The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-02 00:00:00

THE FRENCH IRON-PLAI3D NAVY.

The number of the _Revue Corednporaine which
will appear today contains an entreating article on
the origin and progress of OirPim-plated navy in
France. It commences at tViirn,a when the Em,
peror first resolved to carry out th\long cherished
idea by the appointment of a Comtission in 1857.
The report of this Commission was oon presented,
sanctioned by the Minister of Marin, and approved
by the Emperor, and no time was ost in giving it
effect. It may be remembered thalat that period,
and for some time afterwards, de;ials were more
than once given to the EitatementEthat something
more was going on than mere tiasformation of
sailing ships into steamers. The flowing are ex-
tracts from the article, which is wrifen by M. Boin-
villiers, one of the Commission of .157:

By order of the Emperor a Cotmission chosen
from the members of the Council cf State was ap-
pointed in the year 1857 to exenine the report
presented by the Minister of Mame on the trans-
formation of the fleet. The memberwere very much
struck with the decision with whl M. Dupuy de
Lome, lately appointed to the erection of naval
stores, presented his views as to the possi-
bility of constructing ironllated ships as
speedy as the fastest wocen ships. He
said that the power of these rigatea would be
so great that their superiorit: over the vessels
hitherto built might be comparel to that of a lion
among a flock of sheep. The pans of 11. Dupuy
de Lome were adopted, after uaur© reflection, by
M. Hamlin, the Minister of Maine, and 4ually by
the Emperor, who, if we are wel informed, entered
into the minutest details with fiat solicitude which
his Majesty feels for everything which may add to
the glory and to the security o'France. It may be
added that the Emperor participated in the comple-
tion of the work with that special interest which he
attached to the question of iron-plated ships, of
which he had been already tie promoter for many
years. Colonel Faye, of the artillery, one of his
aides-de-camp, was commissioned to attend daily at
the trials made at Vincennes, to test the various
iron shields, in order to arrive at the best mode of
manufacturing them, and to decide upon what
manufactory in France could produce the best. The
Emperor himself attended several times at the trials.
He was particularly pleased with the result of a
heavy discharge against an iron plate forged by
MM. Petin and Gaudet according to the plan defi-
nitively adopted. This proof consisted in firing
shot in succession at a distance of twenty yards
against the pattern plate attached to a wooden
plank representing the side of a ship much weaker
than the projected frigate. The cannon employed
on that occasion were three, one of which was a
5)-pounder on the French model, and the two
others, of 68, of the strongest English model exist-
ing. They were of a smooth bore, throwing round
massive shot. These were preferred because it had
been ascertained that cylindrical shot, thrown from
rifled cannon, are excellent to carry far and true,
and to penetrate wood at a great distance, but that
at a short distance they possess less power than
round shot fired from a smooth-bore with a
large charge of powder. These guns, were,
therefore, fired with the largest charge of
powder they could bear—that is 161 b. for the
French gun and 171 b. for the English guns, The
three shots were fired so simultaneously that only
one report was heard. The Emperor quickly ap-
proached the plate, the subject of the trial, and
found it not the least shaken, but bearing a deep
mark of the three shots and perfectly hot to the
touch from the concussion, but without the smallest
crack.

"It was thus that the plan of our three first iron-
cased frigates was prepared and approved in France
before this arduous problem of naval architecture
had ever been approached in England or elsewhere.
The plan of these frigates received the signature of
the Minister of Marine for execution on the 20th of
March, 1858, and they were commenced in May
and June following—two at Toulon, under the
names of La Gloire and L'lnvincible, and the third
at Cherbourg under the name of La Normandie.
The builder df these frigates devoted himself to
uniting the impenetrability of their sides (even to a
higher degree than our first floating batteries) with
the nautical qualities of our fastest steam vessels .

