New-York tribune., 1910-01-09

ID, oo noN,er il has been won, by sea power
;, mpst be defended. That is the refrain OF
,-er, ahle series of studies upon naNal topics
con,ributed by a civilian TO the press ana 10
srndry reviews The sea communications oi ehe
,,,ire ,,pst he held in war; if they so held |
territorial security against serious at'aeh a'
home and abroad is provided, AMI if they are |
no; so held no army OF whatever magnitude ana
NO fortifcations of whatever perfection can |
a,,ert national ruin The sailors Of England |
have never faltered in the conviction that If |
the fleets OF England could not save the coun- |
fry nothing else could. 1t is no mere accident |
that from the Norman conquest, when Ensiahd
Was lost by the insuffciency of her feet' 10 |
Trafalgar. when she was saved by lis suih-
,iency. the prowess of the navy mas kept the
invader at bay, and never once mas lheIe peeii
IN enemy on British soil except IN such mere
l,ndfuIs as left scarcely trace in the national
lisforv The natural and proper defence OF
maritime state is naval force No theories or
speculations can shake law irrefragabiy es-
,blishea bv the records Of centuries. All the |
great operations Of are ruled by the meas I
,re q the risk involved and until the defending
,.,,,, has leen crushed the risk Of exposing |
TRANSPORTS 10 attack is too great to be accepted
The answer therefore to the question whether J
i Is or is not an advantage to be an insula.' !
state lies in the fact that there is no state IN
Europe which has not been invaded over and
over again in the eight hundred years during
which England has enjoyed immunity from that !
calamity II her feet, which is her all in all,
...n no longer be trusted to keep the invader
out, no system of defence, no citizen-armies,
Min avail
II is therefore in no academic mood that the
British student OF naval problems approaches
the subject of sea superiority. 1t affects the
,,iSf at
such superiority the empire ceases 10 be, and
England as = power is doomed. How best to
maintain il becomes a political question of the
first magnitude. in which all parties agreed
uTon the end. while they fight 10 the death upon
the means. England has long maintained
her relative superiority that the mere suspicion
that any nation is disposed To contest it is suffi-
,ient TO induce a panic. Yesterday it was
France; to-day it is German. The giant strides
Of that great people during the last generation
in population, in wealth, in commercial expan-
sion. were viewed with comparative equanimity
nntil her naval ambitions stood revealed. And
now England is torn asunder and brought, as
some say TO the verge Of revolution, with the
plans and devices TO raise the enormous sums
requisite in the mad race of which naval su-
lremacy is the goal And Mr.. Thursfield's
study of Nelson and other naval heroes is not
alone historical disquisition or a sentimental
tribute Of gratitude and appreciation. but po-
lii al pamphlet. instinct with passion and pal
litating with all the feeling evoked when a ma
tiur.s very life is in the balance.
Some of these papers the light at the time
,f the Trafalgar centenary, four years ago, and
in them is discussed minutely the question
whether Nelson's plan Of battle outlined in the
famous memorandum abandoned altogether
or Was modified in detail the hour of conflict |
.s,,rraac9.J he latter theory is vigorously !
maintained with luminous reasoning, and is |
.auported by what so ems to be the unquestOned |
agreement Of Collingwood, the second in COM |
uand The text Of the orders communicated to |
all the captains before the battle amid great |
enthusiasm when Nelson took over the COM
mand betrays the lifelong student of naval tao
t5.s Its recommendations considered in de- |
tail and their peruSal shows how Nelson, who |
as Ii subordinate. had often been hampered by |
iun strict regulations. determined that his cap |
taine should have the opportunity TO display |
his own fearlessness Of respons biity With |
Captain Mahan and many another commentator |
on Trafalgar The author often finds himself in |
serious conflict. bat his arguments weighty |
and his conception Of the battle consistent, rea-
sonatle and entitled to consideration.
When Napoleon declared TO be affair
= I4stions he defined fngland's attitude Be
yea and her empire an assemblage Of distant |
POSSESSIONS can be held only 10y secure mari
time communications. 1t has been calculated |