The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-06-30
THE DAILY UNION
DEBATE I'm PARLIAMENT ON THE STATE
OF THE BRITISH NAVY.

Some curious facts respecting the British navy
have been lately developed during discussion In Par
Lament, between two of the highest authorities on
such subjecs-Sr George Cockburn, one of the lords
of the admiralty and Sir Charles Napier, the cele-
brated hero of st. Vincent's and St. Jean d'Acre,
who is moreover one of the oldest characters of the
day.
Sir Charles Napier criticised severely all the new
ships, and especially the war-steamers The adm-
rally, he said, "had BUILT some stearn-corvettes,
mounting one gun ahead, one astern, and two
on the main-deck. They also attempted two
frigates--the Cyclops and the Gorgon--which
proved signal failure. They were intended
to carry man-deck guns at first, and were pierced
at their PORTS but after they were put into the water
and received their provisions, they were found inca
pable of carrying guns at all. Their lower ports
were then stopped, and it was declared that they
never had been intended for steam-frgates. lfthey
not intended for steam-frigates, why build them
800 or 400 tons heavier than vessels carrying the
same weight Of metali The Fire-brand, which was
built by the present board, was sent to sea along
with an experimental squadron in the winter time;
and he would ask the right honorable the Secretary
for the Admiralty, whether her fires and her steam
boxes were below the water or not whether it was
possible for shot to have gone into the engne-room
or the 6re-house, without blowing her upi-whether
she could fire her guns in heavy weathers-or wheh-
err the captain could live in his own cabn'"
All these steamers, it SEEMS were built under the
whig administration; but, according to Sir Charles,
the tories had done no better. Sir George Cock
L., nd la;d he pafr
was so imperfecty constructed that, instead Of hav
ing four guns to point out Of her main deck, she
was incapable of having one. Her steam-boxes
were disposed like the other ships of which he had
spoken, and shot could not be fred into her ma
chinery without blowing her up. He was at a loss
to know how any engineer could be got to stay in
her. The Gladiator was in the same category.
Her engines and boiler were extremely high, her
paddles were buried in the water, and the quantity
of Goals she carried was excessively small. The
Sampson was the only vessel which they had con-
structed in way that she could be useful. Her
boilers were lower and her engines better made hav
ing pillars instead of framework for their sup
port. Would it be believed that the builder of the
Retrbuon, vessel of no less than l840 tons, for
got TO give her any stern-ports at alP and her guns
were mounted that, when pointed, they OCCASION
ed hop-and-go -kick' Laughter The Adventurer,
the Dragon, and the Centaur were now being built
on the same principles but they not too far ad-
vanced to be changed, and made into excellent ships
Now, the Queens yacht was steamer Of which
he had not spoken before. This yacht would not
steer at all until she had to be taken into dock.
Now, he intended to call for return of the enor-
nous expense incurred on account of this yacht in
various repairs. Did any one ever in his life
hear of steamer carrying one hundred tons of bal
last, besides her machinery in order to make her
trim properly She was so badly built, that she was
obliged to carry one hundred tons of ballast beside
her machinery. Hear, hear, hear. She had been
sent into dock again, and he wished to know why
she had been sent into dock second time' He UNI
derstood that the expense of sending the boilers and
machinery of the Queens yacht round to Ports
mouth, instead of bringing her round to Woowich,
cost at least between $500 and S600. The honora-
BILE Secretary for the Admiralty might laugh, but he
(Sr c. Napcr) knew that it was SO, and he would
move for return of those expenses. He would
now turn to the experimental squadron at Ply
mouth He understood that all those vessels were
being brought round to Portsmouth, to be put into
dock.
'Sr G. Cockburn denied that was the case
nSr C.. Napier The Vanguard was in dock, and
the Albion was going into dock.
"Sir G.. Cockburn. You said all.
"Sir C. Napier. These vessels were going into
dock, and all their provisions and stores would have
to be removed He did not mean to say that, under
any circumstances, ships should not be sent into
dock; but-he mentioned the fact to show the shame
full expense with which this system was carried on.
He had already explained to the house the expense
of the steam navy. 1t was altogether impossible to
distinguish those ships by the name of steam men,
of-war. The only name they could be called by,
was armed steam-packets. Now, there was the Ter
ribe Let them take her to Portsmouth, and anchor
her mile distant from the Excellent. He cSlr T.
Napier) would agree to go on board her, would 60
below and allow shot to be fired under water
through her boiler, prorided her steam Tas not up;
but, if her steam was up, he would not remain be-
low in her for any reward they could offer-because
he knew that, if shot passed into her boiler, he
would be certain to come out cooked and he had no
fancy to be cooked. [Great laughter.] They
would find it difficult to get men to remain below,
under those circumstances; and when an admiral
wanted to get his ships lowed near the enemy, the
captain of the steamboat would come to him and
report that the engineers would not remain below.
He did not blame the engineers for this-a man IS
mind not made up for such thing. He did
not think they ought to place any man IN such SIT
uation, where fa shot went through the boiler, he
would have no chance of escape He had had
steamboats, under his command in Portugal, and the
same thing happened to him. The engineers would
not keep below and he could not get towed near the
enemy.
"Sir G. Cockburn. How did the man-of-war
steamers behave when you were off st. Jean
d'Acrei'
This was the argumentum ad hominem; but old
Napier was not to be caught. "They did their du-
ty very we'll he replied "because their guns were so
long, and they kept up their fire so WELL that
they knew shots could get into them"
In conclusion, he "dened that any very material
Improvement had been made in the building ofsteam
vessels in the navy since the Gorgon and Cyclops
were built, ten years ago. These vessels, however,
were called steam-rigates but they were not SO, for
neither of them would carry guns on her main
deck. One of them had been turned into corvette;