The launching of this first-class battle ship was successfully carried
out at Pembroke Dockyard on May 7. She is the second of a class of
eight battle ships built and building under the Naval Defense Act of
1889, which were specially designed to take part in general fleet
actions in European waters. The leading dimensions are: Length,
between perpendiculars, 380 ft.; breadth, extreme, 75 ft.; mean
draught of water, 27 ft. 6 in.; and displacement at this draught,
14,150 tons, which surpasses that of any other ship in the navies of
the world. Previous to the launching of the Royal Sovereign--a sister
vessel--which took place at Portsmouth in February last, the largest
war ships in the British navy were the Nile and Trafalgar, each of
12,500 tons, and these were largely exceeded in displacement by the
Italia, of 13,900 tons, and the Lepanto, of 13,550 tons, belonging to
the Italian navy.

The Empress of India is built throughout of mild steel, the stem and
stern post, together with the shaft brackets, being of cast steel.
Steel faced armor, having a maximum thickness of 18 in., extends along
the sides for 250 ft. amidships, the lower edge of the belt being 5
ft. 6 in. below the normal water line. The belt is terminated at the
fore and after ends by transverse armored bulkheads, over which is
built a 3 in. protective steel deck extending to the ends of the
vessel and terminating forward at the point of the ram. Above the belt
the broadside is protected by 5 in. armor, the central battery being
inclosed by screen bulkheads of the same thickness. The barbettes,
which are formed of armor 17 in. thick, rise from the protective deck
at the fore and after ends of the main belt. The principal armor
throughout is backed by teak, varying in thickness from 18 in. to 20
in., behind which is an inner skin of steel 2 in. thick. The engines
are being constructed by Messrs. Humphreys, Tennant & Co, London, and