The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-10 00:00:00

THE FRENCH NAVY.

REPORT OF ME COMMITTEE OF NAVAL
INQUIRY. _

On Monday, the Committee on the grant of an extra-
ordinary credit of ninety-three million francs (3,720,000/ )
for the French navy, laid their report before the Cham-
ber of Deputies.
The Committee proposed various modifications in the
project of the Government ; we lay before our readers
an impartial statement of their deliberations.
After having established as an essential condition that
a just equilibrium should exist between the complement
and armament of the navy, the Committee exposed in the I
following words the general considerations which guided
them :
" The Committee are unanimous in their opinion that
the French navy must be on such a footing as to be able
to act on the offensive, if necessary, in every part of the
ocean; they do not wish entirely to break with the past,
and renounce for ever the honourable though expensive
chuum3 or 6-1-cab naval combats. What they wish, what
they earnestly desire, is that a war, if such came to
pass, might be begun with rapidity, carried of with
vigour and perseverance enough to ensure peace on a
firm footing as the reward of a bold and energetic line of
conduct.

" We agree with the Government on the grounds and
applications of them, but we do not coincide in their
opinion regarding the number of vessels to be kept
afloat and on the stocks. We do not deem the project
of the Government sufficient as regards the steam navy;
but we wish to reduce the number of sailing vessels of
the lesser class. Voted unanimously. The reductions
are mostly adopted, two votes were for having them on a
much more extensive scale. All were of accord as re-
gards the utility of developing the new system of na-
vigation."
Rear• Admiral Heernoux, reporter of the Committee,
quoted the official documents on the subject, and gave
a clear notion of the advantages of the new recruiting
system of the navy, based on the coast fisheries and the
crews of merchantmen.
According to this system all the recruits are called
successively into the service as the navy may require
them. The reporter was of opinion that the service was
greatly benefited by the system, and that French sailors
might bear comparison with the best organised troops.
The Committee then examined the different classes
of vessels of which the fleet ought to be composed. They
reduced by eight the number of men-of-war on the
stocks, but increased by four the number afloat. They
accorded 2,000 horse-power for establishing vessels
equally adapted for sailing or steaming (vaisseaux
mixtes), to be attached, no matter what their number,
to the vessels afloat. They demanded, likewise 800
horse-power for the construction of two floating batteries
for blockading the mouths of rivers ; the reporter bpoko
of these batteries in the following terms :
ttht eendt ieofne
defence
turned''Thetoa
construction of two floating batteries (0
theof tlCleorncomaisttt,eethbe
Berating batteries;
effec-
tually the mouths of rivers. The )e,iesyteotapppitairfintdigeeflatrhli)e
set in motion by
plans proposed last year, a
solely of a defensive naturree, btoome-proof, and built on
ew!us eb
itnerbsei on, fire-proof,anra ea toud be
sptoesasmibleP°rwenadre; hretdesy aresfe likewise
against
armed with heavy asratiillilnegry,vemssaeslkse, dorbystiwaartellsrsi,mopwiennea-
treble to missiles:
too
account for the service to which the floating batteries
are destined.
The Government proposed that four frigates afloat

eiliteld 14 furnished with a small steam-engine and a
screw. The Committee proposed the allotment of 1,000
horse power to various of the frigates afloat, so as to
enable them-to be employed in the defence of the coast
and roadsteats. They likewise intend 480 horse power
for foiir corvettes, which are likewise to be good sailing
vessels ; they are b be iron built, and to carry a light,
weight of metal, so as to enable them to move from
place to place with great rapidity. The following are
the. reflections and propositions of the Committee re-
specting the steamers:—
" A royal decree of the 4th of March, 1842, fixed at
70 the number of steamers belonging to the fleet.
" The steamers wero dqual to
" A new decree of the 10th Nov., 18 t 5,

increasing the number of steamers to
100, and the propelling power to

28,800 h. p.

" An increase of 10,400 h. p.
which was to be sent from our arsenals, provided that the
steamers puilt for the transatlantic service were not td
be added to the navy. The united power of these vessels
is 6,730 h. p.
"We deduct this, and there remain 3,670, which the
Government demanded, and which the Committee vottd
at once.

