The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-03-28
PRICE TWO CENTS

! THE PRINCE DE JoINvILLE ON STEAM NAvIEs.-The
last number OF the Reuue des Deur Mondes contains
an article on steam navies in continental wars-La
Marine Vdpeur dams les Guerres Contineatales. 1t
is signed an. V. de Mars" but it is generally at
| tributed to the Prince de JonviIle; and this
| besides its merits literary performance has
given to it certain degree of interest. short
summary may not be uninteresting. The writer
commences with general view of the services rem
dered by the steam nayies of England and France
during the Crimean in throwing a vast militia
ry force upon given coast, and afterwards vic
tualling and provisioning the same for an indefinite
period with admirable precision and regularity.
He next proceeds to examine what would have been
the use of French feet in a war with Austria
before the introduction of steam. Trieste and Ra-
gusa might have been blockaded few thousand
tons OF sugar would have had to be sent a round
ABOUT way into Austria at large expense, and the
Austrian Lloyd's would have been obliged to sus-
pend Its lines of would have been
about the whole amount of mischief done to Aus
ira oy heet But how stands the case now?
france has transformed most of her sailing vessels
into screw steamers; her old frigates the sailing
qualities of which are not equal to those required
for steam frigates of the present day. have been
turned into steam transports, and there exists
notlla OF screw corvettes which can aid materially
in carrying men, horses, and stores Instead of the
10000 men the allies landed in the Crimea the
author now supposes $4,000 men to be embarked
with Iuli complement of horses, and this large
force to be lowering on the enemy's coast. What
can the latter do? How can he foresee where this
force is likely to land? Shall he concentrate his
forces on the most probable point? The French
may select another, and then this concentration is
useless. Or else, shall he detach an army strong
enough to beat 200 Frenchmen to each of the
menaced points? No European Power is in a con-
ditlon to do that. If the population of the coast
are favorable to their government, their condition
Will for many days be of anxiety and suspense;
II uniavorable they will quietly await the landing
and then increase the difficulties of their rulers by
insurrection. A fleet may also detach boats into
no rIU and hue H.. IL.
the enemy's territory. The writer now passes un-
der review the different Powers with which France
might possibly have to contend in her present
state OF full equipment Prussia and Austria are
dismissed at once as unable to cope, for many years
to come, with the navy of France Russia it is
stated is in the same at present. but she will
soon be provided with a respectable feet As
regards England, the author devotes MANY pages
to this rst-rate maritime Power detailing, and by
no means undertaking, all the advantages she DOS
sesses, but remarking at the same time that the
Introduction of steam into warfare tends to deprive
maritime wars of their naval character, and to
give them military one; that the navies of diff
ferent nations will soon be organized on a uniform
plan, in which the genius of each nation will be
gradually neutralized by the perfection of me-
chanical means. The conclusion at which the au-
thor of the article arrives is, that naval forces will
become indispensable elements in future continen-
tai wars.
PARIS NOTABLITIEs.-The Paris correspondent of
gossip about some of the Partisan literary and ar
tistc notabilities:
NJ. Alfred dc Vigny has trick of asking every
body he meets, "Well, what is said about me?'
An amusing story is told of this odd habit. He
met friend in the Garden of the Tuileries the
morning after the Revolution of February while
the mob were in possession of the palace. He said
to his friend, 81 have just reached Paris. What
disaster! What catastrophe! All! what do people
say about me?" OF course Count Alfred de Vignv
was the last person thought Of at that terrible
moment.-M. Sainte Beuve just now goes nowhere
and receives no visitors. Some persons say he has
fallen into a hit of msanthropy; but suspect the
true reason to be his hard labors. He has recently
been appointed professor of French prose at the
Normal School, which must occupy good deal of
his time; and he is very busily engaged in complet-
ing the history of the Port Royal on which he has
been working, more or less, regularly, for great
many years.-M. Victor Cousin has Just gotten rid
of habit which he says it took him two years to
break. 1t seems he fell into a trick of saving,
whenever about to express an opinion, even on a
tritlng subject GAN things being weighed and
considered [ have come to the conclusion that"
&c. His friends, by their banter, brought his at
tention to it. He became ashamed oft, and reso-
lutey set to work to rid himself of it.-0ld NJ.
lngres has got the kink in his head that everybody
is trying to give him alms He has always looked
upon himself as msused man, and now he saws:
of had not made a fortune in my younger days
l should starve now; nobody will buy anything by
me now" He made this remark to Baron de
Rothschild recently while the latter was looking at
a drawing by NJ. Ingres He said to the artist
"Why, M. lngres, will give you fifteen thousand
francs for this drawing" The painter snatched the
drawing out of the bankers hands, whining, "Ah!
NJ. de Rothschild; l see what you after; you
seek pretext for giving me alms'-M. de Lamar
tine cannot be attered by telling him he is great
poet, or great orator: his weak point is to be con-
sidered great manager; how weak the point is,
his 100000 of debts shown. Theophile Gauthier
is afraid to go to sleep unless he has somebody's
hand in his; sleep is much like death, he says
oung Alexander Dumas has got the kink into his
head that he is dying of consumption, although as
somebody says, "he is in as good health as the
Column" his health is the only thing he thinks
about he gets up at seven breakfasts at ten rides
from twelve to three, sleeps from three to five,
dimes at six goes to bed at nine, and reads himself
to sleep.