Scientific American Supplement, No. 711 | Page 6

and took
possession in name of Queen Anne. It is hardly to the honor of England
that it was both unprincipled enough to sanction and ratify the
occupation and ungrateful enough to leave unrewarded the general to
whose unscrupulous patriotism the acquisition was due. The Spaniards
keenly felt the injustice done to them, and the inhabitants of the town of
Gibraltar in great numbers abandoned their homes rather than recognize
the authority of the invaders. In October, 1704, the rock was invested
by sea and land; but the Spanish ships were dispersed by Sir John
Leake, and the Marquis of Villadarias fared so ill with his forces that he
was replaced by Marshal Tesse, who was at length compelled to raise
the siege in April, 1705. During the next twenty years there were
endless negotiations for the peaceful surrender of the fortress, and in
1726 the Spaniards again appealed to arms. But the Conde de la Torres,
who had the chief command, succeeded no better than his predecessors,
and the defense of the garrison under General Clayton and the Earl of
Portmore was so effectual that the armistice of June 23 practically put a
close to the siege, though two years elapsed before the general
pacification ensued. The most memorable siege of Gibraltar, indeed
one of the most memorable of all sieges, was that which it sustained
from the combined land and sea forces of France and Spain during the
years 1779-1783. The grand attack on the place was made on the 13th
September, 1782, and all the resources of power and science were
exhausted by the assailants in the fruitless attempt. On the side of the
sea they brought to bear against the fortress forty-six sail of the line and
a countless fleet of gun and mortar boats. But their chief hope lay in the
floating batteries planned by D'Arcon, an eminent French engineer, and
built at the cost of half a million sterling. They were so constructed as
to be impenetrable by the red hot shot which it was foreseen the
garrison would employ; and such hopes were entertained of their
efficiency that they were styled invincible. The Count D'Artois
(afterward Charles X.) hastened from Paris to witness the capture of the
place. He arrived in time to see the total destruction of the floating

batteries and a considerable portion of the combined fleet by the
English fire. Despite this disaster, however, the siege continued till
brought to a close by the general pacification, February 2, 1783. The
history of the four eventful years' siege is fully detailed in the work of
Drinkwater, who himself took part in the defense, and in the life of its
gallant defender Sir George Augustus Eliott, afterward Lord Heathfield,
whose military skill and moral courage place him among the best
soldiers and noblest men whom Europe produced during the 18th
century.
Since 1783 the history of Gibraltar has been comparatively uneventful.
In the beginning of 1801 there were rumors of a Spanish and French
attack, but the Spanish ships were defeated off Algeciras in June by
Admiral Saumarez. Improvements in the fortifications, maintenance of
military discipline, and legislation in regard to trade and smuggling are
the principal matters of recent interest.
* * * * *

THE FRANZ JOSEF I., NEW WAR SHIP.
Another addition was made to the Austrian navy by the launching on
May 18 of the ram cruiser Franz Josef I. from the yards of S. Rocco in
the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino. Her dimensions are: Length (over
all), 103.7 meters; length (between perpendiculars), 97.9 meters;
greatest breadth (outside), 14.8 meters; draught (bow), 5.28 meters;
draught (stern), 6.05 meters; displacement on the construction water
line, 4,000 tons. The armament consists of two 24-centimeter and six
15-centimeter Krupp breech loaders of 35 caliber length, two
7-centimeter Uchatius guns as an armament for the boats and for
landing purposes, eleven Hotchkiss quick-firing guns, and several
torpedo-launching ports; indicated horse power with natural draught
6,400, speed 17.5 knots; with forced draught 9,800, speed 19 knots.
The ship is built of steel, and constructed according to the "double
bottom" system along the engine, boiler, and ammunition rooms. The

vaulted armor deck, extending 1.25 meters below the water line and
protecting the most vital parts of the ship, is 0.057 meter thick. There
are more than 100 water tight compartments below and above the deck.
A protecting belt of "cellulose" is provided for the engines and boilers,
extending from the armor deck downward.
The two main guns, placed on Krupp's hydraulic carriages, occupy
positions in front and rear, and are protected by stands 0.09 meter thick
and 1.60 meters high. They fire en barbette with a lateral range each of
260 degrees at bow and stern--i.e., 130 degrees on either of the
broadsides. The weight of