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

PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENTS WORKING FOR GOVERN,

MENT.

The private establishments are executing many
orders for the Government. Mr. Arman, in Bor-
deaux, is building four light draught iron-cased
floating batteries from plans of Mr. Lemoine in
L'Orient. They will be plated with 6-inch iron
throughout, and their armament is to consist of
eight 180-pounder steel guns, and they will have
two engines each 50 horse power, and be propelled
by two screws under the counter. To obtain an
exceedingly light draught these batteries are con-
structed of iron. They are named the Embruscade,
Impregnable, Protective, and Refuge.
At the establishment of Mr. Gouin, at Nantes,
three other iron-cased floating batteries are build-
ing, named the Arrogante, Implacable, and Opinia-
tre ; are of iron and light draught; engines are of
150 horse power, and these batteries will be armed
with 10 of the heaviest guns, of which nine can be
used on either side, also three could be used in a
chase, or three in retreat. The speed of these bat-
teries will be 61 knots, which is considered perfectly
sufficient. They are entirely different in shape from
anything that has been constructed, and are what
our Government should have had to take and to hold
our Southern ports. The batteries in Nantes are
only to be plated near the load line with 41- inch
iron, and above that with All these batteries
will be completed by next summer. Several trans-
port frigates, gunboats, and despatch boats are
being built in the private establishments of Bor-
deaux, Ciotat, and Havre.

ENLARGEMENT OF NAVAL ARSENALS, DOCKYARDS.

AND WORKSHOPS.

Works for the enlargement of the five naval ar-
senals are in progress. The dry dock accommodation
is also being increased in all the yards. In Toulon
two are completed and the third is excavated, and
all are of enormous size. In L'Orient one has been
lengthened sufficiently to admit two ships of the
largest class at a time. In Brest three are being cut
out of the solid reek, and one of them is far enough
advanced to begin the mason work. The workshops
for the construction and repair of steam machinery
in Toulon (at Castigneau) and at Brest are without
any parallel for size and excellent arrangement•
Steam saw mills for cutting plank, curved and
bevelled timber, have been erected in Toulon, Brest,
and Cherbourg, and are nearly finished at L'Orient
and Rochefort, on the most extensive scale, show-
ing again that the French naval authorities have
come to the conclusion that man-of-war ships have
to be built in future as before, of wood in preference
to iron. The whole dockyard organisation in France

is of the most perfect description, and allows the
Government to carry out its plans with the utmost
rapidity. Thus arrangements have latf ly been made
at Toulon and Cherbourg enabling them to put pro-
visions and stores for an army of 60,000 men on
board of a fleet in less than half a day's time, and
the purport of this can be easily guessed. The plans

for new vessels are not made exclusively at the
Ministry of Marine, as formerly, but a programme
of the works to be undertaken is communicated to
all the dockyards—and all the naval constructors, of
whom there are 122 in the service, are allowed to
submit their plans to a commission, and the plan
offering the most advantages, though perhaps corn
ing from the lowest in rank, is adopted. To this ex-
cellent system, worthy of a free country, the pre-
sent high standard of French naval construction is
indebted.
WHAT THE UNITED STATES NAVY OUGHT TO BE.

In Comparison with the power of the navies of
France or England I must confess ours is not
worthy the name of a navy. In conclusion, I may
be allowed to say, in order that we may be respected
by all the European naval Powers, we ought to com-
mence without delay the construction of at least 12
iron-cased frigates of from 36 to 52 guns, each of not
more than 25 feet mean draught of water. These
will form the nucleus of our real fighting ships at
sea. We ought further to have an equal number
of corvettes of high speed, and of about 14 to 16
guns each, and about twenty of 30 to 50 gun fri-
gates, and an equal number of screw steam sloops
,e be ot
as
hto
latterall
o we l a
themsses toot
evade their iron-cased opponents. The latter ves-
sels will always prove of excellent use in case of a
tohewhairghofesatbsopueted2oobgtuaninsaebaleeh,
n
A il foreignthe
sware
ships in
arass nog
btehebuielnt eemfyti'snabeeorma er,
d in
Vie most substantial manner. Not until this in-
crease has been accomplts
hed oughth t
shall we command
respect as a nation.
Iron
ships ought not to be adopted in our
•sea-
going fleet, for the following reasons: —l. The
fouling of their bottoms (against which no remedy
has been found yet), and consequent loss of speed.
2. The weakness of their bottoms, and consequent
liability of soon breaking up whenever they touch.
3. The impossibility to give them a good ventila-
tion, all the artificial means having failed to produce