The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-02-07

The strength of the combined English and
French fleets, now in the BoSphorus, amounts
to Al sail, including line-nf battle ships, f'IS
atrs aud steamers. OF these, the French and
English have each three lhreedeckers; we
have seven two.deckers Gncludng the Again.
emnon) to five French Two deckers, the French
90 gun screw.ship Napoleon, having unf''tu.
nately. been sent back to Toul"n for repairs.
Each Aau has, or will suon have, ii paddle
wheel steamers. The Sanspareil (Englsh)
and the Charlemagne, (French) two decHers
have auxiliary steam power. In addition to
This powerful fleet, there ar: in the Bosphorus
at least seven Turkish and Egyptian line-of
battle ships, besides frigates and steamers, so
that the combined force may be taken at about
GO sail.
From the large amount Of steam power, the
weight of guns, the size of these ships in pro-
portion to their rating, and the perfection to
which naval gunnery has now been carried
both in the English and French navies, this Is,
beyond doubt, the finest naval armament ever
sent to sea, though it might, if necessary. be
be powerfully augmented by the fist class
steamships and fiigates which form Admiral
Corry's squadron, now at Lisbon. Those YES
sells are, however, probably reserved as the nu.
clens of the North Sea feet in the spring. The
hest understanding prevails between the Eng.
lsh and French officers, and the signal books
of the two squadrons have been exchanged,
with an arrangement that, in sailing order the
French squadron will form the weather, and
the English the port line.
Such is the state of The naval preparations
of the two powers at the moment when the III.
s,ructions to enter the Black Sea, which were
despatched at la,s on the 10Th luit., arrived
at ConStantinople and we entertain no doubt
that these Instructions will be executed with
the utmost aacrity ynd efficiency that circum
stances permit But, whatever may be the
policy of the GAkusts Of Lond"" and Paris
and the desr"rdcrs tReesabasSadors to give ef-
feet to thnaval authorities to oddr4s dr44%sn,u must rest
with thes can be aiken at this season wItn%..a' wItn%S..a'
measu!ne fleets uudF T. tneir command.
ty toiey have to encounter, not the Russians
", but a climate of extreme rigor in the
onlrst season of the year-a sea darkened by
wgs. swept by sudden and violent storms, and
fGtIe known to our sailors-a coast notorious
N all ages as the noge,cu navium, the most in
hospital Of shores. 1t would evidently be the
height Of folly and impolicy to expose the fleets
! o great risk from weather, unless the AdmiraIs
ave q definite object and plan of operations
view, which they conceive to he within their
over. The public in this country knows as
ct very little of the difficulties which it is
heir duty to consider and TO overcome 1t is
It improbable that the northern shores and
prts of the Euxine are booked up with ice
severe seasons the Cult of Odessa has been
ozen over for two months at time, and the
hvigation of that port is interrupted on an
rrrage of 80 days in the year, especially in
pe month Of January
The northwest anSle Of the Black Ssa, he
veen the mouths of the Dnieper and Dnies.
r., is the c"llest and most exrnsed part of it,
I'd Chnrson, NicoIaiefI, Odessa and Oczk"w,
e probably unapproachabIe hy water. Sc.
.<tnpoI is scarcely more acccs>ib" to winter
,eratiGns, and the best naval an, hnritirs ex
css doubts of the possibility h maintaining
by cl"se blockade of the coast of the Crimea
I'd Chorson at This time of ear. We st,
csc facts, not from any doubt or misgving MS
the service whichthe fleets are rcadyto per-
rm, but to guard against the danger of un.
Grating the natural obstacles they may have
encounter.
The climate of Russia is, by sea as well rs
land, one Of the chief defences of that En-
ire during a considerable portion of the year,
I'd we cannot defeat the order of nature
ay, if an. thing could give the Russian navy
chance of resisting the two greatest mari.
me powers in the world, it would he that they
lnuld have wasted their forces in bufeting the
inter and the elements, while their real an.
hgonists lies under shelter of his forts, reft.
ny his vessels for next spring. The states of
be weather at Co.stantinopIe must decide the
oment at which the fleets can begin to act