The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-05-10

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. .REUCH HAVnRa.

EASs I'll s---
tn. osA ~ -eEscHssAvsfs-
.d.n y11lls II E.slans pa,
mp srsaas.
TT 9s,n them. Y. EvesansFst Ay1;lT
-e BritiSh Admiralty haa dsssruinsd u
-, ~ tAe old woodss lvsessls ofsihnav;
and to build no more OF that kind. Heresi.
Ter England's Wooden waiia win b bal
tradition OF her former glories. The 6shl
otths Aernmacand the Mentor vestha b.
ginning OF q new era in naval warfare, and
by slow and painful degrees the uselessnesa
ofteak end oak against iron plates aud hsasy
mot has been made plain. e .tss ~ -tal
The old vessels have been sold fot song
forthe sum Of Ss4e, 600, . single 6rn has
bought whole steam feet, consisting of the
ships~of.the line Colossus, Coliingwood, ORR.
on and Greasy, and the frigates lmpsrisuse.
Suryalus, fermsgant, Arrogant, Chesspeake
aud Leander. These, in their time, we're
hrst-cass ships, each costing more than the
sum paid for the whole ten; but John Bull
is evidently glad to get rid of them at any
pnce, for the Times observes: - Let them
60, and let us waste no unavailipg regrets
over them"
The Times, nevertheless, is nervous lest
England should be off with the old love be.
fore il is on with the new. II says.
"The only possible justification of this
wholesale sacrifice and destruction of our
wooden fleet is the firm conviction that wood.
en- vessels are worthless when opposed 10
iron, and that TO rely on them for the duty
OF protecting our commerce, keeping open
the highway to India and the colonies, or re.
pressing any sudden outbreak Of hos,iities,
is to lean on broken reed, which will -
suredly pierce the ereduious hano that thrust.
1t. How comes 1t, then, that ct the mement
We are selling our wooden feet at 6rewood
price, we are still employing and actually
putting new wooden ships into commission?
Our China trade is as lucrative as any we pos
sess, and being carried on at 30 great dis.
lance from home, is peculiarly liable TO al.
tack, and peculiarly, therefore, in want of
efficient defence
The Times here gives hint To any power
which may hereafter get into conflict with
England: If the Admiralty protects the in~
portant English interests in China and the
East indies by the use of the wooden ships
only, the remainder of the Times criticism
is justified:
Now, il is quite plan-at least, the ADJ
mirslty, who are thus rapidly demolishing
our wooden feet, will hardly venture to deny
it-that protection by wooden ships is no
protection at oil, except against enemies
who will undertake to conhne their opera.
NEEDLE with cold iron. We are evidently
under the persuasion that any possible an.
tagomst With whom we may have to deal .
Will be sure to show us this courteous con.
sideration. We are just now stting out the
hodney, an old wooden man .of-war, not one
what better than any one of those just sold at
hrewood price, for the China station, and. as Z
far as we are aware, almost all the duty cast
upon ships on stations far removed from En- |
gland is discharged by wooden vessels We
have at once so little confidence in woodea /
vessels that we are selling them Cor iess
than the value of their raa,eriats, and so |
much that ~ tsust them with the task Of /
rretscsiug our commerce and asserting our
power aud authority over the world. The 1
results OF such system are obvious. We |
pay about half q million week I
for our national defences, and Ye, |
there is no nation SO Insignificant ths, il /
cannot lfit viii, n Jet y ialal Injury ON oar
trade. Il dses' hot require very formidable .
teso0rees to become the proprietor Of . sim
gle iron clad steamer, or, II this be beyond
the poweF of stste, to commission few
tron>eind privatee rs. This once done, for a !
certain number Of monlhs-thai is, till the
intelligence has reached England, and till |
iron clad ships can be sent to the scans o. |
actlon-we are at the mercy OF aRr anpo.
Nf'fN' f1FtS - - 'VSathy VIC uu
~! gss and squandsring our resources in
providing . ssmblance Of resistance and o |
facility OF Insult !
The French Government is pursuiug the
opposite coarse. There are now in cou.m;s. +
slon 10 It's navy seven iron>a,ad frisates, /
three carrying "a gpps, one %, and three IA /
guns I1ese are hrst- rate vessels Of between
500 and 300 horse power. France has, be I
sides, IN commission two armorSplatca yes
sells Of 900 horse power cazythg 81 guns
each. She is ftt;rg out four iron plated /
frigates Of from sd0 10 300 horse power, and |
pas two similar vessels dismsntled. She il
building four iron plated frigatss, each OF
$50 horse power, earring twelve guns, and /
With complement Of $50 men; and seven
ermor- plated corvettes of $50 horse power,
carrying eigh, guns aud 300 men esch-be,
sides four armor plated coast guard vessels
Of $50 horse power, and two guns each, and
she has ahoat sixteen floating batteries, |,
with horse power varying from $50 to l20, /
and number of guns between sixteen and
nine