The Express.
London, England, 1862-03-29 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS,

running down mode of attack would, seem 7not

to be practicable, as it is directly stated that tha
Merrimac attempted this,, sad failed to do more
than make the Monitor Ml *vat. Indeed, the

attempts of the Merrimac to repeat her successful
feat of charging upon the Cumberland were often
foiled by the Monitor getting under her bows, evi-
dently not at all afraid of being charged. After
all, one of the most inspiring marvels to English

ears is to hear that this vessel, about half as long
spin as one of our gun-boats, though nearly as
wide as the Warrior, was built in three months at
a coat of only 00,0001. The Merrimac, too, was
fitted and equipped as she fought in this remark•
able encounter in lees than two months, and thus
the two iron ships which fought the first battle are
a new sign, if any were wanting, of the extraordi-
nary energy and the daring mechanical genius
of the Americans, from which we may well draw

inferences valuable to our own interests.

As to the battle between the iron-plated and the
wooden ships, it is not so remarkable for the de-
structive effect upon the Cumberland, which was
but an old ship, as for the effective way in which
the Merrimac did her work. Hers was a frigate
&Trying only twelve guns, hastily converted into
an iron-cased ship, with a deck-thatch extemporised
out of common iron rails, and fitted with a rough-
and-ready, but, as it proved, very formidable iron
prow ; she runs into the teeth of a whole squadron
of well-appointed men-of-war, facing broadsides
of the heaviest guns as if they were the
lightest spray of the waves ; then, launching shot
on every side, she singles out her victim, and
iu two successive charges at the hull literally tears
it in pieces. The Cumberland, being at anchor,
had no power to avoid the shock, and the crew,
thus taken at • cruel disadvantage, found them-
selves completely overmatched by • reckless and
agile antagonist ; they fought with the bravery of
a forlorn hope, and shouted "No surrender"
while their shattered ship was sinking. Such de-
termined courage and discipline carries its own com-
ment. All this damage was dons by • wooden ship
plated and strengthened with iron, without ex-
posing • man, and without the least injury to her
either from the shock of the collision, which had
been pronounced in theory as dangerous to the at-
tacker as the attacked, or from more than twenty
broadsides fired at her by the Cumberland at
short range. There is no reason for supposing the
guns of the American navy inferior in poser,
in order to explain the fact that • wooden chins
thatched with iron rails, was capable of raiding
such a storm of shot ; and as we have now
some five wooden ships being converted into
plated ships, we only hope they may turn out as
tough as the Merrimac under the guns of the
forts, the Cumberland, and the Congress.
in estimating this first fighting experiment in
modern naval warfare, it must be borne in mind
that the action was not between iron ships at
sea, but between an iron and wooden ships
in a river, and an iron ship against what is called
" • queer looking machine," also in a river.
The running-down plan, effective as it was
in this case against a wooden ship, could hardly
be adopted by one iron ship of the Warrior
clam against another with similar results;
the collision of two fabrics of such immense weight
and unyielding =semis" would, we imagine, be a
risk on both ides which few captains would be
disposed le War. The Warrior has not, sesseileply.
hews falba with any kind of fighting new,
I slim %on the other hand, the Defence and the
Itesistenalb have, but not of the double-pronged
eseployed by the Merrimac. Running
dews, however, would be a difficult matter at sea,
especially if high steam power and perfect steering
are made the essential qualities, as they must in-
evitably be in all modern ships of war. In the first
of these qualities the American ships concerned in
the late engagement were not particularly remark-
able, but the accounts would lead us to suppose
that even the Monitor machine was capable of
being managed with ease and precision, although
she was not at all intended as • sea boat, and the
Merrimac was only not so handy as she was in
her original form as one of the finest frigates in
the service.

