The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-05-25
rlIE NAyY.

The Committee on Naval Affairs having under eonsdera
uon the navy and having carefully examined the
4 OF improving it, report:
The naval service has neither the ships the armamenis
nor the organization which the condition. commerce aud
resources OF the country and the expenditures for its
maintenance, demand. With a commerce covering the
globe and exceeding in tonnage that of every other
our means o protecting II are far less than those of the
smallest maritime State. FI
France with that completeness of plan and attention 10
detail which distinguish all her public institutions and
works has at this moment the best disciplined and most
efficient ships squadrons and fleets that have over existed
Her equipments her gsnnery practice her squadron and
feet sailing and maneuvring aided by her propeers
have never been equalled and have elected the admiration
of the naval world France in the days of her greatest
power bterly wept the want of conquering navy and
by seadast and consistent policy first marked out and
urged BY the Prince de Jonye she has noby prepared
/ to retrieve the past ~
Under one of the DEGREES Of her National Assembly
made in October ls49 the report of its committee of ff-
teen members chosen BY ballot published in 1875 in
two large quaro volumes Of thirteen hundred pages and
embraces searching inquiries into every branch of the
| terial and personnel Of the naval service
Great Britain with and heavier ships is as yet un-
equal TO France in those numerous yet essential details
which combine the mind and naval service in the
most efficient organization Yet both nayies possess in
common those elements of offensive and defensive power
which may be regarded changing the character Of naval
warfare and as destined to make its the fororn
1 hopes Of the seas
The auxiliary screw protected from the effect of shot
while it enables belgerent ships approach and engage
with equal control over wind and and all
for avoiding contest gives to neither the advantage
in the fghi and this with the introduction of the eight
and tcn-nch Paixhan she'll is the salient improvement in
naval warfare The round shot, passing entirely through
the hull of the ship, does it comparatively little injury Its
through the oak pankng hardly be traced by
quill and carpenters plug repairs the damage still less
injury is done if The shot does pass through In Perry
engagement Lake Erie his ship received hundred
and twelve round shct in her hull and galany and
| victoriousy into port. Ale n. !.
But the days such contests past and we may now
regard them the amicable and gallant ouss of oceans
court knights in comparison the future battles of the
great deep If theory tested by experiments and sustained
by the results OF the late action at Sinope may be relied
/ on
that two three explosive nine en-nch shells we'll
aimed and properly planted enough to tear the
side of the largest ship and completely to disable
wholly destroy her. quote from the experiments made
with ninench explosive shot in the harbor of Bres upon
the Pacifcanteur eghtygun ship The piece to be fred
mounted on small pontoon and planted off upon the
water TO the distance of about six hundred and forty yards
from the eightygun ship which to be the target
The experiments were made in the presence Of number
of the most eminent officers in the French navy The first
shot sufcel to determine opinions but complete the
evidence twelve shots fired The following is
mary from the official report the occasion The first
shot struck low and the explosion heard
the commission repaired board A thick smoke filed
the beween-decks, where the bomb had burst The fire
engine worked and the smoke lasted twelve
minutes the bomb had made breach of eight and halt
inches diameter in the ships side which then twenty
nine inches thick; it had torn off two feet of the inner
plank and then exploded made hole in the oop deck OF
two three feet square, knocked and shattered to
atoms more than one hundred and fifty square feet of tim
| ber
The second bomb traversed the quarerdeck CARRYING
with il two pieces of plank of which five and
quarter feet long then striking the mainmast obquely ii
knocked off splinter from three to four feet long and nine
and a half inches thick, and bursting away
band ten and half feet in circumference weighing
hundred and thirty pounds this of iron driven
with such force that OF its halves struck the opposite
bulwar seventeen feet distant where il aened and ad-
hered The spners of the bomb shattered the bits
of the braces and would have injured many and
articles of rigging If the ship had been equipped The
ploson also set fire TO a coil Of rope.
The third bomb entered the side between ports,
struck and tore off oaken knee feet five inches
long and six and half to thirteen and threequarer
inches thick which, with its iron fastcnngs weighed
than two hundred and six pounds then bursting its spn-
tiers knocked down forty Of the wooden figures nailed
around the to represent men Theexposon also shat
tered of the beams supporting the decks above start
ing several planks of which ten and half feet
long, and another five and quarter feet, &c,
To abrdge this detail win only refer TO the
remarkable shots OF the remaining nine Perceivng that
the bombs always passed through the side of the vessel
| the charge Of the gun diminished each time With
four and half pounds of powder and always at six hun
dred and forty yards bomb struck in the wood between
two ports and burst tearing away the frame and panking
and making breach Of several feet in height and width
so shattered that all present thought that The shot oud
hare endangered the Uese had ii taken effect the water
| line
Besides this pieces Of the iron work. weighing six
teen pounds driven inboard by the force Of the
| plosion and nineteen figures knocked down
/ Finally, the twelfth and last bomb, with the same
small charge and At the same distance struck the
n
work and lodged in the upper side Of the ship against
an iron knee FIVE and quarter inches in size and firmly
supported the blow made three assures in the iron two
which four and quarter inches thick and the bomb
sti unbroken buried itself further in the side burst and
4 knocked down twenty figures
Az the havoc made upon ship by these projecles
the French commission Of the opinion that sc
terrible and great that it is thought bombs
OF this kind bursting in battery, would make such CON
fusion as to the surrender of the vessel eas
conduco materially II and TO produce by tho power
the bomb and its spnters such damage in the frame
that II the explosion should take place the line
the vessel would probably sink There Is doubt this
subject il added "as may evidently be perceived from
the result bomb number - which, had IL struck few
feet lower would certainly have done irreparabe mis-
/ chief
Such the naval armamonts Of England, France, and
Russia; and, while acknowledge their mighty power
we may we'll doubt in the absence Of oil experience tb
policy OF placing upon heavy ship battery
such guns each of which Is of itself sufficient to destroy
adversary instead of dividing them among scvera
Il ships.
Perhaps the following comparative view may best illus
trate the relative force Of navy in l846 sce Sen Doc
ls7 goth Cong SESSION. before the three great powe
Of Europe had put in commission many of their ships
\ which have since been sent to sea;
Great Britain for every 100000 tons Of commerce. haC
afioat and efficient. b88 guns
France iuo5
RUSSIA. ..'zi4ob
4 And the United States had but........",..... 81
The British navy has period been formidable
at this moment win appear from glance ut Secls lis
Of the royal navy for 1853 1t is stated at 545 effective
ships mounting 31b4 guns many Of them of the heayies
i cabre Tho list Of screw steamers gives
i Two of l2o guns, of io of 90, Of 80, Of 80 t.
4 10, Of 2l to 40.