The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-20
The WEEKS LONDON CHAT
Two kINDS OF FIREWORKS
N ROSEBERI,S SPEECH.

for spanish Schoo, Childr en-A Prin-
cess P~arty-schooi fer Fathers.
LONDON. June cit would be difficult
N imagine much more unfavorable CON-
ditions undor which to make a great
sneech than those presented when Lord
Rosebery spoke last Saturday night at
the inaugural banquet Of the Imperial
Press Congress. For some insorutable
reason 5o newspaper men from all
over the United Kingdom and the British
1 Empire were dragged out TO Shepherds
Bush and put to dine in a huge barn
with a corrugated iron roof. the acoustic
properties OF which might have defed
stentor. The cold wind OF an arctic
English summer night seemed to blow
IN from a thousand quarters and men
ate their dinners with upturned collars,
wearing their overcoats and hats.
hardened crowd Of reporters made
no p~retence Of listening to the half audible
preliminary speeches. but when it was
seen that -Rosebery was up" some in
tinct seemed to tell them hat the
public orator Of England" was going to
excel himself. Leaving their tables, the
diners gathered around the speaker in
great horseshoe which enclosed him
and the few tables in front Of him and
listened to a speech which all declared
vas Re sebery's high water mark. Men
Who have reported him for more than
!. twenty years declared that he had never
been so fine, so inspired.
Yet during the forty-fve minutes that
he spoke it was to the bang, boom and
nttle Of a fireworks display in the
stadium just outside. At first this noise
vas rather discomfting both to speaker
and TO listeners, but after a while it
passed unnoticed and at times was even
humorously or weirdly appropriate. On
two occasions it might have been the
result Of careful stage management.
The speaker had just got his imaginary
touring party of Lords and Commons to
South Africa. Speaking in earnest tones
he went on, -and hen | would take them
north His hearers knew that some
stirring reference to E%ngland's work in
Egypt must follow. but they were not
prepared for and therefore all the more
ktickled by the slyly spoken parenthesis.
Avoiding Uganda. that we might not
disturb the privacy OF the ex-President
Of the United States" Before the laugh
had time to follow there came from the
stadium the long drawn whistle OF a big
skyrocket. and the incipient smile became
shout Of mirth.
Later on, when he had described the
apparently peaceful condition OF Europe
and had spoken Of the hush in which a
leaf might almost be heard to fall" and
then in a one more ~portentous even than
the actual words proceeded to express
the deep feeling of uneasiness with which
it all inspired him. he paused. and the
tense silence which held the crowd in
that great bare hall was broken by the
booming Of a dozen bombs. The sounds
Of war seemed then and there to break in
upon the hush Of peace.
There is much speculation as to the
lines on which the new Dreadnoughts
1ept secret, but it is generally accepted
that the primary armament Of these yes
sells will be ten 1875 inch guns, mounted
in the same fashion as the IL inch guns
IN the Indomitable.
These huge guns will replace the IL
inch weapons of the existing Dread
noughts and will make them easily the
most powerful VESSELS ahoat. The sec
ondary armament also is likely to be
rsised from 0 inch to 10 inch guns and
the new ships will carry a remarkably
heavy anti-torpedo battery.
The plans for the mounting OF the
1875 inch guns. it is believed. have
been approved and their manufacture
vii he taken in hand almost imme-
tateIy. TheAJength OF the new ships
ill be somewhat greater than that OF
he original Dreadnought.
With every fight OF the Zeppelin air
nip alarming pictures are drawn Of
lreadnoughts sunk by bombs from the
9ies. but Fred T. Jane, the naval expert,
rnnts the idea that sinking warships
viii I've one OF the chief uses Of airships
n war time. The power OF high explo-
sves. he says, is far too limited. The
'eal danger lies elsewhere.
Experiments made some time ago in
Austria proved conclusively that from a
balloon all ships are clearly visible at
night, The present main defence OF a
battleship feet against night torpedo
attack is its invisibility. Aerial scouts
will make it very hard not to be seen.
Such scouts could easily report by wire
less the location Of a feet to d~estroyers.
or course the feet might also have
Its dirigibles. which would speedily spot
the destroyers. but this would be little
help since few seiously believe that
sunfre will prevent a torpedo attack.
The only remedy will lie in a better and
more complete net defence than now
that is all round net defence
Instead 81 a three-quarter defence. and
in plenty Of d%estroyers to meet the
hostile boats, The first fruits Of aviation
likely to be more destroyers and
torpedo nets.
Jane is sceptical a. to the Offensive
bowers Of aeroplaneo. They may. he
'ays. become the torpedo. boats Of the
irisibles, but there IL not the remotest
prospect OF their becoming the
hat,ieships Of the skies.
According to a recent announcement
ssgNd by the Lord Chamberlain ladies n
u the court need not appear more than
'nce in three years unless under excep-
.lonal circucstanoes.' Hitherto it has
'esn underetood that ladies who have
he "ntrde and maintain the custom OF
lresenting themselves regularly before
heir sOvereiQn should do no onCe every