The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-22
A NEW QUESTION IN EUROPE.

the continent might be the rapid augment
ton OF the military power of the German Ell
pire, the steady growth of the German ma,
BODIED no less jeopardy to the British empi
of the ocean. This is q most significant az
mission, coming from such a source, and "
presume that not one in one hundred Amer
can students Of European politics an
diplomacy has any idea of the wonderful prt
gress the German navy has made in til
last eight years nor of the high state of effic
ency it has attained
The idea of English supremacy at sea ha
become SO firmly fixed in the Anglo Saxo
mind, not only in Great Britain, but in Amer
ca as well, that nothing short of great disas
ters in war can ever dislodge it. But it is a,
idea based upon facts which have become oh
solete. Great Britain first obtained wha
might be called an absolute mastery of tn
ocean IN 1909 She had been struggling fo
At much of the time against the combined ma
vies OF Europe, since Blake and Won Tromr
fought their battles in the English Channel
What Blake began Hawke, Warren, Gambler
the Torringtons and Howe followed up, and
COllingwood and Nelson finished it at T'ratal.
gar.
For two hundred years France, Spain and
Denmark had been building ships for Eng
land to take, and when, after the Nile and
Copenhagen had swept the old French and
Danish navies from the sea, Trafalgar swal-
lowed up the Spanish maritime power along
with the new French navy that Napoleon had
built, less than half the war-ships that sailed
under the British flag had been built in
British yards. OF the thousand and FORTY
ships which Great Britain had in commission
IN 1908. according to Steele's list, not more
than four hundred and eighty were of British
bald.
For an illustration take the British ships
which were captured by our men-of-war in
1872: The Guerrero, Java, Cyane, Epervier,
Peacock, Penguin and Levant were the prizes
that had been taken from the French, while
the Macedonian, Boxer, Reindeer, Avon and
Frolic were British built. At that time the
British were nation of sailors. The build
ing up OF colonies in every part of the world
had famillarized her people with sea-going,
ana there was no nation in the world OF
wnose population the seafaring proportion
was one-third as great as Great Britains.
At that time also, the conditions Of naval
warfare permitted sailors only to man ships
OF war. But now the case is altogether |
changed. Seaman, as the term formerly |
denoted, is no longer required to constitute |
an available man-of-wars man. It is not es-
sential that more than one-fifth of the COM
plement OF modern steam iron clad should
be sailors. And even at that, whereas it
formerly required at least three or four Years
apprenticeship before the mast to make an
sable seamen" out of landsman.
q three months voyage now suf-
fees to qualify the biggest "lubber" that
ever signed ships articles for the duties OF
y forecastle hand on board steamship. 1t is
Of course necessary that the officers of a
steamship should understand navigation.
And it is desirable to have on board men
enough who know the ropes enough to make
sail If the engines break or the coal gives out.
But as for the rest, to work the guns and per-
form common deck duty on a modern man-of-
war, soldiers will answer every purpose of I
'ailors.
These new conditions 60 far to deprive {
treat Britain of that naval supremacy which
vas inherent in the aptitude of her sons to
earn the mysteries of sea- faring under the t
I'D regime Fifty years ago German sailor
Tas a common laughing stock; and such t
phenomenon as Prussian sailor would have /
sastsd about rs much superstition and con- a
tern. n,tion II seen at sea- as would the appa- C
;tion os one Of those fable cuttle-fish, which t
,ere said to be atle to reach I'D out of the r
cean. seize ship hv her main-royal cross 4
rees, and heave her DOWN beam on to the c
Ottom.
But commercial experience has demon n
rated that Germans can navigate steamships IL
, efficiently as Britons. And now BIS c.
larck is silently, but swiftly building up II
eet whereby he proposes at no distant day v
, demonstrate that Germans can handle II
team men -of-war as efficiently rs they can j
team merchantmen. At this writing the
herman navy is the third in point of Ships
nd guns and the second in point of men en-
loyed in its service, among the European
tates. 1t has about one-third the number Of IL
inst hot fha RIFT. 4,
bout half Us many men as the British navy Y
Oes. IN
But it is being augmented at a rate that far k;
utstrps she progress of the British marine, W
nd unless checked, will be fully equal to the a,
tier in ships, guns and men before the end II
five years. From all these facts Great al
rltain has taken great alarm, which the W
lines sounds out with no small voice. 1t SC
,gins to dawn upon the British mind that "
,rhaps Germany will not be content with b
up al! the European territory be- b,
veen the Rhine and the Niemep, de- D,
ironing tho Pope and throwing out ba
hen all these are done she may turn ey
er attention TO colonial policy in rivalry, ii W,
,t in conflict with that Of England. This is m
10 latest panic that has seized the English vi
lblic, and there is no little reason for it. Hi
AL is gloom, says the Times; "and out of fiji
o gloom comes but one sound-the clseter At
arms preparing and the tramp of 9ren In
filing. All are arming. New leves ARE IA,
Using, new contingents being provided. new Yc
Ups building. new cannon casting" Well. as,
is stormy outlook But Americans will ex
satisfied if they can pull the republic sta
rough till March 4, 1877. with as little ac M;
al trouble as We think Europe will expert 1aI
CO between now and then.-N Louis Re
blican. @.-.. M........z
argus: We see it stated that m
|. Sam Pike, Of Ohio has started no less e.,
IN forty-two papers during his eventful tn,
.eer Col Sam Bard, of Georgia. has started tiy
out the same number, but in each case the no
eriff started so soon for Sam, that he never ma
lid tell Wnetner ne WAS mean' iol Journal ma