Year: 1869




LONDON June Is, 1869.


Inow commence TO fulfil the promise made in
my last letter but one to give you some account OF
the present state OF the English navy. II we take the
list OF the ships now IN commission, without look
ing at details and without analyzng the strength IN
guns and the numbers of the crew the nominal lorce
that we have anoat Is no doubt very Iormdaole
But when we come take ship by ship and see what
each vessel is, how 1t is armed and where 1t is sta
Toned the Illusion that our navy is as strong as 1t
ought to be- or the still greater illusion tnat are
strong enough to go to war with any maritime ma
ton, VIII vanish like the morning mist before the
sun.


To begin with the top of the list, the Aboukir the
Acorn the Adder the Adventurer, the Agincourt,
and the Albacore are the first half-doZen on the
alphabetical lat OF the ships now in commission
But what are these ships and how are they manned
Number ought to nave eighty-six guns and about
800 men on board her. She has twelve guns, less
than 100 men and Is the receiving ship at Jamaica
Number two is the hospital ship at Snanghae, and
ordered to be sold Number three IS paddle wheel
steamer, with couple of guns, a dozen men, and IS
used as a sort of messenger vessel Sheerness, at
the mouth of the Thames. Number four is troop
ship, employed in China. Number five is magn
flcent screw. armor-pated ship, ana ought to have
twentysiX Of the largest sized guns and 500 men
board her instead of which she less than half Of
either. Number SIX on the list Is screw gunooat'
carrying two guns, very SLOW in her movements and
stationed at Bermuda. And thus as we analyze tue
long list find astonisningly few really effective
ships fit to take, at a moments notice. their place
either In an offensive or defensive war;


IL Is true that we have some magnificent lron-cad
ships. or these the Agincourt, twenty-sx guns, is
one; the Belerophon fourteen guns is another; the
Black Prince, iortyone guns, is third. The Caledo
MA, thirty guns the Defence, sixteen guns; The Hec
tor twenty guns the Hercules twelve guns; the





tour guns; the Northumberland, twentysK guns;
the Ocean, twenty-four guns; the Royal Alfred,
eighteen guns the Royal Oak. twenty-our guns; the
Warrior, thirty-two guns; the Jealous twenty guns,
and the Valiant, twentyfour guns iorm the sixteen
authority and modern maritime opinions, constitute
the whole OF the fighting navy of England. And
Warrior and the Royal Oak, both of which, 1t Is true,
are iron plated, but after fashion that would be OF
no earthly use II fired INTO by the nS enormous Gus
ropean as well as American ships ol-war.
or armor-pated turret ships we have @ as
cuated to defend the entrance OF seaport, but
utterly useless as a seagomg ship or as vessel 10
light in other than the smoothest or smooth waters
Here. taen, you have the effective strength OF the
British navy at the present day, after deducting all
the wooden steamers the training ships the tug
boats the tenders, the troop ships, the despatch
boats the surveying vessels the wooden coast guard
ships the royal steam yachts and the rest Of the
ships that seem to be always preparing for navy
that Is never prepared. lt Is true that we have
large feet OF gunboats vessels that carry from one
to five pieces OF ordnance; but il were to break
out tomorrow between ourselves and any maritime
nation these would prove worse than useless, lor
they would absorb vast numbers OF our seamen, and
they are not calculated to carry guns OF the size now
IN use in naval warfare. They are slow In their
movements, only be coaled for eight or ten days
at the very outside, and perfect logs under
vas AS was said in the House OF Commons last
week, the most economical use we could make OF
these gunboats woud be to give them away, for
most assuredly no nation or Individual would
ever be found mad enough to buy them.


Among the prominent naval men OF England there
Is none who has distinguished himself more, during
the five and twenty years he has served his country
than Captain Sherard Osborn, who has commanded
ships in every quarter OF the globe and been present
wherever hard knocks were going. At public
dinner Friday last, in returning thanks for the
British Navy, Captain Osborn congratulated his
hearers having got rid OF the wooden fleet of Eng
land and stated tat il for the future England wished
TO hold her she had yet navy to build,
for that beyond some eight or ten SHIPS she had really
not single vessel with which to defend her com.
merce IN any part OF the world.


Now, ask you, OF what use would navy OF this
strength be, If we had to protect our commerce in
all parts OF the word-to guard the coasts OF Cana
da; look after our possessions OF the North Pacific
coast; prevent the Chinese from injuring our trade
in their own waters; keep our Indian ports open;
keep up communication along the Red Sea and Cey-
Ion and Indostan maintain our position as one the
European families OF nations In the Mediterranean;
have an eye upon our English and Scotch seaport
towns and last, though not least prevent any
enemy from landing In Ireland, or from fomentng
1nsurrecton, which would, as matter OF course,
commence in that country as soon as ever we were
in trouble with any otherS And remember have
said nothing here respecting any defensive
operations, but have simply marked out @
portion, and smell portion, too, of what
we should have to do in defending what is
present position. Even at the present day, with no
war on hand and with no call for extra vigilance In
any part OF the world, it is impossible to take up
newspaper without finding complaints from naval
Officers stationed In the colonies respecting the total
inadequacy OF the number OF British snips-ofwar


It is only in the Mediterranean or the English
Channel squadron that either officers or men can get
few days shore. On all other stations they
are kept perpetually on the move from one
port to another, at the requistion of British
nected with British trade II IS true that we have
at home what is called the channel fleet, which con-
sists chiefly OF wooden screw vessels, with when
thoroughly manned, and Is kept up principally for
the purpose of experimenting upon the various kinds
of naval guns and naval inventions which are being
constantly brought forward as improvements upon
the old style OF things.


There was great deal of Doastful talk the other
day after the cruise OF an experimental squadron,
manned entirely by men OF the naval reserve. But
those who in perfect good faith made much OF this
event forgot several circumstances connected with
naval matters. In the first place the squadron was
very small one consisting OF put dozen vessels,
little more than half their full complement OF crews.
The OF the naval reserve are no doubt good sail
Ing seamen, but to be OF any use in national navy
The crews must be fighting sailors and trained to
naval gunnery as well as to handle ropes.
1t takes time and not little time either,
to teach seamen to handle properly and
with effect the guns used IN modern naval
warfare. Moreover the mercantile navy and the
royal navy do not and never did amagamate well
together. The two brances OF the same calling have
always been more or less jealous OF eacn otner ana
] am informed from excellent authority, that the
old causes of dispute were not forgotten during the
cruise OF which heard so much. IL may sound
very well in theory, but 1t does not work well IN
practice to give chef and second and third officers
OF the mercantile navy the nominal rank Of euten
ants Of the naval reserve and then, whenever they
JOIN ship-oi-war, even then the senior among them
TO he under the orders OF Junior heutenants OF the
royal navy. Still less does IL answer when sub
leutenants OF the royal navy are under the orders
of lieuenants of the naval reserve, the latter being
to the former what laymen are TO priests or what
men out OF government employment invariably are
held TO be by those in such employment


mao hoped TO have said something in this letter
respecting the defenceess state OF most OF our Eng
Iish seaports; but must my observations on
this head ior another communication.


SPAIN.