Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1862-05-01
From the New York World.
War and Chemistry.

When Solomon declared there wa,
nothing new under the sun he must have
limited his meaning to the moral world
every phase of which is embraced and
illustrated by his proverbs to-day as il
was three thousand years ago. Or, as
to the material world, he may have af-
frmed that its elements would continue
the same, though new future combina-
tions among them might exist. Ger
tainly the wisest of men would have felt
his experience enlarged by the fore
knowledge of modern battle, or of a
gunboat chasing railroad train. Yet
it is as true as strange that many war
like appliances of this day are but rope
titions and improvements Of ancient
practice The terrible Greek fire re-
scmbles in many respects the Congreve
rocket. a combat between iron-clad
ships is only duel Of mailed knights,
magnifed and transferred to the sea and
the steam ram simply reproduction
with grander motive power, Of the
beaked triremes of old
| Still the science which is to make war
deadly, and the cost which is to make
it rare, are yet far from their climax.
Attack and defence have an ample range
before them, in inventions, for counter
poising development and rival waste.
Iron may, by and by, grow obsolete and
gunpowder futile, as stone and wooden
walls have already ceased to be invinci-
BILE, and the New York World of CEN
tury hence may record such battle as
the recent one in Hampton Roads in
terms something like these
The conflict between the Rebel cleo
trio propeller. the Sulphuric, and the
National vessel, the Muriatic, has ragged
during the last fortnight with undated
fury. From the lens-windows of our
Office observatory its progress is dis
tinctly seen and photographically re-
corded. Owing to an accident to our
calcium, by which its power at dis
tance beyond two hundred miles was
sensibly affected, we lost some Of last
nights details. The Rebel glass boats,
the Uric and Hippuric, are still hov-
ering about the action, though the ter
rife electric discharge inflicted on the
latter week ago by the Muriatic, which
stiAed and blasted half her crew, has
induced them to keep some ten leagues
distant, nearly out of range. The Sui
phuric has superior laboratory, and
continues to pour floods of acid from her
fifty vitrified tubes over the Muriatic's
decks, but the new platinum hose of the
latter gives her marked advantage in
replying. There are signs of deep cor
rosion in some of the bow plates of the
former, and the rudder of the Muriatic
is rapidly decomposing, having been
honey y-combed three days ago by for
tunate squirt from the Sulphuric's stern
tube. The supply Of chemicals, how
ever, in the Rebel vessel is evidently
failing, while the tanks of oil of vitriol
ordered by Governmen. this morning
from St. Petersburg are expected to ar
rive in time to replcnish the fluids of
tho Muriatic.
p. S. The gold plated two retort
battery, the Nitric, has just galvanized
herself into the Roads, and laid the
sulphuric close aboard. Her mail is Of
course imperyious. The Uric and Hip
puric are crowding all their electricity
and running out of the action. Strong
magnets have been hoisted at the fort to
draw them within range again.
LArER.-The Nitric has opened with
potassium and benzole. A concentrated
pour Of kakodyle from the Muriatic aid
ed her efforts, and the last of the crew
of the Sulphuric has just dashed over
board to escape suffocation, leaving her |
a helpless prize to the National vessels.
So perish all the enemies of the Repub-
lie =