The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-31 00:00:00

TIIE IRON-CLAP SHIPS OF FRANCE.

A great deal is said of y ~,,t is being done, or about to
be done; in France, and/ conduct of the French
Goverdrilerft is held ma a xample for our Admiralty
to follow. A Writei"ri kudoort says that, by May-
next, the French w )d rifled gains behind float-
ing armour plates, 1. similar to the Gloire, and
100 iron-clad gunb ,float. In the Independence
Beige we are told thre .e iron-cased frigates are to be
laid down in the Fren. .ckyards. These, it is said, in
addition to the ten nor :Iding and the three already
launched,will giire a tOt4 sixteen. The new frigates are
to be ready for sea on P.: f January, 1802. Never was
there a ship that has h the fortune, good or bid, of
being the subject of so t3l) vaunting as this famous
La Gloire; it has, Wq a ,old, beaten the Algesiras
in a trial of speed, full and half steam power,
and is, like everythi .inch, when seen through
certain descriptions ( - a perfect marvel of naval
architecture and sum i. ineering. One correspon-
dent, in the height e co, 'rusiasin, declares she is
"e9ual to the Great I in her sailing qualities."
It is not improbable t' more impartial critics might
think, as the sharehol, of the great ship have learned
to their cost by this ti hat some other qualities are
required in a ship besi• iat of steadiness in the water.
The'power of resisting and tear is as necessary in a
ship of war as in a mon steam vessel ; and it yet re-
mains to be seen how tL wide of the French navy will
behave after she has h , some months at sea. La
Gloire is, after all, but tir 'd wooden hull covered with
armour plates. She is, ioubt, a great advance on
the old timber ship in. ;. aver of resistance to shot
and shell, but she cart, y in her timbers;. while
her rival, the Warri4 iron ship throughout,
and it may yet be that in this matter
of iron armour ships • to really lost nothing
by waiting to see of experiments
made by our neighl;,,e,.. The panic respecting these
ships is, like most others, founded on exaggeration
The fleet of sixteen shies sinks to rather less dimensions
when one condescends to particulars. In this list we
apprehend there will be found to be included the Ton-
nante, Devastation, Lare, Foudroyante, and Congrue,
which arc the same floating batteries as were tried at
Kinburn during the Crimean war, and to these we/ could
oppose an equal number of the same description of bat-
teries, which were built in so much haste at the same
time as the French ships. They arc of the class of the
Trusty, and are worthless except for the defence of river
mouths or places which can be commanded in smooth
water. We may therefore dismiss these from notice.
Next we have this much talked-of La Gloire, launched
and equipped, and the only one which has yet
been tried at sea ; La Normandie, built at Cherbourg,
launched, but not fitted for sea, nor provided with its
armour plates. There is the Invincible, building at
Toulon, Ind the Couronae at L'Orient. These arc but
252 feet in length, 55 feet of beam, and 900-horse power.
Against these there are the Warrior and the Black
Prince, each nearly twice the size and. tonnage of the
French ships, and built throughout of iron; and a third
ship has been commenced at Chatham, said:to be of still
greater power. The Warrior and Black Prince will be
ready for sea by the tir that the French have two fairly
equipped. Then the Fr • have four others,the Paixhans,
Peiho, Saigon, and Pa- small floating batteries, now
building at Bordeaux, feet in length, 471 breadth,
21 height, and 33 feet water. No great progress
has been made with 1,!:t. `teries, and as a match for
these our Admiralty a • ime since called for ten-
ders for three more iron- 01 frigates, and which but
for some necessary alti,t. ~ons in the details would by
this time have been in loird. When finally accepted wo
may fairly back the The', a Iron Works Company, Mr.
Laird, of Birkenhead; !Y--•lsrs. Napier, of Glasgow;
Messrs. Palmer, of New do ; Messrs. Westwood, of
Millwall, and others to the work out of hand as
rapidly as M. Annan, of ideaux. Then the French
Government have two stea:, ms building—the Magenta
at Brest, the Solferino at )rient ; these are of 1,000
horse power, length 281 f breadth 50 feet; but these
are matched by the Rey ,lee and the Defence, now
nearly completed, and be ready for launching
in a few weeks. The Res ice has been built at Mill-
wall, and the Defence by ssrs. Palmer and Co., of
Newcastle. So far, there, , s ships actually complete,
or in progress, as distingui, d from thop in nnbibns,
are concerned, the difference ietween the two navies is
not so alarmingly on the sid• of France as is generally
supposed to be the case. If here is to be another re-
construction of our navy, i as well that it should be
carried out upon the best ~eni that can be devised,
and in the long run it wi ..obsibly be found to be a
wise and prudent measure wait to learn something
respecting the sailing and i 7 qualities of the Warrior
before we transform our n into ships of that class.