The masts, however, which are as high on board
steam vessels as on our old sailing vessels, have been
reduced as much as possible on the irou.plated fri-
gates. The masts are now kept solely to economise
the eoal on certain occasions, or to enable them to
Gross the Atlantic under sail if not pressed for time,
and finally, to enable them to reach a port in case
their machinery should be damaged. Their artil-
lery is composed of 36 rifled cannon, of which 34
are in the battery which is plated with iron from
end to end. Two guns are placed on the upper
deck, without any cuirass, to serve to fire at a long
distance, such as four miles. The crew is composed
of 570 men, with provisions for 90 days. The ma-
chine is of 900 horse power, and its supply of coals
675 tons. The shipwright has succeeded in limiting
the length of these frigates to 231 feet. As to the
level of the central porthole above the water, it is
calculated to vary between 1 meter 85 centimeters
when fully laden, to 2 meters 55 centimeters when
the greater part of the coal is consumed. While the
Gloire, Invincible, and Normandie were being placed
on the stocks the Marine Minister was preparing the
plan of a fourth iron-plated frigate on a different
construction. The object proposed was to try, con-
jointly with the system of construction of a wooden
hull plated with iron, that of an iron hull covered
with wood first, and then plated with iron over the
hull. This plan was entrusted to M. Audenet, a
naval engineer ; and the frigate Couronne, con-
structed after the latter system, was placed on the
stocks at Lorient in September, 1858. Her dimen-
sions are nearly the same as those of the Gloire, and
she is plated from end to end. Her engine likewise
is of 900-horse power. Two other iron-plated fri-
gates on a new plan proposed by M. Dupuy de
Lorne were commenced at Lorient and Brest in
July, 1859. They are called the Magenta and the
Solferino. They differ both from the Gloire and
Couronne. Their hull is of wood, like that of the
Gloire, but the form of their bow has been modified
so as to present a sharp spur. The guns are
brought together in the centre on two stages, one
above the other. The parts of the ship fore and aft
of the central space in which the guns are mounted
are allocated to the officers, to the hospital, and to
the kitchens. They must be cleared out daring the
battle and are not iron-plated. The Magenta and
Solferino carry 50 guns and are of 1,000-horse
power. During the same year, 1859, the naval
department, besides these six frigates, placed on the
stocks four new floating batteries of a simple form
and drawing little water—supplied with engines of
reduced force, and consequently not expensive.
They are intended not to go to sea, but for the de-
fence of harbours and rivers. They are called the
Peiho, Saigon, Paixhans, and Palestro. They are
mounted with 12 guns, and their engines are 150-
horse power. The six frigates and the four float-
ing batteries commenced in 1858 are now afloat.
The frigates Magenta and Solferino and the fiur
floating batteries are not quite complete. They have
not yet been tried, and we know not what results
they may produce, but the four frigates Gloire,
Invincible, Normandie, and Couronne have been
proved at sea, and we may assert that all
four have given a brilliant contradiction to the
unfavourable prognostics of the timid and the slan-
derous, who declared such frigates to be
impossible. They have even exceeded the expec-
tations of those who had full faith in their success.
The frigate Gloire was launched on the 24th of
November, 1859. The plating and mounting her
machine detained her until August, 1860, when she
made her first trial."

After giving some details of the Gloire's trip to
Algiers and back to Toulon the writer resumes as
follows:

"At this moment France possesses four fine iron-
plated frigates fit for any service. This series of
successes permits us to await with confidence the
approaching trials of the four new floating batteries,
as well as those of the Magenta and the Solferino.
But the works accomplished by the French naval
department for the construction of an iron-plated
fleet did not stop there. The Emperor occupied
himself in indicating some improvements after hav-
ing visited Toulon. Among them was a moderate
increase in the height of the gun-rooms. M. Dupuy
de Lorne declared that he could raise the central
porthole 2 meters 20 centimeters above the water
even when the frigate is fully laden. It was on this
new plan that the Emperor commanded, in Nov.,
1860, that ten new iron-plated frigates of 1,000
horse power should he placed on the stocks. Their
names are to be the Flandie, Gauloise, Guyenne,
Provence, Savoie-Magnanime, Revanche, Surveil-
lante, Valoreuse, and Heroine. Six new floating
batteries have been lately ordered of private ship-
builders at Nantes and Bordeaux by the present
Minister of Marine, Count de Chasseloup-Laubat,
who is pressing forward the completion of the 10
frigates now on the stocks."
The article concludes as follows :
" Judging, then, the future by the past, we see
with confidence that which presents itself for our
war fleet. It has, it must be admitted, been pre-
pared with remarkable solicitude by the direction
impressed for several years on our naval service and
by the exalted initiative of an intellect ever alive
to the questions which may affect the greatness and
glory of France."