FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  
about the naval preparations of France. 'The "Moniteur,"' I said, 'denies that you are making any.' 'The "Moniteur,"' he answered, 'does not tell the truth. We are augmenting largely, both the number and the efficacy of our fleet. 'Four years ago, at the beginning of the Russian war, we resolved to build a steam fleet of 150 steam ships of different sizes for fighting, and 74 steam ships for the transfer service, and to carry fuel and stores. Though we set about this in the beginning, as we thought, of a long war, we have not allowed the peace to interrupt it. We are devoting to it sixty-five millions a year (2,600,000_l_.) of which from fifteen to seventeen millions are employed every year in building new ships, and from forty to forty-two in adding steam power to the old ones. We hope to finish this great work in fourteen years.' 'What,' I asked, 'is the amount of your present fleet of steamers?' 'We have thirty-three screws,' he answered, 'fifty-seven paddles, and sixty-two sailing vessels in commission, and seventy-three, mostly steamers, _en reserve_, as you would say, in ordinary.' 'Manned by how many men?' I asked. 'By twenty-five thousand sailors,' he answered, 'and eleven thousand marines. But our _inscription maritime_ would give us in a few months or less one hundred thousand more. Since the times of Louis XVI. the French Navy has never been so formidable, positively or relatively.' 'How,' I asked, 'has your "Napoleon" succeeded?' 'Admirably,' he answered. 'I have not seen the "Wellington," but she is a much finer ship than the Agamemnon. Her speed is wonderful. A month ago she left Toulon at seven in the morning, and reached Ajaccio by four in the evening. But the great improvement is in our men. Napoleon knew nothing and cared nothing about sailors. He took no care about their training, and often wasted them in land operations, for which landsmen would have done as well. 'In 1814 he left Toulon absolutely unguarded, and sent all the sailors to join Augereau. You might have walked into it. 'In 1810 or 1811 I was on board a French corvette which fought an action with an English vessel, the "Lively." We passed three times under her stern, and raked her each time. We ought to have cleared her decks. Not a shot touched her. The other day at Cherbourg I saw a broadside fired at a floating mark three cables off, the usual distance at which ships engage. Ten balls hit it, and we could see that
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
answered
 

sailors

 
thousand
 

millions

 
Moniteur
 

beginning

 

Napoleon

 
steamers
 

Toulon

 

French


Admirably
 

landsmen

 

succeeded

 

operations

 

training

 
wasted
 

improvement

 
wonderful
 
morning
 

reached


Agamemnon

 

Wellington

 

evening

 

Ajaccio

 

touched

 

Cherbourg

 

cleared

 

broadside

 

engage

 

distance


floating
 

cables

 

walked

 
Augereau
 

absolutely

 

unguarded

 

vessel

 

English

 
Lively
 
passed

action

 

corvette

 
fought
 

twenty

 

thought

 

allowed

 

interrupt

 

Though

 

service

 

stores