The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-03-11
THE DAILY DISPATCH

NE JAIL As~A = = -
Tnesany Msrniss, NIareh y sses.
v..segs ef war or the United States ant
British Nnvtes. g8
Az the subject Of . war between Great Brta
and the United States IA considerably agtating N
public mind Of both countries, the conparanV
strength Of the two navics becomes ma.s.'
much interest We have looked ct the u O. Ne ,,,.
Register for 1885, volume which, WIN ~ ~,
of officers, lawa, general orders, &c co ..-, -.
hundred and thirty-six pages fSo @ - -. r,.",
ever, are sufficient to give the hAniss -.
of building, situation. ana every .
of interest, of our vessels OF W"
According to this list. there are IN 'hs nne''.A'
Navy. ten ships OF the me- 'h"'oeA n's"''
nineteen sIoops Of war, three or'sS' one sehoone'
-. ...., steamers, 1st class: one screw steam
or. ID class; two screw steamers 80 class 'nie'
s,sa.vrheeI steamers. LIST class; one side.whee
s,e.mer ID class; FIVE side-wheel steamers ~
class. three steam tenders six store-shPs ana '"'
nermsuent receiving vessels-makins IN aii 20
veuty six vessels of war, belonging TO the u
Navy. and carrying in all two thousand 'hf'e n'N
dred and elghty-fve guns OF these sn'pe' '"0.e
are In commission that is, employed On 'o"o 80
of service or other. (though scattered an o.o. 'N
face of the WORLDLY two ships OF tne nhe' "''i "
which. however, are used as receiving shipe' 'o"
fr;r.tes. thirteen sloops of war; TWO priss; one
screw ste.mer Ist class; one do, I'd class one no.
d class one side wheel steamer, LIST class; one do'
Cd class. three do, Sd class two steam tenders;
four store. ships, and two permanent receiving yes
sells OF the vessels In commission, not receiving
ships we have GA our own coast, ready for imme'
da,e use, nothing but the Home Squadron, con
sisting of one frigate, of fifty guns two sloops, OF
twenty guns each: and one small steamer, of five
guns. The rest are in the Pacific, Coast Of Bra
xii. Coast of Africa, East Indies, and Mediterra'
nean-all of them too far off to help either the
country or themselves in any sudden emergency
that might arise II will he observed, too that OF
our small navy, only twenty two, large and small
are propelled by steam. The rest are all sail yes
sells and utterly worthless in contest with steam
ships.
On the other hand, what Is the state of the Bri
t;sb Nayyf We find in a late letter of a London
CORRESPONDENT of the New York Herald, that the
British naval force in commission, on the LIST OF
January, 1856, was three hundred and twenty five
vessels carrying 6, 23l guns and sixty-three thou
sand. three hundred and thirty-fve men Proba
bly, at least two thirds of these are steam vessels
Of this immense force there are on our own eastern
and western coasts and in the West Indies, thirty
eight vessels, carrying eight hundred and nine
guns, and eight thousand men On the i4th Of
February last, there were In commission at Ports
mouth, sixty-five men ofwar, Of which one was q
first rate of 131 guns; one second rate, of 30 guns
two frigates, Of so guns; stors-ship, of AZ guns
GALL scrsws two paddle steam sloops, of guns
and FIVE mortar vessels. This large feet could
reach our coas; In two weeks, making, with the
British vessels Ct war already on our coast, one
hundred and three powerful war ships, larger
number than the whole American Navy put to
eether not more than a dozen ships of which, Al
the very outside, could be gotten ready to NEE
them!
In addition to the great squadron in commits
sion at Portsmouth, and that already upon oul
coasts, there were on the 14th of last month, a
various naval stations in England, of vessels com
plete and being brought forward twelve steam
ships, together of fortysix hundred horse power
and carrying five hundred guns, besides eleven CUR
boats and other large vessels not at present in
diness for 1t is not too much to say, that wer,
war between the United States and England t
occur within month, there would be at least
hund red and fifty largo steamships of war off oul
coast, and in another month, we should have thu
whole British Navy on our hands. The ships tina
we now have at sea could never get back tn,
ships that In our ports could never get out for
setting aside the fact that owing to the defencees
condition of our harbors, an enemy's feet coul
steam into every port on the Atlantic and the Pa
cifc, and destroy our navy-yards and all thei
ornaments, we could not put to sea as in the lat
war, because our sail vessels have steam vessel
to watch and overtake them, which was not tn
case In our last contest with Great Britain More
over, an active and powerful enemy, once gettin
possession of our coast defences and naval Sta
tions, it would be difficult and tedious matter
dislodge them.
This is a gloomy picture, but it is made up
facts and figures, and not of imagination 1t show
the penny-wise poundfoolish policy of refusin
to establish Navy commensurate in magnitud
with the commercial interests, to say nothing
the honor and safety of the country. Even nov
with the public mind agitated by the apprehel
sions of war with such naval power as that
Great Britain, proposition to build dozen stea,
sloops -of.war is re garded as very formidable d.
monstrationi Whether we are to have war no,
or not, our only permanent safety is to be found
a large increase of our naval force. A single yea
OF war, IN our present COnultlOn, would cost
more than it would require to establish an adj
quate Navy, and keep it in commission for a qual
ter of century. On the whole, if we can poss
bly, avoid a collision with Great Britain at thi
time, we would better do it by all means, and the
go to work and put ourselves In condition i
which our weakness will no longer provoke insu
and aggression from foreign countries If, how
ever, war is now forced upon us, we must max
up our mind to suffer disasters and losses for on
or two years, compared with which those of Rui
ss during the present contest in the East are mer
tribes, and to devote the whole resources of tn
nation for ten, twenty or fifty years. If necessary
to redeem our honor and avenge our wrongs.
Richmond Fire Association,
At the annual meeting Of this Association. hal
last night, all the old officers were reelected TIL
annual report showed a clear prsft on the bus
ness of the year of s33, 200. A dividend of ,e,,
and half per cent. for the last six months has in,
been declared.
DWELLING BURNT.-The dwelling house of Mr.
Geo. Zimmerman, ST., of Fincastle, Va, with a
the furniture II contained IRA, 5a..ro,,,a l.. a