The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-25

in our columns of yesterday the pubic had an oppor
tunty Of learning the exact strength Of that navy with
whch-f the American dispute should admit better
adlsment-we may presently have to cope. The force
Will not be thought very formidable one More than
halt the list is composed Of vessels which we should
ior utterly useless, except perhals, TO be kno'xcd 70
pieces targets by new artillery Sailing ships
have long ceased to count on this side OF the Atlantic as
effective elements Of naval power. Even raddis
wheel steamers are hardly thought at for serious
work. We require that all mcn-of-wa should
be propelled by the screw, and are beginning to be-
cve, also, that they be bult Of IRON However TO
dismiss the latter condition for the present. and to say
nothing OF Warriors and Black Princes we can hardly
nd in The whole navy OF the federal States aozen worthv
antagonists There just SIX good frgates and
six good soops the remainder Of the oet
being composed OF craftby no means numer0us-carry
ing six guns less There Is tho whole feet Of the North
republc--the whole navy Of that government which
Il but too probably thinking to beard Great Britain
the seas The Americans have not got single efficient
neo; battle ship, and their strength in smaller vessels
is hardly appreciable by the sieo snch marine 40
ours The Of single ono Of ports could
send ont stronger force in u week or two.
Nevertheless, il would be mprudent in the extreme.
not ony matter Of principle but with special regard
10 the before if allowed ourselves to de-
spiSe the power the Americans at We have done
this once before paid the Of our thought
lessness Tho Americans enterprsng, intrepid and
singulay quick in discerning unexpected chances Of ad
vantage. They know exactly where 10 strike with the
greatest effect and how make every stroke go as
posi- Il never their system to MAINTAIN great
fleets Of three deckers TO meet enemys sq1adros
line Of battle Their navy list contains such officer
Admiral They forget, perhaps that ninety gun ship
Of the present Gay Is nimbe a frigate, but we
have 10 doubt that If thoy determine going
with they will give our heavy suairons wide BERTH
aud concentrate their efforts upon single ships to which
they will give the greatest speed and most powerful
mamen attainabe. These vessels they will send
cruise for prey and thus it may possibly happen that
while ore infinitely powerful in aggregate
forco, and are maintaining apparently complete su-
prcacy on the sea- our ships may be captured in iso
lated combats simply because enemy weaker upon
the whole clever enough TO be stronger the points
OF contact.
Yhis is precisely the system which tho Amer cans
pracsised SO successfully ity, years ago. We were
then. rs now far stronger than they. The fleets
not DO compared with each other, but as we had
a aaoiner hna much more inimr.nnt war upon our
hands ut the same e and had been led TO updervaue
our transatlantic enemies, thought their business
cod be settled by few Of the sloops and frgacs which
had done good service in the twenty years last past
The Americans, however, far ahead Of such
matters. They had that sloops and rigates might
be bt upon models far formidable than those in
and they provided themselves accordingly. These
vessels they sent out to cugage old ones and tho
results fully justified the speculation. When tho British
trigatc Macedonian me. the American frigato United
states II found that the match between the two
gel, was only in name In tonnage, and weight Of
broadsdc the American was more than half a. strong
again ~ we were, ana so, Of course, our sup was
;akea. with smaller vessels it was Just the same. Tho
British soop Reindeer fell in with and attacked tbs
American soop Wasp. II proved that the Wasp, yea
sci Of 53s tons carried ll3 men, and threw 1888 pounds Of
shot AZ bro,dside. The Reindeer, nom!nally just
match for her, 3S5 tons with crew OF ninety eight
aud broadse Of 1913 pounds SO that she, too, became
przs 10 the enemy at time when we ancied We were
ri ing the waves without a rival
These two actions are specimens of the victories
Of winch the Anericals boast with perfect justice
!, was greatly TO their crciis that they should
have discerncd and improved the only chance Of
suc,ess against an antagonist superior There ia no
greater proof Of strategy, either on land sea,
ihan Is given when tho weaker OF two beligeI snts
renders himself the stronger az the point Of attack Ma
poco used compress the whole OF war into that
on, principles and the Americans, may be sure viii
eueavor play again the game which answered so well
before. They viii avot! collision with is where
strong, and seek II where We may possibly be weak All
tie ingenuity oil most ingenious people VIII be taxed TO
discover some pon, at which may be found unox-
pectcdly vulnerable, or TO devise invention
which may revolnionze the existing system OF naval
warfare. II must be confessed that in their civil
they have not made much display Of these resources
but in the years immediately preceding the schism they
wore not quite unmndfu OF their principles The fact
k. they sol the example IN many Of our naval
Improvements, though they would incur tho ex-
pense OF developing their CONCEPTIONS The rigates
which they launched in 1855, and Of which they actsy
have six, the productions which us 10 work
Orlandos Merseys and they got new species Of
ordnance before did, though Is hard 70 believe that
the Dahgren gun is equal TO the Armstrong 1t snown,
too that they began building great steam some
novel pan though the project seems to have been abau
doned and this instant they preparing for service
A"ssmisubmergsd marine battery" which, IL Is found