In 1882 England had 434 heavy modern guns behind armored shore batteries; besides these at home, she had 92 in her colonies, of which 13 were in Halifax and 11 in Bermuda—­for our express benefit.

What we have are brick and stone casemates and earthworks.  A sample granite casemate, with iron-lined embrasure, was built at Fortress Monroe, and 8 shots were fired at it from a 12 in. rifle converted from an old 15 in. smooth bore.  This gun develops only 3,800 foot tons of energy—­a mere nothing compared with the 62,000 foot tons of the English and German 110 ton guns.

General Abbott showed most conclusive proof of the worthlessness of masonry forts in pictures showing the effect of the shots.  The massive 8 feet thickness of granite was pierced and battered till it looked like a ruin.  Not a man inside would have been left alive.

He also showed a “disappearing” gun in an earthwork, the gun recoiling below the level of the parapet and being run up to a firing position by a counterweight.  In 1878 Congress stopped all appropriations for defenses, and nothing had been done since.

General Abbott said that we needed submarine mines or fixed torpedoes, which should be thickly interspersed about the channel and be exploded by an electric battery on shore.  To prevent these torpedoes from being exploded by the enemy, the surface over them should be covered by plenty of guns.  Heavy guns and mortars were needed to resist attacks by heavy iron-clads.  Movable torpedoes were valuable, but only as an auxiliary—­a very minor auxiliary—­compared with submarine mines.  We should be cautious not to infer that torpedoes made a satisfactory defense alone, as they must be protected by large and small guns, and they form only a part of the chain of general defenses.

* * * * *

THE STEAMSHIP GREAT EASTERN.

[Footnote:  See Engraving in supplement no. 584.]

The history of the Great Eastern is full of surprises.  It is always that which is most unlikely to happen to her which occurs.  Not long since we recorded her sale by auction in Liverpool for L26,000.  It was stated that her purchasers were going to fit her out for the Australian trade, and that she would at once be sent from Dublin to Glasgow to be fitted with new engines and boilers, and to undergo thorough renovation.  Lord Ravensworth, in his address to the Institution of Naval Architects, spoke recently of the bright future before her in that Australian trade for which she was specially built.  Yet at this moment the Great Eastern is lying in her old berth in the Sloyne at Liverpool, and unless something else at present quite unforeseen takes place, she will once more play the undignified part of a floating music hall.  It seems that although she was certainly sold, as we have stated, the transaction was not completed.  Her owners then cast about for the next highest bidder,