Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-11-12
RICHMOND WHIG.
From .he London Times, Oct. ls.

From The London Times Oct. IL.
The question Of iron cased ships may be said to have
been practically decided by the discussion which it has
received in our columns Two great facts appear now
TO be established The first Of these is that all iron
plates be penetrated, under certain conditions, by
shot, and therefore that vessel however thus protect
ed be pronounced invulnerabe The second Is that
the requisite conditions difficult Of attainment, and
therefore that ironclad vessel would possess deci
sive advantage unprotected antagonist We con-
slider these results established not only because they
have been affirmed and explained by correspondents ot
unimpeaehabe authority, but because they have met
with refutaon. Witnesses in abundance both pro-
fessoua and independent have testified TO the reality
and Importance Of the invention but there has been
direct denial Of its merits. Mr.. Whitworh has natu-
rally made stand for the honor Of his guns. The GoiFe,
in short, is not invunerble frgate, but as she is
probably proof against all shell and good many shot,
few wooden frgaes could encounter her on equal terms
We shall DO excused hope, for reminding the reader
that this is precisely the conclusion which ourselves
submitted to the public.
Now succeeds, however, the important consideration
Of the to be adopted and the expense TO be in-
CURED in consequence OF this new discovery The bare
announcement of fresh Reconstruction OF our Navy,
especially such costly terms is enough to fill the ma
ton with alarm We have but just emerged from the
flood Of extrayagance ensuing upou sudden pauic.-
We have succeeded by incredible tJrs in almost doub
ling the strength Of marine since the beginning Of
1885, aud the British fleet has at length been brought in
TO a condition beftliug our resources and position
Is all this ground be lost and have another uphill
fight 10 60 through before Navy again become
what it should beg We think can reassure the plb
lie mind on these points. We nothing very iormda
bic before in the way Of either expense or difficulty
All our wooden ships have not become useless, and
though shall certainly want Iou-caSed vessels
wants in this respect not so great but what they
be supplied in good time and without extraordinary
charge.
The measure Of our obligations is derived of course
tbo of E.rrch NoLndv al
70 blink dsguise that fact We have first to coa
sJer what the French have done They have aken the
initiative much 10 their credit in constructing meno
war upon entirely mod and have left us, as on
many former occasions. with the duty OF following IN
their steps. Fortunately however, they have not yet
got very far ahead This time il do but bestr our
selves, We ueed have great difficulty in rccov-
cting place. The French have laid down ten
iroG-cased ifigatcs they have launched two, and
OF these one, at least, is complete success -
Perhaps the Normandio is less OF failure than has
been reported but a. any rate, France he's ouy two
Of the new fabrics uOa AND eight on the stocks We
have tie stocks four such yese' tSO OF which were
ordered by Lord Derbs Government nearly three years
ago. VII, thesc are hunchCd-and We hope the event
NAV be expcji,ed-We shall AZ once be mach for our
noighboTs in friglies sa,at aud, though they will st
have the start OF in the numbers hand il will not
cost us much to Overtake them In material, IN
chiuery and in all the conditions favorable 10 such
uilctures, We possess infinite advantages TIE Glore
Detcch houid nave hctli pcltl Ntrst Al uht W
lard. Good she is she merely represents the best
that could be done in France.
Much ALARM however, has been created 10y the neyi-
table cOstliness ascribed 10 these fabrics To certain
extent doubt, the current impressions correct;
but VIC hope something remains 20 be abaied this
score and shall presently show that there
siieratons The other side. General Peel stated at
Huntingdon last week that the two vessels bespckcn 10y
Sir John ParkngtOn, and now in process Of cOnstruc
ton, would cost "no less than million OF money
500 OUOi. each" That is certainly prOdgiOus sum.
The Duke Of Wellington one Of our largest three deck
ers cost but l1OOOOi and the OtliniO finest aud
most expansive rigate only l00OODk But really do
not understand how General Ie,Is figures obtain
ed, uucss the WORK has grown wonderfully under the
hand We remember no such demand as oOhO,W for
these purposes in the Navy E;mstra Of 1859. TEere
An iie ccrl iny for "shpS to be built by contract
but il IL only OO0i. We very well aware that
the cost Of iron-cased gatc would be largely in
cess OF the old standard especially If reokOned by the
number Of guns. The old computation, for instance 80
y ago gave uOW Pee gun o. { average cost OF
vessel Of war; this was rastd by the modem system Of
screw propulsion 2OH0i and the ironcased iigate il
was said would cost O0Ol Tleye resUi.s, however,
produced not merely by the exp snsyeneSs of the
ship but by the complraiiYely small number Of guns
carried by the description Of vessel Tne Warrior
aud the Back Prince mOua brt SO guus EACH though of
enormous pOSCr aud consequently their cost appears
larger than If they carried 60 20 pieces OF smaller
cabre Assuming, however that irOn-cased frgaes can
be constructed Tor louHut. eocN, WHICH was WHAT We
imagined they neither extravaGant ror uuiayorabe
bargains. They cost more than wooden lTigate no
doubt but less than wooden twodecker, whereas they
are more powerful are assured than even the latter
class Of vessel IT, therefore, obtain for 100000,
or even 50OOOi ship more effective than those for
which we have hitherto paid 100000 or l7o0Oo., we
are clearly losers TO mention that the 80 gun
sci can probably be worked with fewer hands than the
cid 81.
Lastly let never be forgotten that without submit.
ting TO any fresh burdens embarking any fresh
outlay, have at present rate OF expenditure
good million ayGaE 70 spend on new ships of such mod
els as may fran time time be preferred We insist upon
this point because il is here thHt all embaassmens
have been incurred II the products OF dockyard for
any given year had been invariably brought up 20 the
highest mark of the period, whatever that might
have beeD we should have escaped all perplexiies
aud pauics The mischief has lain in the fact that we
always cung long obsolete models aud thus law
shed upon fabrics which presently to prove useless
the labor and funds which would have supplied US with
specimens of the best patterns What caused Us
such trouble in ls5s was that whereas at that time the
screw twodeCker the most approved model OF line
otbatle ship We hom various causes had got tnto such
arrears the construction of these vessels that France
was actually ahead Of us aud the mos. extraordinary
ertions required before We could recover
our place. IL might be the same in 1862 II
We again neglected the pattern, and ad-
hered to the cid one but trust the alarm has
been sounded in time, Had our authorities shown
bu. little more decision, there would have been no
alarm at all During the last l2 months 20 vessels at
least have probably been laid down in various dock
yards and il half third Of these, had been iron
cased rgates should have been forward France
The one condition. In Short Of security well
my in those matters, is to take each new Invention in
time aud work It out With the funds Of the year THIS
expedent would always keep harmless Ifthe dseov-
cry proved ultimately Ineffective should have lost bat
little; if it found really successful should be
abreast of the world Bot it. through the obtuseucss or
obstrucveness Of the off .al mind, neglect every in
venticn I'LL il has been recognized and adopted by 9th
ers we shall always occupy position Of danger until we
awake at last in state Of panic We trust, however
that we shall escape that fate the present OCCASION.
Five years hence, nobody can say what might be our
condition. but il is, there Is great harm DONE
What is needed is not the "recousru3tion Of
Navy" but simply the construction OF few ironclad
vessels in the place OF as many wooden ones.
From The London Times Oct. l6.
ANGULAR lR0N-CASED FRlGATES.
Some months ago our naval intelligence recorded with
considerable detail the results Of experiments made by
Captain Hewlett, of the Excellent in:order to test the
shot proof powers Of butt constructed by Mr.. Jones
Liverpool shp-bulder upon principles which he propos