The New York herald., 1875-11-03

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Russia claims third place; Greece, with one ship, the
last Numerically America makes an excellent display;
but this is the aeet OF campaign documents-woluly
different when its actual number and efficiency
sIdered The tabulated tonnage Is nearly correct
Here England leads again, France second Russia third
and America nnth-a practical illustration Of the pitt
fui character or the vessels for with afty three fall
below Austria and Spain, with but twelve and nine
spectiyey. Not quite years we thirsed for
! war and to dive deeper swim further and
come up drier than most other nations-than Spain
especially Could we have done so two years since
\ The total number of guns is 2,607 assigned TO the
four classes in the order;-Frst 1881; third, 525;
second Ss5; fourth, ee-the ia cruisers mounting
1851 guns average of IA 93 the l3l coast defence
ships 525 an average Of l. and the two others 3S5
and SO, averaging nearly l. each, respectively In
possible 100 England has 81 over onequarter;
Anonca s. 90 Considering only the seven principa
nations, for every American gun England has 40
France a74i Italy, l62; Russia Ia; Spain, L26;
Germany, l22, and Austria, IL; not quite as good
showing rs before but infinitely better than what II
Is when the penetrating power and destructive effect OF
the guns compared that would be charity hide
IT, did not foreign governments and their unaccredited
agents know 1t we'll The general relations Of tho
foreign armored feet be expressed with reference
to our only by comparison Of two types the thrd
defence ships and fourth batteries for service
lakes and rivers or the twentys constituting these
last twenty light draught monitors are
ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS FOR NAVAL PURPOSES.
Tho existence actually OF only type narrows the
comparison to such vessels of tho foreign naves as
within the third class and below viii be found
table that win bring their relative efficiency TO the
crucial standards OF imprcgnaby and power OF attack
The Monitor, as the type is generally known, is an out
growth Of civil war, inspiration Of genius,
exempar Of that eternal fitness which produces the
remedy for the disease at the mathematicay exact
stage-the consummaton Of design long and aim
lessy drifting through the mind of that king OF iron
factors. Ericsson, and realized at time when the
tion's need No revolution of modern days
was more complete, sudden than that following
the battle of the Monitor and the Merrmac in Hampton
Roads, and the reports OF the opposing guns awoke
echoes that ring with deadly significance and with
potent lessons to day from busy dock
yards over the startled world. The solemn night
that fell after the retreat Of the Merrmac
shut out the old age Of wooden walls, and with
the dawning day the sun of tho new era shone
nations whose boasted bulwarks swept from
the and the age OF iron full armed and ready for
the conflict. sprang forth like Minerva OF old. Iron
and steel became the unknown and US of the prob
lens that vexed mems brains and only in powder and
shot could be found the solution of the equations
There had been roncads before for batteries had done
yeonan the Crmea; nut the COOL pnlegmatc,
scientific world waited for railroad and amnated
plates angled and revolving turrets those
mutually imperative shells and rinebots supplied the
data and with the zeal Of men who ind labor worthy
Of their brains
THE PEAcE MIXERS or THE CONTINENTS
buckled TO the work before them. America accepted
the inspiration as Godgiven, pinned her faith upon
type and theory-montors and smooth bore guns with
racking charges-and oyaly, though in oppo-
ston her national characteristic became
atve Europe reasonei expermented, progressed; con-
servatsm consigned to that region Of respectaby
where il. best fourshes, and the wild hypothesis OF
iron manacs the papers Dubbed them, found reai-
cations that made the decade time OF marves and or
wonders returned In 1862 the whose ardacrty
would have prophesied the possibility or an ''ndexi-
Bile with the monitor as the impregnabe acme before
him. would have been drawn and quartered-with pen
and inkand made to feel that every dull podder and
idle apprentice had the right to call him crazy.
4 The monitors did good service in their time but
their time the old, old days. When the war ter
minated had a respectable force, some OF the
\ ships being capable OF contending with any in the
world and for brief period really in
\ dton for the general annexing OF all eGete
nrchies but for protecting coasts We had
also a system Of ordnance superior 10 any ahoat and
really there some foundation for the buncombe
and boasting gave way TO- after the Of most
young people What these monitors WORTH
glance the valuable report OF the Admiral OF the
Navy will show In it will be found the opinions OF
distinguished officer expressing himself officially 10 the
Secretary o the Navy and from their earnestness and
truth they are entitled the highest consideration
PROM
II the transition from wood sudden and
startling no less 1t embittered by advocacy and
opposition and, the majority Of the disputants
naval men, the pet arguments, positive assertion and
fat contradiction filed columns OF the newspapers.
The question expediency settled then followed the
war OF broadsde and turret systems waged long and
bitterly and yet at the best unsettled, The in
heren advantages Of the turret system were so great
that no opposition could it. though the
restrained manner in which its advocacy urged
tardcd it, advancement What officers think
OF may be found in the work armored vessels is
sued by the government in 1864 There at length,
may be read the opinions Of the two Porers Of Colds
borough Dahlgren and John Rodgers-men testing in
actual warfare its merits with daily opportunities
OF confirming their judgments.
THR
Briefly the advantages Of the system are-First 4
comparatively small target presented Second facility
afforded for training large guns smoothly and easily
through large Third, the possibility Of this
without increasing the Of gun port with broadside
guns an impossibty, thus avoiding in turrets the
weakening OF the sides in the neighborhood Of the
ports Fourth, ability 70 fire ahead and astern, most
important requirement. how much 50 glance at Reads
figures and diagrams win demonstrate Fifth COM
paravey light draught OF water owing 70 the absence
OF heavily plated sides. Sixth, power Of carrying
the heaviest battery in the least possible draught OF
water. Seventh ability TO work guns on both sides,
thus decreasing number Of men There other
advantages claimed and possibly with justice but these
sufficient TO establish the merits Of the urret ships
The suboincd disadvantages initiate aganst-not their
lighting powers for coast detence-but sea going
4 cruisers
ARGUMENTS AGAINST MONITORS
Frst-fhe dispr0portonate amount Of armor neces-
sary 70 protect the guns being double that OF the
broadside system In other words with given weight