, 1865-03-17

thought TO be, chlIdS play IN comparison
with that of the Yankee squadron. All
this is an advance common 10 the science
of war in general, not peculiar to Admiral
Porter'S attack. 1t has no more to do
with Yankee prowesS, as compared with
that of European States, than would a
boast of superiority over the armament
of the Spanish Armada. If, indeed, we
turn 10 an account from Wilmington it.
self of the repulse of the first. attack, fur
nlshed by the skiIful correspondent ofthe
Chimes in the Southern States, we may,
perhaps, CLEAN some further information
to qualify the wonder Of this wouId-be
war miracle. The Monadnock, as Adml-
raj Porter boasts, received no injury from
the fire of Fort Fisher beyond an indenta-
ton on her armour plates; and it is this
apparent invuInerabllity, doubtless, that
makes the Admiral SO confident OF her
capacity to play the donkey among the
chickens with European sqnadrons. But,
at all events, on the first occasion the
iron-cIads fought on that side of the fort,
which stands out to sea at the end OF a
narrow strip of land, which was by far
The least heavily armed. The largest
guns were OF 1ae, lie commaHdIDg the
approach 10 Wilmington by the river.
"'Hhe guns which responded to the MOnl-
tors were too smajI in caIjbre to he of
any avail against )hcir iron ribs" This
might not be the case were they ranged
side by side with the Warrior or the
Achilles, or with the makeshlft turret-
ship which Captain Coles has been allow
ed to fit out, still, less with the one that
he is building for the purpose from stem
to stern. We say nothing of the French
vessels, though in matters Of shiphuiId-
ing no wal has ever found ur~neighbourS
behind any nation Of the world. Take it
altogether, we look upon the storming of
Fort Fisher as a feat Of great pluck and
resolution; but when we read Admiral
Porter'S description ofthe means employ
ed, 1t is by no means u~naccOuntabIe that
they should bave proved sufficient to The
end and there is nothing whatever in
any portion of them, from the power of
the artillery TO the pluck Of the Comba-
tants, that England or France either has
not fully the power to match. We do
not augur very favourably Of any such
Wanting as the American Admiral indul-
yes Iii W6 COHl1uC ourselves 10 tAdtllH-
ing the facts that might justify it. We
do not intend further to reply to the ILL.,
conditioned anticipations it includes.
Let us be warned on our own part not
to be so over-conident as to mistake
words for performances. We read in the
"DaiIy News a long letter from Admiral
Pellew Halsted, Indignantly exposing the
failure of the Armstrong guns served out
to the fleet, iron-cIads and all. Admiral
Porter confesses much as to the made
quacy Of his own rifed artillery 81 be-
lieve we have burst all the rifed guns
left in the feet, and I think the reputa-
ton of these guns is now about ruined"
So the rivalry must be simply in %caIIbre,
in weight of shot and size of shell. This,
if Admiral Halsted's statement is as trust
worthy as the name of such an officer
should warrant it to be, is a relief to US.
For he declares, having been the naval
officer entrusted mainly with the trials
at Shoebury, that the Armstrong guns
were found to be fully in need of the apo
logy made for them, "Thatit had not been
intended that they should be used against
iron plates" and that when they were