The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-22
SOME NEW ROOMS.
Captain Mahan's New BOOK.

ductory chapter In which the author lie
soribes tho conditions OF naval warfare a
the beginning Of the eighteenth century
he proceeds TO exempllfy the spirit and tn,
form OF the process which that warfar,
was to undergo In two chapters respec'
lively devoted to Hawke and to Rodney
Next follow studies OF Howe and Jervis
considered as general officers. the former
being prominently n tactician and the
latter a disciplinarian and stratcgist. tn,
book concludes with estimates OF Saumare7
and Pellew. the former being regarded a.
type Of the feet officer and division com
mander. the latter n a type OF the frignte
captain ard partisan officer. II In espe.
cially Hawke and Rodney who are presented
as personifcotions OF professional idcns
and tendencies, the rogress Of which
may now be recognized as a general char
acteristic Of their period. Their relation
to naval advance was that OF men who, by
innate force ~ insight. detected the need
OF changes and reforms, for which the time
was ripe, and upon the embodiment OF
which In practice the healthful develop
ment Of the ma val profession WAS 10 depend
With Hawke ard Rodney, in fine. " not 20
much contemporaneously as In close his
torical sequence is associated tho distinc-
tive evolution OF naval warfare In tho
eighteenth century in thor combined
names Is summed up the Improvement OF
system 20 which Nelson and his contempo-
rarics fell heirs. and 10 which Nelson was to
give an extension that im,nortalized him. :
Why, then, it may be asked, is not Nelson
included among the great commanders
hero portrayed The author answers that
Nelson was not a type but a transcendent
individuality, one Of those towering per-
sonalities who stand alone, so far as their
own era Is concerned. md OF whom IL may
Be said that, among their contemporaries
at least, there was baud prorimus du
s~ecundus-no next. or second. 1t is Capt.
Mnhan's opinion that " among general
officers, land and sea, the group to which
Nelson belongs de9es exposition by a type.
both because il ia snall in aggregate num-
bers, and because he peculiar eminence
Of the several members-the eninence
of genius so dihsrntiates each from his
fellows hat no one among them can be
said to represent the others. Each, in the
supremacy OF his achievement. stands
a~lone-alone. not only regarded as tower
ing above a brilliant surrounding OF dis
tinguished followers. but alone even as
contrasted with the other great ones who
In their own day had a like supremacy.
Such do not, in fact. form a class, because.
though a certain community Of ideas md
principles NAV be traced In their actions.
their personalities and methods bear each
the stamp Of originality in performance.
and where originality Is found. classifoa-
ton ceases to apply, There In a company,
II may be, but not q class
The interesting fact Is noted that the
lives Of the six British naval officers here
chosen for delineation were more or lees
connected with American history. Thus.
much Of Hawkes. early life was spent upon
the American station. largely in Boston:
he had, moreover. tiee OF blood with the
Maryland family Of Baden; that having
been his mothers maiden name. and Gov
ernor Bladen Of the colony being his first
cousin. Rodney. also. had kinsmen in
America: his great-grandfather was a
brother OF the great-grandfather OF Cesar
Rodney, a signer Of the Declaration Of In
dependence from Delaware Admiral
Howe's elder brother was Of all British
officers the one who best succeeded in gain
ing the affection Of the colonial troops.
and IL was the Admiral's own kindly atti-
tude toward the colonists that partly
u nm w w E'A'NN'' W NV
American command at a time when the
mother country still hoped to sppea-e
colonial discomfort. Even Jervis il asso-
ciated with the history Of the American
Continent through his intimate Intercourse
with Wolfe during tina Generals last days
at Quebec. Saumarez tool: part IN tie
British attack upon Fort Mouitrie IL l575.
while pellew was not only actively engaged
a., a., gunpnrfa.t .n,nnaaun. an aLa chan
plain IN the same year, buf subsequently,,
as the leader 81 a contingent Of seamsn,
shared the fate Of Bursoyne's army at
Saratoga.
Al the first glance IL may also seem sur.
prisine tina, the name Of hir Samuel Hood.
sfterward Lord Hood does not hgure IN
this lls, Of British naval heroes Of the eigh.
taenth century II his nAme is omitted.
81 is not from any lack 81 appreciation ~
HE roInarkablr abilities. bat ls,oause lie
never had a chance 10 exhibit them on a
h.i With that which tested
the powers ~ a Hawke ~ a Rodney Touch
ins THE pOint. We rad on page II 1T u
one ~ tie ifonls- 81 history that the hrrt
slT sAnu.l Hood should nav. had iu.t
opportunity enouEh to show LoN great
~er. hs po~.rs, aud yrt have i-aoh denied
~ ~ ~ faNHAA NNNfA NANAAN HHiHN
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nay. hAys l~-u mlfe than onos oumI~ll"i
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loot vhloh b. would unqanstionauAy have
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