Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-10-24
From the London Daily News.

ing in southampton Wafer, is o0O feet long. The
length of her spar deck is 2Sl feet Her breadth OF
beam is 81. feet and depth of hold to gundeck 26
feet inches Her capacity at load line is 4,587 tons,
and draught of water 23t feet She has two lO-inch,
"a 9.nch. and ID 8-inch guns. Her "a inch guns
weigh IL 900 ID EACH and the 10-inch guns 1900 Id
each. The former would throw 130. pounders the
latter s4pounders, and her Sinch guns "a Founders
Although Sir Howard Douglas is great authority
amongst American naval men, they differ, 1T appears
from him as to the comparative merits of solid shot
and shell for they intend that the Merrlmac shall
fight with shells. The weight of the 1Oinch shells
on board the frgate when unloaded is 101 ID OF the
9-nch shells 60 Id j; and of the 8-inch ones. 49a h.
The weight of metal from broadside from the Mer
rimac in solid shot would be 1,716 ID. and in shells,
1882 10. One of the peculaEites of Dahlgren's
guns which are aboard the frigate, is the enormous
dsproportion between the thickness OF the breech
where the first shock of the explosion takes place.
and that of the chase of the gun. Thus the breech
metal in the pivot guns 10 inches thick while the
thickness of the chase is not above 2a inches yet,
notwithstanding this, when Dahlgrens guns are pur
posely put 10 the extreme test, they burst at the
breech, and at the chase, which shows that the
disproportion in thickness is not too great.
The local variation of compasses is counteracted
on board the Merrimac by three Magnets whose
powers and positions are adjusted by secret cal
culation to the variable attractive powers of the diff
ferent parts of the ship. The method of calculation
is the invention OF an American, who has not d1vug
ed his secret. His adjustment has answered extreme
attached to the screw of the frgae. The is 26
feet inches in pitch, and II feet inches III diane
ter. The fri gate has 2rod steeple engine, with
62 inch cylinder and 3-feet stroke The pressure
IS 2Olb to the square inch. The revolutions are SO
per minute. The engine department is furnished
with Independent auxiliary engines for cOaIing the
ship, and with four of Martins patent vertical fine
boilers, and steam CINE register and chronome-
ter clock. The two latter rare and costly nstru
ments for engine loom. The consumption of fuel
is 35 tons day, full steam. The chief engineers
room is fitted up with every requisite for any magi
nable accident that may occur The length of the
| mainmas of the Merrimac is 1913 feet; the foremost
is Ill feet, and the mzzen 1898 feet. The size of
the mainsa is square feet of the foresai 40 square
feet of the manop As square feet, and of the b "a
square feet The whole Of the Merimacs sails is
$50 square feet. In order to carry enormous arma
ment and to fight the heavy ships and batteries that
she would be ptted against, she has been construc
ted of very great strength She has iron lransept
braces AZ inches wide, and Of an inch thick be-
| tween the outer an inner pankIng, extending from
the sheer plank to the keel. Her knees of pro,
dgious strength and soidity. In war time she would
carry few guns of the same calibre as those
she has now on board and about loo more men than
she now listers. There many things in this
frga'e deserving the attention of Engishmen. Her
quarters tor lighting are very roomy compared with
those of English line Of battle ships, crowded the
latter with guns ana Thus, in battle, there
would be far less destruction of life on board the
| Merrimac than on board an English ship.
The paucIty Of guns on board the frigate is COM
pensated for by their large calbre and the fgate be-
ing more easily managed than three .deckers, she
| would with her artlllery-superiOr both in length
and range and power of mischief-do fearful damage
to the largest line -ofbatte ship, before the latter
could approach her. These have been the reasons
| that have induced the Americans to build and arm
such frigates as the Merrimac The Merrinlac took
two years building She is the smallest of six rigaes,
built on the same pIan the of the others be-
| Ing the Wabash, Minnesota, Colorado Roanoke and
| Niagara. The Merrmac was stationed at Havana
before she came to Southampton. On Friday last,
Captain Pendegrast her commander, and some of his
officers, dned with the Countess of Hardwicke, at
her beautiful seat on the banks Southampton Water
close to where the frgate is lying, and the Ameri-
cans were charmed with her ladyshp's graceful hos
pltality. The Earl of Hardwicke, who captain
IN the British Navy, is from home The officers are
quiet, gentlemanly, and we'll read men, and, like En-
glish sailors, take great pride in their profession.
WHAT FREMONT THINKS OF HIS FILLMORE
| ALLIES IN PENNSYLVANIA.
! The New York Herald of yesterday morning spoke
out freely lis mind, and, doubt the mind of its
candidate in regard to their Fillmore allies in Penn
sylVanla The Geographic returns received on We'd
nesday evening satisfied the Herald that The fusion
ticket had succeeded, and in derium Of ov, Ben,
nett announced the result and proceeded TO show
reasons why the Fremont majority was not much
larger than ten thousand, he then claimed it TO
be. Hear him, you Fillmore men, who have con-
tributed your votes TO aid the of Fremont:
" But the great of the small republican ma
orty in Penns yvania is in the fact that they fought
the battle upon false party organization and upon
false issues Know nothngism was the dead weight
which nearly broke the camels back in Pennsylvania.
On the contrary, in Iowa, Vermont Maine, Connect
cut Ohio, and Indiana, where the Fremont party
kicked this mischief making monstrosity of know
nothingsm out of doors, and fought the fight upon
the simpler of hostility this Pierce adminsra
| ton and this rotten notification democracy, and of
hostility to the democratic policy of marking Kansas
slave State by fire and sword, they have carried
erything before them.
''Ihis was the course, and is the only course,
tor the opposition party 10 pursue in Pennsylvania
Let them ride Fremont of this dead carcass of know
nottingham them put up clean Fremont eecto
raj State tickeand fight the battle upon the great
living issues of the day, between the constitutional
policy of Fremont and the null caton, llburing ste
and borderrutan pro slavery policy of the debauched
democracy. Next, having done this, let the Ere.
mont party thus purified and liberated from the dead
weight OF dead body, proceed to organize, crcu ate
documents, and papers, and speakers, and iudcious
agents IN behalf of floating voters, every hole and
corner OF the State and them on election day. three
weeks hence with the reserved vote of ten thousand
men OF the quiet religious old settlers the vic.
tory IN Pennsylvania in November, instead of being
nVe or ten thousand majority, as shown by the re-
turns OF this morning, will be made glorious victory
| LOT Fremont of twenty thirty thousand"
| When Bennett finds that the democrats have car
rled pennsylvania and Indiana, and half the Con.
gressmen in Ohio he will be more savage than ever
on his Fillmore allies
GENERAL ToDTLEBEN's FATHER. 1N-LAw.-A letter
from Moscow, published in the London Globe, saws
! You perhaps, know the pretty story about Tod
tlebens wife and father n-aw. The latter a rich