§ CAPTAIN BETHELLOn behalf of the noble Lord the Member for York I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can inform the House what type of boiler is being placed by the French in their largest cruiser building, the Jean d'Arc, which report says is to have an i.h.p. of 28,000 as compared with 25,000 i.h.p. of H.M.S. Powerful; and, whether the Belleville boiler, which is a French type, is still being adopted by the French Admiralty in their fast cruisers?
§ MR. MACARTNEYIt is not considered desirable to give any detailed information in this House as to foreign designs, but the noble Lord will find some information on the subject in the report of the Commission on the French naval budget for the year 1898, and in the speech of the French Minister of Marine in the Chamber of Deputies on the 2nd February.