Page:The Development of Navies During the Last Half-Century.djvu/300

 It will be observed that, whereas we usually mount our heavy guns in pairs, our neighbours prefer to place them singly. By this they gain an additional position at the sacrifice of one gun. The balance between the two systems appears to be equal. Then, from the first, the French have adhered to the complete armour belt, leaving a large area of the side above unprotected. The weak point of this is that shells exploding beneath the platforms on which the heavy guns are mounted would probably put them out of action.

The satisfactory reports of the 'Admiral Baudin' and 'Formidable' have led to three others of similar construction being commenced. They are to be of 12,000 tons displacement, and hence the largest vessels yet designed in France. Whether they will be exceeded remains to be seen. Their names are to be 'Lazare Carnot,' 'Charles Martel,' and 'Jauréguiberry.' Of similar type, but smaller, are the 'Magenta,' 'Marceau,' and 'Neptune.' They carry four 52-ton guns, in separate barbettes.

But though France has been steadily adding to the number and power of her battle ships proper she has been no less assiduous in augmenting the class designed for coast defence. While for such craft we had stopped, in the 'Glatton,' at dimensions within 4000 tons, the French completed several between the years 1860 and 1880 varying from 4000 to 6000 tons. Then came the 'Caiman,' 'Indomptable,' 'Requin,' and 'Terrible,' of 7300 tons in which the principal armament is a 75-ton gun at each end, and the protection by