Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-04-24

This IS one Of the six steam vessels now in
course OF construction for our navy. She is
on the stocks in Charlestown navy.yard, Mas
sachusetts and is so far advanced that she
could be made ready for launching, ifrequired,
in four or five weeks. From detailed de.
scription of the Merrimac given by the Boston
Atlas, we learn that she is 247 feet long on the
keel, 257 at the load displacement line, and 2Sl
from the knight-heads to the taffrail; her ex-
IRENE breadth Of beam is 81 feet inches !;
breadth on the berth deck AT, on the gun deck
46, and on the spar or upper deck AZ feet /;
depth SO feet 10 inches; and capacity about
$500 tons She has three complete decks, viz
the berth or lower deck, the gun or main deck,
and the spar or upper deck. Her armament
will consist Of two 10 inch pivot guns, one for
ward and the other aft, on the upper deck "a
9-inch guns and IA Sinch guns, weighing re-
spectively 81, 81, and 63 cwt., all designed for
shell as well as shot. This is her nominal ar
mament but, if required, she could mount 10
more heavy guns, and it is thought could carry
them too, for she has great apparent buoyancy
The Merrimac, however, was designed and
modelled BY John Lenthall, esq, chief of the
Bureau of Construction, at Washington, and
has been built agreeably to his designs.
Our ships of war, says the Atlas, as well as
our merchantmen, are distinguished the world
over from the ships of other nations, by the
beauty of their models. We question if there
is more beautiful ship-oi-the line in the world
than the "Ohio," or trigate than the Con
gress." But, however beautiful our models
we have much TO learn in the application Of
steam to our ships of war before we can even
claim equality with the ships of France OIL
England. 1t is to be hoped that the six ships
huIlIinU will ,ubat th,,r Jo,
intended-the best of their class in the world
Another Letter from Bishop Hughes.
An Albany paper having charged Bishop
hughes with being a political partizan and a
friend OF Governor Seward, he has written a
letter IN reply, in which he states that on being
made Bishop, he prescribed, as rule of con,
duct for the Catholic clergy in his diocese, to
abstain from all interference in politics, leaving
them to vote as other citizens if they thought
proper. He believes few, if any Of them, have
exercised the right of suffrage. He has not
| himself, as he believes that the most appro
| pirate position for clergyman, midst of poll
teal struggles, is one, if not of absolute
neutrality, at least of abstinence from al
partizanship. He defends his course on the
| public school question, and says his first move
ment in this matter was opposed even BY
Catholics but that it finally resulted in the
passage of a law which, although not such {
one as he desired, has vastly increased the faci
lities for education on every side; and tina
now neither Protestants nor Catholics coulc
be induced to return to the old systens As t.
Governor Seward, he says he is in no manne
whatever his political friend, nor his supporter
in the exercise of political power, but he adds
. am proud to call him my friend in the
only relation that ever existed between us
whichnas been one of mere social and, to me
pleasant intercourse. Ifthe people of the United
States should think proper to confer on him
the highest honor in their gift. shall MOI
heave sigh or shed a tear at their choice
But no vote Of mine shall aid him.
The Bishop further states that he never voted
but once in his life, and in all his life he never
advised, publicly or privately, any one as tc
how he should vote, except once, also, and that
was when the original movement was made in
New 4ork against what he deemed the iniu
rious public school system, and which was sub
sequently altered.