The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-03 00:00:00

/ -E- -
/ -) . /C-6-6- -I- - --"-- 71------. ‘Z
1--
7-Z--6--6-1---°- ‘ --1
L -.
-
t .
NEWSPAPER
_
• ___„..,!.,.......,•; ,• •• ------,•,4,,
,/,_I-
___
~t.
v. ••,, . , .
_
1.? -
•• - •,.,:;:.•:.1.,,
4-1.• :11
17,:,,,,, • • t ' , -
4...-•.;..-•:, ,1, 43 "
11, ‘•,s‘. . .
QUI • ilt ' A/ ,44,:,„,,,v,
4.„...
~..,..t.
. .
_ ........ -
-f 1 t''''
(ri Lit
if
rsi., '
.. .4..
47t4k(7eigrc:1:. 4 )1(
-* ' • - .
~,,g • .
',..404011r ' lrll AN, ......" ,c i,.%\.1.-t, ..
- - A.A;',l7> ' ' k 'yi I '
* \ ''
--)
....e.
IA )' . AL .
7
- ' mii 1, i' ~ *'
'''- .4.4 A . Is, -. .4 9, 1- 1-:‘' 1 '..: ,
/,-••,. i _ I . ~ • , ~-ter frTom 31aiRrse:ill:
iewso.r.47--L: :7:4!7_:ial Th:,:a_11:7;01.::..:111,.::r..-T:14
-
stt,
,oil
nt. .. r ..........,-- 94,
------ '*- •4-4. ' ' - , ' 091 V ~'.''' 4'" ; ..,4„........ ..,„
..: 4, /-- ®
1 '
v-N .
„24,00 a) v ,41,4,, „T.
~,,..,. , ~, ,a„tt,l P..l' •', -11°,:..,, 01'4 0• ,
.„. - ' \ -,,c,\ * ,r,.
LI k 4 ,Zltt / 425, tv lk„.
~gee.,,Viil 1 ' t R OIT . ' V
_.O. -14 ~....... lk ----:.
-7 ' br
.....,.., . .... .. -.
' ' " i, . -
ha dal ES

A let,
Ai strike any one
no matter how super
ing of the Inscription
manning the French navy, t multea Nee. pro-
portionate disarmament of the Aritish and French
navies would not leave the two countries in the
same relative conditions for offence and defence. In
any mea§ure of this kind we have no right to sup-
pose that the French Government would act other-
wise than in the most perfect good faith; but
disarmament would leave the French means for
attack undiminished, and always available, while
every sailor paid off in England would be lost to
the service, and every ship laid up would be useless.
Disarmament in France means nothing more nor
less than the formation of reserves, capable of being
brought forward at any time ; it also means econo-
mising the cost of keeping men until they are wanted
for actual service. It is almost needless to remind
your readers that the whole of the maritime popu-
lation is registered, and liable to service on board
men-of-war. The Inscription Maritime not only
includes merchant seamen and fishermen, but like-
wise all naval artificers of every description. The
system provides for supplying the State with the
services of this section of the community, and it
takes care that the services shall be valuable. The
men furnished by the conscription are draughted
off every year into the fleet, where they are care-
fully instructed in gunnery and the duties of men-
of-wars-men. When this is done, and they are
thoroughly efficient, they are returned back into
the merchant service or other civil employment.
By this means the maritime population is in
reality an immense naval reserve maintained at
no cost to the nation. So far, therefore, as the
means for offence of France are concerned, it
is a matter of no moment to what extent she dis-
arms, for her reserves are always maintained intact,
and are constantly fed with fresh hands who ha.ye
passed through the Imperial navy for instruction.
Let us now see how the two systems work, and
that, without necessarily imputing bad faith or
hostile intentions toeany one. Wa will suppose Eng-
land to possess 50 liners afloat and France 40.
Both countries agree to place out of commission
20 liners each, and to dismiss their crews, when
the peace party would say the relative positions of
the two fleets are maintained. U icier this arrange-
ment the English ships are laid up and their crews
discharged, to join the merchant service, or to
swell the ranks of the United States' navy. Once
dismissed they are lost to the English service. The
utmost that we could hope would be to be able to
win back a fraction, perhaps a tenth; of the 20,000
blue jackets who have been entered and taugheat
such great expense to the nation. To get back this
spuomr tsi oinn wt ohuel ds
hnaepcoe s
of
ift abtoeutnhe ti e s expenditure
,aud a
delay
of
at
least three months. Nor is this all. As our ships
have heavy duties to perform, must be distributed
over every sea, and are charged with the police of
the ocean, they could not enter more boys or lands-
men than at present, except at the risk*of impair-
ing the efficiency of the crews and jeopardising
the safety of the ships. In France the 20
liners that would be put out of commis.
sion would be moorel in the harbours of
Toulon, Brest, and Cherbourg. They would
have all their guns on board. Their masts and
spars, rigging, and sails would be care-
fully ticketted and packed away in warehouses along
the quays. The. 20,000 seamen discharged would
each have his place marked for him on board the
ship he was told off to. He is obliged to present
himself at fixed periods to the authorities, and to
state where and how be is employed, so that they
may always be able to put their hands, upon him.
-fihs
ships
duties t
remainingo
perform, i eo m -
com-
pared with those of English ships, are in reality
The
little F r
oe r n e
noh
nautical schools. They may receive on board the
mesnionw,anted.
having
regular quota of conscription every year, and also
call in from the merchant service young seamen
who have learned the peaceful portion of their
profession, and keep them on board until they are
well taught in gunnery, and made thorough men-of-
wars men, after which they will be discharged into
the reserves. Now, let us suppose that three years
hence war should appear imminent between the two
countries, France, although paying for a peace esta-
blishment, will have been drilling her maritime
population according to the regular increase and for
a war footing. The 20,000 men will receive their
feuilks de,"route, and notice to proceed by railway to
the ports where their respective ships are laid up.
Every man knows his station, and falls into it
naturally and at once. The riggers, caulkers, car-
penters, and naval artificers, are likewise ordered
to join, to fit out the ships ready for sea. The
-whole is done by a simple telegraphic order ; and
it is no exaggeration to suppose that in a
-month the whole French fleet of 40 liners would
be equipped and at sea, and that at very little
cost to the nation, since no bounties are given, and
naval artificers are paid considerably below the or-
dinary rate of wages. What, then, would be the
position of the English fleet? True, there would
be 30 liners in commission, but from them must be
deducted ships on colonial stations—in China, West
Indies, and North America—so that there would
not muster more than 20 in the Mediterranean and
Channel, or half as many as the French. To restore
the original proportion, we should have to bring the
20 forward that were laid up in ordinary: But
where are their crews ? There is the naval reserve
formed by Sir James Graham, but that is not strong
enough to man one-third of the ships in ordinary: ;
while, as they have not been kept together in
crews, they would require to be three months at
sea to shake down properly and be efficient. Nor
is this all. During the period of peace referred to
both nations would have been building and launch-
inc.. ships. France could commission hers at once,
stela. as crews were concerned, out of the reserves
she had drilled and formed in her fleet on a peace
footing. In England, to enter a man recourse must
be had to the costly, dilatory, and cumbersome sys-
tem. of bounties. Without being liable to the charge
of being an alarmist, one may look forward, if the
present state of things is allowed to continue under
a disarmament, to witness at the outbreak of a war
between England and France, should so dire a ca-
lamity ever occur, the English fleet being outnum-
bered by that of France, and in what we have
hitherto been accustomed to consider English
waters.

