The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-12 00:00:00

of water—a thickness of iron which no known shot
can yet pierce. This must, therefore, be our future
mode of building. Much has been said on the bot-
toms of iron ships fouling on long voyages. The
answer is, that the late trial with the Great Eastern
proves that for £40,000 or £50,000 an apparatus
could be put down at our ports in different parts of
the world by which even a vessel of her vast
dimensions could have her bottom cleared from
weeds in a very short space of time.
Sir M. PETO very properly called the attention
of the House to the dilatory extravagance of the
Admiralty in the matter of wood and iron ships.
France acted at once upon the knowledge acquired
by the iron battering ships first tried in actual
warfare at Kinburn ; but we had the same know-
ledge to no purpose. We had further knowledge;
we had the facts that the Turkish fleet was burnt
with Russian shells in the treacherous attack at
Sinope. Also, that the Albion and Arethusa were
set on fire several times by shells near the water line,
and that the Albion had even to be towed out
of the action. Indeed one of the most obvious ad-
vantages of such iron ships as have been already
built, is, that they cannot be set on fire by shells
fired horizontally, or by liquid fire, or molten iron
—and even their decks may be substantially pro-
tected against a vertical fire of shell, though this is
a danger to which ships are seldom exposed. Yet,
while the French acting on these facts, known to
us as well as to them, ceased to build wooden ships,
and have been busying themselves on iron, our slow
paced Admiralty has built and converted not less
than 70 ships of 150,000 tons, mounting 3,800 guns,
and with 33,000 horse-power !
The Government will do well to listen to the
practical advice of men like Sir MORTON PETO,
who have been employed on constructive works
during their whole lives, on a scale equal to that of
governments, and with such notorious success. He
takes directly the opposite course to that chosen by.
Government. Instead of making his own yards a
factory for everything, he engages the services of
competent and trustworthy contractors to execute
the several parts of works. He holds them
responsible to himself, as he is to the great
companies who employ him ; and what is
done by his own agents, directly, is done
not by men who being sailors only, like Sir BALD.
WIN WALKER, are charged with the building of
ships instead of the sailing them—the right man
in the right place is the essence of the management
of such gentlemen as Mr. LINDSAY and Sir MORTON
PETO, and of all who engage in large public works.
At the Admiralty, as the Commissioners' report
shows, all this is reversed, and if a worthy man is
in their service, ten to one but he has something to
do on which all his integrity and ability are
almost thrown away. Sir MORTON pointed out
to the Government the simple plan which they
ought to adopt—" He maintained that they had
men of practical knowledge and great engineering
skill in this country, who might be had recourse to,
and to whom the right hon. baronet had recourse
when he ordered the two vessels to which he had
referred. Nothing could be easier for the Admi-
ralty to say to six or seven of their leading firms—
' We shall:be able to give you a certain commission
as to speed, armament, stowage for coal, and ac-
commodation for men, and you shall supply us
with vessels, which we will not take if they do
not come up in every way to those conditions.
Bat the firm which shall prodace the most per-
fect vessel shall receive, in addition, a large reward
in future orders." In that way he thought they
ought to appeal to talent. And it would soon
bring out talent in plenty.

On the whole Mr. LINDSAY has done his
country service, and himself credit, by the pains
with which be has examined this subject, and
the ability with which he and Sir M. PETO
brought it before the House. If Mr. BRIGHT
and other gentlemen who denounce, and

not unreasonably, the vast expenditure of
•
the country would apply their great abilities to

tracing out the way in which the money is wasted,
they would then be rendering valuable service.
They have the means, and they should buckle to
the work. The debate of last night will do more

to convince the country, we hope the House, too,
that the money voted for defence is squandered on
stupid mismanagement, routine, and patronage,
than a dozen eloquent denunciations of expendi-
ture in general.

Yesterday morning, as will be seen from an in-
eresting account given in another part of our
impression of this evening, there landed at Dover
the Earl of ELGIN—soon, doubtless (in return for
his great services), to be raised by her Most
Gracious MAJESTY to the dignity of a marquisate.
An elevation of that character in the lists of the
British Peerage Lord ELGIN has earned again and
again by his brilliant diplomatic achievements. The
recompense, such as it is, cannot surely be much
longer withheld from him. It is almost, we might
say, his of right : and certainly when viewed in con-
nection with his last exploit cannot but be deemed
moderate enough under the circumstances. For
what, in point of fact, has been the nature of the
noble Earl's last Oriental adventure ? Our Illus-
trated London contemporary, just issued from the
press, signalises the extraordinary character of this
last success of Lord ELGIN'S as a diplomatist in a
manner the most vivid and picturesque well
imaginable. That single coloured engraving reveals
it distinctly enough to the casual passers by just
now as they glance up at the shop windows, that
altogether unprecedented spectacle of " Lord ELGIN
making his state entry into Pekin !" The last
achievement of our diplomatist, in fact, was
that state entry of his into Pekin, into that almost
fabulous city of Pekin, never before looked upon
by an European army, never before penetrated by
an European diplomatist—the sacred city of Pekin,
the capital of the most populous empire in the
whole world,an empire peopled by 400,000,000 souls.
During the course of his graceful speech yesterday
in reply to the address of congratulation presented
to him by the Mayor and Corporation of Dover,
the Earl of ELGIN observed simply and manfully
enough, not arrogating to himself any special com-
mendation for what had been accomplished at the
opposite extremity of the eastern hemisphere, " The
way to Pekin was opened up to us on this occasion
by the valour of our troops, acting in conjunction
with those of France, and ably supported by the fleet ;
for, as an impartial witness of the services rendered
by both branches of our force, I feel bound in jus-
tice to state—and I gladly avail myself of this the
first opportunity of meeting a body of my country-
men to make the avowal—that although the ser-
vices of the army naturally attracted a greater mea-
sure of public attention, those of the navy were not
inferior, whether as respects the gallantry display-
ed by the actors or the importance of the results
achieved. The two services, or rather both branches
of our service, vied with each other in devotion and
zeal for their country." After expatiating, as well
he might, upon the magnificence of that achieve-
mboetuh i
t,t:n achievement as we have said altogether
unprecedented, the noble lord commented in befit-
ting terms upon its probable results in the hereafter
regard to the Chinese and to ourselves. Ile
reminded .
his hearers at Dover, and through them
the whole
mass of his fellow-countrymen, that the