The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-21 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 21, 1864.

sort of argument may sound very well in the
House of Commons, bat it is practically fallacious,
for it is in the building of a ship that her capacity
for stowage and stability for armament must be con-
sidered, and if it be necessary that a practical sailor
should superintend the details of the armament and
fitting of a man-of-war, would it not be better for the
designer of the vessel to submit his plans to the
said practical sailor before expending the public
money in building ships for the sake of pulling
them to pieces ? We admit that allowance must be
made for many deficiencies in experimental vessels,
such as the Research and Enterprise, but it is curi-
ous to corapare the results of such experiments in
private yards and government dockyards. Ia the
former rJaEe blunders are the exception, in the latter
they ere the rule. Sir JOHN PAKINGTON said that
while he did not intend to censure Mr REED,
mho deserved the credit of having been the
first to apply armour plating to small vessels,
he could not help contrasting the Research with
the Rolfe Krake :—" These two vessels were as
nearly as possible of the same size, tonnage, and
armoury. They each carried four guns, but while
the Rolfe Brake could use them all on either side,
the Research could only fire two on each side; and
while the Rolfe Brake drew only 10 feet of water,
the Research drew 15. These could be no question
as to the superiority of the vessel built in the
Clyde by Messrs. NAPIER to that built for the Ad-
miralty by Mr. REED." We fully coincide with
the right hon. baronet on this point; but is there
any reason why the public official should be so in-
competent to compete with private individuals ? It
is not denied by any one that the present construes
tor of the Navy is a man of talent, but the wisest
have their failings, and all men more or less possess
some particular hobby. That of Mr. REED is that
speed is a secondary consideration to invulnera-
bility therefore, to obtain the one object he
sacrifices the other. In this respect the Re-
search and Enterprise are but little superior to
the old floating batteries constructed during the
Crimean War, for although their speed is consider-
ably greater, yet it is not sufficient to enable either
of them to overtake a flying enemy, or to avoid al
pursuing one. Lord C. PAGET was of opinion that
these ships were as good as could be expected when
their tonnage and draught of water were taken into
consideration. Mr. LAIRD, however, stated that it
was possible to build vessels of same 1,200 tons
capable of going at the rate of twelve knots an hour,
and carrying very heavy guns. Mr. LAIRD com-
plained of the unfitness of the rigging of the Royal
Sovereign, which Lord C. PAGET admitted was
merely jury rigged, as that vessel was
only intended for harbour service, and the
hon. member for Birkenhead also observed that
while the Admiralty were demanding fair play for
the Research and Enterprise, they were not doing
justice to Captain COLES' cupola system, by send-
ing the Royal Sovereign to sea without being
properly masted. He considered, also, that her
draught of water was too greet for the harbour
service, and although he did not profess much
knowledge cf gunnery, he believed that the only
method of carrying the heavy guns now proposed
was on the plan of Captain COLES, because the
guns could be trained in the simplest and easiest
manner, and worked with fewer hands than in
any ether ships. Much had been said of the diffi-
culty of getting effective vessels of a light draught
on the cupola system. Now, having paid some at-
tention to this subject, he was prepared to state
that vessels of 1,000 and 1,200 tons could be built
with a speed of 12 knots an hour, to carry two of
the heaviest guns, two 300epounders, and throwing
a broadside of 6001 b., against th 3 2201 b of the Re.
search. Such a vessel could be completely armour-
plated, fitted on Capt. COLES' plan, masted, rigged,
and arran.qed. an that t
not only for harbour and coast defence, but able to
go round Cape Horn or any other part of the world:
The hon. member was, of course, referring to his
celebrated rams, the El Toussin and El Monassir,
now being completed for her MAJESTY'S service, and
there can be little doubt that they will realise his
expectations. After an animated discussion the
motion was withdrawn, but the object of the hon.
member for Chatham was accomplished and the
subject fairly ventilated. It is not co be inferred
because the Research and Enterprise are faulty in
many respects they cannot be improved or that their
defects may not be avoided in other vessels. Credit
is due to Mr. REED for his endeavour to supply the
Navy with small armour-plated ships, but we quite
agree with the suggestion of Sir M. PETO, that it is
not proper the Admiralty should be guided by one
Imind, but the Contractor should design the vessels
' and submit the designs to practical men, so that any
defects, like those discovered in the Research, might
be discovered before the ships were constructed, as
is done in other countries,

