The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-26 00:00:00

FLOATII G BATTERIES.

At the United Service Institution, a few evening,
since, Captain Fishbourne, RN., read a paper on float
ing batteries, for the purpose of showing how unsuitable
the modern structures of that kind are for naval war-
fare. Captain Fishbourne, in the first place, pointed out
the defective form of the recently-constructed English.
and French floating batteries for sea-going vessels. With
a draught of water of only 8 feet and a breadth of 50
feet, they must neces-,arily be unsteady when there was
the least motion in the water beyond a ripp'e, and thus
prevent any precision in firing. 'tire heavy iron
casing, he maintained, also increased the uusteadinesi of
the floating batteries by raising the centre of gravity,
and by placing so much of the weight on the sides. The
defects of this form of censtructien, Capt. Ft- hbourtit
eentenc's ate, hat it communicated a greater rolling ruc-
tion to the vessel, owing to its great breadth compared
with the draught ; and the centre of gravity being thus
raised above the level of the water, it has to descend
lower, with acoeleratory motion, when the wave that
supported it receded—the velocity of the fall being in-
creased by the heavy weight at the side. The accelerated
velocity thus acquired tended to increase the upheaving
of the vessel on the other aide, and thus produced a
rocking motion like teat of a rocking chair. Capta n
Fishbourne alluded to the floating batteries that were
employed by the French and Spaniards at the siege of
Gibraltar, plans of which have been preserved in the in-
st tution, and were exhibited. In those batteries the
hulls were semicircular, which form, he observed, was
much better adapted to obtain stability for the centre of
gravity being equi-distant from all parts was not raised and
depressed by the action of the waves nearly so much as it
is in a broad flat-bottomed boat. It appeared, from
the section that the draught of water of those floating
batteries must have been as touch as 18 feet. The gallant
captain then noticed the actual effect of the floating bat-
teriee against the fcriress of Kin burn, in the }Lack Sea,
and observed that it was very much less than might have
been expected from so many guns of large calibre di-
rected against a dilapidated, fortress, whilst the number
of men on the floating batteries put hors de combat by
the comparatively small guts of the enemy, only ten of
which could bear on each battery, showed that the iron
bulwark afforded very inadequate protection. The suc-
cess of the attack he attributed more to the effect of
the vertical fire from the gun-boats, and to the riflemen
on board the fleeting batteries, than to the guns of the
latter. Capt. Fishbourne then noticed the plan that had
been proposed of casing Chips of war with iron, which
he strongly condemned. The cutting down of a large
ship to convert it into a kind of flowing battery would,
he said, have the effect of diminishing the number of
guns two-thirds, whilst the heavy casing of iron would
increase the rolling of the ship, thereby greatly lessening
the precision of the fire, and expo-ing a larger surface,
between wind and water, to the enemy's shot. He also
anticipated that the iron casing would have the effec, in
a rough sea of righting the ship so suddenly, after having
been heaved on one side, as to snap off the masts. Anoteer
disadvanage would be the exposure of a larger surface to
the enemy's shot ; for the same number of guns whose fire
is now concentrated in one broadside would be distributed
in three ships of equal length. The kind of floating
battery which Capt. Fishbourne considered most ad-
visabl especially fit the defence of harbours, is a raft,
which may be constructed at little cost, and can be
moored in shallow water so as to maintain sufficient
stability for precision in firing.
MO RENNIE exhibited two models which he had coe-
etructed, one of which was a fl 'sting circular one-gun
battery f r coast defences, intended to be propelled by
steam ; and the other, a steam gun-boat of light draught,
intended for the rivers in India.

A MEMBER disputed the correctness of some of Capt
Fielibouroe's statements relative to the effects of the
floating batteries employed against Kinburii. He said
that he examined one of those batteries the morning after
the attack, and he counted the marks of sixty round
shot on its sides. The walls of the f ,rtress, he added,
had been reduced to ruins by the fire of the batteries,
and he understood chat only two men had been killed
on board the battery be ex4n ine 1.
Capt. FISHBOURNE replied that he bad obtained his
information from an official French publication.
Thanks were voted to Capt. FiAlbourne and Mr.
Rennie, and the meeting adjourned.

ADMIRAL SIR H. KEPPEL AND THE LIBERALS OF
PORTSMOUTH.—Io anticipation of a general election
Admiral Sir H. Koppel met the committees of the
liberal electors of Ports Routh on Friday evening to give
an exposition to them of his political views. In answer
to the various questions which were put to him the gal-
ant admiral staied that he was opposed to the ballot. He'
would support the extension of the franchise to 101.
householders in counties, and was in favour of extend-
ing the suffrage to e Jucated persons who possessed no
property or household qualification. He would vet
f!,r the abolition of church-rates as for as dissenters were
concerned, and was in favour of the admision of Jews
into Patella eat and the Maynooth endowment. Ad-
miral Keppel replied also to several other subordinate
questions, and the meeting pledged itself in the event
of any future election to endeavour to secure his elec•
ties in conjunction w.th that of Sir Francis Baring, Bart, I
VISIT OF A FRENBEI WAR STEAMER TO THE Bats-
TOL CHANNEL.—Some little commotion has been pro-
duced outing the last week amongst the residents on
the Welsh coast, owing to the unusual occurrence of a
war steamer, hoisting the fiat of the French Empire,
having steamed slowly np our Channel. She was seen
at ddf rent times off Penzance, Swan,ea, in Bridge-
water Bay, at Penarth Road,, and funny made her way
to and dropped anchor in the Careiff Bute Dock Basin,
where it was ascertained that she is the Pelican, Com-
mander Hamelin, a nephew of Admiral Hamelin, the
Emperor Napoleon's Minister of Marine, and had on
board a party of French hydrographere. She came into
Cardiff for the ostensible Furpose of taking in Welsh
steam coels ; but there are not wanting those am mg
the shipping interests of the port who teink it possible
that the French Admiralty might be deeirous of know-
ing something about the English Channel navieation,
especially ac bee Wight have taken in her coals, tad she
plea4ed to have done so, at the pert rf S Nausea, a long
way fa't'her down the Channel. An old shipping
master writes t ab ut, the ,nat,er t, the Guardiun—
Lue princ.pll local paper—"l think the m v merits of
these French cruisers cannot be too nano aly watcind,
and their appearance aloug our coast' together with the
ac ivitY di4o-Yed in , heir e
arseals, and the coneentra•
Con of so great a French fleet in tie E• Charnel,
looks very cninous, and makes us shipmasters rather
uneasy." It is eta' ed that, when seen at the different
points on the coast, the Pelican had not her French
colours hoisted, and that she was taken by these who
fi AN her, for a steamer connected with the Trinity Howe
or the surveyor of the Bzitieli Admiralty. It is also
complained that our coast is left in so naked and defence-
less a state by the Government, there not being a single
battery to ho fund on the long line which irvervene-
heLween Milford [fawn, at the very mouth of our
Channel, and Sharpness Point, some miles up the
Severn.