LETTERS UPON ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION. J0NIUS SMITH, Esq. L.L.D. COLLECTED FROM SUNDRY PERIODICAL PUBLICATIONS. LONDON : PRINTED BY A. ECCLES, 101, FENCHURCH STREET. 1841. LETTERS UPON ATLANTIC STEAM NAVIGATION. [This subject is become one of so much interest and importance, that we offer no apology for re-publishing the following correspondence. It will appear that that enter- prising gentleman, Mr. Junius Smith, has the honor of having had the sagacity, as long since as 1833, to discover not only the practicability, but the profitableness of the undertaking. His first proposals, it seems, were, as all other great enterprises usually are, laconically declined by the parties to whom they were addressed. This, however, does not lessen Mr. Smith’s claims to a mind capable of conceiving a project in advance of the times, and as beneficial to the world as it was bold in conception .] — Editor of Railway Magazine . LETTER I. London, Feb. 9, 1833. Mr . Jones, Director of the London and Edinburgh Steam Packet Company . Dear Sir, — In conjunction with my friends in New York, I am desirous of forming a line of steam-packets to run between this port and New York. I apprehend that four in number will be sufficient, and fully equal to the twelve American sailing ships now running on the same line ; and the cost of the four steam-packets, at 30,000/. each, will be about the same as the aggregate cost of the twelve American line of packets now running. It is my intention to have two British and two American ships ; and the reason is, first, to combine the interests of the two countries in their support ; and secondly, to afford a certain conveyance both ways for goods of foreign as well as domestic growth and manufacture. By the treaty of commerce with the United States, British ships cannot take foreign goods into the United States, nor can American ships bring foreign goods from the United States to England for home consumption, but the converse is true of both. It will therefore be readily seen that a line formed of the ships of both nations, to sail alternately, will embrace all branches of the carrying trade. I left London for New York in August last, and the latter place for London, on the 20th December. My friends in New York make no doubt of the practicability nor of the success of such an undertaking, and have assured me that they will build two steam-vessels suited to the object in view, as soon as they learn that the plan, so far as regards the British interest, can be carried into execution here. T ^ jl. \<\ t J u i % £ r & In New York, the plan is regarded as one of the first importance to the commercial interests of both countries. I examined and travelled in many American steam-packets, but they have not one calculated for a sea voyage. They are all con- structed to run upon the rivers, sounds, bays, and canals. These packets are in general very roomy, and calculated to carry a great many passengers. The North America, in which I took passage on the 16tli October, at New York, for Albany, 145 miles up the Hudson river, is 230 feet in length, 30 feet beam, has two 60 -horse low-pressure engines, which work at the rate of 26 strokes of the piston per minute. This packet is calculated to accommodate 1,200 passengers, and there were 400 on board at the time mentioned. She draws but 4 feet of water, and performed the passage to Albany, against the current of the river, in twelve hours, including stoppages at the numerous landing-places on both sides of the river. Several other packets of nearly equal dimen- sions ply upon this river, a particular description of which is unne- cessary here. The same general description of packets run in all the rivers, sounds, bays, &c., from which you will perceive their unfitness for the high seas. The commercial intercourse between Great Britain and New York is of late years so amazingly increased, that more than 40,000 pas- sengers and emigrants landed in the last year in the port of New York from Europe, chiefly from Great Britian. Since the construction of the Erie Canal, running through the State of New York 350 miles, from Albany to Lake Erie, opening a water communication every step of the way from London to the Niagara Falls, the Lakes, Canada, Ohio, Michigan, and all the western part of the United States, now peopling with astonishing rapidity, and the establishment of elegant and convenient packet-boats upon the canal for the accommodation of passengers. New York has become the great thoroughfare for travellers and emigrants from every part of Europe. Whatever mode of conveyance will shorten and facilitate the passage from Europe, is certain to have a preference ; and a line of steam -packets from London to New York, would have not only the support of Great Britain, but of all Europe. I can hardly expect in a short letter to open up the subject so fully to those unacquainted with the American trade, as to induce them to enter into my views fully at once, or to appreciate the commercial advantages which it promises. It was under this impression that I proposed, if the company entertained doubts as to the success of the undertaking, to charter of them a suitable vessel for two voyages, or two vessels for one voyage each, and to take upon myself the result of such an experiment. The distance from Portsmouth to New York is about 3,000 miles, and a good packet ought to make the passage in twelve or thirteen days. From March to October is generally the best season of the year for passengers, and if we sailed from London 20th April to 1st May, it would be in good time. I am quite sure that no foreign port can offer such decided advan- 4 tages for a line of steam-packets as New York, and up to the present time the ground is unoccupied. I abstain at present from entering into any calculations as to the probable returns to New York. If these hints are not entertained, I should be glad to have them considered as confidential, and should feel obliged for as early an answer as practicable, for my future government. Your obedient servant, Junius Smith. 