The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-08-10
:. r...cA N.x,v,,'. =

y,is a curious coincidence that whilst Lord
pA1uxRsroN, in the English House of Com
mons. ,aments that the French Navy is now
about eq ual to that OF England in numbers,
the yicomte de KERNxauRR, In the French
Legislature, especially, ex.rts himself to show
that, whatever the number OF French vessels
of-war, their construction by no means APP
proaches perfection. In a debate on the budget
the naval estimates were discussed with great
freedom, and the Vicomte made serious a'-
tack upon the mode Of construction IN Tue
Freneh Navy. He said the Eugiish ana hh.-
ricans had adopted a very superior 'he'ho"'
and that the French ships were eniIt oy ehs'-
,.sr.. who had never been at sea. Inc conse-
on.,,ca was that the ships. of-the-ine were
-, ,,., a.., in the water. The Bretagne, so
,o,,n admired in harbor, when at sea was
on,,yas almost constantly to close her lower
dacr norris She had cost five millions of
francs. and had engines of twelve hundred
horse power, which was all very we'll, but
served no purpose; for she consumed 100 tons
of coal per day, and had only stowage tor four
hundred. 80 that she could only steam three
aud a half days, instead of thirteen, as in-
tended. If the French have many more such
vessels, the English need give themselves very
little concern about French competition for
the dominion of the deep.
The speaker said, also, that the engines placed
in ships Of the-iine were SO very unequal In
power, ranging from 500 10 1000 horse power,
that IL would be found impossible for them to
com biue their movements. He named six first
rate frigates, which cost each three millions,
which would neither sail nor steam j and ten
other smaller frigates, all constructed AT once,
on the same principle had all proved equally
detective. The Legislature had voted two
hundred and thirty five millions for the Navy
and he hoped it might not all be spent in the
same way. The gunboats, he said, foundered
in a light breeze, and the new transports
made TO carry one thousand men each to
China, cost as much as a ship Of the line, and
had only four guns to defend themselves with
In time of war they must be laid up or cap
tured.
Such facts AS these may tend to tranqpilize
the perturbed minds of England on the SUBJ
iect of a French invasion. In former days
the French sh D. builders were remarkable for
the excellence of their models, though at no
time have their seamen shown mi UGH aptitude
for their vocation. 1t would seem now, from
the statements of the Vicomte DE kRRNRGUER,
that the French do not succeed as well in con.
dS sailing NtsStls, anu, IL
will be recollected that, at the naval review at
CherbourS, a great contrast was observed be-
tween the lightness, compactness and ship
shape appearance in general, OF the English
vessels, and the clumsy and unwieldy aspect
of the French. The main dependence Of Eng
land for defence must be her Navy, and If she
will increase that, she Will act more wisely
and efficiently than by appropriaung vast
sums for terrifying particular points, when
no one can tell where, any more than when a
French invasion will be attempted, and when
no fertilization that England can build could
withsta the science OF French engineers and
the courage of French soldiers. Once let Ma
PoLEoN land hundred thousand men on any
part of the coast of Great Britain and Ireland
and be able to keep his communications open
by sea, and the tight little island" would be
"lost Pleiad" in ten days. Nothing saves
her from NAPOLEON but her walls of oak, and
if she strengthens and increases these, she Will
need no other Notifications.