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 of the naval constructive department at that time, a man of genius and originality. M. Dupuy de Lôme had already given proof of both these qualities, and now he determined to boldly transform a wooden line-of-battle ship into an armour-clad which should be a seaworthy as well as a formidable fighting structure. To this end he took the 'Napoleon,' a fine two-decker, removed the upper portion, lengthened her by 24 ft, and placed 5-in. armour plates on the side, with 26 in. of wood backing. This work was commenced in 1857, but not completed till the autumn of 1859. The vessel thus changed was renamed 'La Gloire,' and is now historically famous as the first seagoing ironclad. Her armament was placed along the main deck, as in a frigate. With a length of 235 ft, and breadth of 55 ft, she had a displacement of 5000 tons, and her speed under steam was about 12 knots. Her completion created even more excitement than the appearance of the 'Niagara' but two years previously.

In the meantime we had been watching with curiosity the experiment of our neighbours, unable to recognise that the day had arrived when a new system of naval architecture for war purposes must be adopted. But public opinion was roused, and the Admiralty saw that