The Express.
London, England, 1858-08-28 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 28, 1858.

WHAT SIR CHARLES NAPIER SAW AT
CHERBOURG.

TO THE lIHTOR Or THE EXERESA.

811,--It has been asked what did we me at Cher-
bourg ? I will UM you. Oa approaching the lead a =gal-
lant breakweise appared rising from the sea, defended by
lOW skims Ibillides, maiming many heavy guns, and so
bisalailid Mit fa the bast of the breakwater being boarded
they genii ad he tape by milt&
Oa the starboard kind ping in is the fort of Qoarquirvale,
between it and Fort Hoist, with its four tiers of gum ; as
every prefer:Ling point ars earthern works, close to the warms
edge (des most dangerous of all for ships), metuttlag many
bevy pas. From Fort Hornet to the Place d'Arates those
is a matimation of batteries (dome not finished), along the
as front to the line wall which surrounds the town. Inside
of theme fortifications lies the dockyard (about doubts the ale
of Portsmouth), having three basins, capable of °oath's-
lag 00 mil of the line, 30 of which can lay along the jettim•
Thaw ere, I Walt, tea building slips and six docks, fit to
moire the largest Mad ships. Boned the bonen at emir
tent distanosa, are large storehouses sod workshops of everyl
description, built with stone excavated from the bides.
On one of these slips was • 90-gag ship, the City of
Nantes, ready for lamoking. It was intended to Ist tie
water in with • great rush, and fill the Main at mos, to lib
owapbah which a monad of sand was ocesimoted at semi i
distance from the gates of the outer basm; dot was to be
geadoebly filled by sluices, sad the peewee was amerweei
be selliciewe to carry 'Away the mama, mad lei Ste water to
▪ einem.

Is he sent of the prewar, sot Wag ealliainat the woad
was shed, ready to vein at the appointed thee; =brat-
nattily for the grand display, whoa the dolor were valid
nee part of the as gum way, and it medially =cabled
down, ad the read sperterts JAW; hat the bean was
filled in time, wed the ship was lannottad amidst loud cheers
of " Vire Navahos," sad " Vies rlmpentrioe."

So the wistwerd el the Piste tArense is the Morahan&
Burr, wive ley 90 mbar. This harbour is sp-
proeched between two long pion, Thirazly dry at low water;
at high wafer mai eras' the bask, which is capable of
refiring • orsideable mar, of nowthent rimer The
Mercantile Harbor is entirely separate has the public seta-
blithaienta. At • cousiderable distance to the outward ot
this harbour is • wry iron fortilloation, mounting may
heavy guns ; threw IS, NW ensile the het on the oat end
of the Breekreir, is swear my strong tortlikotices al
three fiefs of guns, rermlalleg fart Had. All thew weir
▪ commended, or will be ecenmendr, by a sirs at re-
doubt' en the surrounding bills, in the arse et width
stands the Citadel La Route, which bee a mignilicent view
of the briar sal surreending country.
We bed not than to count the guns, oar, perhaps, would
Mum her pretest; but, Judging from the greet extent of
thrtilissikse, wed as rear they covered, thwe could not
her hen leis then 9,000, end, trwe the loud reports, they
meet have her of very heavy calibre. So many guns and
r may dialer teas at coeskierable direness from rah
etbw, weedd regales a top army to attend, end a still larger
army end fleet to sire ; and the probablUty is, Cbortourg
would not be seriously attacked with a view to its capture,
bet It Rigid be se termeerd that a fiat cool sot Ile there
with imprity.
Press may be asked—What is ell this to l and obi would
we
deur reply, We have so lab of Wight for the probe-
lien et or roads, and the Emperor ben made cos. We have
to
Peermonth harbour, and be has made three brims, end
is about to make a fourth, which he has a right to do—lt is
se beim of ours; but its oar burrs to take ewe of
eoresives, and that can only be done by a strong and porte-
nd fleet.

