The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-20


| the Red Sea itself Ia OF Importance. But Ia
whom Only TO England. which now persists
In occupying Egypt and IL naturally very glad
to have the italian rather than the French
flag flying at such n convenient point
between Suez. and Alden on the highway
TO India MI me ,m I'm nse, sums ST g.. %
distinctly thrown away for the henent Of for
eign rower than the MILLIONS leyished on the
Eritrea There is literally nothing on the
credit aide Of the account Tor Italy but the
hs2f sSsrs suy YIN on Tnds deG
lighting to the last man for the honor Of the
As to tho protectorate supposed to have
been established for the heneit Of the Negus
clever Frenchman. less than two years ago.
made to TINT Abyssinan potentate lod him to
ss sse ~ Italy or
great po'7er which most efrectnally prom ed
end gGsye effect to bis protest was ,Russial
ranean Italy will not be found shoulder
ing any part Of the British burden OF EN-;
atop up that waste ripc as soon as
she can and y would not surprise me were she
to turn over Massowah some line morning for
a price. either to France or to Russia. After
az. hnssia has good deal more to do than italy
What poet Of cont nn T ssts1 40 rS find
obvious points OF contact In the nrst
tian empire With an ancient church Of its own
more or less affiliated with that orthodox
head. In the second place land this il the m ore
practical point, Russia, remember. lie great
Asisntic as well as Europsan power. She is
eastward tothe Pacific and she has converted
Nladivostock into formidable naval station
raltar OF the North Pacific. You may remember
that during the Crimean war u small English
the North Pacific. got so dlsastrously beaten
by the Russians that the English commander
not russia as sS GOOD fieht to nss the Red Sea-
as part Of he. waterway between Odessa and
vladiyostock as England has to treat Il as
bay2 The russian flag flying at Massowah
might Inconvenience England; but that is
t suits the policy q Russia. Of France. and Of
Turkey. and tends to relieve the finances Of
iatiye rsmarks though there Is good iw reason s to
believe that this particular topic was touched
upon during the conferences which took place
HumbeEt and the Russian Premier. NJ dc
Giers. They are Incidental, however. to the
lust as soon as the hawai- preponderance Of
Great Britain disappears. there must inevi-
map OF the world. and OF the positions OF the
different great powers In respect to the great
lines Of oceanic communicating
ponderance OF Great Britain would disappear
were her position in the, Mediterranean shat
tionably," was the reply. when England
renean ~. she loses everything. The break up
OF her world, vide , empire then becomes, in,
s oaSs Us but t99 tbn sd IL
find no well-ipformed English public man OF
the frat class to dispute my proposition. And
question of the conditions under which Eng
land must contend with France and Russia. or
Mediterranean. we're the contest to be forced
upon her today, can only tell you. IN the light
81. would nd hsrse
she has not been since she fought with France,
at the end OF the seventeenth century.
OF the House OF Bourbon drove her lag for a
ing this briefly are beyond the strategic suR-
gestions | ha ~. elrsady made made that the re-
ter both in design and In construction than the
recent English types; that In the vital matter
las II will prove e bel Of the torpedo vessels
and especially that the English navy anoat IL !
and that. in point OF training |
average officers Of the English ships are in |
ferior to those not only OF France. but OF Ger
Of Tussia. There was a time. not so many
years ago. waen you could recognize an |
ths but IA the wGrd
sional smartness and form OF the officers
AID Of the men. That Is no longer the case.
starving the royal navy in the matter OF men. |
\ GU must rene IN Der that a man oi-war's man |
going life. too has been growing continually |
less attractive to EnRlishmen, so that the |
from a less satisfactory class Of the population
han formerly. Nor does the English navy any |
longer draw SO freely for ITS officers from the |
Perhaps you will toll me that these things can |
all be remediod when the English people wake |
sure o. his The EnSilsh navy ca can '' only be-
either t By a rigid naval cSnscription t Sys
very great increase in the annual expenditure |
'or men. and In the system OF pensions and re- |
nent likely to adopt either Of these measures
n time to avert an international collision,
rash. Plenty OF money viii be A voted
perhaps for building new ships. because
, Gs' and to %anhiactnners and d0h mSns
with m, WSst viii Ss iss at the
which already exist and without capable OF
icers enough to handle them As to the tor
zeal trial OF the value OF these deyillsh vessels
= compared with that OF the ironclads. to
urred during the late civil war in Chill, whom
he Blanco Enealada. one OF the best OF the
)hliian arm2r- plated ships. was struck and
he French torpedo heet. thanks to the late
|
o one; and that while the French torpedo |
)oAts are conlded TO specially trained officers
md crews, the English torpedo boats are left.
IS rule. In the hands OF officers and men
' it'll no special training.
In fact, to sum matters up briefly the
English persistently trust to the excite
nent OF the moment and to sudden sx-
md the Russians both work steadily |
IN the lines OF ethodical. scientific. and LID.
'ral Development As war in our time aud
specially war at sea- is becoming every day
more and more matter of method and
cience, 1t Is easy to SEQ why nations which
ely on method and on science are likely |
Fhen the hour OF conflict comes. TO take ma
Ions which do not so rely. very much as
Ioltke and the Germans in 1870 took the
rmies OF the NApOeonic empire"
As we were parting l said. You have not
welt much. i observe. on the part which |
iussiA may be expected to take actively on the
ide OF France in this struggle over the Medi- |
srransan 2" :" No." was the rejoinder, Il
ave not. because | really believe that under
xisting conditions ENGLAND could not hold
or own against France single handed in such |
conflict. OF course. II Russia. as the ally |
nd protector OF Turkey, comes into the ac-
cunt, bringing her Black Sea fleet through
he Bosporus into the contest. the odds
'ould be overwhelming against England; but
seems to me that the English are |