The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-05-20
Correspondence Of the Journal Of Commerce.
LONDON, 18th April 1917.
THE BRITISH NAVY.


Since the accession of the Tories to office, the at
tenlion which they have given to the navy mas uoen
Of the most minute and devoted character Every
suggestion for improvement has been maluiey eonsi
dered, and, if deemed important, readily auoP'su,
Every vessel afoa has been increased In hanus even
above what Is termed "a full complement Audi
tioual marines have also been added, augmentlng IN
sloops and briggs to full company, with captain, IN
stead of sergeant and corporal's guard Heavy
guns have been fitted out in lraverses for nearly every
ship, and new and more rapid exercise lot 'he
"small arms men" has been effectively introduced
The sixteen steamers, first and second rate, ordered
TO be laid down by the late Administration, are to be
expedited with extraordinary dispatch, and four oil
them TO be ready next month, for which purpose
two gangs Of shpwrighis are now constantly EN-
ployed upon them. new system, or school gun
neiy, has also been established, and seamen are now
entered on board experimental ship for instruc-
ton in practice They to enter for five years ser
vice, "seanen-gunners," and from this class only,
for the future will gunneIs and gunner be Sc
ected Such men, also, are to have preference in the
selections for boa'swans, and all the ratings for Pel
officers are to be open to their appointment, Wheh
discharged into seagong ships, their pay WIZ pe wv
shiIlirgs month extra, over that OF an apie seaman,
and when the five years shall have expired, u ther
conduct has been good and they re enter immediately
an additional two shillings month will be gwen 10
them Ii they re-ener third time, they are 10 nave
five shillings extra month, over and above ther pay
as seamen and petty officers There can be no doubt
as to the potency ofths plan, and that twill be found
wise and judicious A most valuable body OF men WIZ
be thus raised, and the guns of vessels will be mn
nitey better served than at present, though even now
they appear to be handled and fired in the most RAPID
and efficient manner. a.
In connection with the Navy may well men
ton the adaptation Of 5-horse power disc engine 70
pinnaces II is the invention of Commander Carper-
ter of the powerful steam figae, Geyser, now under
orders to sail for China, and whose guns are 10 cwt
saw the pinnace on the Thames, and she went along
in first rate style. This is very important inven-
tion in running up creeks and rivers 1t Will enable
the men to handle their arms instead of keeping to
their oars, very frequently too, under CALLING hre'
The Lords of the Admiralty were present, and SO
much did they approve Of the same, that they nave
ordered an experimental pnnace TO be fitted out forth
with previous to its general adoption on active ser
vice.
1t is also in contemplation TO fit up frigate, the
Penelope, AZ guns, now nearly built, with powerful
steam engines, still retaining the present standing rig
ging, The smoke-consuming apparatus is &c be used
and believe, the Archimedean screw. Other fiji
gates will be fitted upn similar manner, particular
" all those intended be used troop ships for spe-
cial emergency, should the proposed arrangements
prove satisfactory.
change is TO be made in the system hitherto
adopted in the selection of naval instructors and
schoolmasters. The latter is entirely to he done
away with in the service and, for the future such
parties TO be designated chaplans, or naval
instructors" All laymen appointed must be comper
tent to instruct the young officers in common arihne-
tic vulgar and decimal fractons.he first six, the
eleventh and twelfth books of Euclid, and their APP
plications to measurement of planes and solid bodies
plane and spherical trgonometry, and the various
problems in surveying, the measurement OF heights
and distances, navigation, and nautical astronomy,
particularly the principles on which the various fol-
muG for ascertalnlng constructed and practical
astronomy far it may be required for determin-
ing the latitude and longitude in all cases the OF
mathematical and nautical instruments-the quadrant,
sextant, compasses and chronometers the theory Of
ala
sizes and Frenchpreference always to be given to the
candidate who acquainted with drawing, and other
modern languages in addition TO the above requisite
qualifications
You will perceive that it is not in portion of the
navy that greater efficiency required but that both
officer and man will be practically and theoretically
better educated and instructed than hitherto and
that the system and the service will be materially
elevated.
The Mechanics Magazine" mentions that the Ad-
miralty have given instructions for the building and
equipment OF steam frigate of $50 horse power,
to have engine for GOO tons Of fuel, complete
stowage under matches for 1000 troops, with four
months provisions and stores, exclusive Of crew Of
450 men, and to be armed with twenty guns Of the
heaviest calbre besides carronades The vessel to
be ready for before the ensuing year. Perhaps
this statement might alude to the Penelope, but
whether 1t does or not 1t only tends to show that the
present men are not sleeping at their port holes
with half dozen ships Of this force al command
says the editor of the Mechanics Magaz ne, 10000
men might, within three weeks from the first nelli-
gence OF the from Affghanisan, have been land
ed at Alexandria, marched in six days through Egypt
(wth leave of the Vceroy) TO Cosseir, on the Red
Sea, and transported thence in nine days more to
kuTachee, on the south coast of Scnde"
complete recognizing of the several docl-yards
is talked of as likely to take place Great corruptons
have been found in the surveyors department and
they have become garing under the regime of Sir
William Symonds, that the government have resolved
at last to interfere. Sir William also, has been
structing vessels at variance with every scientific rule
In the art OF shipbuildng and several OF his ships
have proved to be faures-complee and most palpa-
BILE failures Three millions of money have been thus
expended, and now the present Admiralty have d.
rected an inquiry to be regularly and searchugy in
stituted and carried out. You will notice in the daily
papers that committee of master shipwrights, from
the various government dock yards have been ordered
to assemble, and can you it is for the above
purpose. 1t is expected that the Admiralty will abol
ish the office OF surveyor, and appoint another naval
captain as civil architect, whose duty it will be see
vessels built upon plans which may be approved of by
competent authority, and he will not be empowered tc
adopt any crude notions of his own. The cores.
pendent of the Britannia Of yesterday says: "Theil
lordshps (he Admiralty may be able in future
on more solid grounds than their predecessors in the
construction of the "Wooden Walls, and place the
Navy in position to meet the foe in the Atlantic OF
any open sea, such as the "ntutve" ships could moi
venture to sail in without hazardng defeat by their
great imperfections, which untitled them to contend
with rough and heavy weather." A ninety gun ship
and fifty gun frgate to be laid down on plans re-
sulting from the suggestions of the above named CON-
mittee.
The splendid model iron steam frigate Guadalupe
has been launched from the private dock yard at Nor
Brkenhead, Liverpool. Her length on deck is 1870
feet, beam 80 feet, tonnage 800 TONS and engines OF
100 horse power. sShe is fitted up like the ordinary
second class frigates of the British Navy.
That fine feet of steam ships, for the conveyance
of the mails to the West Indies are likely to become
entirely under the management of the government
contract with the Post Office and clause in the deed
will enable the Admiralty to take the whole concern
into its own hands. AT present the Company receives
upwards of two hundred thousand pounds sterling
from the Treasury per annum fol the purpose OF car
rying the mails but the last two packets arrived
here without any letter bags from the West Indies
and the gOYernment have LOST time In