THE AMERICAN NAVY.

THE recent performances of the English Fleet off Alex- andria have drawn attention to the British Navy, and to the various undecided questions concerning the construc- tion and armament of vessels-of-war ; and since all mili- tary strength is a matter of comparison, it is interesting at the present moment to glance at the condition and prospects of the Navy of the United States. Such a glance would be entertaining enough in any case, for the condition of the American Navy is most curious. In fact, entertainment is almost the only service which it is in a position to render to its country, as the following joke suggests. It will be remem- bered that the American Admiral, before leaving the Bay of Alexandria, steamed round the English vessels, and cheered them each in turn, Commenting upon this act of courtesy, an American paper said,—" This was an act of no ordinary courage, and deserves more than a passing recognition. A man who will go right out on the water in an American man-of-war, does not know what fear is." Besides entertainment, however, the glance will afford instruction, for the present condition of the Navy, and the extensive changes which are proposed, are fully set forth in a Report which has recently been presented to the House of Representatives by the Hon. B. W. Harris, Chair- man of the Naval Committee.

At first sight, the Navy in question does not present itself in its true colours, for on January 1st, 1882 it consisted of no fewer than 140 vessels ; but on analysis, this total dwindles to an extent hardly credible, although we have never been accus- tomed to regard the United States as a Naval Power. The total of 140 vessels is made up as follows :—.68 wooden steamers, of which only 13 are classed as first-rate; 23 sailing vessels, of which there are no first-rates, and only 4 second- rates ; 24 ironclads ; and 25 "tugs, &c." This first step in the analysis reveals an astonishing state of things, quite different from that suggested by the original total ; but the truth is not yet half told. Of the 68 wooden steamers, eight are rotten on the stocks and could not possibly be floated, and 14 are obsolete and worthless," all these 22 costing large sums annually to guard them from being stolen piecemeal by harbour thieves. Of the 23 sailing vessels, eight are de- scribed as worthless ; likewise two of the ironclacis. Of the " tugs, &c.," ten are " worn out and worthless." The total number of 140 vessels must therefore be reduced, to start with, by 38, which are worth nothing except as old timber and iron, and not much as that. We thus get an original total of 08. Of these, 15 are simply Navy-yard tugs, and can- not by any stretch of the imagination be considered vessels-of- war, thus leaving 83 vessels capable of service to be accounted for. Next must be deducted 14 sailing vessels of an entirely antiquated construction,built from 1797 to 1858. This leaves G9 steamers. But still the humiliating subtraction must proceed. From these, we must deduct 6, one vessel having been despatched to the Arctic regions, four being on the stocks of private contractors, the Naval authorities not having made up their minds whether to finish or sell them, and one vessel being afloat without either turrets or guns. This leaves 63. Our authority says of 11 of these, that "some are not in present condition for service, some can never be made so, and all of them are of very doubtful value to the service." Five of them are thirty, and four of them twenty years old. We thus get down to a total of 52 vessels, but still we have not done. Of these 52, 14 are single-turreted monitors, of use only for the defence of coasts and harbours. They carry each two large-calibre, smooth-bore guns, and the latest of them was

built in 1866. In the official list, they are .all classed as fourth-rates.

The result of the above analysis thus shows that the entire .Naval force of the United States for ocean service consists, not 01 140, but of 38 vessels. And even this small number is deceptive, for Mr. Harris speaks of them as follows :—" A careful examination of the last table, in which is displayed the whole of our offensive Naval power, will satisfy any person that many of the vessels therein named are old and nearly worn-out, slow in speed, feeble in offensive power, and utterly inefficient in defensive power, even in the power of running away from danger, and which, when war comes, will only be safe behind fortifications or unapproachable harbours." The guns of the American Navy are on a par with the vessels which carry them. Of the 357 guns with which the above 38 vessels are armed, there is not one of high power,

not a single breech-loader, and only 62 are rifled. The Boston herald, erald, in commenting on the Report of the Com-

mittee, puts the whole truth in few words :—" We have not one high-power, long-range, rifled breech-loading cannon afloat in the Navy, and it may as well be said here that we have not one to put afloat."

