that he (Capt. Peacock) had had the honour of conducting the first steamer through the Straits of Magellan. Since the establishment of the Royal Naval Reserve, it was pleasing to see that there was a unanimity and good feeling between the navy and the mercantile marine which did not previously exist; and he was confident that, if the country was engaged in a war, there would be a close alliance between the navy and the mercantile marine, that would secure success to the fleet of the country. Being in the habit of visiting the dockyards occasionally, he was happy to say that the navy of our country, as far as the materiel was concerned, was never in a better position than at present. With regard to the iron-clads, there was no doubt that we possessed the finest fleet in the world; and as Capt. Cowper Coles' recent turret system was being more generally adopted, they would soon have a fleet that could not be compared or outvied by that of any other country. They would, however, have to look for the success of their navy to the indomitable courage of the officers and men. Should England be unfortunately dragged into a war, he felt confident that our Jack Tars would fight as gallantly behind iron turrets as they had previously fought behind wooden walls.

We may leave her Majesty's navy to be dealt with by the Admiralty, the members of which Board do not, we believe, entertain the same high opinion of it as Capt. Peacock. Our point refers to oysters, on which we are very glad to find that

Mr. Ffennell, who was much applauded, congratulated the company on the successful inauguration of the scheme-of the success of which he had not the least doubt. If judiciously managed, the fishery would pay commercially, besides benefitting the neighbourhood by affording employment. It was a matter of regret that England, while paying great attention to agricultural pursuits, neglected the cultivation of the waters. If properly attended to, the waters would yield as good a return as the land. Some people were of opinion that oysters could be grown anywhere; but it was not so. They needed particular places, which were few and far between; but the Exe, he felt sure, would produce them as fine as any locality. It was also better for those employed to be regularly engaged by a large company, than to depend on desultory work. The cultivation of oysters was an important matter, and had received the attention of the legislature during the past session. They might depend that the supply could not exceed the demand. The price of late years had not only doubled, but quadrupled.

We wish all success to such societies, and trust that others will follow the good example of their neighbours.

WAR-SHIPS AND MONITORS.

In several of our recent numbers we have expressed our opinion of the monitor type of craft as the bulldogs of the sea,-vessels which, as long as they have fuel for their engines, and the necessary supplies for their crews, may roam about the ocean and defy any nation with which they are in hostility. It is true they want one important quality, which every sailor knows the advantage of, and which was dwelt on by Admiral Goldsborough in his report in our volume for 1865,— and that is the power of speed. But if they have not this, they have that of invulnerability, or something very near it, and, along with it, the power of smashing any one of the broadside-armoured craft with their heavy guns. The recent war operations against the Confederates have given the seamen of the United States of America an experience in these craft, and in another called torpedoes, which they will well know how to turn to account when the necessity arrives. Already have they a first-rate monitor in the Pacific, named the Monadnock,— a craft similar to the Miantonomoh, which paid us a friendly visit at Spithead in the course of the last summer-a most friendly act when it can be looked on philosophically.

The Miantonomoh was inspected by our authorities in all her parts and powers, and nothing was withheld from that inspection; and whether by the powers of the vessel it were meant or not, there can be little doubt that, among naval men, the hint thus given was not lost. Those officers, we say, whose duty it might be hereafter in the course of time to meet them as enemies on the ocean, could well measure those qualities of attack and defence which they saw before them. And they were persons who knew well how to set a proper value on the powers of the monitor. Time, we all know, brings strange things to pass.

But the same Power which sent the Miantonomoh for us to look at has not been idle. The admirals of that power fully believe that the monitor type will be the future ship-of-war, smaller craft of the ordinary description being left to do the secondary work, while they dispose of the larger and more pretentious class. Even other foreign powers, not prepared themselves for the construction of such craft, give ample employment to our iron mercantile dockyards to build for them. We have already printed a list of those constructed for Russia; the United States are building their own, and a goodly fleet we have also enumerated of theirs; while for nearly all the European powers we are building, and even for South America, the infant States of Chili and Brazil, show their appreciation of the type of vessel which, from the weight of metal the least of them is able to carry, must become hereafter the real ship of war.

