The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-22
39aBhrille @anloa.
EM. CAMERON q CO.. Publishers.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER p, Is65.

The Naval Powers Of the World
England, France and the United
States.
| American commerce IS reviving, and the
American flag, covering our SO long unem-
/ ployed merchant marine. is again seen
| floating in all the commercial harbors OF
4 the world. American citizens are again
| travelling all over creation; American en-
/ terprise IS again beginning 70 show itself ia
| remote regisns; IN short, tht everlasting
Yankee nation has again, after s. brief utter
va, undertaken the w0rE OF spreading he
/ lights o. civilization, progress and republi-
can liberty among all the Beuighted peoples
OF the earth. To protect American com
merce aud sustain the progress Of American
IDEAS II Is necessary, among the hrst things,
| 10 establish our reputation as q ghtiEg ma
/ ton, especially upon the seas; and to show
| that We are prepared % do So it is barely re-
quired 70 refer 10 what We have already
done in building up splendid navy within
a period without parallel IN the naval his
tory OF the world. C0gtrested with the ma
val improvements within the same space Of
time in England and France, the United
States seem like an ancient Power, only u
be lkened % those Her0dOtus speaks Of
when the operations % fleets numbering
fifteen hundred line-ol- battle ships il g sin
gle expedition were recorded.
In the year 1859, or about five years age
"a period we shall make the basis Tor cur
eomparis0ns-we iud the total British navy
% consist Of seven hundred and fity-one
vessels Of all classes, with fourteen thous-
and two hundred sud forty guns. Ofthese
ninety-fige were hips-oi-the-Hne, ninety
six frigates, two hundred and fourteen cor
vets and sl0Ops, one hundred and sixty-two
gunbOats, &c. There were no iron clads az
this time IN the British uayy-iu fact, it
was not until some year or two after that
they were introduced. IN 1854 the total
navy of Great Britain consisted Of tive hun
dred and SIX vessels Of eli classes, with
nine Thousand seven hundred and thirty
two guus-niue Thousand OF which were
carried by steamers with an aggregate OF
about one hundred and tweuty-tnree thou
SAM horse power. This shows an aggregate
loss in the number Of ships ia the Brl lsh ma
w IN i've wears OF Two hundred and I0rly-tye
vessels, and of over fve thousand FIVE
hundred in the number Of guns. In the
mean time guns of heavier cali5re and
longer range were employed. Armor-pl4sed
vessels also began 70 ind q place 10 the
British squsdr-us, aud notwithstanding the
comparative failure OF the Ig0u-clad Warrior
and BLACK Prince, the first experiments o.
the Elul, We find, 10 quote an English print.
that 'In order not TO lag Cehind Ia the ter
rIble race Of competition which was forced
upon them By other oLates lit might have
said the United states-the British navy, in
] 1864, Included eleven iron steam screw
ships-0l-the line ahoat and IN process Of
construction, four iT0n-c.ad corvettes and
sloops ,scrsEsl, two turreted iron-clads,
three iron aud four iron clad batteries. Tbs
total number Of screw steamers at1Oat was
four hundred, and thirty construct /
ing, several Of the latter having since been
launched. Il Will tuus be seen that while |
Great Britain has been reducing the lam
Der Of her naval vessels and guns, she has |
adopted the American policy OF introducing |
r0n-Clad vessels with better cannon. Al |
this time the London Times, while grisving |
under the advancing strides the American |
navy was making iu improvement, consOled |
tseIf with the reelection tlat II the British |
.rOu-clads were not yet the best that could |
be designed, "Jhey were certainly as good |
as any others adOat.'
The French navy in 1889 consisted Of |
four hundred and tOurty nine vessels, car
rvinE eight Thousand four hundred and |
twenty-five guns, including fifty -one ships |
of-the-hne, of which thuty-seyen were |
steamers: ninsty-sevsn frigates, including |
HOUR
and fortv-four guns thirty-eight corvettes, |
twenty Of when were propelled by steam. |
The aggregate horse power was seventy |
seven thousand eight hundred and twenty. |
About this period the British began 10 eN- /
hibit considerable jealousy towards the /
French on account OF heir naval improve [
ments, particularly ia the Introduction OF
steamers and irOn-clads. The fact that, \
according to the French regulations, No
eaptaiu in the merchant service was al
lowed 10 command q ship until he had |
served two years on board man -Oi-War /
was descantsd upon iu English prints, 10 /
show the advantage the Freuch would nave
over the British IN the PERSONAL Of their |
navy. In 1854 France had more iormld4
HE 1svv afioat than her ancient rival. 1T /
,1v-iat.I of five hundred and thirty vessels,
pigth thousand i've hundred and |
d,ty rUus. or eighty-oue ships and one /
bn6dTed and twenty ght guns more than /
IN 1859. The borse power % the steam YES
ssls had increased 70 one hundred and SIX /
thousand and seveury-three, or twenty /
nine thousand two hundred aud htty-three /
In i've wears. But tins Was not all. Fol /
l,,.l,,y fast upon every improvement u the !
