Washington sentinel., 1898-12-24

witness to this superiority wher
! he declared that an American
vessel could be recognized as far
as she could be seen, by the skill m
seamanship always displayed by
her commander. In chasing
American ships he found that there
was no nautical device to escape
capture that was not practiced by
their masters, and every clipper
that ne succeeded in overhauling
would have escaped but for failure
Of the wind at the critical time
when pressed by the power Of
steam Of the pursuing vessel. 1t
! vas the possession OF this magnih
cent body Of sailors that enabled
the United States to blockade the
Southern ports immediately in the
beginning of the war, thereby
preventing the Confederate gov
ernment from obtaining the mill
tary supplies TO put a sufficient
force in the field. While the North
had the whole world open to buy
munitions OF war and make its
preparations to bring the contest
to a successful issue, the South
could not furnish weapons to the
numbers who desired to enter the
ranks for its defense. The border
States. though so enthusiastic at
first, soon cooled in their attach
ment for a cause which to any
sensible man seemed hopeless by
being damned in its inception
through an utter want Of prepara-
ton. 1t is our greatest misfortune
that in case OF war we cannot
count on the possession, as in 1861,
OF such a body OF sailors.
In addition to hemming in the
United States by the erection of
land and maritime fortresses, on
our own northern frontier and on
the Bermudan, Bahaman and West
Indian islands, England has now
a chain Of fortresses to protect her
line of communications to India,
from which she can draw, in case
Of war, not only all her breadstuffs
but an almost unlimited supply Of
SepoY soldiers. -Four hundred
millions Of Asiatics acknowledge
her rule, and from these mYriads
countless armies could be organ.
lied, which, under English officers,
would be no despicable foe to en-
counter. With her regular and
auxiliary navy, she could protect
their transportation to our shores,
and there is no power on earth that
could seriously interrupt their pas
sage. Not in a generation could !
Russia concentrate any force to |
seriously threaten English rule in
India. A Russian general re-
Gently acknowledged that it
would take the efforts oil another
generation to construct means OF
transportation and supply, to place
one hundred thousand Russian
troops on the frontiers Of Afghan
istan. With her iortresses on the
Red Sea, the military occupation
of Egypt, and the possession OF
Cyprus, Malta, Gibralta and the
the path from India to
this country for England to use
contingents of Indian troops is per-
fectly feasible and, in a military |
sense, comparatively easy. That !
this mode of conducting a warfare
against the United States has been
elaborately worked out, is shown
by the imme1se sums lavished on
the pundits Of the Brahman re-
Iigiou, recently sitting in conven-
tion in the holy city of Benares,
and IN connection with the organ
ization ofLhe reserves OF the armies
in the three presidencies of Bonn
bay, Madras and Bengal. To make
these troops available in case Of a
war with the United States, it was
found absolutely necessary to
overcome their repugnance to
crossing the Atlantic Ocean. This
was done by the council OF pundits
at Benares presenting certain
modes OF puuhcation, when re-
turning to India after such trips, |
by which the Brahman RECEIVERS
his caste.