Under such circumstances, we naturally look at home; and we as

In our volumes for 1864 and 1865 we have preserved several accounts of monitors; but more especially reports of Admirals Goldsborough and Porter.

naturally ask, Where are our monitors? where are our future warships? Shall we point to the Channel fleet? so vauntingly alluded to the other day by the Times,-surely more in sarcasm than reality. 'Twould be a grievous failure when we depended on them: they might be dealt with one after another by a monitor in a manner little suspected by John Bull. We do trust the day will not come that will see the annihilation of our navy. But we may depend on this, that the days of a navy of broadside guns are gone by; and although these may do the minor duties very well, the more serious heavy work must fall to the lot of monitors; and if we have them not, the sooner we provide them the better.

Let us preserve for future reference (as historical facts are important) the following from the American press, as a foreshadowing of what we are leaving ourselves exposed to; and, while we rejoice at hearing reports of honour being at length bestowed on our Capt. Coles, let us console ourselves that the state of the case seems at length to be looked on in its proper light by our authorities. We trust that

such is the case, and that we shall not be laughed at for building monitors for every one excepting ourselves, who really require them most! The remark on Capt. Sherard Osborne's boarding party, and the mode of receiving them, must not be lost sight of in the American monitor; for it is a kind of reception just such as might be expected from a practical people like our cousins-bent on whipping us.

66

"OUR IRON-CLAD NAVY.

"To the Editor of the Army and Navy Journal.

Sir,-Your correspondent U. S. N. says, Monitors are very good things in their way (so are pocket pistols for certain purposes), but they do not constitute the naval strength of the nation.' And, to give weight to his disparaging opinion, adds,—' I do not speak at a venture; I had during the rebellion some little experience, and know exactly what monitors are capable of enduring.'

"In view of this unfavourable opinion expressed by one who has actually had some little experience' on the subject, it will be reassuring to the country to know that Vice-Admiral D. D. Porter, our highest authority, entertains a very different opinion of the monitors. This officer stated in his report to the Secretary of the Navy, dated on board his flag-ship Malvern, off Fort Fisher, January 15, 1865,— 'The Monadnock is capable of crossing the ocean alone (when her compasses are once properly adjusted), and could destroy any vessel in the French or British navy, lay their towns under contribution, and return again (provided she could pick up coal), without fear of being followed.' Fortunately, the nation possesses four monitors of the Monadnock class, the Miantonomoh, which has created such a sensation in Europe, being one of this class. There are still stronger grounds for congratulating the nation. It possesses, besides the Dictator and Puritan, four double-turreted monitors of the Kalamazoo class, each twice as large, in point of capacity, as the Monadnock,

:

being 345 feet long, 56 feet beam, and drawing 17 feet of water, with 6000 tons displacement, and provided with much greater engine power. But, what is far more important, the Kalamazoo and her sister ships have turrets of the Dictator pattern, 15 inches thick, composed of two distinct plate cylinders, with 5 inches thick solid iron in the middle. Again the side armour of these formidable iron-clads is nearly twice as thick as that of the Monadnock. What might we not expect in a naval conflict from these monster monitors, under the command of a plucky sailor like Vice-Admiral Porter? Having told us he could destroy any vessel in the French or British navy with the little Monadnock, with her 12 inch thick turrets, what force could resist his squadron of Kalamazoos, with 15 inch turrets? What town would refuse any contribution' he might demand? As to ramming, your correspondent, with all his misgivings, surely cannot apprehend that the 6000 ton craft, with their ponderous decks and armour offering an almost unlimited resistance, would be run over like any other raft.' Our vice-admiral, with his precise knowledge of dynamics, would be more likely to court than avoid collision, as it could not fail to result in disaster to the enemy.

