta (Tunis), Algiers and Bona. The naval forces afloat are the Mediterranean squadron, the northern squadron in the Channel, and the divisions of the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Far East, Cochin China, and the Indian OCean ; and there are ships on local stations. In 1898 the principal squadrons were reorganised, the most modern battle- ships being collected in the Mediterranean, with the recent coast defence ships, while the older battleships were sent into the Channel.

Since 1872, when the votes were 121,484,000 francs, there has been, with fluctuations, a progressive increase in the naval expenditure of France, In round millions of francs the following have been the naval votes since 1880 : — 1880, 186 ; 1881, 193 ; 1882, 202 ; 1883, 232 ; 1884, 254 ; 1885, 266 ; 1886, 233 ; 1887, 211 ; 1888, 194 ; 1889, 199 ; 1890, 201 ; 1891, 222 ; 1892, 219 ; 1893, 255 ; 1894, 267 ; 1895, 278 ; 1896, 268 ; 1897, 265 ; 1898, 287 ; 1899 (estimate), 304,078,400 fr. The following was the establishment for 1898 :— 1,733 ofl[icers (including 15 vice-admirals, 30 rear-admirals, 125 captains, 215 commanders, 758 lieutenants, 420 sub-lieutenants, and 170 midshipmen). The warrant officers, petty officers, and seamen numbered 40,589.

It is intended to increase the fleet by a programme covering a period of years, though not fixed, by legislative enactment. The total sum proposed to be outlayed during eight years, beginning in 1898, is 721,815,572 francs, ■and the expenditure will be progressive up to the year 1901. In all, the pro- .gramme at present in hand and thus contemplated includes 85 ve.ssels of various classes, of which eight are battleships, ten armoured cruisers, ten cruisers of other classes, ten destroyers, and forty -two various torpedo boats. The sum to be devoted to new constructions in 1899, according to the pro- gramme, is 111,494,942 fr. The list of ships to be laid down, according to the Government proposals, is as follows : one battleship of 14,500 tons, two armoured cruisers of 10,014 tons, two cruisers of 4,000 tons, two destroyers of 400 tons, four large and eleven first-class torpedo-boats, and six sub- marine boats.

The French navy stands next in importance to that of Great Britain. It therefore becomes of much importance to compare the two. With the British navy will be found a tabular statement of its strength. The following state- ment of the strength of the French navy, including ships building, but excluding transports, older cruisers, and non-service vessels, is analogous. Vessels merely proposed are not included in the lists.

"afe

1

rd'-a

ojS

bo

aj S

bp

)X CO

G

/- 00

«^

'o'-'

.S

i^ s^

'•3 m

1

Build

Battleships, 1st Class

19

Cruisers, 3rd Class.

10

1

„ 2nd Class

10

1

Torpedo Gunboats.

21

1

,, 3rd Class

7

—

' Torpedo Craft, 1st Class.

125

22

Coast Defence Ships.

14

—

1 ,, ,, 2nd Class.

78

—

Cruisers, 1st Class

13

10

1 ,, ,, 3rd Class.

4§

—

,, 2nd Class

17

—