20, Abchur ch-lane. On the 27th February, the following laconic answer was received from the London and Edinburgh Steam Packet Company, which put an end to any further correspondence in that quarter. Mr. Junius Smith, 35, Leadenhall-street, Feb. 27, 1833. Sir, — Your letter of the 9th Instant, addressed to Mr. Jones, was this day laid before the committee of the London and Edinburgh Steam-packet Company, and I am directed to state, they decline your proposal for this season, as all their vessels are otherwise appointed. Sir, your most obedient servant, (Signed) A. Mitchell. The first 'public movement was made by Mr. Smith, by issuing a prospectus in his own name, in the summer of 1833. In July, 1835, Mr. Smith wrote to his friends in New York, as follows; published in “ A Treatise upon Atlantic Steam Ships,” by Wiley and Putnam, New York, 1838 : — LETTER II. Steam gains ground daily, and I am well satisfied that I gave the public time to think, to make their own calculations, and to draw their own conclusions, because the more the subject is conned the better it shows itself. In whatever point of view the thing is examined, it grows upon the investigation. I have constant applications from people that I do not know, as well as from those I do know, to learn when I shall bring out the scheme in its new form, to obtain prospectuses as it now stands, and to learn more about it. I have just had an application from a stock- broker, whom I only knew by sight. He wants shares as well for himself as for some of his friends. He told me at once he was quite sure the thing would answer ; this coming from such a quarter encourages me to go on. You will remark that 1 have every thing to do myself; I have to hunt up directors, a chairman, appoint a banker, solicitor, auditors, &c. This takes much time. Gentlemen in London, of good standing, what- ever may be their occupation, have generally such a mass of business upon their hands, that it is no easy matter to find those of the right stamp willing to take upon themselves the duties of a director. This 5 increases the labour four fold ; for when I call upon a gentleman to offer him the office of a director, I must have a long talk, and probably have to call two or three times before I get a final answer. If he declines, as nineteen out of twenty do, why then I have to start again, and go over the same ground with some other person. All this keeps me in a sweat in the month of July. But I see no reason to despair ; on the contrary, every day affords fresh encouragement to go on, and I do not feel any doubt of raising the money to the very notch. But the patience and labour required in forming a company in London is beyond all you can imagine ; it is the worst place in the whole world to bring out a new thing — the best when it is done. £100,000 is but a drop in the great monied interest of London ; the difficulty is to overcome the affinity which that drop has for its old birth, and to induce it to flow in a new channel ; do that, and it comes in a flood. LETTER III. On the Philosophy of Navigation . [Originally published in Professor Silliman’s Journal of Science, and Herapath’s Railroad Magazine.] Professor Silliman, New Haven , Connecticut . My Dear Sir, Perceiving, from the daily periodical journals, that Atlantic steam navigation is attracting public attention in the United States, and having been, in some measure, instrumental in forming and maturing the plan here, perhaps the following remarks may not be altogether uninteresting at this moment. I do not mean to advocate the abandonment of the use of sails, whilst I shall endeavour to show that it is not a philosophical method of propelling a ship at sea. It will be sufficient, if I show that the application of steam-power is both safer and more philosojffiical than the power of wind in navigating a ship. If you direct your attention to a sailing ship, you will find that she has three masts — -that these three masts are vertical levers — and that, of consequence, the direct tendency of these levers, when the power of wind is applied to their sails, is to upset, instead of propelling the ship. Hence, we find, practically, that when the wind increases, at sea, the master’s first care is to take in the top sails, which is nothing more than shortening the levers upon which the power of wind acts. A ship, going by the w r ind, is capsized when the power acting upon the lever is greater than the resistance. When a ship, with her sails set, is taken a-back, she is hurried, stern first, into the depth of the ocean, and not much time given to think about it, unless the levers are shortened in time, by taking in her sails, or a change in the position of the ship sufficiently quick, brings the acting power to bear in a different direction. If the resisting power of the ship is sufficient ' to hold her upon her legs, and the levers are forced beyond their strength, then the ship is dismasted and left, a helpless thing, to the mercy of the waves. The power always acts upon vertical levers, and daily practice, which is the art of sailing a