The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-12-27
THE NEW YORK SUN
FRIDAY MORNING, DEo. 81, 1861


The English and Americas Navie-.
The English papers are busted, like ourselves,
in comparing the naval forces of England and
America and find great delight in the con-
trast Of their full grown strength with what
they esteem our infantile weakness.
They have 10 iron cased vessels, built or
tuildinpg we none, except few floating after
ice and two or three tmsll vessels, said to bo
buildiue in England. They have seven frgs' os
Of great spcod aud heavy armament, bull! to
cope with the first class frigates Of which we
bsvc six, inferior, the Eu.d sh claim. to theirs
in swif,ness though conceded to be, "masniii-
cent ships" Then they claim So screw fig.
ates of all sorts, TO our six; 40 corvcttes and
slocps TO our 9 corvcttes ard 20 smaller wee.
sals; and 80 paddle. sloops Of guns aud 10 Of
loss force, to 16 on cur side.
ETho contrast is not favorable one for us,
ard to make II still less consoling, the En sl,sh
declare that our Stevens Battery Is behind the
times, and our splendid friga'C, Niagara, use.
less ard powerless As q man Of war, being tho
roughly and hcpolesSly rsttcs in hor timbors"
OF their iron-cl,d ffigatcs il is to be rcmcm-
bcred, however, that but few arc yet ahcst, and
some Of those building will require Al least
twenty months before thoy can bo put aaoat,
and six months longer before thoy can bs put
into commission. Those new vessels arc to be
each 400 feet long, 59lS feet broad, and with
q tonnage Of 6,sl5. The iron coating is to be
6l2 inches thick, backed up with 10 inches Of
teak, ard half an inch Of iron inside all. These
outer plates will weigh 900 tons for each yossel
an enormom mass for ship to carry in addi-
ton to her ponderous engines stores, guns,
shot and shell. Each vessel IL estimated
to cost f6OO, 600, or $4,000, 900. Thcy are not
only to DO steam itisates but steam rams also
fer their bows project beneath the water 20 foot
In advance Of the apparent bows above. Tue
sidcs slope Inward from the waters edge at an
II cline Of l foot in ~. The advantage II that
shot will easily glance off, and the cargo Will
necoetarily he nearer tho center Of the hold and
diminish the tendency of the vessel to roll. Tho
armament for each is TO bo thirty six 100 0-pound.
or Armstrong guns on tho main deck, and II
OF the same on the spar dock, with two POO.
pouRders in the bows and piyot.gun of the
same size 10 the stern. Thoy will thus he en-.
abled at a single brosdside to throw ton and
half Of shot and shell to a distance of naarly
miles, II necessary. The Warrior is $50 feet
long Jo feet broad, and CLIO tonnage. Her
plates are ~ inches thick, and weigh $50 tons.
Iue isclinAirn Of hcr si'ei inward is foot in
10. Two I'D English wooden SHIPS are also
being plated with iron, but all authorities
agteo that Ihoy cannot last over ton yoarS.
In the matter of armament we think We shall
compare iaN orubly with thcm when We get
more Of our Pdirott aud similar guns aAoit,
notwitus anlihg their monopoly OF tho Arm.
strong gun. OF theao Armstrong guns l,G22
have been made aud proved from first to last
o which 7gG have been issued for service, the
remainder being kept in store.
Sir WILLIAM ARMSTRONG, in an article to
tho London TINES, contradicts most emphati-
cally tho repeated statements that his gun Ia
costly in the extreme, an average outlay Of
some E2, 900 beirg required for every cannon;
that it is, nevertheless, neither strong nor
durable instrument, but easily rendered unsor-
viceable, especially by rapid and continuous
firing that the vent pieces Of the gun are very
liable TO be blown away; tha. tho projectiles are
too dolicately const ructed to DO used With safo-
ty; and that the actual experience Of the Chi
nose war has shown the invention to be fail
ure.
On the contrary, he declares that tho heayl-
est of the Armstrong guns can be many lctured
at the rate of f6JO piece, instead of $4,000,
while the ordinary 12 pouRder costs less than
a third of that sum, and, so far from its easily
becoming unserviceablc, not one has ever burst,
and but 20 Of those made have been returned
for repairs.
With reference to the vent pieces, the in
ventor observes that tho vent piece is not ex-
pected to possess the same durability as the
rest of the gun. 1t is formed Of a separate
piece of metal, is removed every time tho gun
Is loaded, and is always issued in duplicate, by
way of providing against natural contingencies,
and Sir William roundly asserts that "no vent
piece would ever have been blown away had
the gunners known their drill from the hrst. v