Semi-weekly news., 1865-05-13

~"'' rrignty ofthr States BE- acknowl.
edged, let the necessity for stand
ing army BE- Cancelled. aud "a policy OF
CANCELLATION inauyurat-d. and the Re-.
public may resume its natural career
OF freedom prosperity and progress
What tie .>tonruuN Idny d.
! The following paper was read by Mr.
Norman Wizard before the Polyt.ch
mic Club Of the American Institute.
, on Tir'irsdav t";:r:'ing last. Its facts
and suggestions are worth J Of Serious
| consideration
This ship. W. are informed, is COW
rr"d with plating five and a half in
ch"s thick, has II spur or ram twenty
feet long. is armed with one 300
"nndcr and two lOO-pounder, Arm
strong srn.
Ih-s" stns are mGutsra IN twn
fixed turr-ts Her gun-d-ck is five
tr'.t above the wafer, and, Judging
from I H., w""d-cut "f the ship. con
clud- she has hulwAlks rising tiv. or
six i-rt above III. guu.d-ck,
hinged 80 a. TO BE- thrown down, out
ward, in s-cti",,s. where the guns arr
I" De u~tu, a c-vi~: that has often
brrn proposed for ,urrrt ships, bu,
no! heretofore actual ly npplird. Tire
.hj"ct "i ,h'> arr:.ugn-n, is "hvirus
~" Is a'c"lnp n'rd by "a tender. said
T. II. 4 i">t >ica'n"r capable Of keep
inS OF Of the way Ut our fastest
cruisers. Will, Which her supply Of
coal could b,. renewed tor !: long
voyage. She has double pr~;.ll.-rs,
"'ii. four powerful engines, ana
.''-''.> al'oS' ;A.r ;d br vc;y tormida-
BILE craft,
Lumlnolor- Craven "rap Sod
t.. "IIr,4"u that 'h.~ STEAMER in,-nd-
I'd 1".u. directly 10 \.w York or
B">'"'', -tran;nS boldly in and lnv-
,Mg tho" cities under nutribu,ion
VIA; prrra,a, was, or has been
made hy til" Navy Department :"
prevent rh,. success Of This amiab.,.
int"nli"u ! jus, this: III" niagara.
the "h./ In~rrc of I'll. la,nrnt.'!
STEERS. nv,ri,;.ui,.u. brd-vii-I. aud
raz"c'! hv our hawai- auth"ri,'.s -r'it
;h" Srni"s ,ha: conceived her would
n., vr'o@niz'. ilrr. could h,. $40 her
n"w and tinaIiy armed with twelve
pivot $50 -;,"n,nI,r Parrot guns.
Ihi> n,.auiiiui ship was. | b-li-v-.
'rlliru "Iii :heS.. us..i'>S and DANGER
"n~ guns alter the operations Of Gen.
';il!ulpr- al: Morris Island had de-
i
lIn.n-,!iat..lv after
'h'. disastrous failure OF :" lunn.' Of
h->- suus in Admiral P,rt-r's fleet
off Fox Fish T.. Il board of naval ord
nance "iir",s wa~ r"Ev-nv.l in W ash
my, II. app 'in','i by the Oh IT of TIN.
Navy Ou.nanc- Bureau in better Of
instruction., dated 4h of JANUARY,
1865. from which quote
You wall ,i...r,4"rc investigate,
,,~ FULLY As possible, the causes OF
iA'ilirr ut the parrot guns III service
generally. and stat. ~!icthcr, in
.vunr Judgment. they are still wor-
,uy Of confidence aud should be
cputinurd AS the ritl"d guns Of the
navy, ~ whether they should be
abandoned and some other guns
substituted
This board met, delibcratcd for
some wc,nS, and reported. RECON-
m"ub,n- a series Oi experiments
with l"O-p"u,dcrs, pending which
Il reduction was to bc ln,,!,. Of the,
charge, already small for the 100
ppundcrS, also the retention Of all
the classes of those guns. except
tie $50 Founders, until the cXperi-
ncnts hcrrtn recommended shall
have been mad".' Again, this board
referring to this class of guns in
,urrvt.d vessels, say in their report
" THAT the l5o-puundcrs in these
vessels shpnld be Immediately with
drawn, AS the effect of an explosion
in that class Of vessels could not
tail to- y. most disastrous"
Yh1, conclusion to be dfa wn from
this state Of facts is, that the Mia
CARA, u wooden ship, armed wholly
with condemned guns, is sent t"
sea to watch, and, if possible, at
tack the most formidable iroil.clad
and rau. ever b:dught against us.
BY the harst',ig Of this class oi
guns off Fort Fisher, forty-tive per-
sons were killed or wounded
about four times tie number jui>
cd 10y the efforts Of the enemy. By
the last advice from Europe we learn
that this formidable pirate has es-
capped from our cruisers, and it is
probable, if she had the amicablc
Intention toward New York and
Boston attributed to her by Commo-