The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-31
PRICE TWO CENTS.
Something abcut FTseships.
from The n. o. P.caynlne.T

most critical luncture just as the Manasss
seemed IN imminent danger of capture.
Fireships have always had a place in ths
list of recognized implements of naval war
fare. Vessels, OF this character were effee-
lively used by he Rhodians in their war wi tn
the Syrians, hundred years before the com.
mencement OF the Christian era, aceor,iing
10 Livy. The English also employed tnans In
their engagefnent IS with the famous Spanish
armada, IN l3sS, and very eftsc sc:ively, too
PREVIOUSLY, In the course of the long war be
tween spain ana the Netherlands, they wt'fe
USED, wIia fearful effect, in the defence OF the
ciIy OF Antwerp, to facilitate the capture OF
which the Duke of Parma constrnctad a great
bridge across the Scheldt. Sent adrist down
the stream, they came in ccutsct wi III the
nNdge, aud exploding, carried terrible de-
struction into the ranks Of the s,pantar,i
In TINS very century fireshi;ls have been
e!fectualiy employed by the Greeks in their
strnsSie Tor Independence against the Turks.
Inc purpose TO be accom- piishrd LY these
vessels is Two foii the original and priticips,I
OBJECT being 10 carry fire among the enemy's
neet. The firesh p is filled with innatanlu-
bic materials so arranged as TO be easily tx.
hiteo, ana being ntyigated as near as faay be
TO the vessels towards which il is directed
these materials are set fire, and The shi y is
deserted by the crew. The chief object To be
attained Is That the ship shall be- in com p'ete
con1iagfatIon, rs she drifts near the vessel To
be attacked. Besides this, they ara some
tunes so arranged as to explode WEea near
or III contact with tae fleet. Graphing irons
are sometimes placed upon tireslips to enable.
tnosc navigating them to hook th,s vessel they
would attack, aid so secure its destrueton
When, III l5sS, the much -yGunteG SpanisL
armada came Into the British chan aeI for the
purpose OF invading Lagiand and subdHing
the reVoited Netherlands, aHd was living IA,
those narrow straits, between Dover and
Cdiais, and along that low, sandy shore-onr
hundred and thirty ships, the graa ter mum
Der OF lheLn the largest and ncst heavily
armed III the world--face 10 face, and scarce
out of cannon shot, with an English firet of
etoops and fIigates, ali far less IN size, ana
immensely inferior III armalnents, one of ia G
brave sailors, IN lucky moment remem-
Bered something ne had heard four wears be-
fore OF the itGeships sent by the Antwerpers
against Parma's bridge. This Intrepid sea
dog, Sir William Winter by name, su gges ted
to the Commander of the iieet that some STRAIT
ageIn OF the kind should be attempted against
Philips "invincI BILE arm ada
The italian Giani celli, who had inyen ted
the ships alluded to, aud who had ever since
been held in holy horror a devil dealing
wizard, by tue superstitous Spanish soldiers,
happened at the very In oment to be construct
ing fortifioati0ns on the Thames, and Wioter
shrewdly thought that the nowiedge CT this
tact would greatly increase the panic win
which IL was his iTcject TO afiliet the Spanish
feet
The plan was adopted and we make some
interesting extracts from Giotley's His tory of
the United Netherlands, to show with what
effect:
Il was decided that Winters suggestion
should be Immediately acted upou, aud Sir
Henry Palmer was sentin pinniice to Bower,
10 bring oil q number of old vessels, fl 10 he
itreu, together, with q supply OF light wood,
rosin iphur and other cornbustibles most
adapted TO the purpose. r as The
twilight deepeueC, the moon became tot4iiv
obscured, darh cloud masses spread over the
heavens. At an houF past midnight il was
SO dark that il was difficult for the most prac-
uced eye to pierce far into the gloom But !,
faint dip of oars now Strucl, the ears of The
Spani1rds rs they watched from the decks.
4 few min IN tes afterwards the sna bec;tm =
suddenly luminous, and six flaming vtss.i :
appeared at;t slight Iii tance, bearing steudi
iy down upon them, before the wind and tide.
