The Express.
London, England, 1866-11-09 00:00:00

Vte ennitoo.

DRURY LANE
THIS ZVICNIXO, FAUST. Mr. Phelps, ?leases. E. Phelps, W.
Harrison, H. Vandenhoff, and J. Johnstone Hrs. Herman
Vein and Miss Poule.—And THE CUMEDY OF ERRORS.
The Brothers Webb.

HAYMARKET.
THIS EntIMO, A Ballet Divertiasement. The Mimes Healey.—
A DANGEROUS FRIEND. Mews. C. Mathews, Bowe, Kendal
az. ; Mesdames C. Mathews, ChippTendale.CßlTlC,
Mr. C. Mathews.—And A KLSS IN HE DARK. Mr. Clark.

Lit:KUL
Twat Evrirsa, BRUTUS AND CESAR- Was Renrade.—Aad
TUE LONG STRIKE. Messrs D. Bouckault, Emery, hitlicomb,
Cowper &c. ; Mrs. D. Roueicault —Concluding with TWEEDLEr
TON'S TALL COAT. Mr. 11. Widdicomh.—Commauce at T.

STRAND.
TUTS STRNTSCI, IN THE W BON BOX.—DER FRETSCHUTE.
OR, A GOOD CAnf FOA A KECK—And SOOTS AT THE
SWAN.

HOLBORN.
TRU thrENnra, at 7, LARKIN'S LOVE LETTERS. Mr. Bel-
more and Miss C. Saunders.—And ELVIN° SCUD. Messrs.
Bernie, Belmore, Blake, Vollaire, !Mesdames F. Josephs,
C. Saunders, Bessie Foote. Mild's, Lennox, Raymond, dm.

BRITANNIA.
TUN ammo, WHAT IS IT !—Mis:-+ K. Garstone : Mr. Ogden.
"Kind Oldnaddy " Paul Dentin Baster George Yerks.—TllK
3LD CHERRY TREE. Mn. Lallt.—And EDWARD THE
BLACK PRINCE.

HIGH WATV.R AT LONDON BRIDGE.
TIM DAY --Nforolug, 2h. rSla Afternoon. Ilk 15es.
TO-YORROW—Moruiug. Wt. 30m Afternoon, 3b. 461 n.

LONDON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9.

OFFICIAL reports of an experimental cruise of a
British squadron are not usually made public to
the British nation. Such a practice would, it is
said, be injurious to the service, and would fur-
nish too valuable information to foreign powers.
For these traditional reasons the British nation is

_ .
deprived of the means of forming an authentic
judgment on the value it receives for its enormous
outlay, while foreigners, whose interest is to get
correct intelligence without caring for the !source,
can perfectly ascertain from private inquiries all
the facts which it is material fur them to know.

Such a system, so admirably calculated to defeat
its professed objects, is, however, fully effectual
only while the public remains indifferent. When
a general concern in the sufficiency of our naval
force has been awakened, it is impossible to pre-
vent the truth from oozing out. So it happens

- -
that from various unofficial communications which
have been published, we are, while the experi-
mental squadron of ironclads has barely returned
to port, able in some degree to estimate the com-
parative results of the trials. These, by the organ
of sonic of the ot:icials, have been presented in One

way. We propose to lay before our readers the
deductions to be fairly drawn in a light leas
partial, if somewhat less self-satisfying.
Between the work turned out in the Royal
Dockyards and in private yards there is happily no
distinction to be drawn. The vessels under trial
are therefore to be classed fur comparison only in

respect of the principles involved in their con-
struction. Here the first leading division is be-
tween wood and iron hulls. Four of the vessels,
the Caledonia, the Ocean, the Lord Clyde, and the
Pallas, were built of wood, though plated with
iron. All the rest were of iron throughout. The

two former had been commenced before armour-

plating was thought of, and therefore no great ob-
jection can be taken to their being completed,
though on a faulty system. But the Lord Clyde
and the Pallas were commenced avowedly for iron-
clads, under the combined authority of Lord
PALMERSTON and Admiral ltwitratos, the Comp-
troller of the Navy, who, as our readers may re-
member, argued strenuously that wooden hulls
were better, cheaper, and more quickly con-
structed than iron. The experimental cruise has,
however, shown that at least in one respect they
are certainly not better, for we learn that the hulls
of some of them have been so strained that the
armour-plates are loosened, and the bolts will need
to be screwed up. This would be awkward, to
say the least, if they were to be exposed to host'
shot before the repairs could take place. The
Lord Clyde, Otean, and Caledonia are reported
to roll heavily ; the Pallas is more steady,
and, from her rig, was almost always the
fastest under canvas. Under steam, however,
she was beaten by the Lord Clyde, and fairly
distanced by the Achilles, the latter wholly iron
built. Nur is this attributable to want of engine
power, or to intentional disregard of the quality
of speed, for she was avowedly built with the pur-
pose of attaining " extreme speed," and her engines
are in proportion of one-sixth of her displacement,
and with every modern improvement, while tl. ose
of the Achilles. are only in the proportion of One-
eighth, and on the old system. Coming now to cost,
we find that the Lord Clyde has cost 278,0001.,
the Ocean and Caledonia each 206,0001., while
the Hector, of about the same tonnage, but
wholly of iron, cost only 212,0001. The Achilles
has a half more tonnage and cost 321,0001. Again,
on the point of being more quickly built, none
of the wooden vessels have been turned out so
rapidly as the Bellerophon, which is wholly of
iron. On the whole, then, it is obvious that
wood has none of the boasted advantages which we
were told would more than compensate for its
demerits, in being at once weaker, less capable of
being made watertight, and above all in being de-
structible by fire or by decay.
We may next make a comparison between the
vessels constructed by the former and the present
directors of our shipbuilding department, with a
view to see whether the progress we were pro-
mised has been attained. Of the older vowels
there were four, the Achilles, the Hector, the
Caledonia, and the Ocean. Of the newer
class there were also four, the Bellerophon,
Lord Clyde, Pallas, and Research. Under canvas
the latter were, on the whole, distinctly the
fastest sailers. But under steam, which, for mo-