The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-29 00:00:00

.t..;iItNING, MA Y 07'. kgfil.

equipped for sea, 21 feet of water forward and 22
feet aft —4 feet ess than the Niagara. The cost of
constructing one of these ships would fall short of
that of the Niagara, if-built in England, by many
thousands of pounds, and the cost 4.f maintenance
in the two cases would, exclusise of ihe cost of fuel,
be roughly in proportion to the number of men ;
that is as 550 to 750, or as 11 to 15.
The second class of these new frigates comprises
the Diadem, Doris, &sc., each of about 3,500 tons
displacement also about two-thirds of that of 'he
Niagara ; and each manned with 475 men—nearly
300 less than the Niagara carries. These vessels
have on the main deck 20 10-inch shell-gum, and on
the upper deck 10 32-pounders, and 2 68-pounders.
The speed of these ships will be much greater than
that of the Shannon, as, though of smaller dimen-
sions than she, their engines are of considerably
greater power, the nominal horse-power, in the
one case being 600, and in the other 800. The
Diadem and the Doris, when fully equipped fir
sea, will draw 19 feet of water forward and 20
feet aft-6 feet less than the Niagara. The cost of
constructing one of these frigates is stilt less consi-
derably than that of the class first described, and
the cost of maintenance is also reduced in propor-
tion to the number of men as before.
Although a frigate of the Emerald class could
have many advantages over one of the Diadem class,
vet, as the latter has a speed unquestionably equal
to that of the Niagara, we will confine our atten-
tion to the smaller frigate. Let us then imagine
that the Diadem with her 32 guns meets in battle
the far more bulky and costly Niagara with her 12
Runs, and let them fight first in close ac-
tion, and secondly at long range. . Fis st,
then, while near her foe, the Diadem opens fire
with 10 10-inch shell guns, 5 32-plunders,
and 2 68-pounders„ the latter being pivot guns,
and capable of -ba:ng fired both on the same side of
the ship. The Niagara returns the fire with 711-
inch shell guns. Now, supposing the broadsides of
each are discharged with equal rapidity, we shall
have the Diadem delivering 10 10-inch shells for
every '7 of the Niagara's 11-inch, and surely the
combatants would not be unfairly matched if these
shell guns nixie were fought. But in addition to
these the Diadem is pouring into her antagonist
5 32-pounder, and 2 68-pounder solid shot, and
not a single shot has the Niagara to give in return
for these. At the same time the Niagara presents
to her foe a surface for attack nearly three times
as great al her foe presets' sto her. And further,
as a matter of fact, the guns of the larger ship
could not be worked with anything like the
rapidity of the frigate's guns ; for every one
of the 11-inch shells weighs more than even
two men can conveniently continue to raise
for any length of time, and requires to be got into
the gun by cumbrous means, while the gun itself is
of such large proportions as to occasion great labour
in working it. Moreover, every shell must be got
up as it is required from the shell-room belew,
while the solid shot of the frigate lie in abundance
ready to band round every hatchway, and close to
the guns from which they are fired. In addition to
all this the whole of the guns of the Niagara are at
a considerable height, 15 feet from the water ; and
consequently, if there is a little sea on, are rolled
about through large angles, while those of the
frigate, being near the water, are comparatively
steady, and therefore aimed with a precision and
destructive effect which are quite unattainable in
the larger ship. We cannot therefore doubt that
in close fighting the Diadem would speedily cap-
ture her great, ungainly, and costly enemy.
It would be absurd to say that the Niagara is not
designed to engage in close action, and would inva-
riably avoid doing so. We may quote Sir Howard
Douglas with advantage upon this point ; " It will
not," he says, " be always in the power of the com-
mander of a ship, however desirous he may be
of avoiding close action,
.to be able • to accomplish
that purpose ; for in thick weather, or in a dark
night, vessels may unexpectedly fall in with, and
bs very near before they discern each other. These
contingencies may happen, and a close action may
thus be suddenly brought on." (" Naval Gunnery,"
4th editien, p. 257.) In addition to these eventu-
alities, there is the very probable one of the ship
falling short of fuel, and being unable to avail her-
self of her steaming powers.
Next let the same ships engage at long range.
The speeds of the two ships being supposed still
equal, we have only the relative merits of the
armaments to consider in this case also. Now,
it is well known that shells are fired over great
distances- with far less accuracy than solid shot,
and also that their range is much less. Shells
are much more affected than the solid shot
by the action of the-wind.; and are also very liable
to irregular rotations, because of the want of coin-
cidence betw4n their centres of form and centres
of gravity, which results from irregularities in the
thickness Of the metal of the shell, from the re-