Ihere were men in the armada who had
been at the siege OF AntWerp only three YEA IS
before. They remembered with horror the
devil-ships OF dnibeIli, those tloatigc vol
canoes which mad seemed TO rend earth md
ocean, whose explosion had laid SO many
thousands of soldiers dead at a blow and
which had shattered the bridge and floating
forts OF Farnese, as though they had been TOYS
CT glass. They knew, too, that the famous
engineer was At that moment in England.
In a moment, One of those Terrible p4nics
which spread withsuch contagious rapieity
among large bodies OF men seized upon the
SpaniardS. There was q yell throughout the
fleet, ''the fireshjps OF Antwerp. the freshi
of Antwerp And IN an instant every g, HE
was cut, and frantic attempts were made by
each galleon and galease to escare what
seemed iln mineH destruction. The confusion
was beyond description
Four or five of the largest Of the spanish
ships became entauged with each other.
Two others were set fire by the flaming
vessels and were consumed Medina Sidonia
the commander of the fleet, who had been
warned, even before his departure from
Spain, that some such artince would probably
be attempted, gave or
ders, as well as might b., thai every ship, If
ter the danger should he passed, was to
return 70 it's post and await his further or
HprS. Bat it QSPia a mn pf
unreaS0niug panic TO issue commands The
despised Gisuibeili, who had met with so
many rebuifs at Philips court, and who,
owing 10 official incredulity, had been bu par
TALLY successful in his m3 gnficent enterprise
At Antwerp, had now Inflicted more damage
on FhliIps armada than had hitherto been
accomplished by Howard and Drake, II ew.
KISS and frobisher combined.
So long as night and darkness lasted the
confusion and uDroar continued. When thu
morning daWned, several of the Spanish YES
sells lay disa Died, while the rest of the fee
was seen II dlStln CO of two lea CUES from Ga.
lais, driving towards the Flemish coast
The eauthor describes viyidiy the wreck pro
duced oy this expedition Of the fireshiEs o
the squadron or galeases, "the largest ant
most splendid vessel in the armada the show.
ship of the feet, the very glory and STAY O
the Spanish Navy" and which, .'during III,
previous two days, had been visited by grea
numbers of Erenchnen from the shore
This was, III eflect, simple rs was the cor
4
| the spanish Kings inyineible armada,
which was sent forth from Lisbon, but a sh OF
| time before, for the conquest of England ant
Holland. There Were skirmishes ard engage
ments between the Heets, afterwards O
greater or less account. But this panic as
| sisted 10y the fury of the elements whicl
| Providence sent as the powerful allies o
Eliza beth and the tates, was its ruin SSol
| after, as says the historian, "the coasts @
| Norway, Scotland, ireland, We're strewn Will
| the wrecks of that ponpous fleet, whiel
| claimed the dominion of the seas with til
| bones of those iryinchIe legions which wer
| 10 have sacked London, and made En- land
| Spanish vice royalty" And again, "this wa
| the result of the In v;tsion, SO many wears pre-
| pairing, and at an expense almost incalcu liable
| And with all this outlay, and with the sacri
nee OF SO many iiyS, nothing had been &C
complished ans ) iUhn, in II moment, instea
! of seeming terrible 10 all the world, had be
| come ridiculous"
| WESTMINSTER PALAcg-Wcstminster Pal.s
is falling into premature old age Worame
| are constantly engaged in trying TO arrest III
progress of decay. The London Neaes SAYS
| The freseoes i'll the lobby leading to III
| committee rooms of the House of fforn,nor
are curiosities of art. The artists by whor
| they were painted must feel a little, hewi
| defed now on viewing their handiwork
| Those fresroes--tlluStratiye Of passages in tb
| writings of famous British poets--:,re rapid
| assuming the appearance of dissolving yiewi
| What were intended to be memorials of a
| In future ages are vanishing within a decad,
| The figures representing English rivers seer
| very eharacteristically TO be done in wat.
4 tf.V In 49, u