The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-22 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 22, 1854.

GUN-BOATS FOR THE BALTIC.

BEVENNONS A NOS MOUTONS."

The launch of the " Wrangler" affords us the
opening for once more returning to this vexata
questio. Our readers may not all know that the
naming of men-of-war is a Board business at the
Admiralty, a matter of discussion, consideration,
decision, and resolution. We can well fancy what
was the tone of discussion that led to the name of,
" Wrangler" for the first of the lot of vessels put
in hand in consequence of the urgent demand of
Sir Charles Napier for gun-vessels of light draught
of water. We can fancy how indignation was ex-
pressed at the insolence of those (whose name is
legion) who have, whether professional or unpro-
fessional men, dared to question the wisdom of the
resolve that adopted wholly wooden vessels of great
draught of water to partially iron ones, that have
been, and again may ba built, of about one-half the
draught.
We can picture to ourselves how the press came
in for its share of vituperation, for having both in
town and country given every facility to corre-
spondents, and itself taken no small part in can-
vassing the question—and how we, among others,
are meant—when the authorities, who, like " An-
thony James Pye Molloy," " are able to break,
make, rate, disrate, burn, sink, and destroy," but
are unable to prevent the free discussion of all that
part of their doings which comes before the public.
The Wrangler's name is settled ; she is called the
Swallow of the Fleet. It may be called wrang-
ling, or. anything their lordships like, but we
cannot help saying, being a little in the secret
—that any one who swallows the belief that these
Wranglers are the sort of vessels Sir Charles Napier
wrote for must have very large swallows indeed.
Here is a vessel, whose draught, ex-cathedra, is
pronounced to be llft. 4in. We have all along said
these vessels would draw nearly 12ft., and we will
venture a good bet, that before the Wrangler starts
for the Baltic 12ft. will be her draught.
Will these vessels, the next launched of which
might appropriately enough be named " Daddy
Long-legs," be of more use than steamers of three
times their size and armament already in the Baltic,
and which, if lightened of their coal (always leaving
enough for the work in hand), would scarcely
draw more ? Gun-vessels ought to be able to
follow gun-vessels. These things can no more
• chase into shoal water than can the Terrible, and
we may almost say the Duke of Wellington her-
self ; that is to say, these vessels draw so much
as to cause the same anxiety as to keeping in deep
water as either the one or the other. We
doubt not that, in form, strength, speed, arma-
ment, equipment, and rig, these vessels will be
found everything that is commendable, and credi-
table to the Surveyor of the Navy ; but they will
be of little or no service at all in the creeks or
among the rivers and harbours of the Baltic,
and utterly useless in the Danube, where, by and
bye, we expect, gun-boats will be most wanted.
It is well known that Sir Charles Napier asked for
gun-vessels of light draught of water. Plenty of
time was there between the asking and the end of
this month for finishing and equipping. The iron
vessels, with wood topsides, such as the Prussians
and the Czar have had from the builders of this
country, and we cannot help saying great enter-
prises may be jeopardised, because some people in
high places will not take counsel on matters of
scientific experience of any but their own colleagues,
equals in rank, or those who act as if knowledge, in
fact, went by rank, and there could be no appeal from
the decisions on professional pcints of men like
themselves who are at the top of the tree for
the time being. We remember about half
a century ago how an Admiralty, of which,
for aught we know, some of the members of which
are still in existence—sent men-of-war in frames
to the fresh-water lakes of Canada, and among other
things, the usual complement of water casks ! ! !
These were sold, being useless. We don't antici-
pate such a fate for the Wranglers, but we shall
not be surprised to hear the returns after their
arrival will be—
" Not fit for shoal water."

We do not wish to be uncivil, although we con-
fess ourselves sore for the nation—therefore, we
give the authorities all the credit we think they
deserve, and possibly the large draught of these
vessels is a result of mature deliberation. Not-
withstanding the admiral's wants, they may have
considered that, keeping these vessels of draught
so near that of the large steamers of one-third or a
fourth the value, their taking the ground may
make them beacons to keep the more costly vessels
clear. We don't say it was so, but it may be so.