It is clear from the above statements, taken from the latest official sources, that the United States has practically no Navy at all. The Americans have an old joke that, under certain circumstances, they would come over here and tow the British Isles up the Mississippi. To this jocular bit of brag we can oppose the statement in sober earnest that England could despatch a single one of her large ironclads across the Atlantic, and dictate any terms she pleased ; and that not only could a great Naval Power like England do this, but any little country of the world that chose to fit out a man-of-war of the modern type would have the United States at its mercy. Paritur pax. belle, a doctrine with which we Europeans are so familiar, is one which either Americans have not yet understood, or do not believe. As is well known, however, when Brother Jonathan makes up, his mind to anything, he does his "level best "to do it better than it has ever been done before—or, in his own peculiar. phraseology, to "beat creation "—and there are many signs that he is taking this matter of the Navy to heart, so we may expect to see some great changes before long. There are plenty of significant sentences in the article before us. "The flag at the masthead of a noble ship-of-war is a thing of beauty and a joy for ever,' to every true American. As a mere matter of sentiment, he will pay liberally to see that flag hold a foremost place upon the sea." "We need but com- paratively a small Navy, but there is no reason why it should not be, and many reasons why it should be, the best in the world, of its size." "We have profound peace, unexampled prosperity, vast material resources, and mechanical skill and ingenuity which challenge the admiration of mankind." The steel made in this country is better than that made in Europe. In six months' time, if we were called upon for it, we could furnish all the steel which the gunmakers of the world could use ;" and much more to the same effect. An Advisory Board was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy, and while leaving the disputed technical points in the character of ships and weapons to the subsequent decision of experts, it has unanim- ously and strongly recommended the construction of a large number of vessels of various kinds. These, with such details as the Board felt justified in deciding, are shown in the follow- ing summary :- Two first-rate, steel, doublo-docked, unarmoured cruisers, having a displacement of about 5,873 tons, an average sea-speed oU 15 knots, and a battery of four 8-inch and 21 6-inch guns. Cost, 2712,000.

Six first-rate, steel, double-docked, unarnioured cruisers, having a displacement of about 4,560 tons, an average sea-speed of 14 knots, and a battery of four 8.incb and 15 6-inch guns. Cost, 21,700,400.

Ten second-rate, steel, single-decked, unarmoured cruisers, having a displacement of about 3,043 tons, an average sea-speed of 13 kuots, nod a battery of 12 6-inch guns. Cost, 21,800,000. Twenty fourth-rate wooden cruisers, having a displacement of about 793 tons, an average sea-speed of 10 knots, and a battery of One 6-inch and two 60-pounders. Cost, 2872,000.

Five steel rams of about 2,000 tons displacement, and an average sea-speed of 13 knots. Cost, 2500,000. Five torpedo gunboats of about 45.0 tons displacement, a maximum sea-speed of not less than 13 knots, and one heavy-powered rifled gen. Cost, 2145,000.

Ten cruising torpedo-boats, about 100 feet long, and having a maximum speed of not less than 21 knots per hour. Cost, 276,000. Ton harbour torpedo-boats, about 70 feet long, and having a maxi- mum speed of not less than 17 knots per hour. Cost, 250,000.

Total cost of vessels recommended now to be built, 25,921,40a

The Board further recommends that the largest and most effective ships should be the first to be constructed. For America, which, as our Republican poet says,—

" Slays not a foe, neither fears, Stains not peace with a scar,"

to embark upon these vast preparations, is discouraging to those sanguine people who look forward to the happy days of universal disarmament, and, indeed, is no cheering to those more practical mortals who are content with hoping for an armed peace ; for the argument which is applied to the policeman and his revolver is equally true of the American and his Navy,—when he has not one, there is no temptation

to use it. That the American Navy, too, is not likely to fall far short of the high-flown language of its promoters, is shown by the many new inventions which have recently been made there in matters relating to the Mercantile Marine. First, there is the ship brake, which has been proved able to stop in a few yards a large vessel travelling at full speed. Then there is the dome steamer 'Meteor,' now being built at Nyack, on the Hudson, of 7,000 tons, with a wheel velocity of forty-five miles an hour, and calculated to steam twenty-five miles an hour, and therefore to cross the Atlantic in five days. Then a vessel called the Oceanic' is being constructed to move on three flanged spheres, and wonderful things are prophesied of it, among which is the ability to travel on land, as well as on water. We shall certainly hear no more of ship-canals and plate-ways, when we see the modern Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane, in the shape of a vessel under full sail, flying the Stars and Stripes, steaming along the highways of Old England. Moreover, the spirit of the Navy of the future is making itself felt in the Navy of the present, for the Captain of the United States frigate 6 Tennessee ' has recently been dismissed from his command, for employing a Sandy Hook pilot to bring him into New York Harbour. Altogether, there seems every reason to believe that, unless the whole scheme should be thwarted by the parsimonious spirit which undoubtedly pervades Con- gress except in cases where national need can be made to include private profit, America will soon have a Navy to com- pare favourably with the oppressive Fleets of what she play- fully calls the obsolete European despotisms.