Let as now mambo is what way Cherbourg will awl am
misty. In former MIN Prance collected her Channel filet
is Brest, end off that port we spent many an anziose day and
night. Pipe/nth Breekwater did sot then mist, end when
hard premed we only had Torbay to ran ter, sad the mamma
the wiled sum to the outward we were off to ear old dates.
This pm se pea espartos; Erie geed seism mil sere
eines, hat it were sea hash arm sad Alps, and did last keep
the sem my la port, toe they smiled who they pissed.
la meant war, infrenes sews misehief aimed she will
keep her Ilests is the maim ports reedy ID pat to me; if
As means mischief at base, she will collect bar forces se
Clmbesrg, sad we was vetch her from Alderney, Portlead,
sad Bt. Beim's, sad me weer end tear ; eo he we shall he
betas 01.
If she mesas invasion, ohs mad cloned her steasare to
carry teen end them stemsre mast he amend by a lest,
and beim she ass bed IN temt ham a regales dead•ap
and I leave ao less Br the meat ; bat, sir, whet I fear
is that in time of prelsed pease, Treace, having a large
snip at cossaiaak a try feet, sad a liege ansaber, of OW
MB always ready, may midway ads ea Meek ea this
errestry hem Beet, Cherhearg, Boologes, ee say other
Channel pert she phrase. Besmislaw, this does oat tow
requite ships of war (though she is peperias steam tams-
port Is emery 15,000 cavalry) ; she woad *sly ham to she
statinses—no matter who they Wimp& to—cal/sot them at

Cliorbsing; fad this is only a isils•-from Portland.
I le set ea Prams woeld as ; but we VIM toil last
affreast Wale Chincelhr of Sao Ezebeque OM we wore

Maim s fav bow al war. Ths maw *low hem hippmed
MOS at twice teem awl way how eerie, awl this wrest
sod rich emir" might to isms meth* to ohms. We nest
either weep with Frames to haw sp a mindsets Any, et
we wed Imps, • well-lasosei sag well-diesipliosd Chapala
last; eel Ws say be dew eta very toadirete expense. At
lest we twee a Mewed sowares el six ail et the lbw ; bet
thot is wet eallialsot, IPS out to hen tee oil el the

istmed 1,7 licut-rati atims—thurit ought not to be a laada:
aars usaupl Uma. O. 100 Krim 'bowlike 'unbolted
la nob Alp, mad Oak swab.r dad up with able sosassu.
Our Mem abowid hiiacressed 5,000 ms (which l•

vs in IS te do), mei en our argart toents garrisoned by
them The I pslMsd oat yews ego. We ought always to
have ha 001 l el the Ilse la reserve, sad toady, so that is the
east et war ar ersreausat. the Chaired fleet should Wu
over one witch to the MUM fill both mg with Whim Ma-
rbles, sod boys, all out the coed volunteers for leadsmen,
awl we should have twenty oft et the rue better newsed

Um the paoranty deer ;alp led w.
That Is sot ; wi/M. or sib arm lave, 10,010 Cow*
tare. They r• be Ai posisstles of the irmess,

sad at aol be ditlarbeil mita is an a areistoy. TbeY
en
di told a sad ready to b• la es bard a ship ; bat we
hate so aloe to naive thea, for I ilo sa asU the Wok-
alp i for that pram This eats ere triemble, bat
dr net an Irene tit seam
is seesaw boo aura nips ready (sad I me me
lone aired ferr thrartisehia to b• wet derwa sad ea-
valued Isfr antwe—bad Alpe dry will be, bat It ammot to
helped-1Y Yana are doles the wash the, alibi to be
eathard dam the road to Soda the Coed Owardenea.
Theo woad be ready IS pat bra at aay mosetat thirty
all of the Ilea MA with este • fetes at the togisalag of a
wa v• avid defy as wed. Aid It alb b dose with an

eel emeKr, I to set see time veldt be eesepios le very
meek berme the estimates. Bat nut if Y eels away It
nut be deem Azytblei le Wale thee eceendsdoeft ships
one dq ea pits( Qin off ate asst—loollsidy
saw wilheat elkiney, sad deliesleg bad Zems"2
POOL

