This review of Turkish naval force bears out the remark with which I introduced it, and shows that, either from lack of support from the Western European powers or from some other cause, fighting superiority in the Black Sea is being effectually abandoned by Turkey to Russia.

Captain Lord Charles Beresford, R.N., M.P. (now a sea lord of the Admiralty), who moved for the Admiralty Return to Parliament to which I have made repeated reference, included Greece among the powers whose “fleets” were to be reported on; but as Greece has but two small and weak iron-clads, and they are nearly twenty years old, and as she has no other at present even under construction, the pretensions of her “fleet” are scarcely proportional to her political ambitions. She has but one fast cruiser, the Admiral Miaulis, and she is only a 15-knot vessel, and carries nothing more in the way of guns than three of six tons and one of five tons. Greece’s only “torpedo-vessel” steams no more than fourteen knots, and the Admiralty Return assures Lord Charles Beresford and the world that she has but twenty-seven torpedo-boats, of which seventeen are over and ten under one hundred feet in length, and that she is not building any more. Considering the island interests of Greece and her situation in the Mediterranean, no one can pronounce her naval force as excessive, or regard her government as being tempted to any high heroic policy by her possession of an imposing navy.

I have not mentioned the Spanish or Portuguese “fleets,” nor is it necessary to do much more than mention them now. Spain has only one finished iron-clad, of over thirteen and less than fourteen knots speed, and that is the Vitoria, which was launched at Blackwall, on the Thames, more than twenty years ago. She has thin armor, and could attempt but little in war. Spain is, however, building a large steel turret-ship, the Pelayo, of 9650 tons, at La Seyne, to carry two 38-ton and two 48-ton guns, with 18-inch armor on a citadel and 19½ on her turrets. She is to steam at sixteen knots. This one ship will, I presume, when finished, compose the armored “fleet” of Spain—that country once so great upon the sea. Of unarmored vessels of war Spain is building several, of which three are to have the advantage of stout steel decks, and one is to be very fast. It will be well to assemble these unarmored vessels of fourteen knots and upward in a table:

Table G.—UNARMORED WAR-VESSELS OF SPAIN.

VESSELS OF FOURTEEN KNOTS AND UPWARD, INCLUDING TORPEDO-VESSELS.

Name of Ship.Displacement.Indicated
Horse-power.		Speed.Principal
Armament.
Tons.Knots.Guns.
Reina Regente430011,000 19 4 of 8 inches.
Alfonso XII30004,40014 8 ” 6 tons.
Aragon (wood)33004,40014{4 ” 6 ”
{4 ” 3 ”
Castilla ”33004,40014 8 ” 4 ”
Navarra ”33004,40014{4 ” 6 ”
{4 ” 3 ”
Reina Cristina30004,40014 8 ” 6 ”
Reina Mercedes30004,40014 8 ” 6 ”
Cristabel Colón11001,60014 3 ” 4 ”
Don Antonio Ulioa11001,60014 3 ” 4 ”
Don Juan d’Austria11001,50014 5 ” 4¾ inches.
Infanta Isabel11001,50014 5 ” 4¾ ”
Isabel II11001,60014 5 ” 4¾ ”
Velasco11001,600 14.3 3 ” 4 tons.
Isla de Cuba10002,20015 6 ” 4¾ inches.
Islas Filipinas10002,20015 6 ” 4¾ ”
Destructor (torpedo-catcher) 4004,00024 Machine guns.
Alcon (sea-going torpedo-boat) 1081,20023” ”
Azor ” ” 1081,20023” ”
Orion ” ” 881,00020” ”

Spain has likewise four 125-feet torpedo “boats” of 19 knots; one, 105 feet long, of 18 knots; and three or four smaller ones.[44]

Portugal has but one iron-clad, central-battery type, of 2480 tons, 13½ knots speed, with 9-inch armor, and two 28-ton guns. Of unarmored vessels she has but three exceeding twelve knots, in speed, viz.:

Name of Ship.Displacement.Indicated
Horse-power.		Speed.
Tons.Knots.
Liberal 500 50016
Zaire 500 50016
Alfonso de Albuquerque 1100136013.3