"Steamers, in small number, it is true, cons;dered as
means of war, have a peculiar merit of their own. But
if we only looked upon them as auxiliaries, we must add
that as such they are indispensible, and would he ,o,
even if they were of less consequence. If two squAron.,
of sailing vessels were opposite each other, the squadron
which had the greatest means of locomotion, owing to
steam tugs, would have a decided advantage. The re-
cent expeditions of France on the coasts of Mexico and
Morocco, those of the English on the coasts of Syria and
China, would have been accomplished after great labour,
and perhaps not at all had it not been for the assistance
of sl,earn.
"The improvements in the different branches of
steam navigation within the last few years are worthy
of remark. But a few years since, and the vessels
groaned under the weight of the machinery ; if they
had to run a long distance, the engines were of lesser
power, so as to allow room for coals ; if, on the con-
trary, speed was an object, their engines were of greater
power, but they could only run for a short space of time;
owing to their stock of coal being too small. Owing to
new inventions these objections are partly done away
with. The new boilers called tubular economise the
fuel,
and the use of steam at a higher pressure adds to
the speed of the vessel.
" The ievention of the screw is another step in advance,
and requires the greatest attention to its merits ; a
steamer cannot. be a man of war unless her engines are
safe from being destroyed by a cannon ball.
"Some late experiments at Gsivres prove that sheet
iron is horribly lacerated by the effects of a cannon ball,
therefore war steamers should be constructed of wood.
"The second class steamers, carrying large swivel
guns, ought to be of great speed, so as to be able to at
or retreat, as the case might require.
"The first class ought to be regular frigates carryinz
heavy metal, and answering in every respect to their
name.
The following is the substance of the propositions of
the committee for the fleet to be completed on the Ist of
January, 1845 :-
36 Men-of-war
3 Floating batteries

40
• 40
• 50

55 Frigates
40 Corvettes
50 Brigs
30 Schooners (batitnents
legers)
16 Transports l6 „
100 Steamers

329 302 27
The expenses would be as follows: •
New constructions:— francs franca.
Vessels to be launched
51,092,800
Vessels to be put on the stocks 17,899,600
For armaments:—
For vessels to be launched 12,440,000
For vessels without armament 3,720,000 20,160,000
For vessels in construction
For guns
Engines for the mixed vessels and steamers,)
7,950 h.p.; in a round sum, 8,000 at 12,000,000
1,500 E per h.p.
For Allowances

8,300,000

' 23,000,000

115,052,800
In a round sum 115,000,000
Sum to be placed to the account of the ordi • 1
42,000,000
nary budget

Remains

73,000,000

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
TATTERSALL'S-YEITERDA Y.

Our " price current" considerably exceeds the usual
limit, and, without a word or two of preface, would give
an erroneous idea of the extent of the betting. We
should state, therefore, that in several instances the in-
vestments were but just sufficient to fix the prices, and
that only on the three or four leading favourites for the
Newmarket Handicap, on Sweetmeat, Best Bower,
Vitula, Pedometer, and Petit Morceau for the Chet.t..r
Cup, Tom Tullock, Traverser, and Humdrum for the
Derby, was money laid out with any real spirit We
should especially instance Tom Tullock, on whom large
sums were lavished at 20 to 1, and a great anxiety
shown in various quarters to get on at the same-figure.
Brocardo receded first to 14 to 1, laid to 150/, and
afterwardi to 16 to 1, laid to 1001.—a consequence of
the Tom Tullock movement. We should also mention,
with reference to the Chester Cup, that although bark.d
for a good deal of money, there were more layers than
usual against Sweetmeat, that little or nothing was said
about Weatherbit, and that Hope was entirely friend-
less. Clumsy appeared to be forgotten. The betting
closed as under:—

NEWMARKET HANDICAP.
10 to 1 agst Mr. G. H. Moore's Corranna
14 to 1 agst Lord Geo. Bentinck's Marquis of Conyng.
ham—taken
15 to 1 agst Mr. Copeland's Arthur
16 to 1 agst Mr. Godwin's Dexterous—taken
16 to 1 agst Mr. Jaques's Spur
20 to 1 agst Lord Exeter's Wee Pat
29 to 1 agst Mr. Death's Thrapston
25 to 1 agst Colonel Anson.'s Rowland Hill
25 to 1 agst Lord Glamis's Satyr—taken
25 to 1 agst Lord Albemarle's Little Vulgar Boy--'.
The Nike filly having met with an accident is declared not
to start.

CHESTER CUP.
13 to 1 agst Mr. Gully's Weatherbit
14 to 1 agst Mr. A. W. Hill's Sweetmeat—taken
18 to 1 agst Lord G. Bentinck's Best Bower• 4 20 to 1
20 to 1 agst Mr. Parr's Vitula—taken
25 to 1 agst Mr. Pedley's Miss Burns
30 to 1 agst Mr. Dawson's Crim. Con.
30 to 1 agst Mr. Wormslors Pedometer
30 to 1 agst Mr. Heseltine's Fitz Allen—taken
40 to 1 agst Mr. Thompson's Hope
40 to 1 agst Mr. Gully's St Lawrence—taken
45 to 1 agst Mr. Davis's Redstreak—taken
50 to 1 agst Mr. Merry's Whinstone—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Mr. Irwin's Connaught Rangei—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Mr. Stebbing's Billy Purvis—taken
1,000 to 15 agst Sir C. Monck's Glossy—taken
1,000 to 10 agst Mr. Osbaldiston's Petit Morceau—taken
Mr. Woffenden has sold Miss Burns to Mr. Pedley.

