The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-04-30

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p YTs5 Oar Coaat DEFENCE.
N shle report has been printed BY order Of The
Mated ssat&s Sonata, Of Capt. @. d. McCtssisn, u
4 A. cneof the officers sent by this government
a sxaraine The military establishments Of Europe,
and especially the operations OF the war IN the
crSmes, 10 contrast with the Immense mAgnitude
ana esnoseacy Of Earcpssn warliks establishments,
Can't. Mcclellan prsssats the meagrs preparations
Of me aatsrs upon this side Of the Atlantic, 10
calling attention 70 these facts, he says:
ft 10 bslisved that . calm considsrAtisn a. the
svents % hastily aod impefssctly narrated la the
preceding pages must lead ell unpreludiced Per.
sens amoaE our coantrymen to . urn conviction
en- tNo vital points:
IL wise and proper one, which sught TO be CON-
,oteted and Armed With the least possible delay.
= . That Mers Individual coarags cannot snffics
70 oscrcsNe the forces that wou4 BE- brought
sxssass ne were we involved IN Suropesn war,
eat that Il must be rendered Manageable BY disci-
pstne aud directed by that consummats and mo
chAaioai military skill which can only be acquired
by ccurse Of education instituted for the par
pose, and by long habit.
the day of sailing vessels the successful siege
of eshassopol would have been Impossible. IL Ia
evident that the Russtans did not app recate the
advantages afforded by Steamers, and were Hpprs
pared 70 sustain siege.
THIS same power OF steam would esable Euro
4xSs n mai In
tsss than three months from tue commencement
of hostilittes esen larger force than that which
6naliy ebcamped aroapd Sebastopoi. To resist
sach 40 attack, sAoaM II ever be made, our cities
lions mus ~ provided with guns, ammunition
and fasex~csed s0tiicrists. To repei the advance
of sHcA "a army Into the interior, IL IL not enough
20 HNst TO the number of brave but undisciplined
snes that we can bring to bear against IL.
An invading army OF Is 900 or 10000 meR could
easily be crushed BY unremittiug attacks OF sups
rior numbers, hut when II comes TO the ease OF
more than loo,0oo disciplined veterans, the weary
muititude brought to bear against them would
work its own destructions because without dis
eipline and Instruction, they cannot be handled,
and are ia their own wsy. We cannot afford
Moscow campaign.
ought to be large enough to provide for all the
contingencies that may arise, but 1t should be ~
large it's ordinary advocations In the defence OF
the frontier will justify; tbs number of officers
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ly large. to provide for sudden increase; and the
greatest possible should be bestowed upon the
instruction OF the special arms of the artillery and
sagtuser troops
This is the testimony Of competent military
man, and one who has carefully examined the
subject. There are two countries which, more
than any others, have reasons for apprehen-
sion In regard TO the Introduction OF steam in
ocean navigation. These are Great Britain and
the United etatee, the irst Commercial nations Of
the world and whose people possessed the greatest
aptitude and capacity for maritime pursuits. 20
che times Of the sailing vessels France the first OF
military powers, never seemed able to do herself
5ustics o. The water. She expended enormous
sums, her sbip-builders turned out vessels that
~ere perfect models Of naval architecture, and
which there was nothing 10 the English marine to
equal, yet the old saying that "Frenchmen build
ships and HngIshmen take thsm," was No empty
boast The Frsnchman, born q soldier and brave
rs Cesar, never could be made sailor OF, never
could become esHcient in practical seamanship
whilst John Bull and Brother Jonathan Away,
took to the water like young ducks. But steam
has revolutionixsd everything; seamanship is moi
now matter OF such importance as formerly; il
has given amazing speed, accuracy, and certaint,
of movements and time to every naval operation
try almost face 20 face with distant Europe.
At the same time, the destructive power of ma
val ordnance has been immensely increased, 81
that competent judses express the opinion that ,
sea fight lasting an hour and half will never
occur again. Five or ten minutes will probably
suffice to decide future naval combats. Hence
Eogiand may well look with apprehension upor
another French attempt to cross the channel, fol
the success Of such experiment Will not here
after depend upon the ordinary chances Of winds
waves and seamanship; and the United States
once secure In Its distance from the great powers
has seen France transport with the greatest ease
three hundred thousand troops to the Crimea, and
all the Decessary munitions of war,-a distance o
three Thousand miles, just the distance of our own
country from the greatest military power of the
world. s4tGs Eft}-
Not one of our seaboard cities, Boston, New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans could
present an effectual resistance to the assault OF
such an enemy as the French. Washington could
be more readily captured than it was in the last
war. Tho cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth might
be approached, as a military correspondent of the
Enquirer has shown, without even giving the
alarm TO Old Point till the work of destruction
was consunmated, and the magnificent navy yard
of the United States, at Portsmouth, with all the
public property, laid waste. Indeed, If England
with small and easily guarded coast, places bar
main reliance for defence upon her wooden
walls" how can the United States expect to fortfy
efficiently such q coast as oursi All the gold of
California and Australia combined could not pay
for an adequate number OF Notifications and OF
mon to prevent the landing of an enemy upon our
shores. Yet It is as true now as when Washington
declared 1t, on the eve of an apprebended war
wirh France, that our whole energies should be
directed to preventing an enemy from getting a
foothold upon our shores.
Our main reliance against this cannot be an ar
my; iteannot be forts 1t 10 on the water 1t ia on
the great bulwark which Nature herself has pro-
vided for her defence, that the battles of America
with Europe must be fought. II the teachings of
history, the antagonism of political systems, and
the competitions Of nations for commerce and
power, preSent such probability of future COLI
sion with Ehropean governments as to warrant
the expenditure of large sums in Defence then
build up naval defenccs and multiply ships, ready
to be manned In case of need, by a naval host Of
four hundred thousand sailors, now engaged In
our commerce, and who would be fully competent,
in the event OF war, to navigate and fight our
ships, and protect the soil and honor of the coun-
try. s.
England and France.
The London correspondent Of the New York
Commercial Advertiser still insists that there is
real dhnger Of q war betwsea England and France,
and that the latter only waits plausible pretext
for An outbreak. The occupation Of Perrin by
England affords promising bone OF contention
bat II this will not answer, some other, tho wri-
ter thinks, can be easily trumped up for tho pur-
pcse, The increased activity In the French Navy