Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-04-30
q STRETCHING THE RUINS.
A Scotch Historian ON the Effects o
CnHnfIict

= A Scotch Historian ON the Effects of
:. - r5fttfs the Conflict
On the occasion of the opening of a VOL
upteer drill hall at Glasgow a couple of
weeks since, Sir Archibald Allison spoke at
some length on the subject of England's
s. Referring to the present state of matters
abroad, he said: Europe, in Mr.. Disraeli's
words, has become a great camp" and
this very day the French funds have sunk
two and a halt per cent. from the rumors of
an approaching rupture. Now, this Is the
state of affairs when the volunteer question
comes forward and in common with the
3 whole empire we have to reflect on the pres
ent alarming state of public affairs and the
way in which we can best escape their dis
astrous effects. Everything depends on the
right way of doing this. Every day you
hear the continual = L hope in God we may
keep oatof it, Let the Continental Powers
fight out their own battles without our in
z reference" All right, gentlen en-, if you
are sure that it will keep out of us. But
owill it do that? Rely upon 1t, 1T soiH not. a
dreadful acdr as about to commence on the COIL
tinent, which will, Ito all appearance, ter
inmate in the undisputed supremacy of one
Power. What such Power will be, whether
Russia, Germany or France, as yet lies
buried IN the womb of time; but of one
thing we may be we'll assured that which,
: ever gains on the continent will ere long
The simple enthusiasts who think that
commercial interests will govern the
earth and arrest the arms of conquest, will
thenHfind how miserably they have been
mistaken; and potoeT avon by the stcord aoiU
neuer cease to make use of the SooOrd for its &c
tension. Look at Rome in ancient and
France under the first Napoleon in modern
times. The Power victorious on the Con-
tinent will, beyond all question:, turn its
arms against this Countrywide only re-
naming check on its ambition. Besides
their natural and unavoidable inclination,
all the great Powers OF Europe have wrongs
to avenge, inflicted on them by Britain IN
former times. and which they will willingly
seize the first opportunity OF requitlng.
We have paid two visits to France within
four centuries, and have occupied Paris,
and her sons would gladly return the COM
pliment to London. We have made long
visit to Russia at Sebastopol, and she will
always feel awkward till she has returned
it to us at Portsmouth. Oar Uicto-
Tioats arms haze been seen at Washing
ton : and the americans are only aodtt-
ing 1or2.i' Englands difficulty to let
their standard be seen in London Contem-
plating then, as likely, 1 may say almost
very distant period, what we have to con-
slider is what means have we to resist it ?
And here an observation of the utmost inn
portance occurs to which, gentlemen,
earnestly request your particular attention.
It is, that the application of iron to the
plating of vessels. and casing all ships of
war in armor which is impervious save to
two or three hundred FOUNDERS. has not
only made change in the ait ofnaVatwar, |
but has, at one blow; deprived us, so far as
available ships go, OF our naval superiority.
Three TrdfdlgGrs aooR by the French or Ras-
SidlS the GernldRs or americans, could not
do this as efectualLy as the. iron UeSseLs had
done. Our great wooden fleet, so long the
pride of Britain, the terror OF the world, |
lies stored up in Portsmouth harDor, OF no
earthly use in maintaining any maritime |
contest Those noble three-deckers, such |
as the Duke of Wellington, would be sent
to the bottom by single gun carrying a
three hundred pound ball. We have, at
one blow, virtually lost the fleet had
been growing up for two hundred years.
For the construction of new fleet of IRON
cladswe must wait for time and money,
just as all the other Powers must do. We
have lost our start in the race: we must all
set offanew and abreast. This is the real Sc
cFet of the vast sums voted annually for the
navy, and the general complaint that we
have so little to show for them. We have
been laying the foundation OF fleet which
eanlbe as yet only in its infancy. Other ma
tions are just as far on as. we are. 1t is
doubtful whether our Royal navy as yet
equals that of America. United TO that
of Russia, the latter is decidedly superior TO
anything zee could bring foraoGrd. If a
forest of hostile ironclads appear off Spit
head or Plymouth, vain will be the forty or
fifty noble sail of the line lying in our har-
bors. Everything will depend. not on the
fifty old wooden line-of- battle ships, but on
the eight or ten fine ironclads. This great
change has entirely altered our relative po-
sition in any future naval war; and unless
steps are taken. and that speedily, to coun-
terbalance its effects, it may safely be pre-
dieted that evil days are coming upon us,
and that, the days of our national indepen
dance are numbered. fl..,. -.,s...