An abstract of Mr. William H White's paper "On the making of a modern fleet." Read before the Royal Institution on the 9th of March 1894. According to White, torpedo gunboats were a comparatively recent introduction, they were the smallest sea-going vessels built to accompany fleets. Varying in length from 230 feet to 250 feet, displacing between 750 to 1100 tons and having a maximum speed of 19 to 20 knots they had proven to be excellent sea-boats in heavy weather. White was also of the opinion that the four to five torpedo tubes that they carried compensated for their comparatively light armament.