The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-31 00:00:00

(From the Times.)

The Americans are feeling the first puff of the
hurricane which has been sweeping over the States
of Europe. They are setting their house in order,
leok:ng to their national defences, and surveying
their Navy. The report of the proceeding is a
curious one. We publish some of its details in
another column, that it may be seen how little ad-
vantage in such matters a democratic Government
possesses over an ancient monarchy. The two
Portsmouths, though situated in different worlds,
are 99 like as two peas. The stories of ships kept
for years on the stocks, or launched at last only to
be kept for as many years in harbour, might have
been told from our own dockyards. Costly fabrics
lefi; half-fin'shed, or stopped halfway to be " con-
verted" into fabrics of another kind ; fine men-of-
war eaten up by rot, old vessels which have done
an infinity of work without ever breaking down,
and new vessels which have broken down without
doing any work at all; vest stores of things un-
serviceable, and a considerable lack of the particular
things wanted—these are the discoveries to which
we are pretty well accustomed on this side of the
Atlantic, and which are now recognized just as
naturally on the other. The fact is that within
certain limits the results are unavoidable. We are
overtaken in our work by the inventions of science,
and before we have completed a structure on the
principles last approved we find that fresh princi-
ples have superseded them.
There is one point, however, which the obser-
vant reader will not fail to notice. Not a syllable
is said in the American report about casing ships of
war in iron. It is clear that we have only imper-
fect accounts of the survey and no account whatever
of the deliberations or conclusions of the Commis-
sioners, but still we are told so much that a funda-
mental proposition like that of substituting iron
for wood would hardly have been omitted from the
report if it had entered into the original design.
Not a hint, however, is given to this effect. As far
as we can see, the American Naval Board is simply
desirous of turning old sailing ships into new
steamers, and cutting down useless eighty-fours
into screw frigates. This is all the more remark-
able from being entirely in opposition to the usual
policy of Americans. They have generally been the
first to seize upon a novelty, and eager in adopting
new principles or designs. They surprised us in the
early part of the century by building vessels of far
greater power than we had ever known before ;
they have recently launched a batch of experimen-
tal frigates, expected to be the strongest in the
world, and they put, a steam-ram on the stocks long
before Adaliral Sartorius had introduced that
machine to the notice of the public. Moreover,
the schema of casing ships in armour was un-
doubtedly brought under the cognisance of their
authorities some years ago, though it was never
approved. Whether they were dissatisfied with
their experiments, or whether they relied upon
their Dahlgren guns to pierce any ship's sides, we
cannot say, but as a matter of fact they have never
taken up the new theory, nor do they appear to be
embracing it now.
We are not making these remarks in disparage-
ment of our own conclusions. These conclusions
we believe to be sound, for nobody can now doubt
that iron plates can be made to give most valu-
able, if not absolute protection to a ship's side.
That our authorities have been wise in acting
on this conviction is perfectly plain, but it is
not so plain that they are going to work in the
best way. Since we first called the attention of
the public to the question three additional ships
of the new class have been either laid down or
bespoken, but they are all upon one model ; whereas
it seems very doubtful whether the model is the
best, and more than doubtful whether we have
taken the right means to arrive at the truth. The
experiments of the Admiralty appear to have been
all directed to the point which was already clear,
while they left untouched the point which was in-
volved in uncertainty. For 'month after month
our officials hammered away at iron plates with
heavy guns until they learnt what might have been
assumed at a much earlier period,—that, though no
armour is positively proof against all projectiles,
good iron sheathing will repel all but the luckiest
or most ponderous shot. But as regards the more
difficult problem of combining this armour with the
seagoing qualities of the vessel so protected they
do not seem to have instituted any experiments
whatever. No iron-cased ship has been so much as
floated to show how such a fabric would sail or
steam. We are willing to suppose that the end-
less trials at " target-ships" did supply certain
hints on other points besides the strength of iron-
plating, and we are aware that the new frigates in
process of construction have been alteredfrom time
to time, in accordance, probably, with information
thus acquired. Nevertheless, .we must be still
working in the dark, whereas five ships, at £350,000
each, constitute a speculation on which it would
be very advisable to throw a little light. The Ad-
miralty people seem to be now perfectly satisfied
with the Warrior. That model, as finally ,erehre-
rected, is to be the type of our new ironid
Black Prince is a sister ship, and on the lines es and
from the very drawings of the
Warrior are the
three other ships, one at Chatham and two in pri-
vate yards, to be laid down. The Warrior, for
There,are still, how-
ever, many points in dispute.
structure, whereas
instance, is a very complicated
simplicity usually gives butter promise of success.
Then her sides are thought to be too straight. It is
not merely with references discussed, but as a point
to the impact of projec-
tiles that this question i
involving the proper
adjustment of weight.
If the sides of an
iron-cased frigate are sloped
inwards, the enormous weight of her guns and
armour would be brought centre
of more to the
of the fabric, and the motion of the vessel would be
easier.
On the other hand, itis said that the angle
adopted in Jones's model would offer no protection
against the waves,
but would leave the vessel to be
w ._
washed over like a rock at half-tide.
We have no desire to dogmatise on a subject so
uncertain. It is a case in which we must feel our
way ; but, as the stake is important and the in-
vestment by no means trifling, we should like to
make sure of our steps. If a single vessel, such as
the Warrior, had been laid down directly after the
trial at Kinburn, we might by this time have had
an iron-cased frigate at sea, and we should have
ascertained from the only safe experiment how far
the application of iron armour could he conveniently
carried. As it is, we have uo specimens of the new
fabric at present, whereas by and by we shall have
five at once, which may, no doubt, be five examples
of success but which may possibly be five failures.
That is the only doubt we entertain. The new in-
vention, if it proves really practicable, must re-
dound to the advantage of England. It will enable
us to develops our inexhaustible resources of ma-
terial, and to economise these resources of which
the supply has been found less certain. It will
throw the demand more upon iron and less upon
men. Even the money cost of our Navy will ulti-
mately be reduced, and it is only the " infan3y" of
the new system which need inspire us with any
alarm. That phrase, however, is ominous. In the
case of steam it brought a deluge of hopeless and
apparently endless extravagance, and, unless we
take timely precautions, it may do the same in the
case of iron,