THE RUSSIAN NAVY. The Russian navy is now composed of 29 armored ships and 196 other vessels of all classes, carrying altogether 521 guns. Of the 29 armored ships, 27 were in the Baltic and 2 were in the Black Sea last summer. The personnel of the navy consists of 81 flag-officers of all ranks, 1,224 other officers, 513 mates, 210 artillery officers, 145 engineer officers, 545 mechanicians, 56 constructors, 260 medical officers. Employed at the admiralty dock-yards, &c., there are 297 officers and 480 civil officials, and the total number of enlisted men is 24,500. The naval armament of Russia has been for some few years past undergoing the changes necessary to keep up with the progress of the times. Cast-iron smooth-bore guns are gradually being replaced by steel breech-loading rifles. The first of these were supplied by Krupp; now they are manufactured in Russia, some at Perm, and others at Oboukoff, about nine miles from St. Petersburg, on the left bank of the Neva. The Broadwell system of breech-loading mechanism is employed, and the calibers of the guns are 6, 8, 9, and 11 inches. One gun, of 12inch caliber, was manufactured for the Vienna Exposition, but it is not known that any others of this size have been made. The broadside ships have not hitherto been armed with guns heavier than 8 inches, with 9 inches for stern or chase guns, but it is intended to substitute 11-inch pieces for these. Except for coast-defense, the Russian fleet is rather numerous than powerful. The Peter the Great and the Minin are the only two vessels on the list of sea-going armored ships which approach the modern standard of fighting efficiency. The first named was designed after the British ship Devastation, and commenced before the sea-trials of this vessel; subsequently modifications were made, and, as completed in 1875, she somewhat resembles the Dreadnought; and, as may be seen by consulting the list of armored ships, the dimensions are nearly the same as those of the Devastation, and the displacement 316 tons more. The indicated horse-power and speed are represented to be equal, and armor and battery superior to those of the Devastation. The armor is 14 inches in thickness, with iron hollow stringers in the backing besides, which are alleged to give an additional resistance equivalent to 2 inches of iron. The four guns, two in each of the turrets, are of 12-inch caliber, and the weight of each 40 tons. In respect, therefore, to speed, armor, and guns she is the match of any ship now in commission belonging to other nations. But she is not fitted with a spur to utilize the power of the ram. The Minin was constructed as a rigged turret-ship on the Coles system, has a length of 298 feet 3 inches and breadth of 49 feet 1 inch, with a displacement of 5,650 tons. The armament consisted of 4 guns of 28 tons each, and armor of 12-inch plates on 24-inch backing, and the free-board was very low. In consequence of the catastrophe to the British vessel Captain, alterations to the Minin were decided upon. As altered she will have a central battery 98 feet long, rising 10 feet above the water-line. The guns will be mounted in pairs on two turntables, on the main deck, and will fire en barbette over the top of the battery. In this form she is expected to be a formidable ship. The next ships of the sea-going fleet to be noticed are the broadside belted vessels Duke of Edinburgh, originally called the Alexander Netsky, and the General Admiral. These ships are of recent construction and were designed to compete with the fast British unarmored ships Raleigh and Boadicea. They are built of iron sheathed with wood and coppered. The length between perpendiculars is 285 feet 9 inches; breadth 48 feet 2 inches; draught, mean, 21 feet; displacement, 4,438 tons. In weight and dimensions they are therefore between the two British ships just named. These vessels embody the original conception of the armor-belt on the water-line to protect the vital parts; it is 6 inches thick and 7 feet wide. The battery deck is similar to that of the British Invincible class; open-topped, and arranged so as to give both broadside and right ahead and astern fire from corner ports. It contains four 8-inch rifled guns and two 6-inch chase-guns. An article in the Revue Maritime et Coloniale, from which extracts have been taken, represents the lines of these vessels to be fine, the engine power large, and the speed 13 knots per hour. They are not provided with spurs to be used as rams, and have neither the speed nor the power of battery possessed by the British ships referred to. Next in the sea-going fleet are the four ships named after admirals, viz, the Admiral Lazareff and Admiral Greig, carrying