The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-07-06

register and their batteries consist Of sxtacn
g. cwt-a truly Formidable armament 0 the live ships
OF this class In the navy ali sail WELL have good ca
lsciy Tor stowage, ample room % work their heavy bat
teries with effect and berth their comfortably.
iarh o them could carry six months provisions by u
c!cous management az the space on board and Is said
that two Of them-tle Portsmouth aad Jalnestown-can
carr! nne months provisions under matches. In 1874
with the few al ties which We then Possessed ~ thai
mote point on our frontier Inc VI battle ship wa COO
stluocd and ready for launching at Sacketts arbor,
two months from the day when the wood cutter COR
menced telling the trees Tor her frame in the virgn
forest We should very much distrust the boast ID
progress OF this country If seaboard with the
immense force Of mechanics and materials which
oud place al The disposal Of government we could
rot IN Iity days have forty sail Of new soops on the
ocean, manned With 5000 seamen. formidable TO their
equals, and seourge TO the commerce OF maritime
enemy Those who remember tho cruise Of the little
Essex when under the command Of the chyalrous
Porter, will appreciate tho service which each Of
der 70 the country The Essex, alone and without
depots friendly ports, boldly entered the Pacific
lived upon the resources q tho enemy, almost
anphilated his and whaling interest in those
and produced panic which was felt throughout the
British empire Since that time the commerce of all ma
ons las vastly increased in those seas and by compar
son the effect hich would be produced by forty fifty
active cruisers may be approximately estimated What
We have already recommended indicates our opinions
10 The mos feasible and practicable war policy SO far as
navy concerned and we will now proceed to dis
the last subject on which we intend to treat IN tho
No subject connected with nautical affairs has been
much modified within the present century as naval gun
merry. In the naval wars DttWcen anu
Francc-n,onarchical, republican and impcria-the Eng
lish commanders invariably aimed al bringing about n
close action in which the muscle OF their seamen their
personal and endurance would supply their den
cheney in skill In the early part OF the century the
French had devoted attention 10 gunncry than their
enemies who snecrngy accused them OF preference for
the seame Of long baisn In those days, in many toe
actions when the noise and expenditure OF powder was
very great the damage done 70 the combataats
pcctiyely exceedingly small fact attributable to
the distance preserved bet reen the opposing lines
and the Defective gunnery OF both parties The war with
been snguarly beneficial 70 her navy In that contest
she encountered equal 20 her own in muscle, bull
rational aptitude had been carefully trained to pointing
and firing their guns Tho advantages which we derived
from superior skill was obvious, and general atten
ton called TO by Colonel now Lieut.. General
Sir Howard douglass in the first edition OF his excellent
work on Naval GuDnery, published In 1918. Nothwth
standing the consciousness of deficiency which prevailed
among intelligent English naval officers the progress Of
Improvement at first very slow and even so late -
the battle Of Navarno the line ofbstte ship Asa-Sir
Edward Codrngton's flag shphred fifty tons Of shot at
Turkish frigate without sinking her, and that too In
smooth water and so close that they could distinguish
the white of the eyes of the Turkish defenders We arc
certain that this frigste not Egyptian, one OF
Mchemet Ais contngents The French appear nj no time
to have suspended their efforts for the o.
gunnery and than twenty years ago they had
on board their ships the tangent or graduated sight
now used in all navics. a few years later the
English, at the recommendation of Sir Howard Doug
lass fitted old line OF battle shp-the Excellent
stationed her Portsmouth for the purpose of ex
pcrmeniing gunnery and giving practical course OF
instruction seamen, who afterwards drafted 70
different vessels employed in active service Many dis
tinguished officers, among whom was Captain Bast Ha,
were iigncd avail themselves OF the course
OF struction which this establishment Afforded and at
tended there for the purpose OF graduating in gunnery
The ordnance officers Of the larger ships are also gradu
ates from the Excellent and thus in few years and a.
trifng expense Great tain has provided herself with
an efficient corps Of ordnance officers ana arse mum
advances IN the English and French service the oWizer
or raiShan gun introduced into both nayes Al the
time in service. which by its exploits had
called attention 10 the essity for skill in naval gun
merry, the mos, singular and unaccountble apathy pre-
vailed Resistance was made for n long time TO the in
troucton Of paxhan or shell guns the ground that
had the OF 1s12-i5, when We were almost
Invariably fortunate IN our nASa achols. oIsh,
and with this rude and imperfect continuance our older
officers appeared perfectly content, and utterly un,
mindful Of the improvements going on around
thsm. perfectly obvious to all who used
them that such gun sights were only calculated
To lscad a. II they placed correctly IN the nrst
instance-whch very unlikely " oocur-they would
Immediately change when the wood warped, or when al
unequal strain brought upon the lihng' Any one
acquainted In the slightest degree with the sghtin. OF
arms of the great difference which an almost i'm
pcrceptble DETECTION would make at the end Of long
range struggle for and against the Introduction OF inn
Irov, c.nnop -nd ris-ile and the introduction % ap.