ship, shows the danger. In a steam-ship, as such, the power is applied to a combination 6 of short levers, acting horizontally upon the body of the ship, and in a direction the reverse of the power of wind upon sails, always propelling the ship forward, and never losing power by a collateral motion. The paddle-wheels of the British Queen are 30 feet in diameter, of course, about 93 feet in circumference. The floats are about 3 feet assunder, which will give 31 sets of floats to each wheel. There are three floats in a cyclodical position, in each set, feet in the clear, in length, from one side of the wheel to the other, and one foot in breadth. Hence, you will perceive that each set of floats has a superficial area of 28i square feet, equal to 873 square feet for each wheel, and 1,746 for both. The midship section of the British Queen presents a resistance of 550 square feet, to be overcome by 1,746 feet of the floats. The mean speed of the wheels may be taken at sixteen revolutions per minute ; and at that rate would run 29,760 yards per hour, equal to 17 miles. If we deduct one-fifth, the usual allowance from the velocity of the periphery, to reduce it to the mean velocity of the wheel, we then have \3i miles per hour for the true speed of the ship by steam-power. The distance from Portsmouth to New York is 3,000 miles ; and supposing the ship to run thirteen miles per hour, she would make the passage from port to port in nine and three-fourths days ; but we must not overlook the fact, that the resistance of the water will increase as the square of the velocity of the ship, and therefore it may happen that the same power, acting against an increased resistance, will not be found adequate to maintain the full speed which the calculation indicates. But 1 apprehend it cannot fall much short in velocity, and therefore cannot much exceed in the time required to perform the voyage. Each set of floats is sustained by three radia, 15 feet in length, from the centre of the wheel to the periphery. But if we count these three radia as one lever of 15 feet in length, then we have, by the combination of thirty-one sets of levers, two, equal to 232J feet in length, acting horizontally upon the body of the ship, without the slightest tendency to throw her from an even keel. The danger of the ships capsizing, of being taken aback, or of being dismasted, is entirely obviated, and the violence of the winds can have little other effect than disturbing the surface upon which she floats. Your obedient servant, London, July 31$*, 1838. Junius Smith. LETTER IV. On the Practical Results of Sailing and Steam Ships. Dear Sir, — Having shown in my letter of the 31st July, that the navigation of a ship by steam-power is more philosophical than by sails, because the power is applied to short levers, acting in a direction opposite to that of the power of wind upon sails, and always in a line horizontal to the body of the ship, and that, therefore, the danger of the ship being capsized or taken a-back, or strained by perpendicular levers, is entirely obviated, I proceed to suggest a few things relative to the practical results of sailing and steam-ships. Notwithstanding 7 all that has been said and written upon the impracticability of navi- gating the Atlantic by steam-ships, recent experiments have con- founded the theoretically wise, and placed the affair upon a footing which no assault can shake. Driven from their first position, these scientific Philistines have encamped upon another, and fancy their bulwarks are sufficiently strong to secure a victory. They indeed admit, because they cannot now deny, that it is practicable to navigate the Atlantic by steam- ships, but they contend that the ships will not pay a profit to the proprietors. This is a question worthy of a minute and careful investigation. A fair and impartial inquiry may place the matter in so clear a point of view that the plainest understanding will comprehend it. No doubt those who possess the most practical information on the subject, have nursed it for their own benefit, whilst those who are not confined to narrow thought and selfish views, and who would give some light to the understanding of others, have it not to give. Whatever article of produce or manufacture can be exported or imported in a sailing-ship at a remunerating freight , can be ex- ported or imported in a steam-ship at a greater or equal profit, inde - pendantly of passengers . To elucidate this proposition, which I am aware the public mind is scarcely prepared to credit, it is necessary to go into some details of the working power of steam and sailing ships. It will be borne in mind that in constructing a steam-ship for commercial purposes independantly of passengers, the expence will be much less, and the capacity for stowage much greater than when both objects are combined. If we build a steam-ship of 2,500 tons measurement, her capacity for stowage, independantly of engines and fuel, will not be less than 1,600 tons register, equal to 2,400 tons of measurement goods of 40 cubic feet to the ton. A sailing-ship of 400 tons register, upon the same scale of capacity, would take 600 tons of measurement goods. For the sake of calculation, I will take the port of New Orleans and Liverpool for the point of the ship's destination. I do not specify New Orleans as a more desirable port than any other in the United States for steam navigation, although I believe the commerce between that port and Europe may be carried on with singular facility and profit, especially as the Western Islands, Bermuda, and Jamaica, offer