PRICE 4P• STAMPED, SD.

THE NAVY.

The Nile 91 guns left the IVlersey yesterday. Durils

her stay at that station she has been the object of
considerable attraction to thesinhabitants of the
port, great numbers of whom assembled on the piers
to see her departure. The Duke of Wellington, 131
guns, is expected in her place.
Another addition will shortly be made to the
line-of-battle steamers of the Royal Naiy by the
launch of the fine screw steamship Irresistible, 80
guns, from Chatham dockyard. She is now nearly
out of the hands of the caulkers, and will be fit for
launching in a very short period. Her machinery
is to be of 400 horse power.
Admiralty orders have been received at Chatham
dockyard for the Tartar, 46, which has been for
many years used as a receiving hulk to vessels fit-
ting far sea at that port, to be taken into No. 1
dock, now occupied by the Wasp, screw steamer, in
order that she may be broken up, her great age
rendering her useless.
The steam tender Avon, Mr. I. H. Lawrence
master, is appointed to leave Plymouth to-day for
Cherbourg, with the invalid French seamen brought
from China by the Calcutta, 84.
A court-martial assembled yesterday morning on
board the Impregnable,, 104, Capt. Stewart, in
Hamoaze, Plymouth, for the trial of Mr. Frederick
Kirkman, master of her Majesty's steam sloop Gla-
diator, for drunkenness.

The steam store ship Dee, Master J. C. Pullen
commanding, from Woolwich, with stores, ma-
chinery, and boilers, arrived at Plymouth on Mon-
day, and went into Keyham basin to discharge.
The crew of the sailing ship Calcutta, 84, Capt.
Hall, in Plymouth Sound, were inspected on Mon-
day by Port-Admiral Sir Barrington Reynolds,
who was conveyed to her in the gunboat Redwing.
Having discharged her powder the Calcutta was in
the afternoon towed up Hamoaze. When off Mount
Wise the crew mounted the yards and in a few
seconds detached the sails. 'Her topgallant masts,
and yards were sent down with equal celerity. The
Calcutta was then placed alongside the Devonport
Dockyard to be dismantled. She will be put out
,of commission in about a week.

The sailing line-of-battle ship Cumberland, 70,
Capt. H. D. Rogers, was towed out of Plymouth
Sound on Monday by the Zephyr, and sailed for
Sheerness, with a strong westerly wind. She took
supernumeraries for the above port.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—B. B. Stuart, master, to
the Gladiator; B. E. B. Williams, master, to the
Virago ; R. L. Cleveland, master, additional, to the
Asia ; and John N. Harvey, assistant-paymaster, to
the Aboukir.