The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-11 00:00:00

£31,588,520

AVERAGE PRICE OF SUGAR.
The Average Price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, com-
puted from Returns made in the week ending the 7th day
of May, 1861, exclusive of the duties of Customs paid or
payable thereon on the importation thereof into Great
Britain :
Mus3ovado, the produce of the British pos. PER CWT.
sessions in America 2ss 31d
Muscovado, the produce of the Mauritius
Muscovado, the produce of the East Indies l9s 'ad
Average price of the foregoing .. 26s 101 d

rATIONAL DEFENCES.

Most readers will probably be aware that the
general scheme for fortifying the Dockyards and
Arsenals of .the kingdom includ -d the construction
of certain marine forts in the roadstead of Spithead
for the protection of Portsmouth and its treasures.
These forts were so designed as to command the
entrance to the harbour; and, as they were to be
impregnably built and formidably armed, it was
conceived that no vessel could resist their fire.
Portsmouth, in short, was to become another Cron
stadt, girdled with batteries, and inaccessible to
foes. Before these works, however, could be so
much as commenced the probable efficacy of the pro-
posed defences was called in question, and on grounds
which will be readily conjectured. The fact is that
within a few months after the resolution of erecting
these fortifications had been adopted the Gloire"took
possession of the seas," and it presently appeared
that the whole system of naval warfare was likely to
be revolutionised. Whatever might be the objections
to these ironcased vessels as regarded general service,
it was quite clear that they would engage shore bat-
teries or forts with extraordinary adVantage, and
as soon as the principles of the new system admitted
of calculation Captain Cowper Coles, a seaman of
great experience, made a direct application of the
deductions obtained to the works newly proposed for
the defence of Spithead. Nothing could be simpler
than the reckoning or more decisive than the conclu-
sion. Rifled cannon of modern construction can un-
doubtedly be relied upon for throWing incendiary
projectiles over a range of 8,000 yards. As the area
of Portsmouth Dockyard is about half a million
sqaure yards, such a mark could hardly be missed,
and it followed, therefore, that our chief Arsenal
might be destroyed by bombardment from the
distance above mentioned, if such a position
could be held with impunity by an enemy's
ships carrying rifled cannon. It further ap-
peared from actual measurement that a hostile
fleet might steam into Spithead without ap-
proaching within 1,000 yards of the proposed
forts, and might anchor in the harbour at
distances varying from 1,700 to 3,000 yards from
the guns of our works. The ultimate form of the
question, therefore, was extremely simple. Could
an ironcased frigate like the Gloire or the Warrior
be destroyed or materially oamagul by the fire of
artillery at 2,000 or 3,000 yards' range P The an-
swer, of course, was in the negative, for it is as much
as we can do to perforate these armour plates at a
tenth part of that distance; and it followed accord-
ingly that a squadion of ironsides would quietly
steam by our costly fortifications, take up a conve-
nient position, and set Portsmouth in flames with-
out giving the least heed to its forts or batteries.
There was quite enough in such an argument as this
to command a tention, and so the question was re-
ferred to the Commissioners on National Defences
for their reconsideration, and by them discussed
once more with the new light upon it. In despite,
however, of the case against them, they have ad-
hered to their propositions, ar d on Tuesday last
Mr. Baring informed Sir Morton Peto that the Gc-
vernment, after anxious deliberation, had decided
on proceeding with the Spithead forts.
We have carefully perused the arguments advanced
by the Commissioners on behalf of their determina-
tion, but we cannot think that they have succeeded
directly in establishing their case, though they have
certainly said much to discredit the counter .pro-
ject of their opponents. That project consisted in
accepting the theory of ironcased vessels as com-
pletely established, and encountering these for-
midable fabrics with fabrics of the like character.
Nothing but ironsides could meet ironsides. Pro-
vide a squadron of these ships at each port to
grapple with an attacking squadron, and the ports
would be secure; but otherwise they would be
at the mercy of an invader, for all that fortifica-
tions could do to protect them. To this scheme It is
sensibly answered, that as each ironcased frigate
would cost more than the most expensive fort, the
cost would be prodigious, and the wear and tear of
engines, &c., perfectly ruinous; that the defensive
squadrons must be either moveable, in which
ease they might probably be not at hand
when wanted, or stationary, in which case we
should have to maintain as many navies as we pos-
sess forts ; that, as the drain on our resources for
these squadrons would be exactly analogous to the
demands on behalf of our navy, we could not have
the two things at once; and, finally, that floating
structures, however strong, might be sank or
wrecked, whereas forts were exempt from any such
danger. It appears to us that as regards the ques-
tion of expense the marine forts would carry the
day against port squadrons of ironsides; but then
it should be remembered that the general fortifica-
tion scheme includes many works besides these,
and mounts up to millions in its demands.
On the point originally raised we think the rea-
soning of the Commissioners is inconclusive. They
argue argue ingeniously in depreciation of ironcased a.,
sels, and Sir W. Armstrong comes to their ves-
sels,
with a very natural confidence in the
s.Still,
iio expensive
/2 powers of artillery under his skilful ,
they cannot shake the leading prep'? that iron-
cased of their
antagonist. They do not attempt to deny
0144C4 Phil's may oteam into rortamoutii harbour,