The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-08-11
FATE OF FRANCES FLEETS.


War began between France and Eng
land, Feb. 1, 1893. At that date France
had two great fleets ready for sea. At
Brest was the Atlantic feet of 80 sail of
the line; at Toulon, the Mediterranean
feet, u sail-20 of the line and seven two
oeckers under "a guns, with plenty of
frigates and small cruisers. The per-
sonnet embraced about 81. 900 trained sea
men and marines, and between 5000 and
10 600 marine artillerists.
1hough already somewhat shaken up
by the affect of foolish policy already
applied To 1t, this splendid force was by
no means demoralized and needed only
the wave of one bold and master hand to
restore all Its strength and call forth all
its energy.
History is that the miserable souabbles
and petty quarreis and internecine homi-
cioes Vi the convention not only kept
these magnificent fleets idle for 1e months
but wrecked them in the meantime. so
that When at last the Brest feet did meet
the English feet, June 1. 1894. it was
little better IMAM a floating rabble, which.
despite the desperate courage exemplit,.d
In the rate u the tengeur's crew, fell the
easiest OF preys TO British skill and Rrit-
ish discipline
In contradIstinction to this q he'd
picture, IL rs certain that Jones, q e in
command, would with his fertility ,3,iain
and holiness Of execution have imfnedi-
motion great naval enterprise in the
Spring OF 1793 within two months of the
declaration of war
Such an enterprise would have found
the British Navy in state of far less
efficient and IN an attitude far less ready
than the French Navy then was. For
more than century-ever since the
battle OF La Hague-the theory of French
AdnlIrals had been that, for France at
least, the true use of naval force was
that OF demonstration manuver, threat
distant cannonade; anything, in fact, but
battle close aboard; anything but the
risk OF everything on one chance. which.
as the most rudimentary students OF
naval history know, was the simple rllIe
that MADE Nelson's fame and Perry's and
FanagutS. This was the rule also the
following Of which had given Paul Homes
the rank he then enjoyed of heinp the
foremost fighting naval Captain OF hi $
time.
And here it may be worth while to re-
call saying OF his, already quoted in his
correspondence with the Marine Com
mittee Of Congress in 1777 Whether with
a single ship or with a feet, If the odds
are not great enough 10 make prudence
superSede courage for the time being the
best thing commander can do is to get
closest to the enemy in the shortest timer
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Cherishing such rules Of naval tactics
and with the fierce hatred he bore To Eng
land and the English-a hatred which
even at this distance seems almost Too
impacable If not indeed too savage for
an impulse Of civilized warfare; cherish
ing. j say, such rules and animated by
such hate; possessed OF tactical skill
that was the fruit almost as much Of
intuition as OF study and experie nee
gifted beyond any naval Captain of hi s
time or any other with the hypnotic power
OF lniuslng into the souls of men under
ms command his own exalted resolution
and unconquerable nerve and grit. LET
us suppose that in April 1893 he had
as he undoubtedly would have done-set
sail from Brcst with the 80 ships of the
line then available there-six of them
three-deckers-and manned by about 20
GOO seamen, marine artillerists and
marines.
The ferocious children who subse-
Quently dominated the Convention and
did more than Lord Howe TO destroy the
French feet would not by that time have
had opportunity TO even begin their
wretched work Of ruin upon it,
This feet then, in the hands of a man
IKE Paul Jones, must have been an
instrument of frightful power for harm.
That he would have launched il instantly
like thunderbolt against the English
fleet wherever he could find il. goes with
out saying TO those who know his daring
nature, who comprehend the silent reso.
luton OF his soul, and who remember his
sublime faith in what, to him, was the