The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-08-23
The Modern Art or War.
II DIFFICULTIES OF BLOCKADE IN A PROFESSIONAL

The Modern Art or War.
THE DIFFICULTIES OF A BLOCKADE IN PROFESSIONAL
| POINT OF VIEW,
Hars august y correspondence OF london Army nnd
Navy Gazette.1
Admiral Iagravisre one Of his works, referred 70 N
my last letter asks what WILL be the influence OF steam
upon blockades. With sailing vessels u blockade was
often broken sometimes the weather drove the block
aiding squadron out 10 or thick fog came on and
rents had 10 be guarded against we'll sudden changes
OF wind which might at any moment bring weasel under
with steam these dangers are greatly modified II they
have not altogether disappeared Blockades will for
the future be much strictly Observed and the feet
will be able 10 lilo Just out OF the range Of the exterior
forts. But tho new vessels they do not require the
same delicate handling and constant anxiety regard to
the weather, are Aot so independent the old sailing
ships fhy sIaues substance ,ctich they
tudHy deotNisg and which must therefore be continu
ally renewed. No matter how ceverly managed, the
hour must arrive whom steam vessel will find herself
outoi coal For steam vessels to keep up blockade II
VIII DO necessary either to have constant relays OF war
SHIPS or TO depend upon transports whose arrival could
never be depended upon with anything ike certainty
IRON PLATED WAR SHIPS AND THEIR POWER or RE
SISTING sIfOT-THE AMERICAN IDEA OF "sMAsH-
ING BLOW" AT LOW VELOCITY IN FAVOR In
| ENGLAND.
[From tho London Army and Navy Gazette August 81
The important question, whether ships Of be
built wholly of iron with advantage and Increased nvu
nerabity still engages the earnest attention Of the Iron
Plate Committcc and tho experiments carried on at Shoe
buyness in the carly part Of this weercports of which
have appeared In of the daily papcrhave thrown
additional light upon this very interesting subject,
In some experiments which recorded lin these
columns fortnight ago. it will be recoiiecod that
backed six and half inch plates employcd-this
thickness corresponding in weight to the four and half
inch plates and eighteen inch teak backing with which the
Warrior Is furnished On this occasion the result of tho
experiments was upon the whole unfavorable to tho
tire substitution Of iron for wood In ship building But
the advocates Of this sweeping change nevertheless looked
forward with confidence to tbs experiments which it
known would shortly be made against target invented
by Mr. Fabairn These experiments or on Monday
and Tuesday last AS this target somewhat novelty
Slight description of may be necessary consists of
three parts the iron ribs after the fashion of the wooden
ones usually employed in ship building skn" Of three
fourths Of inch Of iron in place of the teak upon which
the Warriors armor Is fastened; and iron plates Ave
inches in thickness and measuring specifically two feet
by ten The plates fastcn, to the 'skin by
Of "apped screws" passing through tho skin
from the inside and and fourth inch
the back Of tho plates Tho popularity Of this target
twofold Consisting, hrst IN the novel method employed
OF fastening the iron plates secondly in the substitution
Of an iron 'skin backing for wooden The mass
which thus presented itself to the shot extremely
solid and unyeidng and possessed the results Proved
! extraordinary powers Of resistance.
Without giving exactly the account Of the different pro-
ectles discharged against Mr. Fairbanks target
bracng nearly everything from forty pound shol to
two hundred pound shot, at ranges Of from hundred 10
eight hundred yards we may state that the amount OF
pommelling inflicted tremendous, while APP to GER
tain point the damage done very slight The plates
themselves remained throughout almost intact and
time seemed though invulnerable structure had at
last boon procured Tho target however went at last,
the comparatively uninurcd plates stripping from the
skin, owing to the fracture of the by which they
fastened to it, The shock of the conclusion was so
great that the divided completely TWO,
| cut by machinery and when ono or two plates had
peeled Off in this manner tho target Of course possessed
| little or no power Of resistance
We have mentioned in the course Of our remarks tho
employment Of two hundred FOUNDER shot; this ire
mendous projectile was discharged from one hundred
FOUNDER Armstrong gun, with view OF discovering II
large masses discharged with low velocity, do not pro
duce more material damage than the punching
blow given by lighter projectie fired with high velo
city. Tho experiment certainly favorable to tho
former theory. For some abe and interesting remarks
upon this subject may refer readers to q work
called Sea Coast Defence" by Major Barnard OF the
American Engineers, which noticed in these columns
month two back Major Barnard thoroughly discuss
cd the relative value Of "smashing blow" and the
sharp, penetrating blow which have been tho habit
OF taking the greatest pains to obtain We are happy to
believe that our own arerymen are coming round to
| AtHJor Barnard's way Of thinking in this matter.
