The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-13 00:00:00

ITALY

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The Concordia publishes the following letter, ad.
dressed by the Abbe Gioberti to the editor of thx
journal :

" I do not know for what reason I have been charged
with giving advice and uttering expressions which never
escaped my lips. I consider it my duty to declare that
none of the demonstrations which took place some days
since were suggested by me, and so far from approving
cries, susceptible of receiving an unfavourable interpre-
tation, I formally condemned them."
The inane journal contains the following, dated
Milan :
" Marshal Radetzlcy has ordered the Municipal Coun-
cil of our city to cut down all the trees which adorn
the public promenade round the castle. The Council
entreated him not to insist on an order, the execu-
tion of which would impoverish the city already 140
much distressed by military exactions. The Marshal
returned the following reply to the Municipal
Council:—‘ As I am in the habit of never suffer-
ing resistance to my orders, and whereas the city con-
tinues in a state of siege, I enjoin the Municipal Council
to remove all the trees surrounding the castle, to which
I have already directed its notice, before the 15th inst.
In that interval all the trees must be felled and carried
away at the expense of the Council. The Council shall
be liable to a fine of 5,000 livres for every day's delay.
(Signed) " RADETZKY."
The Nazionale of the sth instant quotes a letter
from Modena, of the 27th ult., stating that several
Austrian battalions, pro✓ided with artillery, had
marched towards the frontier of the Pontifical do-
minions. It was also rumoured that Bologna was to
be occupied by an Austrian force.