LAUNCH OF A STEAMER.—The first of 8 line of
merchant steamships intended for the Australian
trade, and built and owned by Messrs. Wigram and Sons,
was launched yes.erday from Blackwall yard in the pre-
sence of several thousand spectators. The ship ran off the
stocks in admirable style at flood tide, Miss Wyndham,
daughter of Col, Wyndham, of Peterafield, christening
her " the London.'' On breasting the water she was im-
mediately towed up to Greenwich, where she will take her
engines from Penn's yard, The London is of 1,7b0 tons
register, and she will sail for Melbourne in October next,
under the command of Captain Martin, an experienced
Australian navigator.

- -
DIVORCE COURT.—The number of petitions for
dissolution of marriage last year exceeded the number in any
previous year since the Court has been established. There
were 255 such petitions filed in the year 1863, besides 7 for
declaring the marriage null fror4 the first. 43 pernons
petitioned for judicial aeparatior., and 12 applied for protec-
tion of property. 237 judgir..ents were given in the year;
1,059 have been given in the last six years. But which way
the judgments went 'is not told; strange as it may seem,
the Registrar ma1".488 his return to the Secretary of State
year after year of the business done in this court, giving
some details. of little interest or importance, but never
states how many marriages are dissolved in the year.
FIT ED ON BY THE PRUSSIANS.--We (Glasgow
Herald) have been favoured with the following
extract from a letter from Mr Henry Lamond to our towns-
man, Mr R. P. Lamond, dated on board the Government
mail steamer Viken, from Christiania to Lubeck, Wednes-
day, July 13, 1864, 10 a.m. :—" We had early this morning
a narrow escape for our lives, having been for nearly 10
minutes under fire of about 60 Prussian riflemeh, who, I
suppose, mistook us for a Danish war vessel. It came about
in this way. The whole of Jutland is now in the hands of
the Prussians, Frederikshaven, on the N.E. of the penin-
sula, which was only occupied last night, is on the route of
this, steamer, and we went in to within 300 yards at half.
;mat 5 this morning to land a passenger. No sooner had we
stopped and made signals for a boat to come out to us, than
whiz, whiz, went three or four ballets over our heads, and
presently we see running along the road towards the shore
a largo body of Prussians with their bayonets flashing in
the sun, and in a moment they discharged a volley at us
without the slightest notice. Down came some pieces of
sail and rigging on our heads, shot through by the bullets.
At this time C--- and I, and some two or three other
passengers, are standing on the top of the saloon deck,
from which we move as fast as possible. The engines are
set on full speed, and away we go, the bullets are peppering
like hailstones, till we got beyond range. It is a perfect
miracle same of us were not shot : certainly we should have
been had it not been for the saloon deck, which, as the fire
was from astern, protected us from the bullets. The helms-
man had a bullet through the cuff of his sleeve, and 22 have
been taken out of the hull, but about 150 must have been
discharged. Several struck the funnels, two of which
pierced them and fell down. One traversed the saloon the
entire length, entering at the stern 21t. from the helms-
man, and at the other end striking the mirror, which is
quite distinctive, in a neutral steamer calling twice a week
the
Fr
men
-e
occupationoe
slightestl dfe- erawvi iani cnrkq gsughioFro
onrefegndt
t, so
hnehreoeiyre if
would the
have Prussians
learnt had made
what w
e
were.
u'ea
Mace
de u,
b yawede hhaavvee ainsf so er dm tewd ot Dh
eamn i sohf
the Prussians, and their
treatment of us. They take it quite coolly, One of them
had a trosport ill<ip i tow."