Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-07-08
Cont.in Dnrgoyn. ,,d eighteen men

Captain Burgoyne and eighteen men
who were upon deck succeeded in get
ting into drifting boats. The captain
was crushed between them ana di o"hco
Net long af.erwald the Vanguard went
down with all hands. and the Iron
Duke by chance cscal ed the same
fate.
Then the Grooser Kerfurt went down
with over 400 men and officers, OF
whom not one escaped.
The destruction of the Victoria is
the last of the impressive lessons this
unnatural naval architecture gives Us.
We have been fortunate in having a
succession of chiefs OF our Navy De-
purtment. who have been, as the
word goes. abreast of the times. "
The present Secretary, Herbert, Is, at
least. equal to any Of his predecessors,
aud under him our pride and honor
will know no abatement. lie has ae-
complished already all that his long
training and study on The naval com-
mittee has 80 well prepared him Tor
and prepared us to expect from him.
He has greatly gratiiied the nation
by his management Of the great naval
Dageants, in which our sailors
showed the maritime powers their
pluck and skill.
We have had more recent experience
in wars than our great ancestors; lhere
is not now living in the English navy
an officer who was ever in battle with
civilized people. We don't count Ad-
miral Seymour's bombardment and de,
struclion of the most interesting and
most helpless city in the world a
naval combat, which should cause no
pride in those who were present or
give them any valuable experience
whenever they shall have to deal with
such men as those who fought under
Buchanan or under Farragut.
Admiral Seymour was made peer
for that days target practice
His reason for the cruel act was that
the Egyptians were erecting fortiiicA-
tions which might do some harm to his
fleet, and as he was responsible to his
mistress for the safety of that fleet 1t
was his duty to destroy the works and
the people, too.
The same argument might justify us
in disarming many British batteries
with which our sea-coasts have been
closed around us and which are held as
a standing menace and aggraVali0n.
Already we have a navy TO be proud
of. In the event of war we could eX-
pand it to meet any emergency. We
might not be able quickly to build many
great ships like the Captain or the Vic
toria, but we could soon equip fleet OF
little. buoyant, fast sailing, handy YES
sells which, with their big guns, could
lie off and pound such as the Victoria
to destruction. And great advantage
of these cruisers will be that young
men, with their career yet to win, would
command them.
During the war between the States
Eads made contract with the Fedora
government 10 built twelve iron-clad
gunboats to control the Mississippi. 1t
is said he completed his contract in
ninety days and his 'tin-clads," ," as they
were called, accomplished the great OBJ
ject in view.
When we consider the delay in con-
structing the last the limited uses of the
great ironclads and the tremendous loss
of life which has resulted TO their own
crews we must feel that there are radi-
cal defect in such naval architecture,
which seem insuperable.-Gen. Ddbney
H. Marry in Richmond Dispatch.