propriatc sights existed for some years between the
younger and older olfccrs and although tho author OF
this article saw axans or howtzcrs used with wonder
tul eject the castle Of san Juan de Coa In ls3s
he never saw shell on board an American vessel OF
until lsl3. nj which time they considered fearful
and incomprehcnshe missile not 10 be used or tamrcred
With and although he Jaw. at the same time graduated
eel Ia which lac served until 1891.
Honor 10 whom honor h due In 1850 Commodore
Warrington then chief Of the Bureau Of Ordinance ds
csreng antique prcjudiccs and productions natural
HI. advanced age conyencd, with the approval OF the
Secretary 81 the Navy beard Of young officers 10 whom
he conded the task Of reforming the artillery drl IN tbs
navy, and compiling ordnance regulations. When the
Beard about T. convene be said 10 at least one mem
Der tat nc and ht comecrs behind the times, and
that he willingly oonded this duty younger men, who
had been constantly IN service, and kept pace with The
Improvements Of other ns' 3ns, We owe much 10 ON
-
81 bcray In old ranad Va the hoard OF ~, selec
tion which auo-t, without exception, composed OF
the stst materials which the navy presented
Tie absurd and anti iuaicd drill abolished aud
good substituted while ordnance mar Al was pro-
musaee which has len Is little TO desire he'oe tue
but his successor, Commodore Charles Norris, the
navy obtained chef Of ordnance able tn tho extreme,
and jealous for ~ ogress and improvement OF ths IN
portant department. From career Of usefulness Com
ojore Morris has recently been removed by DEATH but
not Until ordnance baa ait ned perfection, under
sup rntendence, which c'14ly believe cannot be
found Ia any 9th r service
II not however, With tho object Of Boosting Of our
Pre- zen cuts and pcre1ons that this essay under
bsep bit 20 ont ogi sil existing Deficiencies an with
de de-ty " suggrt some essential mUdhcatons
military and naval Affairs that he tcudc of modera
Improvement la ordnance l. u decrease 'he number o.
a. and Increase the ght and caibrc shell guns y
LCwzerg Ct eight nine ten, aud eleven inches have IN
many cases taken the place Of thirty two snd fofytso
Founders. che eleven noh GIN Tectut introduction,
aud no sh.ps have yet armed with them. II i Ia
tended 70 mount twelve on board tie Nagara)
IT, baiisrug power e such guns { unqaesionabie.
Tcn WHOM Ere. With uncharle4 shells, - hol@w slot
ihfy reach The object and penetrate fley n0~e H.
siruCtve lhar a solid shot q the same caNbre.
The iafnllar eNpffimt "a q firing rfr bali Through
rane ~ ass vii Illustrate the superior dctrscgc pgwef
lower vclo0y. shells, vhcthef Sized ~ Hnt ~.
have not tie yclas 81 ar3 extreme range Wct long
dirty two cr forty two FOUNDER WI give ~ solid shot
7G .att nugbt be CONSIDERED measLraby c1picrDa.
tory ~ ths srecie ~ ordnance. were NJ Iet web
understood ~ evrert that naya slunery ny ~ means
.letct aud the uncertainty tEc aim over
certain distance d. great ~ ~ cameo 20 h2h degr'e
tc advantages Il greater range, ESPECIALLY whcu ine
shUrt range has IN edition ~ te direct ~ 20 ~ To- 20
oniUu u the tUot the terrible eject Of IT, subsequent
cNpttiut On the subject mutu misundrf standing las
occurred md nueu hs4 tocn sid Ia aniat0n - sraA
Vuh few htavy hc guns and thcir aug ty o. ttse
their tanC0 anu It-ii0u With sailing vessels ~ lcut
a IN u'v. whereas u J. wcd understood BIZ those
Uuain.su witt srmamcts that their ho~t2grs have
TIE weight III metal ~ endure Tie cha whoa vuut
give item q range equal 70 tho ~ two and forty =
Founders q y -a'es On Inc 81 battle ship. ~
first system introduced atu team armarents Wa the
shell sy.toln-gu u ng Calbie out without weight ~
metal - endure porioIhbJ heavy charge % powder
and consequently, y secure q Nerv EiRh vevrty an
rtx tuurc. iat0 t.is tystCn Ten, IN common %
rthpt hawai- Iuwcrs but 80 fcw years experience.