n was learned when the
French Minister of Marine announced in the following September that
the entire naval strength of France would thereafter be concentrated
in the Mediterranean. This was the first concrete action of the
_entente cordiale_--the British navy, in the event of war, was
to guard the British home waters and the northern ports of France;
the French navy was to guard the Mediterranean, protecting French
ports as well as French and British shipping from "the Gib" to
the Suez.

What was the comparative strength of these naval combinations when
the war started?

From her latest superdreadnoughts down to her auxiliary ships, such
as those used for hospital purposes, oil carrying and repairing,
England had a total of 674 vessels. Without consideration of ages
and types this total means nothing, and it is therefore necessary
to examine her naval strength in detail. She had nine battleships
of 14,000 tons displacement each, built between 1895 and 1898--the
_Magnificent, Majestic, Prince George, Jupiter, Caesar, Mars,
Illustrious, Hannibal_, and _Victorious_--with engines developing
12,000 horsepower that sent them through the water at 17.5 knots,
protected with from nine to fourteen inches of armor, and prepared
to inflict damage on an enemy with torpedoes shot from under and
above the water, and with four 12-inch guns, twelve 6-inch guns,
sixteen 3-inch guns, and twenty guns of smaller caliber but of
quicker firing possibilities.

Her next class was that of the _Canopus_--the _Goliath, Vengeance,
Ocean, Albion_, and _Glory_--2,000 tons lighter than the first
class named above, but more modern in equipment and construction,
having been built between the years 1900 and 1902. Their motive
power was heavier, being 13,500 horsepower, and their speed was
almost a knot faster. Increase in the power of naval guns had made
unnecessary any increase in the thickness of their armor, and
consequently ranged from 6 to 12 inches in thickness. Their armament
was about the same as that of the older class, but each carried
two more torpedo tubes.

[Illustration: GERMAN AND ENGLISH NAVAL POSITIONS]

Discussion in naval circles throughout the world turned then to
the question of whether it were better to build heavier ships with
heavier armament, or to build lighter and faster ships designed
to "hit and get away." The British authorities inclined toward
the former view, and between 1901 and 1904 the British navy was
augment