The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-22
but then the Jerseymen fortunately had
Grand Jury to manage their reform movement
instead of Committee of Seventy.

Grand Jury to manage their reform movement
instead of Committee of Seventy.
The Reform and Emcieucy Of the navy
We called attention very recently to the
appeal Of the International Geographical Con-
gress which met last August at Antwerp for
scientific explorations by all naval vessels.
We suggested that besides the knowledge OF
the sea thus to be obtained, there was in the
Antwerp scheme the added advantage Of i'm
proving and training the whole navy in marine
and other sciences. A few months ago the
subject of the preliminary education of naval
officers was ably discussed before the Royal
United Service Institution of England by
many of the first minds of that country. The
discussion turned upon q paper urging q
larger scope Of education for the juvenile ele-
ment in the English navy, and pointing out
the great peril that stared it In the face from
the incompetent and unskilled leadership to
which its future fleets must be entrusted. The
distinguished seaman, Captain Goodenough,
who presented the paper, alluded specially to
the gross ignorance of foreign languages re-
vealed on the Interchange Of visits of the French
and English fleets in 1896, to the thick darkness
that hides from most naval minds the elements
Of history and physical geography, and to the
ignorance of the simple laws of hydrostatics
which obscures the loss of the ill-fated
Captain from most naval officers. ''Give to
two officers of good repute, said the speaker,
"a simple piece Of work to do, and see
how entirely they are guided by rule OF
thumb. Let US ask ourselves how many COM
manders and lleutenants would know what
was meant by Buys Ballots law, or how they
would steer their ship so as to increase their
atmospheric pressure when expecting gale
Off the coast of Ireland ?" The sad and dis
graceful ignorance in the English navy of such
subjects as these (Which concern the safe paw
cation of ship, and Of many others, such
as political geography, mechanics. maritime
law, &C., he unsparingly exposed, and earn
estly demanded for the navy emancipation
from the old and baseless phantoms of profess
sional prejudice and fossil dogmatism.
But Captain Goodenough's paper is not
without suggestions of profound and prac-
teal bearing upon the future welfare of all
navies, as well as upon that of the navy he
so well pleads for. We certainly do not want
q navy of Swans, much less q navy COM
posed Of theorists of science ready to sink the
national honor in some nice problem Of natural
history or bugology. The floating service is
strictly for the defence of the country, and
all its administration must be planned with a
view to meet this prime purpose. In the dis
charge of this duty it ought to be considered
that, other things being equal, an officer
capable of navigating his ship or
leading his squadron at given season
through the seas where they would
be least baffled by head winds and
would make the finest run, is greatly to be
sought for. The question of the best route for
q merchant ship between two ports is of the
utmost consequence, and for a war ship, in
time of war, it might be of incalculable i'm
portance to the nation. The immense feet of
William of Orange, destined for the invasion
of England, and whose after exploits gave
shape to British destiny till this day, came
very near total loss by unconsoiously leaving
port before o fearful storm then impending.
1t is certainly scandalous ignorance for pro-
fessional navigator in our day to run his ship
unawares into q cyclone but there are few
seamen who know enough of the law of storms
to extricate themselves from the dangerous
part Of hurricane. In mannuvring feet in
<Ho ~
mander might, by little science, get ont of
dangerous weather and inveigle his adversary
into it, whereas, without such science, he
might cripple his whole squadron in gale a
few hours before it would be put upon the
severest trial of Its mettle with superior
force.
The old masters of naval warfare were
meteorologists or mathemati-
clans, but they were good enough sailors and
philosophers always, when possible, to fight
their ships with the elements Of nature on
their side. There are few more striking
passages in naval history than those which
relate the trying contests of Admiral
Nelson, In 1905, with the French feet under
villeneuve, and the mastery manner in which
the subsequent hero of Trafalgar managed his
squadron. The fiery Admiral wrote Lord
Melville that his feet had defed the sudden
and violent hurricanes of the Mediterranean
for twenty-one months without losing mast
or yard, and his journal is full of barometric
and other observations, entered with his own
hand. Ordinarily, ceteris p0ribus, the officer
who is q master Of the scientific part of his
profession will have his men under better dis
cipline and command, and, in emergencies,
will show his immense superiority over ON
empiric. II is by no means necessary to rear
q corps Of savans for the management of our
ships, nor to multiply naval academies, in
order to raise up fine navlgators and skilful
commanders. This can be amply done by
oua ,o~vovJin0 a ooianki0o upirit IF