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

Door, open at halt past 6—Commence at 7.

CANTERBURY-HALL CONCERTS!!
Westminster-road.
Proprietor........C. Morton.
A Grand Selection from Verdi's new Opera,
IL CORSARO,
(This opera has never been produced in this or any other
Country, except at these Concerts). having met with that de-
cided success which charactise; the most popular works of
this great Master, will be performed EVETT EVENING ;
togetloter with a Selection from LA FIG IA DEL REGGI-
MENTO, by Donizetti,
Principal Artistes—Miss Russell, Madame Maria, Miss
Tyrrell, Mr. H. Herbert, Signor Tivoli, H. Drummond, and
C. W. Bernard. Director, Mr. F. Jonghmans.
The Comic Department comprises Messrs. E. Marshall, A.
B. Hollingsworth, J. Blanchard, F. Bell, W. H. Welland, and
the Brothers Conrad.
John Martin's Three celebrated Pictures will remain on
view a short time longer in the Fine Arts Gallery of the
Establishment.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIC Di .—Morning, 3h. 10m.—Afternoen, 3h. 26m.
To-mourtow.-Morning, 3h. 39m.—Afternoon, 3h. 54m.

THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, ApRaL!l2, IN

THEEMOXETER, IN THE BILLDII.
57—highest since noon yesterday.
42—lowest this morning and during the night.
58—this day at noon,

BAROMETER-30.40 ; falling.
Wlxn--Northerly—light ; with very fine weather.

',ld,. • ,14t:
0,-;
~ .o
I 1
~.. 1,) ; - .,,i,
• , , .a._..,....,
c.......,.,4
4talk :0 - ((''.i ' ' ~,,' ''•.''-_4l .;.i.,:':47.,\ 74.0 )N, , t
I t.
c.:
, l, t•• , ..' '. ;' ''
' 4
' 'a:
."._ _,,,-• ii 0 , 'iofl/4.,/,_.;.5;,,-,41,-, - ••
'-. N --4-2;.i"'.'---71--. '• 1 `:, ' ,``,--'

THE SUN.
LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1881.

Mr. LINDSAY'S three resolutions have been
withdrawn, but the impression of the debate cannot
be withdrawn, or effaced from the minds of income-
tax payers. The resolutions appear, indeed, to be
but the supplement to the report of the Dockyard
Commissioners ; and, though abstract, resolutions
are naturally looked upon with disfavour by
Government, and it is easy to give almost any
resolutions that name, yet the country will think
those proposed 19y Mr. LINDSAY, and seconded by
Sir MORTON PETO, are of as practical a kind as
might be expected from two of the most eminent
business-men in the House of Commons.
it was made clear in the discussion that we have
already a navy which needs no increase in point
of number of vessels. It is almost double that of
France, and as large as that of all the world, should
all navies combine against us, which we need not
say is about as likely as that we should purposely
commence a quarrel with every nation which pos-
sesses a ship of war. France, for instance, has 37
line-of-battle ships in all, England has 67. We
have 22 more steam line-of-battle ships built and
building than all the world! In number of fri-
gates, and still more in the quality of them, we are
again decidedly superior to France. Once more,
of ships mounting 20 guns and upwards, France
has 75; all the world 139; and England at this
moment 145! These are Mr. LINDSAY'S figures,
collected with great care, we have no doubt as cor-
rect as they can possibly be, and if they do not
decide the question that we have got as large a
fleet as we want this year, and that we have but to
snake the best use of it, we know not what will
satisfy the routine mind.
But even if we had not so large a fleet as we
want, what madness would it be to go on throwing
away our millions under our present dockyard
management ? The country is at least agreed that
we need no more wooden ships. The figures we
have quoted surely settle that point. Whatever
is needed, it is in the pre-eminently British line
of iron. And, in regard to iron ships, the Dockyard
Commissioners honestly report against any being
undertaken by the Government establishments.
The Government itself seems to be half aware that
private yards could do better ; but the pretext
for asking a large sum of money from the country
to create a useless plant under their own superin-
tendence to build one iron ship was, that they might
test the prices charged for the work in the private
yards ! The Commissioners disposed of this pre-
tence very summarily by showing that the Admi-
ralty accounts were kept with such costly minute-
ness, clumsiness of system, and inaccuracy,all com-
bined, that it was impossible to ascertain the cost
of any ship built, or any work done in the Govern-
ment yards. If we are to have iron ships, as have
them we must, the great private yards of our ship-
builders must build their hulls, and responsible
private engine makers must put in their engines,
We think we express the public judgment best
on this debate in asking that nothing beyond what
is absolutely necessary should be done in regard to
the wooden ships begun, but that iron vessels should
be proceeded with at a moderate rate—at such a
rate, we mean, as to allow of first settling one or two
mechanical points relating to the best mode of
building them for purposes of war. The wooden
ships in progress, seeing we have so many fit for
service, will almost certainly, if completed, have to
be altered at a great expense, in order to give
them the
be
new coat of mail. It must, therefore,
folly to
build, just to incur the cost,
80 common
to pieces again.
at the Admiralty, of pulling
doubt that ships There can, however, be no
will soon be built entirely of iron.
PI ain7, wood Ruh
iron increases the danger of
decay in the .wooden
ien:kLge between the
w„d
part. Dry lot and the
justly
and iron will, it is toolni
feared, prove fatal ene es to this kind of
Ilse
. . to
cc nitruotion, since stripping .0 iron
fi.
get at the dec.:yeti wood, the
rLf.ts being plates
dove-
tailed together so strongly as they are, will be a
work of immense difficulty. On the other hand,
as Sir JOSEPII PA XTON observed—indeed
We
Ind occasion to advert to the same fact,
when the Warrior was launched—had the

twonty-two inches of teal; been exchanged for

acidi %nal iron, we might have had iron-sides
'even 44aches thick, without additional dioplzoement