The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-01-17
THE MONSTER IRON CAsED FRIGATE WAR.


by the Senate.
General Scott thinks that there will not be any
collision.
THE MONSTER IRON CASED FRIGATE WAR.
RI0R.
DESCRIPTION OF THE sHIP-HER POWERS OF RESIST
ANCE -EXPERIMENTs WITH A NINETY FOUNDER.
From the London Times Dec. 3l.1
This formidable iron cased frigate, the largest
man-of-war ever built, and more than 500 tons
larger than the largest vessel in the world after the
Great Eastern, was safely launched into the river
on Saturday. The launch OF one vessel is like the
launch OF every other-the same first steady and
and then hurried rush into "the native element"
and II is finished. The Warrior was not expected
to cer any very peculiar feature in her first TAX
ing to the water, but nevertheless the ceremony
seemed to excite unusual interest, and So in spite
of the intense cold and thick snow which Law over
everything, the yard of the Thames Shipbudng
Company was crowded with many hundreds of la.
dies and gentlemen anxious to the first start of
this lnvulnerable frigate. At one time it seemed
extremely probable that all these anxious specta-
tors would be disappointed of the expected cere-
mony, for the w arrior not only did not GO off the
slip at once, but only got to move ut all after
some delay, and the exertion of all sorts of com.
pulsion. Sir John Pakington himself named the
ship, the first time, believe, since the launch of
the Thunderer, that that ceremony has ever been
performed to a man-of-war except by a lady,
The vessel was duly named and told to 90 to its ele-
ment, but this the Warrior seemed most reluctant
to do The intense frost of the previous night had
'WayS'
that nothing would move her. Hydraulic presses.
which are always kept fixed and ready in case OF
such contretenlp8, were worked and pumped to the
utmost they would bear, heavy gun was fired on
her upper deck to start her by conclusion but in
vain; she only moved slowly for a few inches. VIXEN
the frozen grease on the slips brought her up again
fast as ever. The tide at its height and it was
evident that if she did not start in few minutes
she could not be launched until the next spring
tides. hawser was made fast TO a powerful tug
hundreds of hammers made the WAYS yibrate
while the men on board ran from side to side to
start her, but all to no purpose. At last two other
tugs came TO the assistance of the first, and ortu-
nately their united efforts were successful The
arrlor moved little slowly, then stopped then
started again, and gaining momentum as she de-
scended slid rapidly down into the water, and was
safely ahoat just as the tide began to fall
Ut course, in her present extremely light draupbt
OF water, it is difficult to Judge how She will appear
when brought down to her load line. As far, how
ever, as can now be seen, she WILL when finished be
one OF the most superb and from her extremely fine
lines fore and aft, of the lightest looking frip
ates in the world. When in sea.goinp trim, her
main deck portsis will be about eight and one half
ieet from the water and in this respect she possess
SEES an immense advantage over her French rival
La Ulolre, whose ports are only five feet nine in
ches-much too near the water to make her guns of
any use in sea way. In point of speed, also. the
Warrior will probably be unrivalled even bv that
wonderfully fast frigate the Ariadne, or her sister
the Galatea Among other improvements the War
gently needed for years-an improvement on the
cumbrous and awkward ships gun carriage Those
which will be furnished to her have the stands fixed
the gun running backwards and forwards in slide
with pivot for training the gun fore or aft placed
about the centre of the gun. The ADVANTAGE of
this Is that it will allow the present wide porthoes
to be reduced to half their width without at all in
tertering with the range of the gun fore and aft
Thus the portfolios of the Warrior will be three feet
seven inches high, and only two wide, instead of
four-a reduction which, Of course diminishes by
onehalf the chance of shot or shell entering the
aperture. For the space of nearly two feet also
all round the ports, the armor plates are seven in
ches thick instead of four and half.
The result of the experiments made by Mr. Whit
worth with his ninety FOUNDER gun and fat-headed
shot against the iron sides of the floating battery
Trusty, showed that under favorable ciTcumstan-
ces as to steadness of ship and point blank range
he could send the projectie through one side of
four-inch iron vessel. Many shots were fired on
that occasion. One, owing to a very trifling mo-
ton OF the Trusty, which was moored at Southend
glanced from her side in fame of fire, turned up
and went clear over her. The others all went
through the four-inch iron, but only one went so
completely through the oak tmbers inside as to
fall dead on the main deck. Yet these oak timbers
were merely nominal protection, inasmuch as
they were rotten to powder, and the "beams'
could be torn away in handfulls of yellow DUST
This rapid decay always takes place when armor
plates are laid over wood. Rotten as they were
however, so much had the passing through the
four-nch iron stopped the momentum of the projec-
tile, that they quite sutficed to prevent it going
through into the main deck. Mr.. Whitworth him
self admits that through five inch iron plates
backed up by twenty inches of solid teak it would
be almost impossible to send a shot; and it is not
uniar therefore, to conclude that the sides of the
Warrior practically invulnerable to any
artillery yet known that can be brought against
them.
The SlGNIYG OF THE CHINESE TREArY-The Lon
don Times correspondent writes as follows:
The ratification of the treaty took place with
much rHmr- At the appointed day, Lord Elgir
ree a 'nG ey G G5sqt FILED the
| glimpse of The "Great Barbarian" Business was
commenced by Lord Elgin telling Mr.. Wade to
hand the translation of his full powers to Kung
with the request to see his in return. Prince Kung
said his were not full, but equally ample as &c
powers, and gave Lord Elgin the Emperor's decree
conerring on him full powers to negotiate and con
cude peace and also to aiX the great seal of the
Empire as ratification to the treaty. The conYen
ton was signed, each Plenipotentiary afIixing his
| seal.
| The treaties were then exchanged, Kung sealing
1t with the great seal of the Empire, certifying un
der his seal and signature that the ratification Of
the treaty had been duly effected and that afixipo
the great seal of the Empire meant the acceptance
| by the Emperor of all the conditions and RESPONSE
| biities contained in the treaty
A few interchanges of good wishes for the results
| OF the treaty, passed between Lord Elgin and
! Prince hung, the latter remarking that many mis-
takes had been made heretofore in their intercourse
with foreigners, but he had now taken it into hi:
own hands, and he hoped new state of thing:
| would commence.
Lord Elgin then rose; Kung walked short dis
lance across the platform, and then stopped; Lord
Elgin did so likewise, and it was only after vigor
Gus reckoning of the Mandarins attending on Kune
ard Lord Elgin stopping that Kung was induced
alter few hesitating pauses, to accompany him to
the edge of the dais.
Prince Kung, halfbrother to the Emperor, i:
about % years old. His face is that of capricious
dissolute, used up Oriental-not improved perh apps
| by the victories of the "Barbarians."
Major Anderson is a native of Buckingham Co.
| va. lie married the daughter of Gen Clinch, Of
Ca, in which he is said to own a large landed and
| slave property.