The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-28 00:00:00


EVENING EDITION

THE MUTISI-11 NAVY.
The Journal des Desals of Setuaity contains an ar.
tiele on the present connifon of the British Navy,
which is not without interest. Aft,Ter, referring to the
outcry raised some months back in England, on the
wretched state into which the Mnistry had allowed the
navy to tall, our Contemportry remarks that, for some
time ,these reproaches have c ased,, and that no attack
was made lately on this subject when the Navy Esti-
mates were voted. The Debals then proceeds, in the
following terms, to assign• the reason of this forbear-
ance on the part of the
press and the Opposition Mem-
bers :
" Since September last the navy arsenals of Great
Britain have displayed an activity and an immensity of
resources of every kind which arc really prodigious.
Mitch has been boasted in history of that act of the_ Ye-
netims, which, in order to prove to Henry 111. of
Franca of what exertions they were capable, consisted
in buntline, fitting up, and arming a galley during the
day on which he visited their arsenal ; but the exer-
tions and resources displayed by the English are cer-
tainly not less remarkable. In the beginning of Sep_
tember, 18W, England had 27 vessels of the line in a
manner, though ineffieiently, commissioned. Of' these,
15 were in the Mediterranean under Admiral Stopford,
3 were and are still on the Indian stat;on, 4 were in the
English ports, waiting to be called on to sell, having all
their stores on board, hut without 'Aieir full compleineet
of men, and 5 were and are in port, serving as depets,
schools for rased gunnery, &c. At the end of March,
1841, England had 34 vessels in commission. The
fleet in the Mediterranean, which had sent home 2
vessels, and had received a reinforcement of 4, of
which 2 were three-de.!keys, now consists of 17 vessels
of the line. Nothing had been changed in the number
of the Indian squadron, nor in the vessels which serve
as depo•s at home, but the number of vessels held
ready for sea has been increased by 9, of which 4 aro
are three-deckers. Besides, England has increased her
frigates, which in September were only 3, to the num-
ber of 10. Thus, in the short space of seven months,
the English Admiralty has armed 9 vessels of the line
and 7 large frigates of 50 guns each. The crews df
some of these vessels alone remain incomplete through
motives of economy ; and what is not less astonishing
is, that all these vast expenses could have been incurred
without the aid of supplementary credits, by simply
employing the usual resources granted for the navy.
Nor is this all. This marvellous activity has not hin-
dered a number of light vessels or steam-boats from
being nreeed and fitted out. A line of steam-vessels to
touch at Canada and the United States has been or-
ganised since last autumn, to communicate with South
America and the Gulf of Mcxice, and will soon be in
full activity. The construction of the vessels already
commenced has also been urged on with extraordinary
vigour. For instance, in the ;'ard where the Royal
George was letnichsd in October last, may now be seen
the Aboukir, of 90 guns, on the stocks, with her com-
pass timbers already laid down. At Devonport, a large
steam•boat, of 500-horse power, which was commenced
on October last, has just been launched, and it is an-
nounced that four other vessels of equal power are to
speedily follow her. Whlt the royal ravy of England
has been giving such marks cf activity, tl.e merchant
service has signalised herself by enterprises which de-
serve attention. She has definitively arrange': her
steam navigation with the Pacific Ocean, and is com-
pleting the communication between England and her
Asiatic possessions. A line of steam-boats of 450
horse-power is established between Alexandria and the
English port=, and one of the directors of this plan, Mr.
Anderson, is at present in Egypt, making arrangements
for a regular line of steam-boats on the Nile, which are
to go up as far as 'Chace, and which will allow the
Bombay couriers to stop at Kosseir. Travellers will
gain by this route the advanthee of a more agreeable
journey, and the navigation of the Red Sea will be
shortened by halt. In addition, in place of bringing
news from Bombay only, the monthly courier from In-
dia will take his departure from Calcutta, and will touch
at Madras, Ceylon, and Bombay. And to conclude this
account, a new attempt is made to shorten the direct
passage to India by doubling the Cape of Good Hope.
On this very day, April 27, is to sail from Gravesend,
for Calcutta, the Maria, of five hundred tons, construc-
ted with sails as for general navigation, and with Mel-
ville's patent steam apparatus, capable of being taken o
and put on at pleasure. This vessel is to try the effect
of steam-power in making way through those calms so
common under the line, and which prolong so tediously
the passage between Europe and India."

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