ARMING THE MERCHANT NAVY.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 770, 24 May 1877, Page 2

ARMING THE MERCHANT NAVY.

In- view of a possible war involving Great Britain," the suggestion has

again been mooted (says the London '-Daily Telegraph') that our unequalled merchant steam navy should be rendered available for fighting purposes by being armed to the extent of at least carrying one or two powerful guns each vessel. Unfortunately for this proposal, otherwise good, -„jts advantages are not only prospective, but they are contingent on a change being made iu the structure of our steamers. The majority of our present vessels are not strong enough to carry guns, and those that go on the most important of all voyages for the most valuable cargoes — to the East and China — are, in some respeots,.the weakest, being constructed of great length for the navigation of the Saez Canal, and disproportionate narrowness of beam. There are many, nevertheless, that could both sail well and fight well, that, by dint of speed, could keep an enemy's cruiser at a distance, and that if brought to comparatively close quarters could hold their own. The vessels of our leading companies — Oriental, Atlantic, Pacific, and African — mostly belong to this class, and could do excellent service if called upon. We do not expeofc them to mount 'Woolwich infants,' but they could easily carry one or two guns of considerable power, by a slight strengthening of their decks, and a drilled crew of Englishmen would make these effective, against privateers or the lighter cruisers of an enemy. Time was when our sailors did not hesitate to pit their merchantmen, with a carronade or two against a man-of-war. The feat of Commodore Dance with, his stout East lndiaman against a hostile squadron is a matter of history. In the wars at the close of the lust and the beginning 1 of the present century English merchant vessels were always fighting, and were generally victorious. One of the engagements fought in 1795 was by the 'Sceptre,' a British man-of-war, when, assisted by armed East-ludiameri, she captured II Dutch East-Indiamen. In 1810, a merchant vessel, called the 'Cumberland,' Captain Barrett, with only 26 men of a ere w,^ gave battle to four privateers and defeated them, taking no fewer than 170 prisoners. Such incidents were hardly infrequent. Wherever the English flag new its defenders were prepared to do battle, being generally well furnished with the means. Other nations are not slow to put their mercantile marine to use in this way. At the present moment Russia has her Black Sea merchant steamers, mere cockboats compared to some of ours, prepared as transports and fitted with ona or two guns each. The Russian Steam Navigation Company own 34 vessels in or near the Black Sea, which will act in the double capacity of transport or auxiliary fighting vessels. They certainly can do nothing against an ironclad, but they might afflict the Turkish coast like a fiast of hornets, and might distract and annoy if nothing else. What any other nation can do in this way we could do infinitely better, and there is no harm in including the emergency in our calculations.