The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-26 00:00:00

SECTION 4.

Maritime tribunals
Naval schools and pursers of the navy
Ilydrogr, aphie and scientific service 400,000
Purchase of books and cost of printing
Travelling and different expenses 2,277,660
Temporary expenses
Convicts 128,000

3,752,620

importation of all kinds of material necessary for
the construction of ships, the stock of iron, timber,
and coal has bcen increased by fully one-half over
the amounts fixed by the navy regulations to be
kept on hand. Thus the stock of timber on hand
is sufficient for a 71 years' consumption ; that of
masts for a 30 years' ditto; that of small masts for
a 10 years' ditto ; that of iron for a five years' ditto;
that of copper for a five years' ditto, and almost
every other article in a similar proportion.
It is to be borne in mind that a year's consump-
tion is assumed to be equal to the wants of the navy
in the course of its regular development. The last
official accounts of the stores on hand are dated Jan.
1, 1861. They are contained in the " Comte gene-
ral du materiel de la Marine," a work very difficult
of access. Since that time the stock has been largely
increased, but I will
give you the correct amount
at that date.
Stock of materiel on hand
macnopdianritshone
with
hentchhe
stock
yards in Jan., 1861 ; also
required to be kept on hand by navy regulation ;
ON HAND JAN. 1, 1861.

Unit.

English
Regle- French Measure,
mentary. Measure. tonsof4oft.
Oak of all kind *Stere. 171,000 219,793 224,814
Pine and resin-

Timber.

ous timber „ 74,000 66,692 61,023
Masts Number 15,000 15,298
Spars
Hand masts „ 25,000 27,759

Elm
Other kinds

8,821 7,939

timber ~ .. „ 12,000 4,240 3,816
* A stere is equal to a metre-cube, or about 36 cubic feet.
ON HAND JAN. 21, 1861. _ _

Regle- French
Metals. Unit. mentary. Measure.
Cast iron Kilogram. 23,010,692
Wrought iron ), 10,800,000 23,706,582
Iron plates

Steel
Sheet iron
Copper.. Kilogram.

Sheet copper

- 769,869
300,000 137,104
- 3,479,500

2,940,000

540,327

Lead ,, 1,500,000 1,129,246
. • •
Tin

Zinc ..

541,319

/t 3,000,000 1,921,468
- 286,161
2,150,000 1,639,308
62,146
830,631
647,305

Hemp
Oakum )1
Sailcloth
Bunting ..
Tar, rosin, pitch, &c Kilogram.
Oil of all kinds
Candles, tallow, waste,
and soap
Coal for steamboats
Burning wood, charcoal,

7/ - 326,468
- 83,867X8
)7

&c /, 9,546,695
The stock of timber, particularly oak, on hand in
:he French arsenals, is without doubt the finest ever

selected. The arsenal of Toulon alone contains up.
wards of 65,000 tons of the choicest oak timber,
mostly procured from the Romagna, the Island of
Sardinia, from Burgundy, and the South of
France. About 20,000 to 25,000 tons of this quan-
tity are kept in salt water, mixed with fresh, and
the remainder is kept in storehouses constructed of

solid masonry, and which together have a length'
more than a mile and a half. Large as these are
they are not sufficient for the wants of the navy,
and the whole boundary of the establishment at
the Mourillon is being encircled by one building of
about a mile in length intended solely for the stor-
age of timber. This circumstance proves that in
France, where the question of iron-cased ships has
been very closely studied, the highest authorities of
the naval service have come to the conclusion that

for sea service the preference has to be given to
wooden iron•cased ships, and in general to wood-
built ships instead of iron ones.

WOOD VERSUS IRON.

