On Wednesday, Lord George Hamilton visited Glasgow, and delivered an
address on the condition of the Navy to the Chamber of Commerce. In answer to the question, Is the strength of the Fleet sufficient ? he pointed out that in reality the Admiralty did far more than meet the popular demand that we should lay down two ironclads for every one laid down by France, the figures being :—" England, 1887-88, 18 vessels, with an aggregate of 64,650 tons, of which 41,000 tons is ironclad ; France, 8 vessels, with a tonnage of 21,000, of which 15,200 is ironclad. For 1888-89: England, 29 vessels of 100,000 tons, of which 60,000 is ironclad ; France, 10 vessels of 46,500 tons, of which 30,000 is ironclad." The rapidity with which the Admiralty can turn out ships was dwelt on by the First Lord as a subject for special congratula- tion. "The great shipbuilding programme of 1885, laid down by Lord Northbrook, and estimated to take five years, has practi- cally been finished in three." In the case of two ironclads alone, the saving from this rapidity was £40,000. In France, it is esti- mated that an ironclad takes ten years to build,—a very serious matter, since she becomes obsolete in twenty. In regard to the guns, Lord George Hamilton admitted the folly of building ironclads and then keeping them without guns. He had been urged to buy the necessary guns abroad, but had refused, pre- ferring to develop the gun-making resources of England. This policy had been successfully carried out, and "the develop- ment of the British gun-factories is such" that they are now capable of doing all the work required Of them. Doubtless the official view is as much inclined to be too rosy as the wailings of the unofficial experts to be too alarmist. Still, there is no doubt that the Board of Admiralty is waking up. The adoption of an annual scheme of naval mobilisation, which was announced. at Glasgow, is, for instance, a sign of real activity.
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