Year: 1871

The announcement that Mr.. 4. j. Reed, for
merly chief naval constructor to the British
Admiralty has been employed to build several
iron-cad ships of war for Germany, and to
superintend generally the development OF
the naval power of the new empire, Is
received in England with il-cOncealed
anxiety. The London press struggles
to reassure the disturbed public mind by
denouncing the absurd Literature of panic J"
of which "The Battle of Dorking" is the
most remarkable example, and counting up
the reasons why England should be pleased
rather than alarmed at the prosperity of her
very good friend and relation, the German En-
pire. But the whole country feels that 1t Is
menaced in direction where England has
fancied herself invincible. Mr.. Reed is naval
architect whose ability amounts almost to
genius. Naturally, therefore, he was ill-treated
by the Lords of the Admiralty; and when at
last the Government tried to throw upon his
shoulders a part of the responsibility for the
loss of the Captain, which was not built ac-
cOrding to his plans and was sent to sea
against his advice, he resigned his position,
and gave the benefit of his experience to more
appreciative authorities. Germany has done
well to secure his services. In doing so she
has only given additional proof of that extra
ordinary good Judgment in the selection of
men, and that promptness in seizng upon the
best results of scientific progress, which gave
her such a marked prominence i'll the war
with France.


1t is Idle to pretend that the natural fond
ness of Englishmen for the sea, and the pro-
verbal excellence of the British sailor devel-
oped by generations of service i'll the best
navy the world ever saw, will alone suffice to pre-
serve for Great Britain that maritime supremacy
which is now her principal defense. 1t may as
well Le confessed; hearts of oak must yield
TO steam and iron The constant tendency of
the age is to make less account of the men,
ard more of the engine, the gun, and the
armor. The Germans, moreover, are by no
means Indifferent sailors. In the merchant
service, and especially in the equipment and
management of frst-class ocean steamers, they
have fairly challenged the supposed superi-
ority of their rivals on the other side of the
North Sea; and now that the opportunity is
open for them, it will be seen that they lack
none of the necessary ability to become one OF
the most formidable of naval powers We
published some time ago a full description of
the new harbor of Wilhelmshaven, which has
recently been constructed as q cradle for the
new German navy, and our readers have been
kept advised of other important works by
which the empire has been preparing to ex-
tend over the sea the same wonderful military
genius which has made it almost invincible on
land. England has good reason to view these
preparations, perhaps not with alarm, but at any
rate with chagrin. 1t is a curious illustration
of British laundering and German foresight
that just when my Lords of the Admiralty dis
cover that their navy is full of blunders and
their favorite experiments in ship building are
costly failures, Germany engages the one
English constructor who thoroughly under
stands his art, and with his assistance begins
to profit by the experience which Great Brit
ain has been at all the expense of acquiring.