each six guns in three turrets, and the Admiral Tchitchagoff and Admiral Spiridoff, carrying each four guns in two turrets. These vessels are of the Coles type of turret-ships, and differ from each other but little, except in number of turrets. The two first-named have a free-board of 4 feet, and the other two of 5 feet. The displacement is about 3,500 tons, and the speed from 9 to 10 knots. The thickness of armor on hulls and turrets is 6 inches, and the caliber of the guns only 9 inches. The sea-going qualities of these four ships, unless it be near home, may be doubted; as coast-defenders, however, they are important additions. Last among the sea-going fleet are noticed two wooden armored frigates, the Sevastopol and Petropaulovski, built in 1863 and armored with plates only 4 inches thick. They have large crews, numbering 609 and 682 men. They displace 6,000 tons, have steamed 11 knots and carry batteries respectively of ten and twenty 8-inch breech-loading guns, and of eight and four 80-pounders. These ships may be regarded as obsolete. For coast-defense Russia has a considerable fleet. The two circular vessels hereafter to be described are the most formidable of the number. The next in power are ten monitors of early date on Ericsson's plans, similar to our harbor and river monitors; drawing 12 feet of water, and armored on the sides with 5-inch plates on a backing of nearly 3 feet. The one turret of each vessel is built up of eleven 1-inch plates without backing. The two guns in the single turret are 9-inch rifles or 15-inch smooth-bores of old pattern. The Smertch, a double-turret vessel, built in England in 1864, is armored both on the sides and turrets with plates only 4 inches thick, and carries only two 8-inch guns. There are, however, two other moni tors of later date and somewhat greater power, built in Russia in 1868. These are the Tcharodeika and Rousalka. The side-armor is 5 inches thick, and that on the turrets 6 inches. They carry four 9-inch rifles in two turrets. The speed of all of these monitors is given at from 6 to 8 knots, and they are not provided with spurs for ramming, and must therefore be considered as weak vessels, fit only for operations in shallow water. RUSSIAN CIRCULAR ARMORED SHIPS NOVGOROD AND ADMIRAL POPOFF. During the autumn of 1875, Mr. E. J. Reed, C. B., M. P., ex-chief constructor of the British navy, made a visit to Russia for the purpose, as stated by him, of inspecting two circular armored vessels, one of them completed and in commission, and the other under construction. While in Russia he wrote several letters to the London Times on the subject of these vessels, in which he enlogized them and attached so much importance to the advantage of the circular form over that of existing types of armored ships, that nearly all the newspapers of London and some scientific papers also contained articles discussing their merits. Subsequently Mr. Gouleaff, a Russian officer, read a paper before the Institution of Naval Architects on the many advantages possessed by vessels constructed on the circular principle. Finally, Mr. Reed was invited to deliver a lecture at the United Service Institution in London, and did so February 4, 1876, upon "Circular Iron-clads." The following drawings will give a good idea of the outward form and design of these much talked-of Russian vessels. The noteworthy points in Mr. Reed's lecture are that # In the first place they are circular only in one sense, i. e., their horizontal sections only are circular, or, in other words, they have circular water-lines. The departure from a circle is a small extension or protuberance at the stern for the purpose of facilitating the arrangement and working of the rudder and steering apparatus. It follows as a consequence from the circular form of water-line, that all the radial sections are alike; the bottom of the vessel is an extended, plane surface, which is connected with the edge of the deck by a quadrant of a small circle. With this form of section great displacement is obtained on moderate draught of water. The deck of the circular ship is formed in section with such curvature as to give in a ship of 100 feet in diameter a round-up of about 4 feet. There are two Popoffkas already built, named respectively the Norgorod, Fig. 1, and the Admiral Popoff, Fig. 2, of which the following are the dimensions and other particulars: Novgorod. Admiral Extreme diameter Ft. In. Diameter of flat bottom... 