natural stations for depots of coal, and its vicinity to the Mexican territories opens a wide field for the combi- nations of South American commerce with that of the United States and Great Britain ; but by taking the extreme point of the United States for the purpose of showing the advantages of steam navigation over sailing-ships, it follows that all intermediate ports, from New Orleans to Quebec, presents at least equal relative advantages. The following calculations, founded, as far as practicable, upon acknow- ledged data, will lead to a general result substantially correct, at all events sufficient to show the relative working power of steam and sailing-ships. A steam- ship of 2,500 tons, as mentioned above, after deducting her engine and coal room, will leave her register tonnage 1 ,600, and supposing her capacity for stowage equal to that of a sail- ing-ship, she will carry 2,400 tons of measurement goods, A bale of New Orleans cotton averages 20 cubic feet measurement, and 400 lbs. weight, consequently the ship would take two bales to a ton, equal to 8 4,800 bales for her entire cargo. If we assume Id. per lb. freight, with 5 per cent, primage, it would be 3 5s. a bale, or 8,400/. gross freight. Allowing the ship 73 days out and home, she would complete five voyages per annum, and bring home 24,000 bales of cotton, making a homeward freight of 42,000/. If we suppose the ship to make only one quarter of a freight out, — and I see no reason why she should not make a whole freight out, — that would give 2,100/. out, equal to 10,500/. per annum, and grossing out and home 52,000/. Upon the same data, let us examine the working power of a sailing-ship of 400 tons register, and see how many it will take to perform the same labour and earn the same freight. She will carry 600 tons of measurement goods, or 1,200 bales of cotton, allowing her the same capacity for stowing as the steamer, and allowing her to complete two and a half voyages a-year, which is as much as she can do, she will then bring home 3,000 bales of cotton. It would therefore require eight ships of 400 tons each to carry the same quantity of cotton in twelve months, as one steam-ship, and to make the same freight out and home of 52,500/. The relative power being the same, it makes no difference in the result, whether the ships carry more or less. Seeing the work that one steam-ship can perform, and having ascer- tained the number of sailing-ships of equal tonnage capacity combined, required to perform the same, the only remaining material point now to consider, is the relative expense of navigation. If it should appear that the expense of navigating one steam -ship of 2,500 tons is less than the expence of navigating eight sailing-ships of 400 tons each, then, I apprehend, the proposition may be considered as proved — and it follows, that it is more profitable to the ship-owner to employ steam than sailing-ships, independently of passengers. EXPENSE OF Eight sailing-ships of 400 tons register each. One sailing-ship 12 months. £. s. d. 1 master, at 10Z. per month 120 0 0 1 mate, at 51. per month 60 0 0 1 2d do. 41. „ 48 0 0 1 steward 31. ,, 36 0 0 1 cook 21, 10s. „ 30 0 0 1 carpenter 41. ,, 48 0 0 14 men 21 10s. „ 420 0 0 20 men’s wages is per annum 762 0 0 8 ships 8 160 men’s wages 6,096 0 0 Victualling 160 men at 10s. per week, is per annum 4,160 0 0 Port charges at Liverpool. Pilotage out and in at Liver- pool £20 0 0 Light and dock dues 35 0 0 55 0 0 For one ship, or for eight ships 440 0 0 NAVIGATION. One steam-ship of 1,600 tons register. One steam ship 12 months. £. s. d. 1 master, at 20/. per month 240 0 0 1 mate 10/. do. 120 0 0 1 2d do. 8/. „ 96 0 0 1 3d do. 6/. „ 72 0 0 25 seamen 21. 10s. „ 750 0 0 1 engineer 20/. „ 240 0 0 1 2d do. 10/. „ 120 0 0 1 3d do. 8/. „ 96 0 0 12 firemen 3Z: „ 432 0 0 I cook 21. 10s. „ 30 0 0 1 steward 3/. „ 36 0 0 1 carpenter 41. „ 48 0 0 47 men’s wages 2,280 0 0 Victualling 47 men at 1 0s. per week, is per annum l ,222 0 0 Coal, on board at Liverpol, 1 0s. per ton — at New Orleans, 30s. per ton; 1,200 tons each voyage — 6,000 for five voyages, at 21s. per ton average is 6,300 0 0 9 Which for two and a half voyages, is £1,100 0 0 Port charges at N. 0. In and out pilot- age dol. 100 Levee fees 50 Towage up the river 300 Do. out 125 dol. 575 For one ship, or for eight ships, 4,600 dols., which for two and a half voyages is 1 1 ,500 dols. , or 2,567 0 0 Port charges at Liverpool . Out and in pilotage £22 0 0 Light and dock dues 140 0 0 For one voyage 162 0 0 Or, for five voyages 810 0 0 Port charges at N. O. Pilotage out and in 25 0 0 Levee dues 12 0 0 For one voyage 37 0 0 Or, for five voyages 185 0 0 £13,943 0 0 Gross charges upon eight sailing-ships ,, „ „ one steam -ship £10,797 0 0 £13,943 10 0 10,797 0 0 Difference of expense in favour of the steamer, £3,146 10 0 Thus it appears that one steam-ship of 1,600 tons register will perform the work of eight sailing-ships of 400 tons register each, in the freight of goods only, between N ew Orleans and Liverpool, at less expense by 3,14 61. 