Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/886

 o30 FRANCE

ileck. The Charles Martel, which is closely resembled bj' the Jaurtyuiherry and the Carnot, was designed by M. Huin. The following are her principal characteristics : — Length 392ft. 6in., beam 71ft. 2in., stern draught 27ft. 6in., displacement 11,693 tons, speed 17 knots with 9,500 horse-power, and 18 knots with forced draught (13,500 horse power). The protection of the ship consists of an over-all steel belt 17 71 in. thick, and further broadside plating about 4in. thick intended to protect the armoured deck (which is 2'75in. thick) from the direct action of high explosive shells. 1\ie JauregiLihcrry, designed by M, Lagane, is a most interesting vessel. All her guns are worked either by hand or by electricity. Eight of her secondary guns are coupled in closed turrets ; and in the St. Louis d^^ndi Charlc- tnagne this disposition is to be made for the heavy guns. These ships are therefore interesting, and it seems likely that the type will be continued in the battleships proposed. The Charlemagne and her two sisters, St. Louis and Gaulois, have been launched. They dispiacii 11,275 tons, and are 385ft. long with 66 'Gin. beam. The armaments consist of four 12in. guns, Avith ten 5'5in., eight 3*9in., and twenty-six smaller quick-firers ; engines of 5,400 horse-poAver are to give a speed of 18 knots. The Una is another ship of the same class, launched at Brest in September 1898, which displaces 12,052 tons. She has Belleville boilers, and is better protected, and carries a more powerful secondary armament, Another battleship of the same type, appa- rentl}^ a sister, the Suffren, has been laid down at Brest. One battleshii> in the programme of 1899 marks a further development. She will have four 12in. guns coupled, as in the other recent vessels, and will otherwise resemble them, but the displacement of 14,500 tons is much greater, and approaches within 400 tons of that of the Magnijicent. The additional weight will be devoted largely to giving the ships better protection in the form of an end to end belt of great height and equal vertical thickness, backed by cellular cofferdams, as well as to the provision of larger coal capacity. Progress with this ship is likely to be slow.

Of French cruisers the Dupuy dc L6me has three screws, is provided with what is jiractically a complete coat of armour, and has both an armoured and a splinter-proof deck. Her guns are well protected, and are admirably dis- posed for use in any direction, and are besides of great penetrating power. Many of her characteristics are found in the somewhat smaller armoured, turtle-back-decked cruisers Lalouchc- Triville, Charncr, and their sisters, as well as the Pothuau. The new armoured cruisers are of two principal classes, those of the Gloire (10,000 tons) and the KUMr (7,700 tons.) The former will be 452ft. 9in. long, with 63ft. Sin. beam, and 23ft. mean draft. Protection will be given by a 6in. water-line l^elt, with thinner jilating above it, and by armoured aud splinter-proof decks. The two heavy guns will be in turrets, and the others in casemates. All will have water tube boilers. The KUber type, though smaller, generally resembles the other. The KUhcr herself will have Niclausse water-tube boilers. France also possesses some interesting types of deck-protected cruisers, aud has recently added to her navy some very swift torpedo-boats, one of which, the Forhan, built by Normand, has attained a .speed of a little over 31 knots.

Production and Industry.

I. Agriculturk.

Of the total area of France (52,921,578 hectares) 8,397,131 hectares are under forests and 36,977,098 hectares under all kinds of crops, fallow, and grasses. The following tables show the area under tlie leading crops and the production for four years : —