The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-02 00:00:00

was already", paid for. And the more so that
economy was pressed on the Government to such an
extent that they had reduced the Estimates more
than a million from those of last year. Besides,
time was an essential argument in the matter. They
could construct the five frames of wood in far less
time than those of iron, and at far less cost.
Indeed, it was considered very expedient to have
the ships completed with the leaet possible delay.
This was admitted, but still—there was nothing
like leather in the patriotic mind—and so iron, and
nothing but iron would be thought of. In this
dilemma Lord PALMERSTON undertook to sus-
pend the building of the wooden frames
until an estimate was furnished of the comparative
time and cost of wooden frames covered with
armour-plates, and iron frames backed with wood
and covered with armour, which was undoubtedly
the best, so far as our present experience went.
But iron ships would take two years and a half to
build, and then there was a great difficulty in keep-
ing their bottoms from becoming foul. Again, it
was considered that old ships covered with armour
would not be so good as ships newly framed out of
timber for the purpose, because the latter would be
constructed on a different principle, and would not
contain unsound places. This reasoning seemed to
convince the house so far, and the vote was allowed
to pass for armour-plating those ships now com-
pleted and ready for their armour, his lordship
pledging the Government that the construction
of the five wooden frames should be suspended until
the comparative estimates were furnished which
would be in about a fortnight hence.

Now, we humbly think that as time presses, and
as Lord PALMERSTON said they were in a hurry for
more ships, there can be no valid objection to build
those five ships of wood, seeing that they could be
constructed in less than a year, one at each of our
great building yards—say Deptford, Woolwich,
Chatham, Portsmouth, Devonport, and Pembroke
—making up half a dozen, which would employ
the workmen and use up the timber, rather than let
it be damaged by time. If those ships now con-
structed of wood, and ready for their armour-plat-
ing, are good for warlike purposes, where is the objec-
tion to a few more, in order to complete the comple li
-
ment necessary to place our Navy on a proper footing P
And the more so, that as the number of ships
wholly to be constructed of iron will take a long
time, it is but right that we should be in a good
condition with the best we can get in the shortest
time possible. Nobody can tell what emergency
may suddenly arise, and we ought to be prepared
for all contingencies.
As oar system of iron plating is at present but
experimental, why should the thickness be limited
to 4/. inches, when it has been proved that shot can
be sent though six or seven inches at 200 yards, or
even at a further distance ? Suppose that an ex-
periment of some three inches thick were tried on
the new ships, and to limit the tonnage, to 3,000
or even to 2,000 tons, instead of larger, as in-
dicated by Lord CLARENCE PAGET, for the diffe-
rence in weight would give two or perhaps three
miles more in speed, and speed is as great an
essential as power. Besides our ships are not to
be always fighting pitched battles or thundering
at fortifications, and it is absurd to be encumbering
a vessel with heavy armour constantly, which may
only be required once in a war to do battle on a
grand scale. The days of the Nile and of Tra-
falgar will never be experienced by fleets
manoeuvring as of old—such as trying to get
the weather gage and breaking the line—these
must now give place, to fighting on a new
principle—such as at close quarters, or boarding
when opportunity offers. So we think that until
experience assures us of the best mode of equip-
ping a man-of-war, we shall not be far wrong in
trying what a thinner coating of ,iron may effect.
Let us try what a good ship in light armour can
do—she twill cost far less, and may prove in the
main more efficient for the purpose. It is well
worth the trial, for be it remembered that a thick-
ness of only one inch of iron will glance off a shot
striking the side of a vessel at a slight angle, while
three inches will resist it almost at point blank.
Besides, taking the motion of the ship into account
with the sweeping swell or undulating sea, the
chance of damage by shot will be considerably re-
duced. Thus lightly armed ships will be like so
much cavalry, ever on the alert, and ready for mis-
chief at any moment.

To steer a middle course seems to be incompatible
with the prejudiced and one-sided views entertained
by many otherwise intelligent individuals. They
are
" All in extreme and nought in the degree."

