The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-27 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

7'O THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

MR. Enrron,—l have purposely abstained from
making any remarks on Sir John Barrow's Supplement
to the Life of Anson until the meeting o Parliament,
conceiving that after all that has been said and written
on the subject, the state of the Navy would be tho-
roughly investigated by both Houses, and I shall now
endeavour, in commenting on Sir John's statements, to
lay before the public as correct and impartial an opinion
as I am capable of giving.
I have examined Sir John's tables with great care,
and I believe them to be perfectly correct, and with the
exception of the number of French ships in commission,
not essentially differing from the statement I laid before
Lord Palmerston.

Sir John commences his supplement with a most unjus•
tifiable attack on Commander Craufurd, for describing in
very modest language what he felt on finding himself at sea,
with a Russian fleet of twenty-seven sail-of-the-line,
and twenty frigates provisioned for tour months,
manned with nearly thirty thousand men, and within a
week's sail of our own shores, and he throws a censure
on the First Lord of the Admiralty who promoted
Captain Craufurd, and the first Lord who employed
him, almost immediately after the publication of his
pamphlet, by describing what he had written as the
" silly opinion of a youthful commander," and imatedi-
diately afterwards admits the correctness of his state-
ment by blaming him for indiscreetness in inviting a
neighbouring power to pay us a visit with an over-
whelming force.
The intention of Captain Craufurd was evidently to
awaken the Government fro:n the state of lethargy they
had been in for some years past, with regard to the Rus-
sian fleet, and Sir John had no right to impute any
other motive to him.

The Secretary seem 3 surprised that Captain Cranfurd
had not attended to the opinions his seniors and supe-
riors had given of the Russian fleet in 1823, when the
greater part of them, as he states, were so hogged, that,
when standing on the after part of the lower deck, it
was impossible to see one-third forward ; and he at the
same time tells us that the Russian ships only last a few

years.
What, in the name of common sense, would have been
the use of Captain Craufurd reading the opinions of his
superiors in 18'23, of ships no longer in existence, when
he had an opportunity of seeing and examining a whole
fleet in 1836 ? Sir John Barrow must pardon me for ob-
serving that I think the " silly opinion of the 3outhful
commander" must be preferredto the absurd advice of
the Junior Secretary ; and I beg leave to tell him that
Captain Cranford's opinions have been confirmed bath
by old and young officers who have seen the Russian
ships ; and no Government, be it Whig, Tory, or Radi-
cal, can be justified in permitting such a force to be in
commission, during a profound peace, without having a
respectable fleet to keep them in check. -
Sir John says that, for many yc ars
.the Russians have
had a strong force in the Baltic every summer ; if so,
the clever administrations he has served,deserve as much
blame, one as the other ; and I hope and trust we
shall never see the like again.

I shall entirely pass over Sir John's scurrilous attack
on the Flag Officer, who can defend himself, and
tuerelyobserve that it was quite unnecessary proclaiming
himself a Conservative, for the hint he gives of the
Flag
'and
being nearly subject to the third article of
war, and of the risk he may.rnu of being treated as
Admiral Vernon was, suf4cieixtly,proclaizr.s the nature
of lii Opi'niOns. I have a.4vays thought the present
.Government .GOvernment were injudicious in allowing him to remain
us Secretary to the Admiralty ; and now lie has
avowed himself, the sooner he is removed the better,
more particularly as he has published opinions not en-
tertained by his masters.
Sir John divid,s the charges which have been made
against the Admiralty under three heads.
1. That our ships of war, particularly those of the

hip, are not equal in number, size, or armament, to
those of the maritime powers, France and Russia es-
y.
2. That ships of the line are sent to sea without
their lower deck guns, and with a reduced and inade-
quate complement of men.
3. That from the reduced state of naval stores in

the dock-yards, and of the number of shipwrights, -a
fleet such as war would require, could not be sent to sea.
I shall furnish him with two charges against the
eleven Governments he has served.

1. That a large Russian fleet has been allowed for
many years to discipline and exercise in the Baltic,
without our having a respectable force to keep them in
check.

2. That during a long peace no step, with the ex-
ception of the Registration Bill, has been taken to man
the Navy in the event of war.

As to the first charge, every impartial naval officer
must allow, since the present administration came into
office a vast imp"ovement has taken place in ship
building. Sir James Graham's Admiralty began to im-
prove, and it has been followed up by its successors. I
think, however, we arc wrong in building 70-gun ships,
and I hope the two on the stocks will be the last.

The class of the Pique, instead of carrying; 36 guns,
ought to carry 40, and the Cleopatra class 30 ; and the
reasons I shall give are so plain, that I think the Ad-
miralty will yet take them into consideration.

. .
The Pique is pierced for 40 guns, and quite capable
of carrying them ; her crew are in proportion to her
guns, but quite inadequate to knock about her masts
and yards. By increasing her number of guns, her
crew would be increased also, and they would then bear
some proportion to her sails.
The Cleopatra is in the same situation ; she is
pierced for 30 and mounts only 26, with a crew of
190 (since increased to 200) men, and she has the
masts of a 40-gun frigate.
The new corvettes of 18 guns ought also to carry 20
with an increased establishment.
We are gradually getting rid of all the useless craft
built by former Admiralties, and it would be a wise
measure to razee a dozen more 74's. Sir Jan Barrow
admits we want more large frigates, and we certainly
have too many small line-of-battle ships. Fine ships,
however, do not entirely constitute an efficient Navy,
they are only floating fortifications, and it would be just
men
o ugh t w h
to o
as ridiculous in a Continental power boasting that her
army was efficient because her fortifications were in
order, as it is in us calling, the Navy efficient because
we have
command and man these ships who constitute an efficient
opinion.
Navy ; and I shall presently show, thatin that respect we are
not, in my humble
ships.goumb It
on. is
so tl:effi oeffiienect.
rs
as and
1%.e
le
pibe in comparison with other nations.
The second charge brought against the Admiralty—
that ships of the line are sent to sea without their lower
deck guns, and with a reduced complement of men.
is a sufficient The excuses of Sir John Barrow, that this was done
as a temporary accommodation to three
guns are on
Admirals are
inadmissible. I never knew that Admirals were ac-
commodated on the lower gun deck ; therefore, taking
out their guns was useless, and the fact that the Cornwallis
discipline,he and never
The charge was
the case in tl.e late
con-
demnationttallini
eetilrri.f:rraey therefore,
Wellesleyonou eftitt fullyhitleocearrsestyinfcisiaeo,etceswttmi:oiu,necasl
tl:iitinl,eglocurl
onaifitillioseieopri.eo lttoi I:: ,
maoss t s
ir
pressing .
John'
describes it. As to the employment of ships of war to
carry about troops it is universAly condemned
by all officers,
ought to be resorted to but. under
circumstances, which I admit was

instances.
present Board of
There are various opinions about ships being kept
in time of peace with reduced complements. It is no
new
a t es )1; esten
Admiralty. I entirely disapprove of the
plan, and I
have heard it stated that two of the
publicly Lords of the Ad-
miralty have condemned it, and insisted on a
change; and every naval dicer ought to be obliged to
riou ;
ghtthetroc theretofore
thrown
I rocw an nn
on
see that any blame
nt
the
them for their independent conduct.
I have alNays been of opinion, and my opinions are
recorded in a pamphlet
.I Published upwards of
twenty years ago, that in time of peace one half the
marines only ought to be embarked, and their places
filled up with able seaman, Mach would enable the
Government, in the event of a sudden armament, to
at once double the Navy ; whereas, when they are