76 0 Depth in hold at center, from under side of beam to top of the frames of the double bottom 13 9 Ft. In. 121 0 96 0 14 O 12 0 14 O 13 O 13 3 34 0 1 6 Displacement, in tons..... 2,490 Area of midship section, in square feet 1, 170 3,550 1,416 Engines, nominal horse-power. Coal supply, in tons.. Propellers, screw, in number Complement of officers and men. Armament, breech-loading guns: Two in number, each weighing, in tons.. Smaller guns in unarmored breastwork... Height of armor on side above water.. Thickness of armor on sides, (including equivalent thickness for the hollow It is but fair to the distinguished designer of these vessels, carefully to bear in mind that in so far as the Novgorod and Admiral Popoff are concerned, they have been designed and built purely for service in shallow waters and near the land. # The Norgorod and Admiral Popoff have extensive unarmored houses erected armored decks. The chief of these is a spacious forecastle, which, of co greatly to the buoyancy forward when the sea rises there upon the vessel think even circular vessels, of very low free-board, could be steamed again head sea without such a forecastle, more especially when driven at high spee The chief characteristic of these circular iron-clads is that they are 1 simply sea-citadels propelled by steam, and without any attempt to make form to the shape of an ordinary ship. The question to be determined her this form of vessel thus originated for coast-defense purposes, and proved successful for that purpose, available under proper modifications for sea-goin I think we may fairly say, that for a sea-going citadel, viewed as a ci apart from other features, the circular form is best, because it requires ( amount of armor to protect a given area or volume, or in other words, a gi of armor secures the greatest amount of buoyancy. For special purposes fied form might be preferable; but speaking generally, the circular form is floating armor to protect an included space, and also for giving that equi cannonade with guns which is so desirable at sea. Starting, then, with 1 armored citadel, and wishing to propel it at a given speed at sea, there are s in which we can deal with it: First. We can put engine-power in it just as it stands without modificat Second. We can build ends to it like those of an ordinary ship, protecting by a belt of armor, as in many other ships; or, Third. We can build such ends to it and protect the lower parts of under-water deck of armor, as in the Inflexible; or, Fourth. We can build around it an outer circle of thin iron, with a belt of armor analogous to the belt of ordinary iron-clads; or, Fifth. We can build around it such an outer circle of thin iron, with an deck of armor analogous to that of the Inflexible; or, Sixth. We can build short ends to it with either above or under wa decks, but of greatly reduced length as compared with the ends of ordin large beam. The Norgorod is the only actual example of the first of these cases that tried, and we may state roughly that in her, 750 tons of armor aud 56 ton carried on a displacement of 2,500 tons, and driven at 83 knots, with 2,2 horse-power. This confirms what we already know, viz, that such ships great power in proportion to displacement. But taking, not the false sta placement, but the better (although not perfect) standard of weight of guns as our guide, we shall find nothing very extraordinary in the power Such are the chief points in Mr. Reed's lecture. I did no Russian circular vessels, but I did see a completely-equippe one of them in London; from the examination of which and ings, I arrived at the conclusion that, as floating forts de shallow water, they do possess some of the merits stated; bi this purpose, as at present constructed, there are serious obj features, some of the most prominent of which are given belo 1st. As the Novgorod is built, there is in the center an oper turret, or an iron martello tower, having inside it a revolving on which the guns are en barbette. This is the system emplo upper-deck batteries of the French armored ships; but in th ships the towers are located near the sides of the vessels, and b water, while in the Russian vessels they are located in the on hulls having a free-board of only 18 inches. The barbette affords very considerable lateral range, but the disadvantag here applied, that it leaves the guns and men working ther posed to the fire of the enemy. On shore, artillery officers rare contemplate mounting guns en barbette near the level of the wa serious and close action is expected. They seek for a high what distant position, where the advantages of an all-round plunging fire are available, and where the exposure of the me guns is reduced to a minimum. With a view to remedy this advantage in a degree; the tower of the second vessel is const as to work the guns on the disappearing principle of Rendel the gun is loaded in the low position seen at Fig. 6, and as |