NAVAL NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14698, 4 December 1909, Page 4

NAVAL NOTES

(Contributed by tli» Navy League—Otngo Branch.) MEMORABLE AXXIYEKSAIUES, November 21, 1759.—Admiral Vernon, who hrd been Edit to the Spanish colonies in America to seize the ticasnrn ships of Spain, 'incline that the bullion was at Porlo-lvllo, al-tackpil and raptured that place and demolished Iho fortifications. November 25. 1899.—T1i0 Naval Brigade, which has frequently rendered loyal service on hind during' the making of the Umpire, was engaged' under General -Mi'theon, against tiio Boors at Gras P-'"- They sultercd severely, but drove back iin* enemy, who on'tienelu-d at, Magor.-lunteiii— a spot: which became famous for I lie disaster that thoro befcl the Iliyliland regiments. November 30, 1652.—Admiral Bln-ke wa3 deFeated in the English Channel by Iho Vf{iu:m Dutch admival Von Tionm. Tho Dutch had 73 ship.? of war, Blake had but halt tin* number. Ho, however, 1 iro!i:pilv uecepk\l llm enemy's In hs»l\le The flight lusted from dawn till nightfall, when tho English fleet had lo l stall or in the Thames. Tromp ilion hoisted a broom to his masthead and swept tho channel in triuninh.

-MEMORABLE SAYINGS. " I would vole a hundred million pounds ralhcr than allow the French navy to bo increased to a level with ours, bccatiso I should sny (hiii, ;■ ny attempt of that sort, without any !-!g'il ;niato ground;i, wouhl iii'S'iio sonw sinister designs iipon this tou'i'. ' ltie!iai\l Cobden's speech at Rochdale. June 26, 1861.

' iho navy means for you your existonco as ;ni Empire; it means for you the fact that yen a.'.-o free from invasion; it means for ton your daily food and ditilv employment. . . Tite mavy is alt and all and everything; therefore, though tho cost is great, it. is little compared' with what it brings back lo you."—Lord Seihorne (High Commissioner for South Africa), February 26, 1901 "Tlio debate in the British House of Commons on the 'four extra Drendiiviughts shows the real meaning of the Dreadnought fever, aud this fiict will spur on tha zeal of all countries that aro not willing lo accept the supremacy of a single Power for all eternity to coun'tcr-oxcrHons the Aggregate result of which will wei'.'!l more heavily in the scale than the socomi quai'totte _of Dreadnoughts."—Berliner Nsui-sto Nachrichteu (organ of the German Navy League).

The condition precedent to a naval agreement is that " the principle which demands the superiority of England must be dropped."—Voisischo Zcitung, Berlin.

BRITAIN'S RIGHT TO SUPREMACY.

"An island' required for its perfect, defence the command of the sea. One of the consequences of the command' of the sea was that. tho coast,; cf all the world* were peculiarly under tho influence of the nation that hold it. But though the power given by tho command of the sea wa.i so great, it was conditioned by a moral law. The world would not tolerate long ■my great power or influence that was not exercised for the general good."— l'rom an. address by Mr Knenser Wilkinson at the Royal United Institution. "1 ;regar<| tho British Empire as tho most potent instrument that has ever L-cen fashioned or conceived bv man for spa-stung tho blessings of equni rights, of impartial justice, of C'hn'stian fervice, ai-d true ciiivulry all over tho earth. I regard it ■£.< the greatest privilege allowed to mortal man to !>e ablo to proclaim himself a British citizen, and to have the power of placing his services at tho disposal Ol Iving Edward the Peacemaker, tho I.*',. 1 . embodiment mid incarnation of the i ! -Karl Grey, Governor' general of Canada., at Winnipeg. ENGLAND'S NEW WAR RENDEZVOUS.

