The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-16 00:00:00

OUR NAVAL DEFENCES:

A few, weeks ago we -witnessed with what sur-
prising facility and precision, in obedience to a
'single -mandate simultaneously despatched by tele-
graph to eaeh of the five- great maritime stations of
France, ten thousand trained seamen and practised
gunners were sent on, board such of the vessels then
lying en commission de port as it was to
advance to the condition, technically termed com-
mission de 'rode. The whole operation was com-
pleted in fourteen days, and the disarmament of
rthese vessels would merely imply a return to their
status quo. With us, such au ,achievement as the
former would have entailed an expenditure of
£lOO,OOO in bounties in the first -instance, and
about half as much, more for the cost of the outfit
of the men ; but instead of raising the required
number in a fortnight, we should probably have had
to wait upwards of two months, and then, instead of
obtaining disciplined crews and useful men, out of a
far larger maritimetpopulation than our neighbours
possess, we should have had to accept the'services of
,a large proportion of sailors whose education as man-
of-war's men must have commenced from the date
of their being taken into the employ of the Queen.
It is ridiculous to rely u, on any of the existing sys-
tems as at present organised for obtaining- sufficient
crews for our men-of-war if they have at any time
to be manned with rapidity ; ,and it is as well that
the fact should be generally known.
Admitting, as we must, that as matters-at present
stand it is impossible. for us to vie with France in
her capacity to find adequate crews for all the ships
she may be desirous of commissioning at one time,
let us now glance at the relative positions of the
two countries in other particulars.
Few of our readers are perhaps aware that the
amount of dockyard area of France exceeds that of
England by no less than 283 acres—the aggregate
area of all the, dockyards of England being but 582
acres, while those of France extend over 865 acres.
It is true that in docks we are better off, for we
possess 32 to their 17 ; but then, again, they are
constructing seven, while we are only building two.
The whole of the building-slits at our naval yards
amounts but.tol4, nor have we any more in, progress ;
while on the other side of the Channel there are
73 slips complete, and for the most part occupied
by vessels on the stocks, and three, new slips are
rapidly approaching completion. They are thus
apportioned :—Cherbourg, with 258 acres of dock-
yard area (inclusive of victualling-yards and gun-
wharves), has 12 slips ; Brest, with 131 acres, has
alsO'l2. Lorient, with 106 acres, has 16 finished,
and two building; Rochefort (132 acres), 13 com-
plete, and one in progress; while Toulon, with 240
acres of dockyard, possesses the greatest building
accommodation, Lamely, 20 slips.
SincelBs2 France has increased her steam line-
of-battle ships from two to 40, of which five are at
present on the stocks and four in process of con-
version. During the same period England has
added thirty-three to the number-,she previously
possessed of vessels of the above class. The num-
bers were seventeen, and are now fifty, including
ten building and seven converting. ))uring the
period of seven years, then, intervening between
1852-59, France has acquired five more, screw line-
of-battle ships than England. Besides these, she
has four iron-plated frigates, all nearly finished ;
she has increased the number' of her screw and
paddle frigates,from 21 to 46, Englandlaving only
advanced in that respect from 22 to 34. The pre-
ponderance of this useful class of vessel on the part
of our rivals may prove a serious disadvantage to us
in case of war, as it would give our opponents great
facilities in harassing-the commerce of the Country.
It is true that under the head of steam corvettes or
sloops we now have 82, or 23 more than we could
muster in 1852. The French at the same time have
but twenty-t« o, nine less than they possessed seven
years ago. Of screw gun vessels and other small
craft of that description we .have 53, the French
93 ; and 162 gunboats to their 28. Our Whole avail-
able steam navy, indeed, amounts at the present
time to 464, just 200 more than that of the Vrench.
We have, however, had of late quite- sufficient evi-
dence of their resources and capabilities to see that,
should they find themselves deficient in any parti-
cular on the outbreak of hostilities, or sooner, they-
would speedily supply the want. We are in pos-
session of documents which show the extent of
their prospective naval outlay for the neat eleven
years, and it must be borne in .mind that the
disarmament of which so much has of late been
said will cause no retrenchment nor diminution of
the expenditure proposed by the Minister of Marine
three years ago. The avowed intention of the Go-
vernment is to raise the number of the more im-
portant classes of steam men-of-war to 150 ; of steam
transports to 72; and at the same time to complete
the construction in the different naval ports of the
dry docks and other works indispensable for the
maintenance of the new steam fleet. To meet this
outlay it was proposed that from 1858 to 1871 the
yearly grants for materials, labour, new works re-
pairs, &c., should be raised to £2,600,000 sterling.
Lt was estimated that £1,920,000 of this amount
would be absorbed " in the annual consumption of
the steam navy, upon works of maintenance, and
the renewal of existing materials," the remaining
£680,000 being left to cover the increase of the fleet
and the extension of the naval establishments. It
appears, therefore, that the gross sum to be provided
by 1871 to the latter purpose will be little short of
nine millions, while the grant of £2,600,000 for the
next eleven years will amount to £28,600,000. In
the year 1858-59 the amount of the Parliamentary
grants here for the same services in the Navy Esti-
mates, including £757,000 (in the Army Estimates)
for naval ordnance and ammunition, was
£3,754,000, or £1,154,000 more than the increased
annual grants proposed by France for the next
eleven years. The French calculations were based
upon a return to the peace establishment of 1852,
when France had 175 ships in commission and
25,016 seamen afloat, whereas in April last she had
152 vessels commissioned, with 25,600 men on
board. The position of this country is, however,
very different, and although the sums voted in our
navy estimates for labour and materials are more
than those expended in France, owing to the
greater number of ships which England has occa-
sion to keep in commission, as also to the higher
cost of both materials and labour here, we have a
much smaller proportionate surplus available for
new ships. From these and other obvious consi-
derations it will be seen that in order to maintain
a naval force adequate to the requirements of this
country even in time of peace, if not to keep pace
with our energEtic neighbours, we must lay our ac-
count for no inconsiderable annual augmentation of
our expenditure, not only for sea wages in conse-
quence of the growing necessity for engineers at
high rates of pay, but also to defray the costthe
increased number of seamen " borne, as well of
as for

