The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-04-22
The n1onitor an England.


jealous is England of her supremacy upon the
ocean, the news of the great battle between
the Merimac and Monitor, created an unu-
sual sensation in the " United Kingdom"
In the House of Commons on the Both ulti-
mo, there was an interesting debate on this
subject, which indicates that in the minds
of English statesmen, at least, naval war
fare has undergone complete revolution.
It.was urged by members that the immense
Notifications which have been commenced
at Spithead should be stopped at once, and
the money invested in iron clad vessels, as
being far more effective in protecting the
British coasts. The power and impregna-
bility of the Merrimac and Monitor, seems
of the Honorable speakers. On the contra
ry, their merits were fully recognized. Mr..
Gregory, in commenting on the matter
used the following language:
The recent event had solved the whole
question of colonial Notifications. Il was
positively throwing away money spend
il on Notifications in the colonies. These
iron vessels, built in ninety days, aud cost
ing only ESQ, 900, had guns of such ealibre
-tl.--S sl-vy q moot dangerous iuvndink
force. No Notifications now constructing
could beat them. But by building the same
kind of vessels the colonies might defend
themselves with less outlay. Our superior
ity on the American lakes would be very
much endangered by this new class Of YES.
sells. It had always been said that though
the Americans might overrun the border,
- {haxy
nut to crack but since the introduction of
these destructive instruments of warfare the
case was very different. If the WarrioT
had met the MerrimGc 1t 10ds matter Of
grave doubt sohstheT the GrguLdT-sided Oesseb
qcouId no: haze overcome her VeTticGL- sided
antagonist; but If the Warrior and Monitor
had met there is little doubt that the smaller
VeSseE 1ColsId haze plunged her shot into the
unprotected parts of the Warrior, and sOoHLd,
an fact, haze overcome the pride Of the Brit
ish many. He hoped the Government would
take this tremendous subject into consider
alton.
Lord A. Tempest, who claims to have
seen the Merrimac, asserted quite positively
that although she was a powerful vessel,
she was not calculated for anything but
smooth water. He regarded the Monitor
as more powerful because she had made q
voyage from New York to Fortress Monroe
in very rough weather. Mr.. Bright faVor-
ed the stoppage of all work on the land
Notifications. Whilst he agreed with other
gentlemen that nothing was to be assumed
as absolutely concluded by what had taken
place in James river, the probability was
that something had been concluded. He
did not require to be great naval authori-
ty to regard it as a very serious event.
The London papers also discussed the
great event with their usual warmth and
ability The Times is much obliged to Mr..
Ericsson in assigning his reasons for nam
ing his singular craft the Monitor, and &C.
knowledges that " this last Yankee notion"
merits all the attention which its author
claims for it, while the London Daily News
msditates, aloud on this momentous SUBJ
iect as follows:
The more we reflect upon the condition
of modern naval warfare the more we be-
come impressed with the ia that mobility
is the great element of success. In this
first lesson we see how the MerTimGc did
just what she pleased with ships that even
had they been iron-cased, would have only
got into the very same difficulties of posi-
ton by their want of power and their great
draught of water. And when the crucial
experiment was tried between the two IRON
sides, victory fell to the "queer-look ma
chine " that swan round its victim like a
duck, dealing fiery stabs into the vitals of
her much bigger antagonist.
The London Globe and Herald. regard
the fight I" as not much Of shower after
ALL They are satisfied that neither the
Merrimac nor Monitor are seaworthy. Ths
Herald is convinced that the Warrior with
all her faults far surpasses these transact
lantic attempts at iron ship building. When
it is remembered what is required to steer
the Warrior, and the difficulty experienced
in making the huge thing mind its helm
the statements of the Herald will only ex-
cite smiles of contempt on this side the
water.