The New York herald., 1863-02-18

tor. and dictate our destiny. And let all the
people say, Amen!
Our Harbor and Coast Defences.
We have lowering over us the prospect of
war with one of the most powerful nations of
Europe. Are we preparing for such an emer-
gency? No. Our harbors are totally unde-
tended against the advent of the strongly plated,
formidable war vessels of Napoleon, which, in
case of war betweeR this country and France,
would surely seek 70 enter our harbors and
lombard our great seaports Some few months
back we were almost brought into actual con-
hict with England; and any one must compre-
bend that, had President Licoin decided to hold
the traitors Mason and Slidell, the people of
the North Woald have thrown up their caps and
shouted for war. We were totally unprepared
then to repel the assaults of England's armored
men-of-war. Now. when at any moment we
may hear that Napoleon has recognized the
Davis government, and that our administration
considers such an act q declaration Of war; we
are no more prepared to repel the attacks of
France than we were those Of England.
And yet for months the possibility of
foreign war has been discussed in this journal,
and reiterated. demands made by us that our
harbor and coast defences should be carefully
attended to. We need iron-clad forts to
command the narrow channels which ap-
proach our harbor We need immense and
heavily armed floating batteries to render
our defence the more secure, and VIC
should at once. without moments loss Of
time, procure them. We have ample expe-
rience of the efficiency of armored forts and
batteries. In Charleston harbor our shells
reb0unded from tho hastily and imperfcctly
iron-clad batteries of the rebels without
making any impression upon them. But few
days since one Of our most formidable iron
men-of-war. the Montauk. fought for hours
with the iron-clad Fort MoAllister, and found
it almost a. inyulnerable Us herself. We
know that Napoleon has caused oil the
forts which line tbs coasts Of France to be
heavily armorcd, and that thus he has rendered
thom impregnable. England is following his
example. The rebels use all haste in making
their forts aud batteries safe by putting iron
amor upon them, and 1t Is only we Of the
North who idly wait FOR the moment when
powerful and determined enemy shall strike U.S.
Are we forsaken by Providence. or are we mad.
Will no experience suffice to render us alive to
our danger? Our enemies eagerly seize upon
all methods TO render their attack the more dead
ly. We await their onslaught with supineness
which is really becoming inconprehensible.
We call upon our administration b take some
Immediate steps in this matter. We must have
our great commercial cities safe from the at
tack of any enemy who might be taken with
the fancy to lay them in ashes. Slnalls FORTS
heavily clad with iron and armed with our i'm
mense ordnance, would render our city per-
fectly safe. But, then, we must have those
forts. and, until they can be constructed
batteries, however rudely and hastily thrown
up, must be made. We cannot remain idle,
awaiting, nay, inviting the assault of an enemy
We must prepare for all contingencies; and if
the government cannot attond TO this impera-
tive necessity tho people Of New York and
other seaports must themselves see that pro-
per defences are Immediately erected.
! mere accident saved us from the fearful
havoc which the Merrimac would undoubtedly
have committed had not the Monitor-a private
enterprise--appeared just at the nick of time
to save the government from immense loss and
the people from shameful reverscs. The event
should have taught wisdom to our Navy De-
partment 1T did not, however. The govern
ment should have proGted thereby That it did
not we are at liberty to assert, as we now find
ourselves upon the point of a foreign war,
while our defences are totally inadequate to
save us from its direful results We must, we
fear, as in the case of the Monitor, put our trust
in our own exertions, and leave the government
to its blunders and neficiency. Let the peo.
pie, then, take the matter in their own hands,
and let us have our harbors and coasts
rendered impregnable Selfpreservation is
o first law New York, the second, if
not the first, commercial city in the
world, is as open to the attack Of an enemy
az though iron-clad batteries and forts were
things as yet unheard Of Had we begun two
months since to render our harbor safe from
all assaults, to-day the thing would have been
accomplished. There is no time to be lost
Those who have material interests in the safety
and prosperity Of this city must look to It's
deiences Let us prepare. BY so doing we
will the more likely avoid the calamity.