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14 MARINE REVIEW. Building of a Navy. On March 4, 1880, there were in our navy only three modern steel vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 7,863 tons, and mounting thirteen 6-inch and four 8-inch guns, the forgings for which last, as well as the shafting for the vessels, had been pur- chased from abroad, as they could not be made in this country. On the ath of March next it is expected that there will-be twenty-two modern vessels in commission, while nine additional vessels, none of which in speed, armor and armament has a supe- rior in any foreign navy, promise to be ready for launching within the next twelve months. 'The nineteen vessels thus added to the navy in four years have an aggregate tonnage of 54,832 tons, mounting altogether two 12-inch, six 10-inch, sixteen 8-inch and eighty-two 6-inch guns, all of which, with the exception of five of the earliest, have been manufactured in this country. Three new steel tugs have also been constructed and put in service during this period. Our new navy, including all vessels built or authorized, now consists of the following vessels: One sea-going battleship, first- class, Iowa; three coast-line battle ships, first-class, Massachu- setts, Indiana, Oregon; two battle ships, second-class, Maine, Texas; six double-turreted harbor defense vessels, Puritan, Mon- terey, Miantonomoh, Monadnock, 'Terror, Amphitrite; two armored cruisers, New York, Brooklyn; one ram; two protected cruisers of extreme speed, Columbia, Minneapolis; fourteen cruisers, Olympia, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Fran- 'Francisco, Newark, Charleston, Boston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Raleigh, Detroit, Montgomery, Marblehead ; one dispatch vessel, Dolphin ; six gunboats, Yorktown, Concord, Bennington, Machias, Castine, Petrel; one dynamite vessel, Vesuvius; one practice vessel, Bancroft ; two torpedo boats, Cushing, No. 2, making a total of forty-two vessels. | The three first-class battle ships have a displacement of over 10,000 tons each, are protected by 18 inches of armor, carry 13-inch guns, and throw an aggregate of over three tons of pro- jectiles at a single discharge. Among American inventions and manufactures which have been found of great value in equipping the new navy is Harveyized nickel steel for armor plates, said to be superior to any armor plate manufactured abroad. 'The manu- facture of high pressure guns for the navy is now a home indus- try, and the navy department through its own agencies has developed a smokeless powder more effective than any manufac- tured in Hurope. 'The manufacture of the Whitehead torpedo has been domesticated by the establishment of a factory at Brooklyn. Gen. Poe Discusses the Twenty-foot Channel. General Poe is very much pleased with the'bids on the work of excavating the twenty-foot channel. He says: " My estimate of the entire cost of the project, which includes many other items besides the excavations, was $3,340,000. 'T'he lowest bids on the sections aggregated approximately $1,403,000, which leaves a margin for the other expenses of $1,700,000. 'T'he delegates to the deep-water convention in Detroit a year ago thought the work could never be done inside of the estimate, but actual results have so far proved differently. Some people, too, have higgled at the cost of the project according to my estimate. Why, one of Uncle Sam's white hulled cruisers costs as much, and so far as real ben- efit tothe country is concerned, the deep channel is double the value of the cruiser." 'But the harbors will have to be deepened, too, at a big extra expense." "Yes, but that has nothing to do with the present project. As the need for deeper harbors becomes greater, the government will appropriate the necessary money. All the main harbors except Detroit and Port Huron will have to be improved, and I may say many of them need it even now, and regardless of a deep channel. I don't think much work will be done on the Chicago harbor. It has already come to the point when deep-laden vessels move in and out of the Chicago harbor with great difficulty. Eventually the plants for the loading and unloading of such ves- sels will have to be removed out of the harbor entirely and taken to South Chicago or an adjacent point where water is deep. Every harbor on Lake Erie will have to be deepened. 'But aside from the necessity of deepening harbors, the deeper channel is going to prove of great benefit for the safe navi- gation of the rivers and shallow Lake St. Clair ihe wil cease to cut holes into themselves on the rocks, or stick in the mud for hours and days, and the danger of collision will be less- ened, because in deep water a boat is under better control."' The general was asked what the prospects were for a connec- tion to the seaboard, and replied: "It will come eventually I suppose, but I will never live to see it."' "T see by the papers there is a prospect that the new prac- tice cruiser Bancroft will be brought to the lakes, to take the place of the Michigan. She is needed. 'The Michigan is old and slow, and a shot from an inch-bore Maxim rifle would pierce her through and through. 'There is no need to send her away, how- ever, because of the treaty. She could be used on surveys." Canada's Greatest Drawback. The efforts being made by Canada to build upa great foreign trade are unremitting. Success may be accomplished by persistent effort. That country has, however, much to contend against in attaining this end. One of its greatest disadvantages is that for fully one-half of the year its St. Lawrence river ports are closed by ice. The ports on the Atlantic coast that are open throughout the winter season are few in number with possibly only two of them that have good facilities, and these limited for carrying on a foreign trade on an extensive scale. Practically the winter port -- of Canada on the Atlantic coast is Portland. From this seaport the regular lines of ocean steamers that run to Montreal during the open season arrive and depart in winter. Having a good harbor, and possessing certain facilities in connection with the Canadian railroads, it is naturally given preference over any of the Canadian seaports on that coast. i It is something of an anomaly that a country striving to increase its foreign commerce to large dimensions, should for six months at least of the year use the seaport of a neighboring country as its principal outlet. As long as Canada is dependent in this way, very rapid progress cannot be expected in respect of her commerce. 'That country should have a winter port within its own boundaries on the Atlantic seaboard. A great railroad is a very great help in building up a country and developing its resources, but it may. also under certain conditions act as a retard- ing influence on the foreign trade. Canada's trans-continental railroad may possibly act in this way. While it may be to a cer- tatn extent a convenience locally to that country, may it not be making Canada a convenience as a quick route between England and the far east transporting through shipments with very little benefit accruing to Canada. 'The proposed fast Atlantic mail service in connection with this railroad points to as rapid a com- munication as possible between England and her eastern posses- sions. This object apparently is paramount with the manage- ment of that railroad. The benefit to Canada through the opening up and develop- ment of territory through which the road runs is incidental to all this, but is nevertheless secondary, and being so, it is not to be expected that so rapid an advancement will take place within its borders as has been witnessed in our own country, where the first object of our trans-continental roads was the building up of the country through which their routes lay. Viewing it in this light it must be a considerable time before Canada will be sensible of ally very great impetus being given her foreign trade because of any benefits that may come from the great railroad that traverses her territory.--Marttime Register.