Washington sentinel., 1854-02-28
foreigu mistfllang.
Extracts from English Journals.

Extracts from English Journals.
ACTIVE PREPARATIONS FOR THE WAR.-The
note of preparation for the comming struggle
is now being loudly sounded throughout the
whole of the military administrative depart
ments, and is being echoed throughout all our
ports and dockyards. Every exertion is being
put forth to produce such feet by the spring
as will give us the best chance of victory over
an enemy. The noble ships that have sprung
into existence within the last six months are,
under the hands of our artisans, being fitted
and equipped with almost magical celebrity, and
from mere foatin;. hulks to-day they are con-
verted, as it were, by tomorrow into mighty
and symmetrical machines, instinct with life
and motion, and bristlng with those terrific
engines of destruction, which, welded by Brit
ish seamen, have always achieved security for
our coast and glory for our country.
We have now in course Of equipment at our
ports the most mighty ships that ever hoated
on the sea. They are superior in size, power,
and sufficiency to any that were ever created,
and their existence in so short period of time
proves the recuperative power and the stnpen-
dous resources of our royal navy. Take the
Duke of Wellington, the st. Jean d'Acre, the
st. George, the Princess Royal, the James Watt,
the Nile, the Cressy, we have feet of seven
screw ships of the line, which, if manned like
Admiral Dundas's force, are match for treble
the number of the mere sailing ships compos-
ing the Russian feet in the Baltic. Manned
as British men-ofwar ought to be, the small
74's of the Russians would be crushed by these
leviathans like so many floating eggs But we
must not deceive ourselves, these ships are not
manned they are only tenanted. The Great
Duke and the st. Jean d'Acre have not the
men on board that should fight ships manned
by able, skilful, and experienced seamen !;
whilst Of the others, not single ship has half
her compliment, and scarcely good seaman
on board.
Doubtless all that are entered have the cou-
rage and the will to do their utmost, but they
have not the experience, the steadiness. the
skilfulness, and the confidence that will insure
victory over brave and disciplined enemy,
superior in force of ships and men. 1t is high
time, then, that we should remedy this defect.
Admiral Dundas's fleet, according to instruc.
tions, have returned to the Bosphorus, as we
stated they would. As we anticipated some
time since, they find it highly dangerous to
navigate the foggy, squally, sleet.driving seas
of the Euxine with sailing ships, and wise
discretion enforces inactivity until the fitting
be will assuredly be avenged. In all probabil-
ty, therefore, as we have also anticipated, it is
in the Baltic that we may first look for broken
heads. To man the fine feet, then, efficiently,
we must devote our best attention. We must
not be content with "Minto seamen." 1t is
not Egyptians that we have to fight, nor Chi
nese. We have no army to meet that can be
driven along the coasts by an afectedly-mad
old commodore, mounted on donkey, with a
cudgel for his weapon. We have an able, ac-
tive, and enterprising foe, who must be met
with the best and most skilful seamen that
Great Britain can produce. We cannot strength
en- our ships by making up battalion of ma
rines and dispensing them through the feet. fol
marines are as scarce as seamen. We have
some 5000 coast-guardsmen, well.trained, able
men. but what arc they to 10000? We mus,
take them, should necessity require their ser.
vices; but we must dosomething more to insure
the good manning of the feet We must at
once offer some better inducement than 49s. a
month with night and day work. We must Of.
fer our marines more than lOd. day for work
ing at our dock-yards and in our home ports
like horses.
The time is short; mild season will preci.
pitate hostiities, and we must be prepared al
any price. We cannot help repeating, there,
fore, that trial should be made of liberal
offer on the part Of the admiralty to pay our
seamen according to their work. 1t would not
be advisable, perhaps, to raise the regular scale
Of pay. We believe the seamen would he well
contented with their sea pay and the chance OF
prize money when fairly ready for sea. But
again, we would suggest that the services of
thousands of good seamen would be secured if
it we're determined that from the time of hoist
ing the pendant to the day on which the ship
is reported ready for sea the seamen should
receivedouble pay for their double work. Under
such an arrangement we should not have to
collect the scum Of the coasts, the outcasts of
the unions, the laborers of the brck-feds, the
cadgers, the tramps, and the Whitechapel bird
catchers, to eat the queens beef and to lower
the morale of the navy by calling themselves
British sailors.
There are seamen enough in England to
crush this boasted Baltic feet and make the
Russian navy list blank. There are men in
our ports, or only within fortnight's sail of
our shores, as smart, active, skillful, and eff
cient as those in Admiral Dundas's feet, and
surely it is worth while to secure their services
by liberal bounty or increased temporary pay
for increased temporary work. We have no
fears for manning the navy when the first shot
has been fired, but we have some anxiety for
the consequences of that first shot if properly
trained men-ofwar's men have not the hand
ling of the guns. Actual hostilites would at
once man every ship, for the chief occupation
of our seamen would be war with the enemy
but we would prevent the stagnation of our
commerce, and we would prevent the dernier
resort for the defence of our common country,
the issue of ,carrdnts Of impressment, by Of
fering those liberal terms to the maritime popu-
lation for defending the country and for fight.
ing their opn battles, which the country can
well afford, and which the emergency of the
demands that they should receive
London Morning Herald, 7h.
The COMMAND OF THE BALTIC FLEEr-Rear
Admiral Chads, G. B., just promoted from cap
ain of the Excellent, gunnery-ship, has been
appointed to command Of division of the
leet intended for the Baltic.
The gallant admiral is fortunate officer.