France building dispatch cruiser according to the Dutch magazine Marineblad 1899-1900 no. 4

An item referred to the magazine le Yacht reporting that the French navy intended to start that year with the building of a cruiser for dispatch services. The design included a ship with a large length of 4.000 tons, with a minimum speed of 23 miles, a large coal bunker capacity and an armament of 10cm quick firing guns. Her speed was to be her main defence. Her main purpose was to supply intelligence to the admiral dealing with the movements of the enemy. The result was that she was to avoid any battle even against a weaker opponent while even the slightest damage could influence her tasks. Her speed and armament had to be enough for a defence against destroyers.