10$. per annum. The petty expences, such as reporting the ships at the custom-house, advertising, and the like, will always be in favour of the steam-ship ; but in showing the relative working power of the two classes of ships, it is not necessary to enu- merate trifles. It will, however, be apparent to every candid enquirer, that if a steam-ship can not only he supported by carrying goods at the same rate of freight as sailing-ships, but make a larger profit ; that when the collateral advantages of passengers, speed, and certainty of time are taken into consideration, the preponderance in favour of the steam-ship is strikingly obvious. Mercantile men will see, that as the time occupied by a steam-ship in performing the voyage is not half that of a sailing-ship, the sea risk is diminished in the same proportion, and consequently the premium of insurance will not be more than half the amount of sailing-ships. The sooner the shipper can get his goods to market the better for him, and if he can do it in half the time by a steam-ship that would be required by a sailing-ship, it follows as an inevitable consequence that one half the capital would carry on the same amount of business in a steam-ship as would be required in sailing-ships, because he could make two shipments, or two importations, or both in a steam-ship, when he could make but one in a sailing-ship. The whole commercial capital employed in foreign trade upon the general introduction of steam navigation will be doubled in its powers of carrying on commerce, and twice the amount of business done upon the present capital, or the same business done upon half the capital. If I have succeeded in* establishing the propo- sition with which I commenced, then we may give rein, and allow the imagination to reach forward a few years, when sailing-ships will become as rare as steam-ships are now, and when the ocean will be covered with paddle-wheels instead of canvass. Astronomers make the circumference of the earth 24,000 miles. Steam navigators make it 12,000. And although the lusts of men will still rage, and the 10 sources of war remain, yet the nations of the earth will approximate, and a more subdued state of society lessen the calamities of war, and throw around its horrors something of humanity. Civilization and intercourse go hand in hand. The light of science and the revelation of truth, blending their rays and beaming upon barbarism, will soften down its character, and hasten the advent of more glorious times. Your obedient servant, Junius Smith, London , September 6th, 1838. LETTER V. On the Resistance of Masts, Sails , Rigging, and Top Hamper in Steam Ships . London, September 19, 1838. Messrs . Wadsworth and Smith . Gentlemen, — Since I wrote to you respecting masts for steam ships, I have, upon more mature deliberation, satisfied myself that they are better without any masts at all. It may be expedient, in the present preliminary stage of Atlantic steam navigation, to construct cylindrical metallic masts, which would be light and strong, and may be so formed as to project one from another in the manner of a telescope, and thus capable of being extended, in a short time, to any length required. But, upon general principle and sound reason, I do not question that more power is lost by the resistance of masts, rigging, and top hamper, than is gained by the use of sails. The resistance is constant, varying in force as the square of the velocity of the ship. The gain by sails is only temporary and partial . Every one at all accustomed to the seas, must be aware that a steam ship runing off at the rate of ten knots an hour, would so far keep a-head of a stiff breeze, that sails would have no effect in propelling her, whilst the resistance of the masts, top-hamper, &c. would have a constant and considerable effect in retarding her. In crossing the Atlantic one way and the other, how few days out of 365 would a ship have so strong a wind, and that a fair one, as to enable her to run ten knots an hour under canvass P And if the wind is not strong enough and fair enough to do that, sails are of no use, so far as regards the speed of the ship. I am aware it may be said, that sails relieve the engines, but the resistance occasioned by the masts and rigging, upon the same principle, distress the engines in proportion to the degree of resistance and the time of its continuance. The engines, if properly constructed, will perform their duty with or without sails, and all that can be meant by sails relieving the engines is, that you may lessen the steam power, work expansively, and reduce the consumption of fuel. But I apprehend such advantage is entirely fallacious, because seldom realized, through a deficiency in the power and force of the 11 wind, and because more than counter-balanced by the constant increased resistance of the masts and rigging. These are speculations which time and experience alone can fully develope. The science of resistance, applicable to ships at sea, is still in its infancy ; but since speed, whether upon land or water, has become the ruling passion of all nations, we have no reason to suppose that a point so intimately connected with its successful advancement will be suffered to remain neglected. Your obedient Servant, Junius Smith. LETTER VI. On Steam Ships of War. To Benjamin Silliman , Esq. Dear Sir, In my last letter, addressed to Wadsworth and Smith, I took the liberty to dismast steam-ships generally, and thus to save the expence of masts, sails, rigging, and top hamper in the first place, and in the second, the constant disbursement necessary to keep them in working condition. Rut my main object was, to show that masts in steam-ships are worse than useless, because the resistance being constant and the advantage only occasional, the loss by resistance exceeds the gain by such power. I do not, however, suppose that the view I have taken of several particulars relating to steam navigation will at present receive the countenance of the public, because the erroneous opinions generally entertained are so deeply rooted, and so agreeable to the minds of many who