‘ 
25 ~ Letters on Steam Navigation. 
4 
Hence we see all the maritime nations upon earth reduced to the 
_ same level, and the work of destruction, upon a large scale, must — 
gin afresh. All the existing navies of the earth are not worth a 
pepper corn. ‘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 ecices s of her vast empire, her — 
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 na- 
tion, and Imay be permitted, after a residence of more than thirty 
years in her metropolis, to say, all this and a thousand times more. 
England, with all this radiance encircling her crown, is at this 
moment more 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 preven: it. That abe can never 
Rieakiaieics a steam war: 
ox “Your ob't serv't, 
Jontws pay 
London, Oct. 19th, 1838. 
Remarks by the Senior E'ditor.—It —_ obvious that certain 
objections to the views of Mr. Smith would present themselves to’ 
many readers, a letter, dated Dec. 3d, was addressed to his cor- 
— in oe York, to which the repre is an answer. 
t 
LETTER It. ie 
TO PROF. SILLIMAN. 
Dome Siecia reply to yous queries I try to answer each in ie 
order,’ commencing with ‘“ What for instance will the sparless, 
> 
a, 
1A tan ea er 
