Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-07-08
The Knrll.L end Amerinan Nnrir..

Not long since, when theprospeci Of con-
quering the rebellion were not favorable.
and the peace men Of the North were max
ing prOdigious efforts to break down the
power Of the Government, the New York
World published complete list of the war
vessels Of the English Navy, with the very
evident design Of frightening the Union
men into giving up the contest with the
rebels; lest England, with all this arrsv Of
ses dogs, should interfere and DESTROY our
navy in the twinkling Of an eye. The COP.
Psrhead paPers Of the land copied the ex-
hibit commenting upon it in the same
strain that the World had employed. The
list was certainly formidable one, and if
we were in the position that the beginning
Of the war found u5 in, we might well be
sghast at any prospect of Intervention.
But two conscientious take away very
much of the imaginary danger, viz: the
size and increase Of the American NAVY.
and the fact that while England has a
host Of war vessels, she has also a multi
tude Of distant colonies which those vessels
must guard. They are the national police.
traYersing their beats upon the highways
Of the ses, and visiting their statiOn-houses
upon almost all habitable spots of the
globe. This entire force cannot be con-
centrated without exposing the colonies
which Great Britain has been at such inf
mite pains and scheming to establish.
But let US look at The baro condition of
the two nsViss, in numbers and capacities.
AT these different naval stations Great
Britain has $50 vessels, carrying 2,257
guns, Her screw steamers in commission
amount to $50, with g S51S guns. Her ssiline
VesseIs numDsr o., with 6b4 guns. She
has I69 screw gunbosts, with 4SO guns. She
has 90 sailing vessels not in commission,
with q ,SSl guns. The tonnage of her paddle
steam vessels is 1880 She has 42 vessels
under construction, with ], ,Os8 guns. She
has IL vessels partly iron-clad, with S6I
guns, and 10 wooden vessels, armor-clad,
with 2O7 guns. Besides these she is said
to have 200 mortar and gun boats. Here
is tremendous array, which, without re-
Fiction, is enough to stsrtle the timid read
er. But, with very few exceptions, what
are these vessels Only old fashioned
wooden vessels, which would not stand
half an hours fighting with an American
Monitor. The rebel ram Fingal, or Allan
ta, which was provided with an armor
that was considered perfectly invulnerable,
was forced to speedily succumb to the mon
itor Weshawken. What need We fear
then, from the "woOden walls of Eng
land 2"
The Register of the United States Navy
up to July, 1868, shows that since the war
broke out nearly 14O vessels have been
constructed expressly as men-of-war, of
which nearly fifty are irOn-clsds. In This
fact, rather than the number actually in
commission at any one time, is found the
naval power of our Government Naval
power does not consist so much in the num-
Der Of vessels ahoat as in the power to
rapidly construct more. Improvements
are constantly coming to light, and the
people which can the more readily adopt
and apply these improvements, is the one
most to be feared. The fifty iron.clads
since the war broke out, are
Of moro value than one hundred wooden !
vessels such as we're then in use.
The total number Of vessels now regis |
tered in the navy are about $50, of which
BIG have been purchased, leaving the " reg
uiar navy" to consist of 2O4 vessels, di-
Vided as follows:
screw sIoopa - eoI Ranoz q