AMERICA’S NAVY.

Evening Star, Issue 3414, 30 January 1874, Page 3

AMERICA’S NAVY.

The recent Cuban question arising out cf the Virginius, has again brought the state of the : meriem iNavy under the consideration of both the War Department and the Press. And it is curious to note in some of the American journals-displaced iu all the glory of vaiious sized capital letters, such conspicuous lines as the following “America aroused !”—“The people worked up to demand vengeance !”—“The Government called on to act promptly 1”—“ a fleet to be immediately dispatched to Cuban waters !’’—An at my of volunteers willing to take up arms and tight!” &c; whilst m less obscure type we find the same journal discussing “Our Naval resources'in case of a war ?” “ How much Navy have we ? ’ and kindred “headings” to the same purport variously stated. Alike in tenor, though various in style, are these indignant and warlike headings to sensational telegrams and correspondents’ letters, but equally alike on all sides is the opinion expressed relative io the present strength of the navy and its utter inability in case of need. Wkat the Americana are possessed of, which goes by the designation of a navy, cannot better be described than in the words of the ‘Aha California’ which informs us that “We have three or four first-class frigates, wooden, of the old pattern, that is, of twelve to twenty years ago, sueh as the Minnesota, but not one heavy ship that could stand fifteen minutes’ thumping irons one of the heavy iron-dads with their fifteen-inch guns. We ;have some iron-dads, a turret-ship or two, tuat might, be got ready for action, after some weeksi or perhaps monthis, but it may ■be doubted whether one of them is worthy ;of being considered a sea-going vessel Some of our monitors might cross the 1 Gulf Stream without drowning all hands, and prove ugly customers, should they come into collision with any of the ships of Spain, howbver heavy they might bo in tonnage and metal ” But the one fact only to be deduced from reading the articles of our American contemporaries upon this subject is that the “ Almighty Continent that kin whip all the world ” is not possessed of a navy worth the designation. Their o d line-of battle ships are put of date. For a moment our contemporary quoted takes consolation that “it is our irigates, our sloops of war, that have given us a name in naval warfare,” but immediately dissipates even this small morsel if solace by concluding that even the day for their superiority seems to have passed; that they have bad only the most miserable enormities constructed in accordance with the intense stupidity of their Naval Boards of Construction, and that only occasionally has the old broad home style of big ships for the navy been varied from. Under all these circumstances it ia generally conceived that should war become a stern necessity at an early date, another necessity would march at its heels, instead of having preceded it, viz., the construction of a serviceable navy, no trifling expense in these days of ironclads and monster guns. The 1 Alta California’ gives it as its opinion that “ we might make a show on paper of numerous vessels; but many, if not most of them, would be about as fit for war as that lleet of wooden boxes with which the attempt was made to shut up Charleston harbor, by sinking them, loaded with stone, in its channel. We are entirely unprepared ler war with any maritime nation of Europe .'•pain has a hundred ironclads; how many have we, that could be made available, and of any considerable use, against the iron-turreted ships of European nations?” As substantiating tne opinion expressed by the * Alta’ of the “ situation,” we quote the opinion of the ‘New York Herald’ as follows “We have neglected the navy whilst extending our diplomacy, and doing a large bluff business in foreign countries. We have no ships Spain, without attempting to regulate the cvilisation of the world, and without a Government ia physically our superior on the water.” Thus* it will be seen that A merica. amongst the warlike and war-prepared nations of the present day, ata ids in a very unenviable position taking the evidence of its own I‘reas as gratuitously offered against it.— ‘ New Zealand Herald.’