The herald., 1893-12-27
RNMIrY OF FRANCE AND ENGLAND
NAVAL SUPREMACY.

opment in recent events is the revival
OF the old time animosity between Eng
land and France. The right little ,ht
little isle, for centuries has bee, y
posed to be the natural enemy off,, "
Crspeau, and the ilI-will to ''per6a us
Albion" has been returned in "heaped
measure filed full and flowing o'er."
This rivalry reaches back to Crecy and
Agincourt. At the beginning of the
present century England was in great
and continuous state of agitation, with
France as the objective point of her
bile. Fortunately for England, during
the heydsy iof the ascendancy of the
First Napoleon-who at one time occu-
pied every other capital of
Europe-the channel ran be-
tween France and that country.
Prior to the battle Of Austsrlitz Ma
poleon formed q camp at Boulogne,
from which he tn reatened England.
He broke it up suddenly and moved on
the allied emperors with speed which
has ever since been the admiration
of the world, and which laid Prussia,
Austria and Russia at his feet with one
blow. Waterloo gave England her re-
venge, that country having maintained
her immemorial usage of subsidizing
other powers to do the fighting, and
hanging on the fanks of her allies. In
this respect Wellington simply re-en.
acted the role of Marlborough.
But under the premiership OF Lord
Palmerston in England and the Empire
of Napoleon the Third in France il yas
supposed that the two nations Ia. at
last reached an approchement. France,
England and Sardinia entered into an
alliance with view to curbing the am.
bition of Russia. The fall of Sebasto-
pol, under the joint assault of France
and England, knocked the ambitious
schemes OF Russia in the head, and sent
the Emperor Nicholas into an embit-
tered grave.
From that time forward the union OF
England and France was like that of
two lovers. In 1857 the improvements
or the harbor OF Cherbourg were COM
pleted. This great work had been
designed under the first Napoleon and
was completed under the third. Sixty
years and sixty millions of dollars had
been spent upon the creation of this
artificial hsrbor. 1t was inaugurated
with eclat. The queen of England
ersced the ceremonies, and, stopping
from her royal line OF Guelph dignity,
she affixed the ribbon of the garter to
the knee of the man whom Victor Hugo
had called Napoleon the Little--the
Augustulus to the Augustus OF the
Roman emperors.
What has occurred, since then, to
diminish the cordislity Of the two
nations? Absolutely nothing, with the
exception that, since then, France has
become unfortunate. Since then her
armies have not uninterruptedly car.
ried their standards to victory. There
is one interesting trait of England that
is never lacking. viz, she never fails to
desert q friend in misfortune. She may
sometimes make a mistake as to the
true status OF her friend or enemy, as
the case may be, but she always applies
the most selfish and matter-of-fact
standard in her international relations.
Just now both counties are intensely
interested as to the status OF their
respective navies. Mr.. Gladstone has
airily assured the people of England
that their old naval supremacy has been
maintained without doubt; and that
the flag that. for thousand years, he's
foated in the battle and the breeze,
still proudly sweeps the main. But
while Mr.. Gladstone has been too much |
in debate for Lord George Hamilton, it
is only too evident that the English
people are not in the mood to accept
these airy assurances. The demand is
for more and heavier ships. The high
est naval authorities of England have
asserted that it is question as to
whether these big armored vessels are
worth anything in actual warfare. One
of the leading English admirals. in a
leading magazine, has asserted that
these big battle ships are worse than
useless.
Meanwhile, both France, England and
Russia are starting out to augment their
navieH on the old and cumbrous lines.
We are tempted to parody the words of
Holy Writ, and to say that an adulter-
GUS and libidinous generation are look
ing for sign as to the modern arms.
ments; and that, as yet, it has not come
to them in any clear shape. Away down
in South America word may come to ue
any moment in the shape of collision
between the ships of Mello and Peixoto
that will throw more light ON modern
naval warfare than anything that has
occurred since the battle betwe en- the
Monitor and the Merrimac, off Hampton
Roads, in our civil war.
1t is certainly fortunate for the United
States, in the upbuilding of her navy,
that she has had pioneers and instruct
ors in naval architecture and in modern
naval warfare. lt is our own fault if we
have not profted by the mistakes, and
benefited by the skill and enterprise. of |
contemporary nations. We have had to
forget nothing and ought to have profited |
by the experience of the great naval
powers of Europe. To these lessons we
should very shortly be in condition to