"Your correspondent says he 'should be sorry to see experiments made against the turrets.' There is really no occasion to make such mystery of the matter. Everybody who knows anything on the subject understands perfectly well that our laminated 12-inch turrets could not stand firing from the 15-inch guns, and that the constructor did not plan these turrets to resist ordnance which had no existence when the monitors were first built. But this circumstance in no manner affects the question whether the monitor system is superior to the European broadside system. The great fact remains unchanged that upon our system we can protect our guns and gunners by 15-inch thick iron in the large vessels and 12-inch in the smaller class, with side armour of from 10 inches to 14 inches, backed by several feet thickness of wood in the large classes.

"Recent experiments in England with the chilled Palliser shot have shown that, under the most favourable circumstances, armour plates of 8-inch thickness may be pierced at short range. As a 12inch plate offers more than double resistance, compared with the 8-inch plate, all we have to do is to remove the outer plating of our small turrets, and apply solid plates to ensure absolute impregnability against the most formidable ordnance and projectiles possessed by our maritime rivals.

"As to the late experiments at Fort Monroe, which your correspondent deems conclusive against monitors, I beg to inform him that more was known previously about the power of our heavy ordnance to pierce armour, solid or laminated, than those experiments have taught. Solid plates of wrought iron from the Warrior, 4-inch plate up to 7-inch thickness of soft steel plate, all kinds and combinations and various thicknesses of laminated armour plates have been pierced at the Washington navy yard. The projectiles employed have ranges from 8 inches up to 15 inches diameter, and the charges

from 15 lbs. to 60 lbs. Thanks to the diligence of our Navy Ordnance Bureau, there is no such mystery about the strength of our turrets as your correspondent supposes. Indeed, what he proposes to find out by experiments we already know, and we can determine to an inch what thickness of plate is necessary to resist a given shot with a given charge of powder.

66

Respecting the monitors at League Island—I do not allude to the river crafts there, misnamed monitors, which cannot float their own bodies, much less heavy guns-the nation need be under no apprehension. Their turrets and side armour are all of the same thickness, as in the trustworthy Monadnock, with the advantage, besides, of having thicker armour-backing than the vessel which our experienced vice-admiral has told us can sink any vessel in the French or British navy. Of course they cannot cross the Atlantic to exact contributions; but they are good for our home defence. In their presence New York has nothing to fear from foreign iron-clads, as they can take up positions in shoal water along the ship channels, and thus, unmolested, sink their heavy deep-draught opponents. Stationary forts may be passed, but the impregnable monitor turret follows the intruder to the very spot from whence he intends to deal destruction.

"E."

By the following letter from San Francisco, in a Sandwich Island paper, we see the present disposal of the Monadnock monitor.

"San Francisco, June 25th, 1866.

"We arrived over in the barque D. C. Murray, on the evening of June 20th, eighteen days from Honolulu, which we regard as a rapid passage, considering the light winds that prevail during the month. Our passenger list was a large one, and was made up of about as queer an embodiment of variety, and some spice, as you could well conceive. Gentlemen of leisure and gentlemen of pleasure, sporting gentlemen, gentlemen who eat quantities of hash, and gentlemen capable of bad puns; families who pay their way, and families of 'bumming' proclivities, and lastly, not leastly, gentlemen of honest and large hearts, whose homes are on the rolling deep. Take two old sea captains, both the essence of obstinacy, who quarrel, and split, and reunite from two to three times a day, whose discussions, over winds and squalls, and speeds, and schooners, and ships, and whaling voyages invariably lead into diametrical opposition and violent dispute, and who persistently, in side interviews, declare that the other is wilfully obstinate and 'won't see it,' and then blend in, if you can, an outside collection, who do everything to fan the flame, and covertly enjoy the fun, and you have an approximate idea of the genius of our ship's party.

"Occasionally we had a lull, or a change of sport, when a rat was entrapped, and the two terriers, eager for their prey, were brought down into the cabin for a strife and the death of their foe; but no sooner was the contest ended, than up sprung a debate as to the merits of the two dogs, each owner fondly asserting that his dog was the greatest dorg for rats he ever did see.' These changes of disc issive