The New York herald., 1863-05-17
the AMERICAN QUESTION.
The Iron. CIads at Charleston.

The Iron. Clads at Charleston.
h the House Of Lords the S0th Of April the Earl OF
HARpwcxE put question with regard to the
tnuation Of the works the forts at sphead He said
that previous session Of Parliament very conside
rabie sum Of money placed at the disposal Of the
Grown for the purpose OF the deences OF
works Of @
purpose Among these works was OF great cost at
spithead but alter the expenditure Of very large
of money, and when the work was nearly ompleed. q
great difference OF opinion arose IN tho public mind In
respect to the expsdency Of carrying on the work and
,noney-perhaps about sloo 600, though he did not
being acted on by time Should it be sus
pended much longer the public money expended on II
on the other the Atlantic the port OF Charles
ton occurrence which had awakened public attention,
and induced him TO take the opportunity OF pressing the
government declaration 70 their intentions In re-
ference the future Of the work be had alluded
TO- fortress had always bad from the most ancient times
the advar over ships He could cite an immense num-
Der showing that from the beginning TO the end
nxcs artillery and fortress mad the advantage over
sbis They had proof OF this In what occurred the
other day n America whether the attack real al
tack he could not pydsNd TO say, and what was The
uc history Of OF the defence they
OF them az yet exactly but two points
uuqucsonab ensmely, tsdt very heavy ships ,osrs com
pietsy Tea es and obliged retire Under these
stances he ventured 70 bring 20
vcrumeut the position In which the question now stood
events proved Ina, the was The m ster Of
The ship and he therefore gged to AK whether
The intention Of the 10 proceed with the plans
fprtucations ut Portsmouth
The puke Of soxKR VI said bill passed through Psrla
lnent year by virtue of which certain
fed IN the schedule and no others 70 be carried
After good deal OF discussion in the House Of Commons
II was agreed that the construction of the forts spit
head were be not entirely abando cd, but suspended
for time In regard TO what had occurred NJ Charles
Con IL was thing that the American GOrenHlent
haf intended 70 carry ovt apartment for our bn,t
connection wh his subject they could not hare done
nins ors e ne pc,nt ns d,snse .a%sn our fo,,s 9'
yard, ant aerSprtng The chdr,s re dNdnes tewe,n
rr S,ntr dnd Fort uopie ,oould BE- found 10 s ioo
thousand yards also. In both cases there Oas strong cur
rent aud in bo certain fdctiSt ~ dpprodching IN
Be- NE of oIsrtcrgHe attack ~
G ihip Mt, and other similar cortrtudnces talked Of
1p ecr., had dsked them nv the experiment hey
roi haze seectd pdee Hi, be Jr Chdrlston
foi RAJ prpose With regard TO the yessels eploye IN
The attack might remembered that fourteen months
were told that thty had built the Monitor by
uqra;ro 10 The Brush Admirufy II csrriniu ,ors oSsrf
wcrning tie first shs nth Gale NJ ,o.rl
T. "a baiom (Hoar. hcar.) They built more Monitors,
aud had they built them more strongly and o. better
class should have had interesting experiment
and should have known better what plated vessels
could do against forts The experiment therefore, was
not quite satisfactory. We did not know exactly the
sort 81 guns that useda very important thias In
forming an opinion upon that experiment II quite
clear, however that those vessels eomple,siy q,
ysae and that another Monitor sunk 20 far II had
been very decidedly IN favor Of the forts With regard
20 spthead money could be spent the forts there
present But II would be shortly necessary 10 como 10
Parliament FOR a grant OF mon y, and That made n
desirable that this question o. We spheed forts should
summer months ought not TO he allowed 10 be o., He
hoped short time the government would be eUle 10
inform Parliament what should propose 10 do tHoar
The Earl OF DKRBy said he understood the nhe ndSi
70 say that the Circumstances AT Charleston and sphcat
were precisely similar and 10 speak of The distance
two thousand yards But he (the Earl Of Dcrby) though
the injury which had been inflicted the iron PLATED
vessels inflicted after they entered the harbor, At
distance from the forts vary from three hundred u
fyc hundred yards. That was an important element u
gonsidoring the subject.
The Duke of SOMERSET said, Ear az the charts went
rd a. FAR he could Ike out, the vessels az the
J2ni mus, nive been very nearly SIX hundred yards
from Fort Sumter md the other forts been al
smuch greater distance When he spoke Of two thou
saod yords lie meant the distance from one forl "
Rnohor.
Earl GRyr sad Ne believed the iron plated ships en-
p5ycd Charleston we're bg OH accounts inferior resls
tnyet they - far protected tho that scarcely apy
Sne board was injured by the tremendous Gre. wa,
not that the case Wac not true that Charleston wa,
sAM lyse Pes ll9p ,hs place where ae sesiOp leot