CU' Court.
WINDSOR CIASTLE, Maim 1&
Her Majesty and the Princess Helena and
Princess Louise drove out yesterday ettentoon. Colonel
the Hon. A. N. Hood attended oil boreal*.
The Crown Princess of Prussia (Princess Boys!), attended
by the Countess Blucher, drove in the grenade this morning.
The Duke sad Duchess of Aumale, mad the Dike of
Cambridge, came to the Castle to-day, sad left in the
afternoon.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the
official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury
in Downing-street. The miniatersvisissent were
Viscount Palmerston, Earl Granville, the Duke
of Argyll, Sir George Grey, Earl usual, the
Duke of Newcastle, Sir G. Cornwall Lewis, Sir
Charles Wood the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
the Duke of Somerset, the Right Hon. Thomas
Milner Gibson, the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell,
and Lord Stanley of Alderley

--
The Prince Consort Memorial Committee bald a meeting
at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, at the Palace of Westmin-
ster. Present, the Had of Derby, the Berl of Clarendon,
the Lord Mayor. end Wu Charles L. Eastlake.
A deputation from the city of Bristol in favour of the
Bristol and Clifton Railway bad an interview yesterday
with the Right Hon. W. Hutt, Vice-President of the Board
of Trade.
A meeting of the Finance Committee cif the Royal Can.
mission for the Exhibition of 1861 was held yesterday
at the Privy Cionacileace. There were pressed Earl
Granville (citairinee), lewd Oventoue, Sir S. Morton Pete,
Bart., M. P., Mr. T. F. Gibson, Mr. Thring, and Mr. Zdpz
Bowing, 0.8. (secretary).
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Conseil sid yester-
day. An appeal from the Court of ADAM, " Huth o.
Border," part heard, was ooncinded. Judgment ems re.
served. The Lords present were the Archbishop of York,
the Bishop of London, Lord Cranworth, and the Lords
Justices Knight Bruce and Turner.
Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
°Mos from the Lord High Commissioner of the lonian
Islands.

Her Majesty the Queen, with the members of the
royel famfiy, will, according to the proient strangsmenia,
take her departure from Windsor Castle, and proceed to the
Isle of Wight on Thursday next, the 3rd prox. The Queen
will continue at her marine residence until the wed of
April, or beginning of May, when it is her Majesty', inten-
tion to proceed to Balmoral, and keep her birthday at that
quiet and secluded retreat. It is expected that her Majesty
will again visit Windsor for a few days in the month of
June. The Mit of her Royal Highness the Princess of
Prussia (Prhicemi Royal) will terminate an Monday next,
whoa she will take her departure from Windsor for Pramis
by the 10.55 a.m. South Western train, to arrive at the
private station at Vauxhall at 12.40. Os Sunday evening
last, as the " dim religions light" was shed upon the choir
through the magnificent stained glans windows of Bt.
George's Chapel, and all wee bashed in solemn sasses, her
Majesty, accompanied by the Prinomere, spin entered bl
a private doer, and placed additicieal wreaths of evergreens
and Bowen on the marble slab which covers the entrance to
the temporary gave of the late Prince Consort.

Franca' Countess of Albemarle and Colonel the
Kos. P. Cast bars left town for Atoms, Newton Abbott,

Viscountess Newport and Miss Anson have re-
tumid to the Bart of Wilton's, at Melton Mowbray, from
Bslvoir ()antis. . - -

—.—
Lord and Lady Forester have arrived at Melton
Mewbray.
Lord De Tabby has taken a residence in Lower
Brooketreet for a km of yens.
Lady Marian Alford has left town on a visit to
the Marquis sail llarehiesees of Northampton, at Castle
Ashby, Neethompiesehlre.
Mr. and Lady s. Drummond have arrived at
Belvoir Castle ea a shit to the Doke of Bathed.

—.—
A marriage is arranged to take place between Sir
Thome Bowed Bastes, ma ot the late Sir Edward Buxton,
sad Lady Victoria Noel, youngest daughter et the Earl sod
Ormatote el Gehrboreagh.
Mrs. Leas Box has arrived at Belvoir Castle on
• visit to the Date el Rattan&