fear their craft is in danger, that they do not choose to have them corrected, but rather feel a secret delight in anything which has the slightest tendency to strengthen and confirm them. The bursting of a boiler, an accidental fire, the wreck of a ship, or the loss of a crew, are events hailed with triumph by that class of persons of whom I am speaking. But if the hints which I have thrown out lead the public mind from that general mode of thinking to which the novelty of Atlantic steam navigation has given birth, to a more close investigation of the subject, we shall soon see our enemies disarmed, and uniting with us in carrying out a system of navigation, which meets the wants and promotes the welfare of mankind. It is with a view of showing the subject in its largest dimensions and most important results, that I venture a few remarks upon steam ships of war . It may seem premature, perhaps officious, to speak of the power of the sword, to measure the force of nations, and to weigh in our hydro- static scales the fortunes of empires. But the thing throws itself upon us in such bold relief, that it seems impossible to conceal it. We are "compelled, whether we will or not, to trace the outlines, to bring the sub- ject under review, and to anticipate the mighty effects of steam power upon the destinies of nations. Whatever nation , England , France , or America , — and I think it will be one of the three , — has the largest and greatest number of steam-ships of war , will command the ocean . 12 Nothing can prevent it. In estimating the relative force of antago- nist fleets, the enquiry will not be how many line-of-battle ships, or how many frigates were engaged, but how many steam-ships P It will he felt at once that the strength and power of the fleet depend upon the latter. Those who were spectators of the last Continental war well remember that notwithstanding every effort was made, and enormous expence incurred by the transport hoard to meet the urgent demands of the army, yet such were the delays arising from head winds, tempest- uous weather, detentions in port, and long passages, that the sufferings of the army were sometimes appalling, and its operations often crippled. In war the facility of transportation is tantamount to victory. If a fleet of twenty steam -ships, were to transport an army of 25,000 men to the American coast in fifteen days, and to the Continental ports in a time less in proportion to the distance, the army can land when and where it pleases. There is no detention in port, no delay on the passage, no hovering upon the coast with light baffling or head winds, and thus affording time for the enemy to collect the means of defence, but the steamers push at once into port, and are in possession of their object before the enemy can be aware of its danger. The transportation of the munitions of war and the victualling stores is scarcely less important than that of the army itself. The great magazines of both, under a well-organised system of steam naval power, will always be at home, whence daily supplies will be drawn, ex- cepting upon any distant expeditions, with the same ease and regularity as if they were established in the vicinity of the camp. The celerity of communication and its absolute certainty, will supersede the necessity of accumulating stores in a foreign country before they are wanted. But the greatest triumph of steam power will be seen in those tremendous naval engagements which hereafter will settle and establish the sovereignty of the seas. Such is the locomotive power of a steam- ship that she can place herself in any position in reference to the enemy ; can run down from the leeward or windward upon the hows or stern of a sailing man-of-war, and with broadside after broadside riddle her fore and aft, annihilate the crew, and leave in her scattered wrecks an undeniable proof of the irresistible power of a steam ship- of-war. I know it will be said that the paddle wheels of a steam-ship are liable to be shot away, and thus disabled may herself become a prey to her enemy. But is she as liable to be disabled as a sailing-ship P Suppose a shot were to pass through a paddle wheel, it is not destroyed, and may not he materially injured, but if it were utterly destroyed the ship is not disabled, she can work with one wheel, you must, therefore, destroy both before she is disabled. How is it with a sailing-ship ? Dismast her, and her power is gone — she is a lost ship. The argument, therefore, regarding the danger of being disabled in battle is most conclusively in favour of the steamer. The latter I suppose to have no masts, and you must imagine her rashly and unnecessarily to expose herself to the enemy, and that too, in such a manner as to give him an opportunity of carrying away both paddle 13 wheels, whilst her own masts remain unscathed and entire before she is disabled. Not a very likely thing, when we consider that the steam-ship, by virtue of her locomotive power, can always approach the enemy or throw off, when a sailing-ship cannot do either. The power of sails in opposition to the power of steam is perfectly useless, and the sailing-ships go into battle like so many dismasted ships, the sport and play-things of the lively steamer. If a steam man-of-war has occasion to board her enemy she manoeuvres not, waits not the favour of a wind, but darts upon her prey at any point she pleases, and her combatants march over the bridge of her own deck into the camp of the enemy. The boilers of a steam ship-of-war ought to be below the loaded water line, and there- fore, perfectly