Thus towards the end of the eighteenth century a
British Minister, rather than vouchsafe their just
demands to our North American colonies, involved
the country in a bloody, unpopular, and disastrous
war, when fair treatment and moderation would have
secured the affection and support of a loyal colony.
Such a mistake could not be perpetrated in the pre-
sent advanced state of constitutional government;
but if such men as Professor GOLDWIN SMITH
had any weight with others than the Man-
chester school (whose influence on public opinion,
we are happy to say for the credit of the nation, is
fast waning) serious damage might be done to our
mercantile prosperity. As it is, it matters little
what a few fanatics may preach, and a few
deluded dupes believe, the common sense and pride
of the great bulk of Englishmen pass it by with
pity rather than anger. Because it has been deemed
expedient to take into consideration the demand
of the desire of the people of the lonian Isles to
be reunited to the kingdom of Greece, up start
men hardy enough to demand on the plea of eco-
nomy that England shall relinquish all her colo-
nial possessions. In the United Servzce Magazine
of this month there is an excellent article on our
colonial empire, in which the subject is fully
argued, and the absurdity of the project fully
exposed. It shows that the dependencies of the
British En-Tire must be divided into two classes—
viz,,those which ere in a strict sense colonies, and
which require protection from the Rome Govern.
ment, and which in return only offer a home to the
emigrant and supply the home market with colonial
produce; and those which are held as naval sta..
tions, convict depots, and such dependencies
as are maintained chiefly for objects of Impe-
rial policy. In considering, therefore, the expense
of our colonies, which causes so much concern
to Messrs. BRIGHT and COBDEN and the Professor,
it must be borne in mind that a considerable portion
of the expense incurred by this country in main-
taining troops in the colonies and in fortifying har-
bours is required for the convenience of our navy
and to protect our commerce. Under this head may
be classed Gibraltar, Malta, Hong Kong, St.
Helena, Bermuda, Falkland Islands, Labuan,
and the West African settlements at Sierra
Leone, Gambia, and the gold coasts; while
Canada, British Columbia, the Australian 11
Colonies, New Zealand, the Cape of Good Hope,
Natal, British Kaffraria, Jamaica, Honduras, Bar-
badoes, &c., are Simply commercial stations which
in time may drop off from the parent tree, or rather
like young birds who, when they feel their strength,
leave their mother's nest and maintain themselves.
Let any one glance at a map of the world

in which the possessions of various countries
are clearly defined, as in Mr. STANFORD'S
colonial office list, just published, and they will see
that the extent of England, compared with that of
her colonies, is but as a drop in the ocean; or, again,
take into account those States which have thrown
off their allegiance, and nearly one half of the
habitable globe is, or has been, under British rule.
And now, because it suits the whim of certain
political dreamers, is the common sense
of Englishmen to be insulted by the de-
mand that they shall forego all the ad-
vantages that the courage of their forefathers
has bequeathed to them as a heritage ? To what
end ? To reduce expenditure which the misma-
nagement of her finances has rendered excessive ;
or, as in the case of Gibraltar, which Mr. BRIGHT
boldly, nay insolently, declared should be restored
to Spain, because humiliating to the feelings of the
Spaniards for a foreign Power to hold a fortress
on their shores. The honourable gentleman
quite overlooked the fact that Spain herself, in
holding possession of Ceuta and other places on the
African coast, was inflicting the like indignity on
the Moors. Oh, no, that did not suit his purpose ;
his object, and that of all who support this suicidal
policy, is to degrade England, and bring her down
to the standard which NAPOLEON in his
ignorance once rated her at—viz., a nation of
shopkeepers.
Thank GOD, Englishmen are made of sterner
stuff, and can afford to laugh to scorn the petti-
fogging intrigues of mob orators or deluded Uni-
versity professors. When any of our colonies feels
itself strong enough to take care of itself, Eng-
land will not object to its setting up in life on
its own account, so long as it does not put itself
under the protection of any other European
state. This is what she now proposes to do with the
lonian Isles—but to cast off her dependencies nolens
volens would be a crimp which, if perpetrated by a
woman to her offspring instead of by a state to her
dependencies, would cause her to be committed to
prison on the charge of unnatural desertion. The
expenses of some of our colonies has been exces-
sive, this, however, is owing not so much
to necessity as to mismanagement and peculation.
If a saving is to be made in the expenditure of
the country let reformers begin at the right end,
and lop the tainted branches, and not, as the case
of the relinquishment of our colonies strike, at the
root of the wealth and greatness of the nation.

A FLOATING HOTEL.—The Dictator, a steamboat
now building at New York to ply between that city and
Albany next summer, will contain 350 staterooms. She
will be the largest river steamboat afloat.
NUPTIAL ODE BY PROFESSOR AYTOUN.
Amongst other particulars of the preparations for the mar-
riage of the Prince of Wales may be mentioned the publi-
cation of a nuptial odo by Professor Aytoun.

Mr. Carlyle has completed the fourth, and half
of the fifth and concluding volume of the " History of
Frederick the Great." He dwells with less amplitude
upon the latter part of his hero's career than he did upon
its commencement.

A meeting, at which upwards of 100 of the ma-
nufacturers of Prague were present, was lately held
in that city, to discuss a project for founding a museum on
the model of that at Kensington. A certain sum was sub-
scribed for the first expenses, and several articles of the
statutes were adopted before the meeting separated.
STATUE TO THE PRINCE CONSORT AT GUERNSEY.
—The committee appointed by the inhabitants of
Guernsey to consider the best means of expressing their
feelings of respect and esteem for the late Prince Consort
have just decided upon erecting a statue of the prince
similar to the one which in May next will be placed as the
memorial of the Exhibition of 1851 in the Horticultural
Gardens at Kensington. A statue of the Queen was in-
tended originally to have been placed as this memorial,
but at her Majesty's desire a statue of the late prince, to
be presented by the Prince of Wales, was substituted for
it. The work is now considerably advanced, and Mr.
Durham will have it completed in time for its public inau-
guration in the first week of May. The statue for Guern-
sey will be after the same model, and this, as well as the
one for the memorial,will be cast in pure copper by Messrs.
Elkington and Co.

