The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-02-28

English Jealousy Or Our Iron-Clads.
Captain Tyler, Of the Royal Engineers, in
lecture before the United Service Institution,
delighted his hearers the other day by assuring
them that "the turrets Of the Monitors and their
port shoppers were effective principally in pre-
venting the guns from being worked" He
further stated that the report Of Secretary
welles respecting the Monitors confirmed the
worst estimate that we (the EnglIsh) had FORM
ed Of them" The unprejudiced lecturer fur
Their asserted that the only Union YES
sci that had ventured within seven hundred
yards of Fort Sumter-the Keokuk-had TO
be withdrawn In a sinking condition, and after
wards sank. "The eleven-iuch guns proved
too much for the eleven-inch turrets Of the
Monitors" added the lecturer, leaving his
hearers to infer that the Keolsuk was Monitor,
whose turret and hull had been riddled by
rebel balls.
Our readers will bear In mind that this state
ment was made on an occasion OF more than or
binary gravity, the subject under consideration
being the great national question OF harbor de-
fence and the Notifications at Spithead. Cap
tAin Tyler produced charts. showing that there
are three distinct channels, varying from one
thousand to three thousand yards in width,
open to An enemys vessels, which
channels, he said, could not be OBJ
sructed; yet, as the Kcokuk had been
sunk at distance OF seven hundred yards,
these channels could not be entered by our
iron-clads. We will not attempt to dspel
Captain Tyler's pleasant dslusion, nor question
the SCUM dness OF bis argument. Our object is
simply to point out that he has grossly mis-
represented our naval achic The fact
is, our cousins begin to understand what our
impregnabe turrets and their port shoppers
are good for. Hence their annoyance. They
now find that the "cheesebox on q raft has
proved something more than a mere Yankee
notion. Their artillerists are surprised to learn
that, while Sir William Armstrong requires
twenty men to handle ten and half inch gun
| on land, ordnance Of ffteen-inch calibre Is
| handled on board of the Monitors with half .
dozen hands, q single man only being employed
to point the same. But, more surprising still,
the turret and its port shoppers offer abso-
lutte protection to guns and gunners. Captain
Tyler knows that upwards Of two thousand
shots have struck tie Monitors, that the
Patapsco alone has been In action twenty.
eight times, and yet that nothing has beSh
touched within her surret, or within any
turrct Of the feet before Charleston. These
are stubborn facts, which Captain Tyler cannot
grapple WITH and so he tells his hearers
what happened during the first brief
trial OF tho new system under Ere at Charles
ton. port stopper, which had been placed
too near the turret, stuck. The application Of
hammer and chisel for half an hour removed
the difficulty. Not a single accident Of the
kind has occurred during the whole siege; not
pound of rebel metal has entered through
plates or port shoppers; and yet an officer IL
her Majesty's service, before an audience com
posed OF distinguished persons, ventures to
state that "tte turreis OF the Monitors and