secure from the effects of shot. The resistance of the water would effectually prevent the shot from penetrating, whilst the even keel of the steamer would give her a point blank shot at her enemy. Think for a moment of a sailing ship-of-war, no matter how many guns, chasing a steamer, no matter how few, the longer she chases the further she is off, until, if it were possible to sail in an uninterrupted circle, the steamer in the very act of running away would overtake her pursuer. Reverse this picture, and fancy you see the steamer bearing down upon the seventy-four under full sail. Can the latter quicken her speed P Can she fly in the eye of the wind P Can she escape before it ? Has she the slightest chance of evading the combat ? Can there be a doubt as to the result ? When we consider steam-power in time of war carried out into all its multiform ramifications, what merchantman can escape capture ? What harbour afford shelter ? What village resist plunder ? What city destruction ? What country invasion ? Steam power alone can cope with steam power, and, therefore, the relative force of nations can be measured by no other scale. Hence we see all the maritime nations upon earth reduced to the same level, and the work of destruction upon a large scale must begin afresh. All the existing navies of the earth are not worth a peppercorn. They will neither augment nor diminish the power of a nation in any future maritime warfare. We may just stand upon their ruins and witness kingdoms, empires, and republics all starting anew in the career of naval achievements, and pressing forward towards those grand results which wait upon superiority. Nothing but a steam-power navy, in the present advanced state of steam navigation can protect itself, much more a nation, from insult. It would seem, therefore, preposterous and absurd for any nation to exhaust its resources upon so useless and lumbering a thing as a sailing ship-of-war. The apathy with which this great subject is regarded in high places, if indeed it be regarded at all, is quite surprising. But the time is hastening on when its power will be felt. England, in all the spreadings of her vast empire, her universal commerce, great in arms, great in peace, — England, first in moral excellence, in mechanics, in manufactures, in literature, in the arts, in opulence, in every thing which exalts and adorns a nation, and I may be permitted, after a residence of more than thirty years in the metropolis, to say all this and a thousand times more, — England, with all this radiance encircling her crown, is at this moment more 14 exposed than any other nation to the ruthless hand of the invader. It is not enough that she has strength to crush invasion, she wants the power to prevent it. That, she can never have without a steam navy. Your obedient servant, London , October , 19, 1838. Junius Smith. LETTER VII. Some Objections to Steam Ships of War Answered . Benjamin Sit liman, Esq. Dear Sir, — I was gratified to leam through my friends, Messrs. Wadsworth and Smith, of New York, that you discovered indubitable marks of mental aberration in my last letter upon steam-ships of war. I was gratified, because the conclusion to which you came shows that there is something in that letter which took you by surprise ; some- thing startling in the application of steam power to the fortunes of empires ; something new in a state metre which shows the differential degrees of maritime greatness at a glance ; something that does not rest upon mathematical calculations, or philosophical experiments, or physical power, or moral influence ; but something so different from all this, that its very elementary principle is weakness, although its force is mechanical. The questions you ask are just such as, in my present state of mind, I should expect would be asked, namely, what will become of a steam- ship upon the wide ocean, without masts, in case a boiler bursts, the fuel is exhausted, or the machinery breaks down, and the ship is disabled ? My answer is, that she would then be precisely in the situation of an ordinary sailing-ship dismasted, and would of course resort to the same remedy of rigging jury masts. There is no difficulty whatever in having the foot of the masts of metalic tubes from the keelson to the main deck permanently fixed, and the top-masts made to slide down by their side in a manner similar to that of a telescope so as to be easily hoisted in case of necessity. But I apprehend that even this precaution, proper enough to be taken, would be entirely useless, excepting in the case of the breaking down of the main shaft. The bursting of a boiler at sea, which, by the way, I do not see how it is possible to effect where Hall’s condenser is used, unless by design, is a matter of no consequence as regards the working of the ship, because she would never have less than four boilers, and two would work the engines. The ship has two engines, and a defect in one would weaken but not destroy the power, and therefore would not disable the ship. Steam naval ships will be supplied with fuel upon just the same scale as they are supplied with pork. If the commander is weak enough to put to sea with a short supply for the intended voyage, the ship must be put upon a short allowance until she can make a port and lay in a fresh stock. I am obliged to you for your questions ; and if you can think of any more which seem coupled with objection to steam-ships of war, pray let me have them, for the subject is of vast magnitude ; one 15 which involves the security of states, the freedom of the seas, and the