moval of a portion of the metal to form the fuze
hole, and from the weight of, and resistance upon,
the fuze itself. By experiments made on b ,ard the
Excellent gunnery ship, it was proved that the
number of shells which struck the objects filed at,
was only two-thirds of the number of solid shot
which hit when fired under precisely similar cir-
cumstances. It was also ascertained that at a dis-
tance of 3,000 yards, the differences between the
'ranges of hollow shot (or shells) were between 300
and 400 yards, while the differences between the
ranges of the solid shots did not exceed 200 yards.
Now we have as yet discovered nothing which in-
duces us to think that the shell guns of the Niagara
are to be unattended by the ordinary drawbacks of
shell guns. Indeed, the excess of their magni-
tude above that of our own 10-inch shell guns
would manifestly tend to increase their comparative
disadvantage.
Sir Howard Douglas, than whom we know of no
higher authority in these matters, distinctly tells
us that "A 10-inch gun for firing hollow shot (or
shell) is inferior in range to a 68-poulider gun with
solid shot. The difference of weight bet wt en these
two pieces of ordnance is only 9 cwt., but the supe-
riority of the latter in power of range, accuracy,
and penetrating force is of vast moment in steam
warfare. . . . Comparing a 10-inch shell gun
of 84 cwt., charge 121 b., and a hollow shot of 841 b.
with a 68-pounder gun of 94 cwt.,,rharge 161h.' and
solid shot, in respect of their range, we see that at
an elevation of 1 deg. the difference of range is
142 yards, at 2 deg. it is about 190 Yards, in bo h
cases in favour of the latter ; at 3 deg. the 68-
peunder ranges about as far as the 10-inch gun
does at 4 deg. ; the range of the former at 4 deg. is
greater than that of the other at 5 deg..; and at
higher elevations the differences in favour of the
68-pounder it considerably. At 15 degs. the
range of the 10-inch gun is 3,050 yards, and that
of the 68-pounder gun 3,673 yards . . . It should
be added that hollow shut (or shell) being greater
than solid of equal weight, are more liable than the
latter to suffer lateral deflection from the action of
the wind and other causes."
With these facts before us it is easy to predict
that the Diadem, with her long-range, accurate,
and effective 68-pounders in addition to-her 10-inch
shell guns, would deliver a-far more effective lire
into her huge antagonist, than the latter could hope
to return.
Thus we have seen that under.both conditions—,
of close action and long range—our cheap and small
ship is superior to the American experimental mon-
ster. It is also well worthy of remark, that the
comparatively light draught of water of the Diadem
would etiable her to be use] in many operations to
which th e Niagara would be altogether inapplicable.
Having thus forth the respective merits of the
war ships which the surveyor of our own navy has
prepared, and of that which the American Govern-
ment have produced, it only remains for us to state
that the Niagara has been found incapable of fulfil-
ling the object for which she came to this country:
This is a circumstance, however, which in no way
affects her absolute qualities. The accommodation re-
quired is of an extraordinaryexten*, and such as it is
nos easy to obtain. is required to stow no less
than 1,300 miles (weighing 1,200 tons) of electric
cable, in one
,piece, in each of two ships. In the
Agamemnon, a 90-gun steam-ship of our own navy,
we have found a vessel which has a disposable-
space in the hold of no less than 45 feet in length,
47 in mean breadth, and about 12 deep ; and if
this will not take quite the whole of it, she has
an extremely roomy _ orlop deck, upon which a
pot tion may be placed in sufficiently late coils.
The Niagara does not, and we never expected she
did, contain clear spaces of anything like the same
extent. Our Government will. therefore, endea-
vour to supply a second ship adapted to the pur-
pose, and the will of our American friends will be
taken for the deed. The Niagara will, however,
accompany the telegraphist, expedition, and will
soon, we trust, see the able landed successfully
upon the side of the ocean whence she came.—
.211echanics' Magazine.

INSTINCT OF A HOUND —One day last week a bitch
hound, which had been sold, with others, at Mr.
Greavea's recent sale at Ongar, and taken into Norfolk
(where she had had a litter of puppies), left them, and
found her way back to her old kennel at Ongar. She
has been again sent per train to her new owner.—Euox
Standard.
WILFUL MURDER AT NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LTNE.—A
brutal murder was perpetrated about one o'clock on
Sunday morning last, in Blue-buildings, Fletcher street,
Newcastle. The name of the Victim is James Rogers.
He is about 40, an Irishman and unmarried. He was
lounging at the door of the house at which he lodged,
when a countryman, named EtNan, who had some
grudge against him, and had often sworn to be revenged,
went up to him, armed with a poker, with hich he de-
liberately heat in his skull. Death was almost instan-
taneous. Rogaii has absconded, and a reward of 201.
is offered for his apprehension.---Waverhampton,
Chronicle.