A American uavv-aud t would seem as 4 |
the French Emperor bad secured madels m /
advance Of our naval inveutlous-we IND /
that within TWO or three years, during our |
rebellion, the irJu-clEds IN the French !
navy had increased 20 ioriy-six, carrying /
one thousand and slEty-elEht guns. 4. the !
French papers our Monitors were referred |
10 - CHOSE strange Looking machines in |
yente bv the American
Or~ readers " DO observe from the above |
the impetus that American Eaval lmpr.Ye-
u-Bt. which the rebellion melted, has |
yiven 10 the naval armaments Of Euglsad |
ana France. We viii uOw examine by I
.conpsrlsou what those Improvements cen
IL Is5q the American navy did not look |
iuposiug even on paper. quoting British |
strtEorl7y of that wear our liue-0f-battle |
sb;,s and f,irates could make tolsr-
sbIs rr5gress before the wind so can |
Chinese Junk or q Dutch gal.iot; bus lhas IS /
ma evidence of valuable sailing quaiItles-
The sane writer, one OF cous5 cradle eNPe-
rieucs, apparently, in European naval mat
te-s. also asserted that "the SCIENCE o. naFal |
s.,Iitaet1re does not seem as yes % be ia 8 /
80 sdysnced state ia the jock yards Of
r. United states" Our naval roster in
1s5a showed list OF ten hips-0i-ths-liue,
aIevsn sslinE frigates, twenty zone sio1ps-ot-
- three brigs and o schooner, besides
,a,-su krst class steam triEates, SIX second
Loo and two third class, all proPellers
49, eleven paddle steamers, two steam
ts,.fsrs and Eve st0 eships-lu al. severely
aigbt vessels. OF the Lue-0t-battle ships
80 we're uuou the Stoke, and most Of the
-+bsrs were hardly regarded as aeaworthy.
Ns-k the contrast. in ls64 the United
Cf.tas navy consisted Of six hundred and
s-vsutv-oue vessels, carrying -c1r thou-ant
six hundred and ten guEs, with q tonnage
~ Eve hundred and ten thousand three
hundred and ninety three tons " these
W. had Of screw and pa4dls-wneel steam
- asnac sIv consfrurtad for naval pup
,-ses. one hundred md sixty I'VE car
[Iv-ng two thousaud ana fifty guns
s--asl and paddle wheel steamers captured
purchased and cited -O- naval purposes,
three hundred and tweuty-tnree, carrying
enc thousand Eve huu1red and ihirty-hFe
ems; sailing vessels Of l.l classes, one nnn-
5-ed and twelve, with eight hundred and
sftv guns, irJn-clad vessels, seyeniy-1ae,
,s-rvfnr tro hundred and sew suty-hve guns.
Tbus il VIII be seen that while the American
NV IN 1889 consisted lt seventy alght
y.sssels Of all classes-mCst C them satllr
zbrns and uuseaWorthE Yin l-o4 &C had rlsel
t8 The magnitude Of navy q q hrst class
p,vvar. with an increase IN the number o.
srhting vessels Of nearly siE hundred ana
- ir..re.se II the number Ct guns Of thee
t[,-ssnd three hundred and sixty. As re-
--rfs the personnel Of our navy, Is may be
s5-s,a4 thai s. the be-iEz.lE Cf the rebellion
i --,usisted Of seven thousand siE hundred
- ard a. i.s c.0ss-au within the i've
--ss-s We have uamed-it bad risen 70 my
- thousand i've hundred, very nearly
-.s-bip- the personnel Of the English navy,
yeEs-b. according o our latest reports, was
.b-rt sixtr Thousand men, iucll1.ug the
80 Indian AMY. Her 2aval reserve IS
- hgudref and twenty thousand msu-
" Gould raise one hu1di I'd snd dtty tI0us-
- II .srlamst41ces should re4Eirs u. Bat
: - nor ID the number 81 vessels or guns
- -,,arr-d this almost Miraculous Increase
T. a. navy Of the United States Il vas
-,---..psry Ia The formidable character Of
- -. vessels bulls zrl the eEtra0ri nary
-sr,r--s and Eei zht of l1sta. the batteries
- -,aeaut invention employed. In the
s.-F-nr Of I-du-clsd vessels the record
- hat We are IN adTAlra Of both Eng
go ard Frzrce c1mblEe1, a. the -1l-JE lg
lucrative statement wIl sA1s
r,,-stgsrssE s1A rEKEzr 81 fzoH GAPS 20 g.
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