A0RAND EXPERIMENT TO BE- MADE ON AN IRON PLAT
ED FLOATING TARGET.
lFrom the Londonderry (lreand) Sentinel, August 3d.
The Admiralty going TO try tho effect Of shot and
shell on broadside, manufactured like the Warrior.
This will be target nifty foe long by feet high with
the Warrior itself and will DO pounded At till destroyed
1t is stated that the iron sides the Admiralty
beam and with better floor than either tho Warrior
Black Prince. They to be Of 1900 instead Of $500
TONS and this additional 900 tons and greater mdshp
section will enable thom to carry armor plates all
! from stem to stern.
Stations Of a Portion OF tho British North
American Fleet.
From the Army and Navy Qondon) Gazette August 81
Nile, ninety, steam liner flag ship OF Rear Admit
raj Sir Alexander Mne X. C. b. Captain Edward K Bar
nard was at Halifax on the 18th ul.
Challenger, twenty-five, screw steam corvette, Captain
J. J. Kennedy G. b. was at Halifax the 18th ult.
Cygnet, five, screw steam gun vessel, Commander A.
I. Thrupp, was at Halifax on tho 11th uit.
Biadem, tirtytwo screw steam frigatc, Captain J. H.
Cockburn has been ordered to embark stores &c. for
Halifax and to proceed to reinforce the squadron the
West Indies.
Driver six, paddle wheel steam sloop Commander Ho-
ratio Nelson, was at Halifax the 18th ut.
Firebrand, six, paddle wheel steam soop, Commander
| James NJ. Bruce was at Halifax on the 18th ult.
| Rhf0o seventeen, screw steam s0op, Commander W.
NV Hewett, v G., which left Portsmouth the 2sth
Halifax had not arrived there at the time the
Valorous left, the 18th of July.
Sptcful, Six paddle wheel steam sloop Commander W.
- Wilson, tor the safety Of which some absurd
had been spread abroad by accounts received by
last West India mail safe In Port Royal harbor Jamaica
| and was under orders to proceed to the Havana.
Valorons, SIXTEEN paddle wheel steam gate, Captain
William C. Aidham c. b. arrived ut Spthead Wednes-
day. from North America and the West indies with pr
soncrs from the fleet that station, and military
nvalds She left Halifax for England on the 1lth Of July
She steamed into harbor at three r. NJ the day OF her
arrival to be paid of. We extremely sorry hear
that tine state of Captain Adhams health far from
factory he has never recovered from the effects of
severe wound inflicted upon him by band Of Mexican
murderers. The ship into Portsmouth harbor for
the purpose Of enabling the captain to be removed with
little fatigue and risk possible to asar Hospital which
was on Thursday The valorous subsequently left
Portsmouth for Devonpor where on her arrival she will
| be inspected and paid off,
An Imperial Loan from the People OF
France.
| NAPOLEON RECEIVES THIRTEEN TIMES MORE MONEY
| THAN HE ASKS FoR-rHE CLASSES OF sUBscRI-
| BERs AND CONFIDENCE IN THE IMPERIAL REGIME
from the London Post government organ) August IL
The French Minister of Finance has published second
report to the Empor the subject of the French Trca
sary bonds issued FOR tbs payment Of the promised
yentons to the railways. HI this additional report NJ de
FORBADE states at length the intentions
as TO tho acceptance and application of the Loan ,ho
Minister may we'll congratulate his master on the manner
In which this new species Of security has been
by the French public The subscriptions have exceeded
the amount Of the bonds less than thirteen times
The French government, in order stimulate railway
enterprise in their own country, had resolved to raise
sum Of f6,000,060, or $50 900, OO0f, on their
own guarantee interest Of Ave per cont This loan
was to be raised in the shape Of Treasury bonds Of tho
nominal value Of 500 francs each but which we're to be
issued at 440 francs The number Of bonds accordingly
amounted to COO But instead Of the subscriptions
being limited by the amount required by the government
for the assistance OF the railways the number of bonds
applied for by tho public has exceeded four millions The
government required in net value of 1872
0O6,0o0 francs, and the subscriptions reached the
oal@e Of 1000 900 600 francs This is one OF the