Of the 16 iron-cased frigates which France pos.
posses afloat and in construction, only two, the
Couronne (afloat) and the Heroine (on the stocks),
are built of iron, and it is now regretted by the
Government that they were not constructedof wood,
for experience has already proved, and without any
contradiction, that these vessels on account of their
rapidly fouling bottom will not be capable of keep-
ing up in speed with the wooden built and cop-
pered frigates. The Warrior, of the English fleet,
has lost from this cause two knots of her original
speed, and it is generally conceded that these iron-
built men-of-war ships will have to be taken into
dock at least every three months to clean their bot-
toms. The pirate ship Alabama—which by her
superior speed defies the whole United States navy,
and which actually keeps up a partial blockade of
our Northern ports—is a striking example how the
advantages of timber built ships for speed are even
recognised in an iron country like England. Well
knowing that her safety would lie in her superior
speed on a long cruise, Mr. Laird, of Birkenhead,

_ -
the iron- ship builder, has built this ship expressly
of timber, with coppered bottom. I regret to have

to state my firm conviction that we do not possess in
our navy a single ship which is capable to cope with
her in speed. This is the consequence of Govern-
ment never having trusted to private constructors,
for the production of superior models for
our navy. Vessels of high speed are what we
want, but which we never shall possess unless a
different course is adopted by our navy department.
The French at the present time heve the follow-
ing iron-cased frigates afloat :---The Gloire, Invin-
cible, and Normandie, built of timber, and all from
the same lines by Mr. Dupuy de Lome ; the Cou-
ronne, built of iron after plans of Mr. Aud.enet, and
the two ram ships Magenta and Solferino, built of
timber aster plans of Mr. Dupuy de Lome. The
thickness of the iron casing in all these ships, as
in those on the stocks, is the same-41 inches near
the load line and 414 above that. The first three
named ships have been already thoroughly tried at
sea, and they are a perfect success. They have at-
tained the superior speed of 13i knots, under steam
alone, with men and armament on board. Tney roll
easy and do not pitch more than is usual. I have
been on board of the frigate Invincible, thoroughly
examined her and found that she has not strained
in the least (as was reported)—that she is perfectly
tight, and her ventilation is the best I ever met with
in any ship, the air being pure throughout. The
captain assured me that the ship steers like a pilot-
boat, and that she never strained or leaked, and is
an excellent sea vessel. All the appliances on board
of these frigates, to make them real, efficient fight-
ing ships, are admirable and ingenious.
The ten frigates on the stocks are similar to the
Gloire in their general outlines, but they are of a
far superior model, will have easier motions, be faster
still and carry their battery 14 inches higher. I
think their shape could yet be improved upon ; but,
such as they are, I consider them to be the most effi-
cient men-of-war ships yet laid down by any nation.
Their principal dimensions are :—Length, about 265
feet ; breadth, 56 feet ; mean draft, 25; feet, and will
render them always easily managed ships, obeying
the rudder quickly ; and they possess, in this respect,
immense advantages over their over large and over
long English adversaries, -which, on account of their
exaggerated dimensions, are almost unmanageable.
I regret very much to see, from the late accounts
received from the United States, that our Govern-
mentasl
plan
intends to constructa
each. How
such a p
number of iron-
od
n
ships (cruisers) of 7,300 tons
could be adopted with the
iis
smpoerreie
than
no flsucat
large iron ships before our eyes,
water which these ships only can have,
understand. The comparatively small donrauaegehotunotf
of the depth of our harbours, prevents a possi-
bility of giving any great speed to such immense
structures, and their necessarily immense length
will render them Less manageable yet than their
English sister ships. Thus they will be at the
mercy of a much smaller opponent, whose superior
steering powers allows a choice in position.
The construction of such vessels would be as
gwrhe
oa
lte afine
ee
tx aogf gNeiroantii
toonr sa, sviwhaiesht,h;
kenoonwst,ruwcitlilobneoafca.
knowledged are only fit for harbour defence, and
which leave our navy of sea-going chips just as it
was before we commenced the construction of iron-
cased ships.
SEA-GOING QUALITIES GF IRON-PLATED VESSELS.
The fact of the safe arrival of the iron-cased fri-
gate Normandie at Vera Cruz has dispelled all
doubts that were expressed with regard to the pos-
sibility of iron-cased ships crossing the Atlantic.
She is wooden built and coppered, performed ad-
mirably, and proved to be an excellent sea vessel;
she rolled comparatively easy, and will, after lying
four months at Vera Cruz, have preserved her origi-
knots, while an iron-cased ship
nal speed of 13i