the purchase of naval stores, the construction of
larger docks, of more extensive steam factories, and
the costly repairs which all steam vessels have from
time to time to undergo. In fine, in the conclud-
ing words of a committee appointed by the Trea-
sury to investigate the subject we have here been
discussing, " The progress which France has made,
and may hereafter make, in the formation of a
steam navy, is a consideration which cannot be
overlooked in determining the amount of our future
naval expenditure."—Daily News.

Wouics.• -On Saturday morning an explosion of fire-damp,
EXPLOSION OF FIRE-DAMP AT THE TREDEGAR
caused by the incautious use of the naked light, occurred at
colliery No. 8 of these works. There had been a fall on the
Friday at the part of the pit where the accident occurred,
and a quantity of explosive gas had consequently accumu-
lated. On Saturday morning two of the miners, named
Williams and BArtey, went to work, carrying-with them a
naked candle, and the exposed light had no sooner come in
contact with the inflammable gas than an alarming explo-
sion took place, by which both of the men were burnt in a
dreadful manner. Surgical assistance was procured for
them with all possible despatch ; and it is hoped that their
lives may be spared, but they were both greatly injured.
FIRE AT WOODFORD.—At six o'clock on Sunday,
the neighbourhood of Woodford was thrown into a state of
alarm by the outbreak of a fire on a portion of the farm of
Mr. M'Namara, the well known contractor and manager of
the London General Omnibus Company. The fire con-
tinued unchecked for above twohours, from the fact of only
one engine, that of Woodford parish, being present. Tele-
graphs were, however, forwarded toLondon, and about eight
o'clock one of the brigade arrived, by which time the barn,
cottage, sheds, and two of the stacks were entirely consumed.
Had there been much wind the houses en the opposite side
of the lane must have shared a similar fate, but, fortunately
that was not the case. As darkness closed in upon the sur-
rounding scene the flames became visible for miles. The
fire continued burning all night, and the loss occasioned by
it will, we Understand, fall on the Royal Exchange office.,
SEDUCTION AND SUICIDE.—A well - dressuera.
young woman was observed by a policeman earlyn Satur-
day
nheisarßusMpailedieonn-81.anHee.
morning on the towing-path of the Regent'sarouLla
part
in Lower-street,
of the river near the Old Thatched Houaste,r.
e The constable
Islington, when she plunged into thet
,wbut the unfortunate
as quickly as possible reached thersepo
-d, the depth of the river
young creature had then disappeared, watchedtil eag
i thaedr on
progressofher as lilnaser that
Quite extinct. It has
and the body recovered,but life
the deceased was Miss Caroline
at this part being nearly
been since ascertained that _
six fee t• drags were obtained
Holliday, aged 16.
d.
the affair took place at the Lord.
circumstances attending the
a road, before Mr. Wakley. Mrs.
yesterday evening an inquiry into the
Nelson Tavern, yoll
who was deeply affected, deposed that
terY'-street, Maids-hill. Her husband was
Exeter-street,
and then out of town. The deceased
commercial traveller, .
A youngest daughter , she was a 11 we -educated and
was her unhappily, about last Easter she had be-
amiable gal, but, i
acquainted with a young man, of good family, named
sheMarY reAsidnendeiHn
W'igtetvhc, under the promise of marriage, had ruined her.
He had since slighted her, which preyed greatly upon her
mind, and for ollid
some weeks before the commission of the rashht
act she was dreadfully depressed, and constantly in tears;
(The poor mother was here so overcome with grief that
she was obliged to be carried from the room.) The jury,
after commenting upon the truly melancholy natirce of the
case, returned a verdict of " Temporary insanity...".
THE CROPS IN SCOTLAND.--arhe cerea crops ia.
Scotland are light, and will be rather below tin average"
but the quality promises to be very fine. HI-Arveat has com-
menced in some of the earlier districts,, The Potato crop is
good, and quite free of disease.