I lave al id sad aothheg of the ltmeh let we dm&
lying wader the brisitwalar. But as I emit was* arm
with Mr. Lisday I nut my eraistidag w did wit‘sti.
Mr. Lishay nays that the samba of Alpe he sew at OW-
ban we net to be eraspend fs what be saw ar the review
Steed;et but lb.lhadsay *was that whoa the ilset wee
nottered al tighheed it was lesteedtaely alts, the Itarlea
tr, sod set • Kip but ba• pie edi Tha FM* find be
saw al Obalterag. atm eaY K Ihe it a. was the apadraa al
evelatios. the Maio equable; the Bad apaheas
did ad .w aloe to Cherbourg. Kr. Lindsay ha at et*
herd lye sin el the Vass jut Med oat, sad ascliered
bow ; ead be bawl at Cheekier, to. .n of the lies that
heathen la tanaleelea upwards of two yes* NNW to
a batialig haw awl gratealisa ant • ship shwa • few
Melon eat at has Mm.. I moat my the Woe, se a
whoa, anak se es Wes vary bider bar sm. I
,ought therms ray hoe alga sad Isabel yew met
Hte areb-el-wer ; lye of Km was bait ihr arenas, sad
bar was wan ships tesselerned tato lone, Moe et
Kash* wo lift at iiKibsed tan also ail ship tear
late awn. Ma Imam lad Orin awn bulk ibr
sewn sad Key lastlipe Obey N, lei lead iho lath
Wotan meat

There was no manceuvring, sad wn were not on board
deny but the asg-ship, and therein, could not jeAge
either of their discipline or crews. I bent with Mr.
Lledesy on board the Bretagne, end I agree with him abs
Is a magnificent ship. There was no preperallan for ne—
gate thseontrary ; the men were at their begs, des i" to re-
ceive the Queen, bat everything seemed in the Ides= lad=
and the ship was beautifully fitted. Weed, nII Prim= slaps
are; they are all alike, and everything in the plea. Whe-
ther the mm were sailors or BM I seifinet say, but they
appeared to me to be strong, healthy sum. Mi. Lindsey
compass the Royal Albert with the Itsdagers and
be es) e, if both were manned with Freselemem the Royal
Albert would sink the Bistagne ; but he don't till no why.
The Bretagne is a much larger ship, and mounts man germs,
and has more men, therefore it ought to be quite the other
way. Were the Royal Albert to meet the Breffigne In a
sea way, both ships fall of coats, the Royal Albert
would have the advantage, as she carries her lower
deck-porta nearly • foot higher than the Bribes.
That is • great point. Mr. Lindsay glees the
dimensions of the baains, dockyards, do.. all mach
larger than ours; and he observes that the French
may whirl down mow man to Cherbourg, but unless they
comae= the Channel, sad have a dillsevat Oilla of ships,
they coal= some to Ragland. As fares onamanding the
Channel goes, Mr. Lindsay is quite right; but as to his
opinion of their ships, he is quits wrong. The French build,
and indeed always did build, as line ships as ours ; end some
ot the best ships we had last war =retaken from the French,
or copied from them. Ana M Ltsimy as, my et,
lam two-treelea ditp 1 ose launched the
other day :at Cherbourg. Mr. Lindsay then comes
to the point. Be °boons Trance would have never
bait those arsenals unless she Waned building ships
to put into them, and we cans= shut ear eyes le the greet
fact we have seen, that there is Me Wag in =eke we are
deadest." Be rye We he= shadisse seamen,
we are s maritime people, bat in the hest eel ermargessy we
have had a difficulty In obtaining semen le men our ships ;
but I am happy to tell you this evenisqp—fer I think It is
the only difficulty we have now to contend with—that the
government are now zealously devoting themselves to the
question.'
I ant ghd to hem it ; but I rep= in add that the com-
rabdca hes dome nothing szempt ormanne belfm-doess =t-
ames, and then =Jews= till Worrumber.—l am, no.,
Merchant:us, Awed 2S. CHARLES NAPIER.