ABSTRACT
The Institution of Naval Architects was rife with debate on Iron-Cased Vessels of War, in a two-day session chaired by Sir John Pakington. The author believes these iron vessels contain in themselves the means by which British Navy shall again be able to catch the bird in their own net. The first paper read, by General Sir Howard Douglas, was an artillery-mans response to the critiques made by iron shipbuilders with whom he had taken issue. Whereas at the beginning of 1861, when tensions with France were at their highest since before the Crimean War, Palmerston still felt in April that nothing had materially changed in the urgent need for Paget to demand more money from Parliament for increases to Britain’s iron-clad fleet in as much as there were now some doubts and considerations which have sprung up as to whether our Principle of Iron Ships is as good as that practiced by the French.