THE FORTIFICATION OF AUCK-
LAND, NEW ZEALAND.
The construction of fortifications in defence of the
harbour being under present consideration of the autho-
rities, we trust we shall be held excused for venturing a
few suggestions on a matter fraught with such important
consequences to the pablic safety.
The absolute nakedness of every British possession in
these seas—the impunity with which they can be as-
sailed—the facility with which they could be laid under
contriubtion—have all been dwelt upon and reiterated
usque ad nauseam. A time of peace, when works of
defence should have been quietly and skilfully organized
—when means and munitions should have been unosten-
tatiously provided—has been suffered to pass by ; and
noW, when a period of turbulence, if not of war, appears
to impend, attention is compelled where it was before,
in vain, solicited.
If, as we have been given to understand, the works to
be thrown up, for the protection of the harbour of Aucke
land, are to be limited to land batteries alone, we
would most respectfully point out the grave error of
such restrictions ; and to give more cogency to our
own arguments, we shall cite the opinions of the mot
practical warriors and demonstrate the incontrovertible
truth of their opinions by a few of the most daring and
dashing iliustratior s of the futility of stationary batte-
ries when opposed to the moveable and concentrated fire
of floating ones. We are far from despising land fortifi-
cations, or considering their erection as a matter of no
moment; quite the reverse—they are excellent in their
way, and are invaluable auxiliaries; but as isolated an-
tagonists to the broadside of a fleet We deem them un-
equal to the.work—such at least as a British admiral or
commodore would cut out for them.
It is upon the authority of Lord Nelson we are able
to affirm that, " the fire of cannon cnce opened (from
a ship) is terrible to a town." The truth of that as-
sertion has been frequently and fearfully enforced--
not upon weak and powerless towns, but upon re-
nowned strongholds, bristling with guns and crowded
with battlements, esteemed all but impregnable.
We have amongst us more than one witness of the
powerlessness of the mighty ramparts of Algiers
when opposed to the comparatively petty squadron of
Lord Exmouth. We have also others who behold St.
Jean d'Acre, that fortress which defied the most deter-
mined efforts of Napolean, smitten to the dust by the
thunders of British broadsides. But, as these were ope-
rations effected by line-of-battle ships, we shall proceed
to show what has been achieved by frigates; and from
frigates, we surmise, in the event of war, Auckland will
require, primarily, to be defended.
In July, 1810, Captain Christopher Cole, in the
Caroline, 36-gun frigate, having under his command
the Piedtnontaise, 38, Captain Charles Foote; garra-
mita. 18 gun brig-sloop, Captain Richard Kenagh; and
a transport-brig, made a dash at Banda Neira. In
despite of the manifold difficulties of an intricate and
hazardous navigation, and the dangerous approach to
a well-manned and strongly fortified coast, Captain
Cole effected a landing, and, with 180 men, mastered
fortresses deemed impregnable by the Dutch, and en-
forced the surrender of 700 regular troops and 800 mi-
litia, garrisoning a line of sea defences mounting 138
cannon, being little short of a gun per captor.
Magnificent as this affair was, it was probably ex-
ceeded by the capture of the Island of Curacoa by
Sir C. Brisbane, with " the saucy Arethusa " and
three frigates, on Jan. 1, 1807, the chief port of
which island, St. Ann, art and nature had done much
to render strongly defensible. The entrance to that
harbour, according to James, " is only fifty fathoms
wide, and was defended by regular fortifications ; the
principal of which, Fort Amsterdam, standing on the
right of the entrance, mounted 60 pieces, in two tiers.
Athwart the harbour, which nowhere exceeds a quarter
of a mile in width, were a Dutch 32-gun frigate, a 29-
gun ship corvette, and two large armed schooners. There
was a chain of forts on Alisselburgh height, and that
almost impregnable fortress, Fort Republique, situated
upon a high hill at the bottom of the harbour, and
almost within grape-shot distance, enfiladed the whole."
Notwithstanding these stupendous defences, the four
frigates dashed into the harbour, opened their broad-
sides, boarded the Dutch frigate and corvette, and
stormed the town, the whole island submitting to the
British in the course of that day.
Oue more example of the powers of gallantly-com-
manded frigates, even against strong land defences, mid
amidst perilous waters, may suffice—that example is the
triumphant ascent of the Potomac, in 1814, by
Captain Sir J. A. Gordon, in the Seahorse, and (the
present Admiral Sir Charles Napier) in the Euryalus
frigates, accompanied by the Devastation, /Etna,
and Meteor bombs. This enterprise was one of
consummate difficulty and danger, demanding an
extraordinary degree of nerve and ingenuity, as the
ships grounded repeatedly under fire, and were continu-
ally obliged to hoist out and to replace their guns, as
well as to tow and to warp, and yet the ascent was suc-
cessfully achieved and the descent accomplished, in defi-
ance of clouds of " regular troops, riflemen, artillerists,
and militia, who all flocked to the shores of the Potomac
to punish the base incendiaries." The American news-
paper editors; says James, for some days feasted their
readers with the anticipated destruction of the British
squadron. "It is impossible," they affirm, " the ships
can pass such formidable batteries, commanded by our
,
naval heroes, and manned by our invincible semeu.',
But the British squadron not only did pass batteries,
heroes, and invineibles, but carried 21 sail of prizes along
with them, and that in spite of hot shot and cold, and
after 23 days of incessant strife with man and the ele'
ments.

Having adduced, as we conceive, incontestable proofs
of what can be accomplished by ships against fortified
harbours—and strongly fortified ones too—we would
fain be permitted to point to the strongest and most übi-
quitous means of harbour defence—floating batteries.
England has shown the estimation in which she holds
the efficiency of such defences by conversion of four line-
of-battle ships and four large frigates into block ships,
arming them with guns of the heaviest calibre, and fur-
nishing them with auxiliary steam power.
Although we possess none of these appliances, the
construction of one or more most effective moveable bat-
teries is by no means beyond our reach. It is perfectly
possible to build and equip praams of great strength and
force, whose low mouthed, long, and heavy guns could
be made. to follow up and play with the most destructive
effect upon any intruder.
We could suggest such praams to be built in several
water-tight compartments, the double vessels of which
each should be composed being of great beam, but little
depth, and united under one deck. In the absence of
steam as a motive agent, a central wheel might be worked