must be allowed that Smith had the merit of a slight priority in the field, for his patent was taken the 31st of April, 1836, and Ericsson's, the 13th of July in the same year.

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CHAPTER XVI.

ARMOUR-PLATED SHIPS.

Revolution in Naval Science-Three Agents-Early Armour for Ships-Plated Vessels-The Santa Anna-Floating Batteries of the Knight of Arcon-Wooden ArmourDemologos - Paixhans-Gunboats in the Russian War La Gloire-Objections to her―The Warrior - American Enterprise Monitor-The Taureau - Monitors v. Broadsides-Passage of the Miantonomah-Sphere of the Broadsides.

It has been well remarked that the progress of naval science has of late been much swifter than that of military science.* That we find ourselves fighting land battles on substantially the same principles as guided Wellington and Napoleon, or even Marlborough and Gustavus Adolphus. For though the

North American Review,' vol. ciii. In our account of modern inventions we are much indebted to this article ; also to the 'Nautical Magazine' generally for much information. The articles in this magazine and the original accounts of various marine incidents combine to make it most valuable, both to the student of nautical history and the practical seaman.

adoption of the breech-loader for military purposes is doubtless destined to produce great changes in future military movements, yet it cannot be said to have introduced a new era in military tactics such as the powers already described, and yet to be described, produced in naval tactics.

But it is not so with naval science. It has not been changed merely, but revolutionised within less. than half a century. The old naval heroes, even the latest of them, would recognise in the full-grown man of this day none the very slightest traces of the child fostered by their hands; for, in truth, he is of another blood, and can trace not the most distant kinship to the child. Nay, more, the manœuvres of Salamis, performed more than 2000 years ago, are nearer akin to the most modern ones than Nelson's manœuvres at Trafalgar, which is within the memory of many of our own time, and this we shall substantiate.

This great revolution is due to three agents. First, the use of steam, whose introduction has been. already described. Secondly, horizontal shell-firing, and, generally, the increasing power and calibre of ordnance, on which we have yet to speak. Thirdly, defensive iron armour for ships, which is now to occupy our attention. And, previous to entering upon the vexed question of the merits of the respective systems, we will briefly review the history of ships armed howsoever, so as to resist successfully the gunnery of their own time; or, in a word, armour-plated ships.