For the new navy of the United States Congress has authorized the construction of twenty-five vessels, of which seven will be armored, sixteen unarmored, and two “such floating batteries, rams, or other naval structures for coast defence” as may be determined by the Navy Department. This list embraces five double-turreted Monitors, one armored battle-ship, one armored cruiser, eight partially protected cruisers, one dynamite-gun cruiser, four gun-boats, one despatch-vessel, and two torpedo-boats. Of the twenty vessels already built or ordered but three are in commission. They vary so much in type that the following conventional data may perhaps be of some use (see table on the following page), though it must be remembered that the performances stated are theoretical, except in the cases of the _Atlanta_, _Boston_, and _Dolphin_. The defects found in the _Atlanta_ when first tested were so easily remedied that the machinery finally developed a maximum horse-power which was only a little less than that required by the contract; while the _Boston_ reached a maximum of 4248.5 horse-power. In his last report to the President the Secretary of the Navy said: “The _Dolphin_ and the _Atlanta_ having both been completed, and having had trial trips, it is possible to compare them in their results with similar vessels built contemporaneously elsewhere. The _Dolphin_, of 1500 tons displacement, can be compared with the _Alacrity_ and _Surprise_, English despatch-vessels of 1400 tons each, and the _Milan_, a French despatch-vessel of 1550 tons, all built contemporaneously. The _Dolphin_ was designed for 2300 indicated horse-power, the _Alacrity_ and _Surprise_ each 3000, and the _Milan_ 3900. The highest mean horse-power developed upon trial was, in the case of the _Dolphin_, less than 2200; of the _Alacrity_, 3173; of the _Surprise_, 3079; of the _Milan_, 4132. The highest speed of the _Dolphin_, resulting from several trials, was 15.11 knots, running light; of the _Alacrity_, 17.95 knots; of the _Surprise_, 17.8 knots; of the _Milan_, 18.4 knots. “The _Atlanta_, the sister ship to the _Boston_, can be compared with the _Esmeralda_, the _Giovanni Bausan_, and the _Mersey_. All three were built in England: the _Esmeralda_ for Chili, the _Giovanni Bausan_ for Italy, and the _Mersey_ for the English government. The _Atlanta_ is of 3000 tons displacement; the _Esmeralda_, 2920; the _Giovanni Bausan_, 3086; and the _Mersey_, 3550. The _Atlanta_ was designed to attain an indicated horse-power of 3500, the _Esmeralda_ and the _Giovanni Bausan_ each 5500, and the _Mersey_ 6000. The trials had of the _Atlanta_ indicate that her engines will develop less than 3500 horse-power, while the _Esmeralda_ developed 6000, the _Giovanni Bausan_ 6680, and the _Mersey_ 6626. The maximum speed of the _Atlanta_ will be less than 15 knots, while that of the _Esmeralda_ was 18.28 knots, the _Giovanni Bausan_ 17.5 knots, the _Mersey_ 17.5 knots.”