American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-07-27
NUMBER 80
England Without a Navy.

eioh W thc pioWeSS VI INC DTltisH navy
has at last found solution in the details
of the recent contest between the Kear-
sarge and the Alabama The determine
ton of the British sympathizers with the :.
Shareholders Rebellion, led them not on-
ly to furnish the rebels with vessels well
calculated for speed, but also with what
their prejudices taught them were the
best guns-another instance of the SUBJ
lime weakness of strong prejudice
The dockyards have been filed with work.
men making new ships of war and alter
ing old ones, which have been armed
with the best guns that England could
afford. After all this enterprise some
profound person discovered that an early
test of the quality of these arms might
be wise transaction hence the contest
betwnen the Kearsarge and the Alabama.
The mode Of bringing that contest about
we care not to discuss, as that is matter
of history. 1t was brought about, and
with it came unwelcnme unraveling of
the awful truth that. for the practical par-
poses of war England is to-day destitute
eff navy. In the recent contest neither
of the ships were iron-clad The Morn
ing Star, London journal whose char
acter for vernacity is unquestioned, says.
The numberand weight of guns of both
vessels were as nearly as possible equal
the Alabama, according to Mr.. Mason, be-
ing provided with one 100-pounder rife,
one 6S-poundcr, and six 32-pounders,
while the Kearsargey according to Capt
Winslow, had two l1-ineh Dahlgrens, four
32-pounders, and one 2S-pounder. The
weight of the Alabama's broadside is es-
timated to be $40 h., and that of the
Kearsarge 432 H. The exact number of
men on board of each is of very Little
moment, as it is evident they were both
fully manned, and there was no hand to
hand struggle to permit more numbers to
come into oplay." The same authority an
nounces that the victory was undoubtedly
owing to the superior gunnery Of the
Kearsrrge. Out of the correspondence be-
tween the parties engaged in the battle,
and the reports Of the affair published in
the English papers and in our own, we
gather that the Alabama fred much more
rapidly than her antagonist, but with less
certainty and less effect, Indicating less
skill than was exhibited by the gunners
on board the Kearsarge. The Star says
further -" On the assumption that our
naval gunners are as well trained as those
of the Kearsarge-for the Alabama's
crew, although nearly all Englishnen,
must not be accepted as specimens of dis
ciplined British sailors--we presume it is
universally admitted that after all our
monstrous expenditure for years the navy
has no gun which can compare to the IL
inch Dahlgren, and that even our huge
three-deckers would be little able to COM
pete with such vessels as the Kearsarge,.
In the light of this combat our navy evil
) IDENTIFY stands more than everin It's chronic
position of requiring reconstruction. p
And it adds as
Very recently Mr.. Golden asserted
j that wooden three-decker, with crew
of seven hundred or eight hundred men,
would be little better than laughter-house
when opposed to a heavily-armed gunboat
But here we have an exampleof the dead
ly damage which can be wrought by a
heavily-armed wooden vessel of moderate
tonnage, and with crew Of more than
160 men.
They of England may well come to the
conclusion that {" the fleet Of the future
must consist Of small, swift vessels, with
guns of heavy calibre, iron-clad if posi-:
Bile, but with guns of the maximum pow
er, whether iron-clad or not Read the
frank confession which the Star makes
: At present we seem to be in the posi-
! ton that our iron -clads cannot freely tray-
erse the ocean, and that our hrst class
) wooden ships would be unable to defend
themselves against comparatively insig-
: nifcant foe. =
Three things reveal themselves as nee
> essary before the British navy can be
deemed ready for any essential practical
service: First, properly disciplined men
) and officers; Second, guns;other and bet
+ ter than have been sought after, Third,
which, although last, is indispensable, the
sinking of that drejudice against genius
/ on this side of the Atlantic. Necessity,
; which is " the mother of invention may
: at length teach the British nation that
genius and the march of improvement de-
spise those narrow motives which lead
men into reckless and unnecessary saert
foa America while at war with the