A HARD CASE.—We avoid, as a general rule, all
comments upon courts-martial, except when, in the
interests of individuals and the service, we feel bound to
express an opinion. On Monday last an unlucky boatswain,
Mr. A. Wilson, was tried at Portsmouth, on board the Vic-
tory, before a formidable assemblage of captains. The un-
fortunate man, after an arduous service of 19 years, during
which he had behaved himself well, and distinguished him-
self before the enemy, was absent without leave from his
ship five days, and although he asserted he suffered from
the effects of sunstroke aad had been greatly agitated by
some family affairs, and produced a reliable witness to prove
he was an abstainer from all spirituous liquors, he was not-
withstanding dismissed the service and mulcted in 26 days'
pay. We do trust the Lords of the Admiralty will reconsi-
der this case, and not allow the poor fellow to be thrown
adrift with old age creeping on him.—Army and Navy
Gazette.

THE GALWAY SIIBSIDY.—It has been announced
by Lord Palmerston that her Majesty's Government
have agreed to renew the subsidy for the line of Atlanti
steamers from Galway, and the directors have consented to
send their ships to such ports as the Government may de-
termine. In consequence of this announcement, a number
of gentlemen connected with, or interested in Canada, are
taking active measures to induce the Government to fix
upon a Canadian port on the other side of the Atlantic, in
preference to New York or Boston, and will submit to the
noble lord a very strong case in favour of this selection,
mainly on the ground of the injurious competition which,
supported by imperial subsidy, will be set up against lines
of steamers established between England and Canada, and
the British North American provinces.—Observer.
ROYAL NAVAL SCHOOL, NEW CROSS.—In cele-
bration of the marriage of his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales (who is a life governor of this school), the
Duke of Somerset has given an extra naval cadetship for
competition among the pupils, and the Board of Admiralty
have granted nominations for one master's assistant and
one clerk's assistant, Royal Navy. These nominations are
in addition to the naval and marine cadetships annually
placed at the disposal of the Council. Although this school
has been established little more than a quarter of a century
upwards of 600 of its former scholars have entered her
Majesty's naval and military services.
THE FLORIDA AT NASSAU.—The Florida arrived
at Nassau on the 30th of January. She became at
once an object of interest. The Secession sympathisers
were jubilant, while the Union men went about in a de-
pressed mood. Capt. Maffit immediately went to visit the
Governor of the city; he was received very cordially and
dined with his Excellency. The Florida presented a man-
of-war like appearance, her masts being wellset, yards neatly
squared, and the brass-work well polished. The next morn-
ing the Florida's decks were alive with a gang of labourers
from the town, who immediately set to work making sundry
alterations to her interior arrangements, while lighters from
shore brought on board provision of all kinds, a chain
cable, and rigging. The Confederate officers, in the mean-
time, were on shore, and succeeded in picking up some 10
or 15 recruits, all seamen, and hailing from every country
in the world. Tho officers stated openly that there was
no Yankee vessel yet built which could come near, much
less catch the Florida, for it was an easy matter to drive
her 17 miles an hour. They ridicule the idea that the Van-
derbilt could be a match for her, and wish for a trial.
They stated that they would go down to the track of the
homeward-bound East India vessels. The Nashville was
expected every hour at Nassau, it being rumoured that she
had discharged her cotton and was fully iron-clad, ready to
run the blockade. There were also supplies ready for two
Confederate vessels expected from Mobile. The Florida
left Nassau on the evening of the 31st, fully supplied for a
three months' cruise. S►he is reported to have made seven
prizes off the coast of Cuba and ono on the Bahama Banks.
All purchases by tho Confederate officers were paid for in
Southern money, which is taken at par everywhere in
Nassau.—. New York Paper.

FATAL DUEL NEAR VIENNA.—A fatal duel has
just taken place in the Brigettenau, near Vienna,
the principals in it being M. Murano. y Nildosola, Spanish
secretary of legation, and the Count de Rechten de Mosard,
holding a similar post at the Dutch embassy. The comba-
tants, who fought with pistols, were placed at a distance of
fifty paces, with the liberty of each advancing ten, so that
the exchange of shots took place at 30 paces. Count de
Rechtern fired the first, but without effect ; and the next
moment the Spaniard's ball passed through his lungs and
killed him on the spot. The body was left on the ground
and was afterwards found by a forest keeper, and a paper
had been put into the pocket to induce a belief that the
death had been the result of suicide. The Spaniard has
already quitted Austria, and up to the present time the
seconds have not been discovered. Count de Rechternwas
the only son and heir of one of the most wealthy men in
Holland. The cause of the tragical event is said to be a
handsome married lady, in whose salons the two young
diplomatists were received—a fact which excited the jealousy
of the Spaniard.