Year: 1862

AMERICAN AND ENGLISH IRON -CLADs.-The re-
suit of the naval combat in Hampton Roads
was no sooner known in England than the Ad-
to represent the side armor Of the Monitor. The
government workshop soon produced the de-
sired structure, and soon the usual tests were
concluded. II was easily penetrated" ro-
ported the ordnance officers. This reassuring
fact was forthwith made known through the
press, and John Bull took long breath, quite
sure that the Yankees, after ali. had not hit
upon anything better than the Warrior. The
British public will learn some day that the pre-
tended conclusive trial was a cheat. and that
the side armor of the Monitor is something very
different from slight timber target, covered
with plate iron q few inches thick.


The fact is simply that the target get up by
the Lords Of the Admiralty represented the
lower part of the Monitors side armor, which
cannot be hit. The upper part which alone
may be struck by shot. their lordships would
have found it no triHing undertaking to copy.
Our readers are aware that the visible part of
the Monitor--vix, her massive deok--resembles
a raft some forty feet wide. strongly bound
with plate iron on the top and sides, sustained
also by the incompressible medium in which it
is immersed. 1t was reserved for the wise
heads of the British Admiralty to prove the
vulnerable nature Of suoh structure by firing
at q small screen of timber less than thirty
inches thick, covered with five one-inch plates
of iron.


In return for the attention which our pro
ceedings receive from the English, we are care
fully looking into what they are doing with
their iron-clads. The Warrior being their grand
achievement. pronounced by them as per-
feet and inyulnerabie, we have particularly
directed our attention to her construction,
and carefully ascertaned the strength Of armor
made precisely like that which is supposed to
render the boasted ship impregnable. So far
from discovering any magic tenacty of the
much talked Of four and -a-half-inch Warrior
plates, we find that Captain Dahlgren puts his
eleven-inch spherical shot through them as readi-
ly as Delamater puts the steel punches through
the hnll plating Of the Dicsator--one of the
CREST ocean Monitors now building to beard
the Lion in his den. But the Navy Department
have prepared gwAs 5sr more powerful than
che famous eleven-inch. The Passaic last
Monday received into her massive tuyret Q
ffteeniuch Dahlgren. magnificent smooth
bore gun, weighing 42,2OO pounds--by far the
largest gun sdoat.


The whole Of our Monitor fleet will be
armed with this tremendous ordnance. How
will the Warrior, with her foar-and q halfinch
armor plating, come out of . contest with our
iron-clads thus armed The 6fteen-inch shot,
with moderate Charge will not only pierce.
but shatter. the slight Warrior arnor. Tho
great ship then, will have to depend on her
superior speed for safety. But in contest
with our larger iron-clads Of the Dictator type
which carry relatively greater motive power
than any ship ever built, fight will not avail
These ships, moreover. have side armor of iron
ten aud half inches thick. with four feet back
ing Of oak, while the turrets are fifteen inches
thick. composed Of plates aud forged slabs
There are substantial reasons for believing that
the Dictator will prove dictator.