TWO TIIOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES.
9 to 2 agst Col. Anson'F lago
6 to 1 agst Lord Maidstone's Tom Tullock—taken
6 to 1 agst Lord Albemarle's Smuggler Bill—taken
DERBY.
16 to 1 agst General Shubrick's Brocardo—taken
18 to 1 agst Lord Maidstone's Tom Tullock
20 to 1 agst Mr. J. O'Brien's The Traverser—taken
22 to 1 agst Colonel Anson's lago
25 to 1 agst Mr. W. Scott's Tibthorpe
28 to 1 agst Sir J. Hawley's Humdrum—taken fre, ly
40 to 1 agst Mr. Ramsay's Alalcolm—takeir
45 to 1 agst Duke of Richmond's Tuchet
Nothing done on Sting.
OAKS.
7 to 1 agst Colonel Peel's lot—taken
9 to 1 agst Sir C. Monck's Vanish—taken
12 to 1 agst Colonel Peel's Queen Anne—taken
20 to 1 agst Mr. Wyatt's Laundry Maid
25 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes' Moweriaa.

- TUE EMPEROR'S CUP.
.500 even between Alarm and Mentor—p.p.

ROYAL THAMES YACHT CLUB.
A special meeting of the members of this club was
held on Wednesday evening at the Piazza Coffee-house,
Covent-garden, in order to till up the vacancy ,occasioned
by the resignation of W. Harrison, Esq., who has for a
period of 15 years so ably officiated as ommodore, and
to whom the Club is much indebted for its present
prosperity.
Mr. WHEELER, the Treasurer, on being called to the
chair, read the circular convening the meeting, after

which
Mr. REYNELL moved the election of Lord Alfred
Paget as Commodore. He held in his hand a requisition
signed by 59 members atthe last meeting, to the follow-
ing effect:—
" To the Right Hon. Lord A. Paget,
" We, the undersigned members of the Ito) I Thames
Yacht Club, being desirous of testifying our bCII‘C of
your Lordship's valuable services to the Club as its Vice-
Commodore, respectfully solicit the honour of beii.g per-
rpitted to put your Lordship in nomination for the office
of Commodore, vacant by the resignation of W. Harri-
son, Esq."
Mr. Reynell said it would be but a waste of time for him
to dilate upon the qualifications or merits of his Lord-
ship, as he felt that he would be elected without a dis-
sentient voice. He was sure, in common with every
other member, that the appointment of that Nobleman
would
clubb.e most advantageous to the best interests of
the
waCsaipintraniendiFaßteElyEScOaNrriseedc.ondec! the nomination, and it
On the motion of Mr. C. BUCKNELL, sivond.ll by
Mr. J. WILKINSON, Captain Darnell has elected Vice-
Commodore, in lieu of Lord A. Paget.

flEn MAJESTY'S PATRONAGE OF BRITISH MAN tr•
FACTURES--
le may not be generally known that her Ma-
jsty mot• promptly, not only gives her patrinutp• to any
-5 •
really meritoriuum invention, but in most lite first
of purchase; a 1a,.1 in the
ghrig4hele°sTlS to actegreeeirict.ohueraegxinagmit4U every mechatiie throughout
the Queen's dominions. On Monday last her Majesty and
Prince Albert examined, with much interest, the first pro-
duction of a wonderful shawl-loom constructed by 111 r.
Robert Kerr, of Paisley, by which one man can weave two
shawls at the same time. Her Majesty testified her admira-
tion, and gave her patronage to this new manufacture I,y the
purchase of the specimens submitted. Such exalted sympa-
thy is of great import to the inniiensely populated 'town of
Paisley, where, at the Messrs. Kerr's alone, upwards of four
thousand persons are employed ; and it is anticipated, by the
assistance of this machins, that such number will be morn
than doubled. It may be added, that the shawl;., in their
several stages-..the two woven back to back—likewise as
they are cut asunder—and moreover in their exo nisitely
finished state, are exhibiting at Mr. George Sala's, the
shawl-merchant of Ludgate-hill, by whom these curious
fabrics were introduced to the Court.