whole system of future maritime warfare, and which will bear the sternest examination. Although an island, as noticed in my last letter, assailable at all points, is peculiarly exposed to the assaults of armed steamers, I am not unmindful that a continent may be equally defenceless. The United States of America, stretching round half a continent, with a sea-coast scooped into numberless bays, harbours, and inlets, with. a government bearing rule over a people almost too independent to submit to any, urged on by ambition, vain of their acquirements, and proud of their country, is nevertheless slumbering in dangerous security. To such a people the power of steam, as a means of national defence, is of incalculable value. But do they perceive it, or will they continue to slumber on until their cities, towns, and villages, are battered about their ears P Do they think that the golden images of successful avarice set up in every part of the country are no tempta- tations to the daring buccanier P and do they not perceive that unless the means of protection correspond with the growth of the thing to be protected, the probability is that all may be lost ? If we cast our eyes upon the European continent we find the reign- ing dynasties last in every great enterprise. They may indeed catch a glimpse of the far off coast looming in the horizon, and speckled with objects indistinctly visible, but they must wait for a nearer approach, a clearer atmosphere, before they can realize the grandeur and beauty of the prospect. “ The Emperor of Russia embarked with his family on the 3rd of October, at Stetin,in the steam -boat Hercules, and found, at the entrance of the Gulph of Finland, the Russian fleet ranged in order of battle. The fleet manoeuvred before the Emperor,” &c. &c. If we did not know that hereditary talents are not necessarily connect- ed with hereditary rights, we should imagine the head of a vast empire and the descendant of Peter the Great, seated upon the deck of the Hercules, would catch an idea of the importance of steam power from his very position, from the manner in which he was conveyed into the presence of his fleet, from the contrast which the exhibition before him presented, and from the facility and celerity with which he approached his fleet and withdrew from it. But we are told that the Emperor discourages steam navigation. Let him. We cannot conceal the fact, that improvements upon a grand scale are scarcely compatible with the notions of aristocratical and feudal governments. They tremble under the secret apprehension, that they read their own doom in the melioration of society, and therefore grasp the “ rod of empire ” with a firmer hold, and close the inlets of every stream whose flowings would fertilize the public mind. But perhaps even this exclusive state of things is not without its alleviation. States of less physical force, unfettered by hereditary bonds, free to move, free to act, seize upon the advantages thus cast upon them, and occupy a position for which they are indebted to the repulsive character of others rather than to any superior sagacity of their own. This is the reason why nations just peering into notice gain so rapidly upon ancient dynasties. They have no antiquated thraldoms to overcome, no prejudices to surmount, no prescribed limits to check their career, no masters to consult, but, with all the freedom and buoyancy of youth, bound away in pursuit of every gainful enterprise, heedless of toil, regardless of restraint, intent only upon securing the result. The single fact, that there are at this moment more steam- vessels navigating the waters of the Mississipi river than all the steam- vessels of Great Britain and her colonies combined, and more than three times the number of all owned upon the whole continent of Edrope, is an irresistible evidence of the truth of these remarks. It is a question of the greatest magnitude, but one which cannot at .present be answered practically, how many sailing-ships of war in naval combat would be equal to one steam-ship of equal force ? We may suppose one 74-gun steam-ship placed to the windward of four 74-gun sailing-ships. It is quite obvious that the sailing-ships cannot approach the steamer in a direct line. If they attempt to tack in different directions to gain an advantage in position, the very act of separation would be instant destruction. If they form in line, perhaps the only chance of security, the steamer may bear down upon a flank ship, and what is to prevent her destruction P Fifteen minutes would complete the work : and I fearlessly ask any nautical gentleman who has the slightest acquaintance with steam-ships, what power a sailing- ship has to defend herself? and what can prevent the steamer from annihilating the four P If this supposition carries any truth with it, then thirty steam-ships of the line are equivalent in battle to one hun- dred and twenty sailing-ships of the line, which I suppose would be sufficient to show that the latter in any naval engagement would be utterly useless. No doubt, an actual engagement of two hostile steam-fleets, which, like armies of soldiers, can move in any direction and at any time, must be terrific, and the destruction awful ; but when we recollect that the violence of a storm indicates its brevity, we may gather some consolation from the hope, that the calamities of war which have too often extended over many years, may, by a new system of naval war- fare, be compressed within the limits of a few months. Your obedient servant, Junius Smith. PRINTED BY A. ECCLES, 101 , FENCHURCH STREET.