Recently U.K.11. (ho Princo of WalM opened «. now harbour at, Dover. ft has been many yours in rim building; it has , 'J 1 ?™")' wrested from the «>a; it lias cost _.3,000,000, and as far as the untrained ovo ran sco thero is very little to show for it. Xlhs vast artificial place of refuge, how<Mor, w.i 11 furiiisli safe anchorage for ihe ships of Ins Majesty's fleet. " Within these oiii-irelniff walls squadrons of vessels, Jaivo JUKI miiiill, army corps of 11,0 sea may rendezvous, awaiting the turn of eventetlicniccrreof war or tlie herald of peace. Hero a may may ride at its moorings safe from i no assaults of the seas, and sccurc from tiio atlaeks of an enemy's torpedoes, while from the white cliffs behind frown tlie proIccling- guns of tlio h«horn\va.r-cl fortiliculions, luul on the llicuimKvs lire a soricii of forts and searchlight stations, itiis is a place of war, The harbour lies at the grand junction of the Narrow .Seas whore the wators of the English Channel anil the North ,Soa meet, and light a neveroniuii" - \vnr(:u'o. Xo ono may »o south from the North Sou save past this steal; rendezvous of the fleet. Of exits into tho world beyond there is none,other save by the North of Scotland, and there, at Uofylh. another tcrpedo-proof harbour is being creatc.l, abutting on tho other ocean ioulb."

DEUTSCHLAND ÜBER ALLES. Their; is n story which Kaj'3 Unit when the present German Emperor was Crown Prince ho happened to hpj)i- it said that, tho Hamburg-American steamship lino contemplated giving an order for a big steamer to a British linn. ''Why can wo'not build it in Germany?" ,he interjected. This ro,\!il (|iiery, so the story goes, gave the initiative io the construction of the first grout, liner by German hands, of German materials, in a German shipyard. This was in IGS7. Nineteen years later German shipyards, in 1936, launched 747 ships; and what the Kaiser is said to havo done for tho mercantile marine lie lias also done for the navy. The one is the complement and corollary of the other. Archibald Colrpihoun. in his •' Germany and fiea Power," traces tho rise of the German navy and discusses the reality and immiiiotico of its l>eril tc England, and it is to tins Kaiser and lijs people that- the honour is )le points out that sea power is Germany's uulural heritage; that for 300 yeitl'3 'or more, the llanea was actually mistress of I 111.. sea; and that only through national apithy and political disunion tho trident slipped from tho Gorman list. It is hardly yet realised liow, since 1880, the desiro for sea power has seized on tho German mind "like a passion." Mr Coltiitlioun makes the striking suggestion that tho old idealism and romanco of Germany, crushed sinjc 1863 under the deadweight of Bismarckian materialism, is tiuding now a now outlet on the sea, and all tliat the sea means for a virile and conquering nation. Even the casual tourist, in modern Germany must bo struck with tho enthusiasm of far inland villages, as in Bavaria, for the now Imperial navy. In fact, the spirit animating the wliolo German nation in comparable in its exuberance and vitality only to tho line adventuK'Somcness of "Great Eliza's" own soa dogs. And this is the personal victory and reward of Kaiser Wilhelm 11, whoso genius lias created and inspired both the mercantile murine and tho imperial nnvv. A NAVY WAR COUNCIL. Strong are wc, make us stronger yetGreat. make us greater far— Our test Antarctic Ocean's fret, Our crown the Polar Star Under Admiral Fisher the Admiralty has evolved order out of disorder and system out cf laxity—at !ea>-t. ;o it is said. And

among other improvements bus teen the completion oE arrangements made in previous years for tho study of strategy and tho consideration and 1 working out of war plans. A recent official memorandum says: —

" A new department, called the Naval Department, has !>eon formed, tinder tho directorship cf a flax officer, and tJiL-i-e concentrated in. it that part of the business of tho Naval Intelligonco DoparUneiit and tho Naval War College which related to war phns a!U | mobilisation. Under the presidency of tho Firel Soa I/Ji'd, the officers directing tho Naval Intelligence Department and tho Naval Moliilisfction Ikinivtmertt. and tho Assistant Secretary of tho Admiral)v. will form tho staiKtms Navy War Council. The Assistant ..oi'iutn!v wijl act ako m of the cum.eil In Uk. übscnco of (], c First Soa l.cru, lli<i I .'y.'.i Lord or cf her hVa. Luul doiiMMlntv for tho First Sea will act a, president, the Koa,- Admiral in commain) of the Naval War Collo E u will bo nisociatetl witJi the Navy War Council and will a lend and act as a member of the council when the is such ■,« re«juir« his presence. Otlw responsible clt,(.„i., m al«o be called in to assist, and adr.W as the Jii-ctidar,'. may consider desiiifh' vt u keenica with what AdfWitr ttul as far lack as Mav 2, .. ...: vigorous,'ami i.:i.-.,-ess'.ve atJnr.iiistrati(,.n, open to onv ro'orr.i. never lrstinw on ir.= nam-for to "stop " —and forecasting every event uakiy." s •'