The Washington union., 1857-08-21
BRITISH AND FRENCH NAvIEs IN l1ss AND 1851

BRITISH AND FRENCH NAyIEs IN 1898 AND 1851
In preparing for our columns the lengthy state
ment published in the Union of August 5th giving the
names, number, and rank Of the vessels composing
the present effective service Of the French navy we
had before us, and laid aside FOR future use, lead
ing article commenting on the speech of Sir Charles
Wood First Lord of the British Admiralty on moving
the navy estimates for 1851 published in the London
Morning Star of May Goth. Apart from the badinage
which it aings numerically at the patriotic head
of Sir Charles and the ungallant levty with which
il recurs TO the original institution of crinolnes the
article in question contains interesting statis
tics in reference to the past present, and prospoc-
tive status of the English and French naval service
as well as complimentary notice" of our own
progress in that line. Confirming as we most posi-
lively do, the assurance given by the Morning Star
that "the government at Washington has despatch
ed ship to England on the peaceful mission of lay
ing down telegraphic cable, and for no other pur
pose whatsoever, we give the article as we find it,
remarking merely that the London Star ranks among
the abest of the opposition journals of the British
metropolis
Sir Charles Wood, the First Lord Of the Admiralty,
processes to be of opinion that we going to have
fight with America, Russia, and France. The speech
which he made in moving the navy estimates clearly
shows that he wants to make every needul preparation
for doing battle against these three great powers and
might judge that he labors under the that the
will begin with all Of them before the year is over
First with respect to Russia Sir Charles had not been
long upon his legs until he began to tell the Commons
that the Muscoyite government making ready to
equip their feet for sea- 1.-THE Russian navy will soon
he said be in very different position from what it
during the war and, continued he, any further
with Russia win be more serious than the last =
He spoke if the new struggle against Russian aggres
sion had all been arranged The Russian ships coming
out this time to meet They quite ready to weigh
anchor 1t may be that Duke Constantine is going 70
the Queen at Osborne but that is only coming
casting its shadow before The Duke will next
up the Thames and visit the Tower Them in the second
place, not going to be joined BEFORE by
France. In fact, Sir Charles Wood wants the coun
try to imagine he cannot rest in his bed being
SO alarmed for France She has been paying
the greatest possible attention to her navy he French
building larger and more powerful vessels than
selves. n the course of the year went to see
the French dock yard and assure the House that
the works which carrying there beat everything
that doing" Sir Charles home with coun-
tenance quite awful and he told his clerks to give him
the dimensions of navalyards This DONE he made
the still more alarming discovery that the yard at Cher
borg is as bg as Portsmouth, Davenport ard Keyham
put together Next, he put his clerks to work to get
up return of the comparative amount of naval force
possessed by France and England for every year since the
year 1888 In the first had lis ships of the line
they rs. In 1910, SO; they Sc. In the present year
1857 England has only two more for the number is AZ
against 40. So with frgates--l92 to England in 1917
with AZ to France but only AZ to England in 1857 with
81 to France. Well, to many of us such statement i'm
plies that after all pretty safe but the First Lord
of the Admiralty lifts up his voice like trumpet and
cries. II tell you that the inner basins Cherborg are
big all basins put together - 1--WE ought not
he continues, ITO be left without the of meeting
the powerful lneo battle ships that the French are
building. And thus away goes all the talk about the
enduring alliance Of the two countries and have
Russia and France against u.s. 80 the third place have
enemy in the United States The government at
Washington has despatched ship to England on the
peaceful mission of laying down telegraphic cable and
Sir Charles cannot disguise his apprehension seeing that
this Ship to his favore word so sbig He tells
have nothing like it, '.or like such American cor
vetes the Merrmac But in order to abnte bis as
sumed sincere terror he has resorted to the expcdent
OF orderng one two vessels of that to be built
Tor, urged he it is clear should not be without
them when pressed by other nations"
And thus the special duty of ministers of the Crown APP
pears to be to take trip to other countries in order to
spy out their naval and military strength and to reap
pear in the House Of Commons with quaking words and
revised and additional estimates France builds and we
must build ; Russia is ready, and must get ready
America has great big ship, and must have great
big bottom. AS with the fashion in crinolines so with
the fashion in hulks and calibrc No sooner had the
highest lady In France indicated her intention to pcpet-
uate an imperial dynasty than the highest well as the
lowest OF English women began to parade in uncomey
ST. Petersburgh, New York. and Lisbon exhibited symp-
toms of equal growth. The rage for size and the
question was what ladies would excel and we read of
French maidens who cannot effect into cab
rioles OF boarding teachers incapable forcing
passage at the Manchester exhibition and of the alarming
state of things among the ladies of jamaica 1t is the
same with Mesdames Wood Napier, and Paget, who on
Monday night explained their notions of British honor and
dignity According to their story, England is to have
no mind of its own it not to regulate its own affairs
by its own standard but it is to make fashion, founce
and mend according to the foreign TASTE and in order
that We may act the national swell to perfection and
stand before gaping and gazing world with no better
countenance than that Of the conscencestricken pol
roon. Brt we anticipate that Just as fathers and hus
bands now put their hands in their pockets and ask
where the female prejudice in favor of length BREADTH
thickness and extension is to end will the payers
of the United Kingdom to their senses some day
soon and make the discovery that these increasing de-
mands i'll the shape of votes OF supply have after all their
origin, not in any fear Of invasion any thirst for
glory, but in the seshness of the services and in the
political trick to hush up the public demands for re-
form.
CORRECTION.
The Die Unforeseen des Hambugisehen Ed Handles
IL Il -.