THE THEORY OF WAR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume VII, Issue 345, 12 March 1859, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE THEORY OF WAR.

[From the Times, 22nd October.] The theory of war has always naturally resolved itself into the two rival branchesof attack and defence, the relative resources of which have been constantly varying. Until the discovery of gunpowder the superiority may be said to have rested usually with the defence, nor were strong places often reduced except through treachery, stratagem, or famine. The introduction of artillery into military tactics reversed these conditions, and gave a general superiority to the attack, except in cases of unusual character. Up to a very recent prrioil the utmost expected of a fortress was that it should enable a small body of men to detain md occupy a larger body of men for acertain finite time. Beyond thislittlc or no reliance was placed on ordinary fortifications, and it was accepted as a law that aftet a given number of days the resources of the garrison must come to an end. Of late years the superiority of the defence has been once moie maintained, with what truth as regards purely land operations it may be hard to say, but certainly with considerable show of reason as regards shore foits and shipping. Although the broadside of a man-of-war constitutes one of the most formidable batteries known, and although three-deckers could be biought against a fort in far greater strength than land aitilleiy against a fortified town, the difference of material is supposed to be fdt.il, and it is questioned if wooden vessels can hold out long enough against the enemy's i>hot to succeed in battering down stone walls. Such, at least, was the persuasion generally entertained in the late war, and the experiment tried at Sebastopol gave a partial confirmation to the belief. Just at this moment, however, the principles of defence have been applied in a manner enthely novel to n.ival tactics. Hitherto, war afloat has been distinguished from war ashore by its exclusive dependence on the principles of attack Two ships attacked each other like two tigers or two buffaloes, nor could the weaker protect itself against the stronger by any resouice but that of flight. Ex. cepting the aitifices by which ancient galleys were occasionally guarded against the strokes of their antagonists' prows, there has been no attempt made to adapt defensive fortification to floating vessels. • All that a ship did wab to return blow for blow, to manceuvie for advantage of position, and endeavour to sink her enemy before the enemy sunk her. The question now raised is whether a ship, though still loft buoyant enough to float and steam cannot be so protected as to defy the shot of a hostile battery, either afloat or ashore. The theory received a certain practical application during the Crimean war, at the attack upon the forts of Kinburn ; but it has since been revived with greater expectations, and is not only regarded with favour by the Emperor of the French, but has been taken into serious consideration by our own naval authorities. Lord Haidwicke, whose opinion in such matters is entitled to respect, spoke the other day as if he was all but convinced of the success of the new principle, informing his audience that he had himself seen a wrought iron panel on a ship's side resist the file of heavy guns for hours together, and it is evident that if a ship could for this length of time be preserved from injury herself she could penetrate into any harbour in the world, and employ her own batteries in knocking down all before her. Obviously therefore the principle in modern warfare, as regards naval engagements and coast defences, would be completely revolutionised. The powers of attack possessed by ships would be in some respects diminished, for, as Lord Hardwicke remarked, they' could not carry their iron sides and their broadsides together. Thay would have to be cut down into low floating batteries, but they might be armed with a few very heavy pieces, and these, worked with complete impunity, would silence any antagonist in time. It happens, however, that the theory has been once moie disturbed even before the new principle could be said to have fairly prevailed. The defence made a stride, no doubt, but the attack has already overtaken it. It is perfectly true that in the experiments conducted at one of our ports the resisting power of iron was proved as aforesaid, and it is also proved that these iron side vessels can be built to float with at least as much safety as an old 10 gun brig. All that was needed for the establishment of the new device was that the powers of artillery should remain stationary ; but this will not be the case. Everybody knows now the old musket Jias been superseded by a rifle doing execution with infinitely greater certainty at a far greater distance, and what has been done with small arms can be done with cannon. Nay, the fact is already accomplished, for the other day, after the iron sided target had baffled the powers of ordinary artillery, it occurred to some one to try the capacity of a government gun rifle by Mr. Whitworth. The result was declared in an instant, for the new cannon slapped her shot through the iron plate as if it had been so much gingerbread, and mined the theory of impregnable floating batteries for some time to come.

We need not therefore be in any desperate hurry to break up our three deckers, and build a fleet of iron bides. How far Mr. Whitworth's cannon may be applicable to everyday service we cannot tell ; the " authorities " had better give him an opportunity of applying his invention to practical purposes ; but what has been done once may evidently be done again, and, if this experiment has been correctly repoi ted, something stronger than iron armour must be found before a ship can leckon on resisting cannon shot. The occurrence, however, is in another way deeply instructive. To get the advantage of rifled cannon we must possess rifled cannon, and the ac. quisition has yet to be niade. The gun which smashed the ship's cuirass at Portsmouth was merely an old government piece, foi, by some complication of apathy, ignorance, jealousy, or caprice, we have never yet cairied out the principle which has been so victoriously established, and applied to cannon those improvements which have trebled the powers of the musket, Bided cannon, if they can be made practically available, would not only protect our coast defences against floating batteries, but would revolutionise the whole service of field artillery. The weight of guns might be greatly diminished while their range was greatly increased, and such a change would exert an extraordinary eftect upon the movements of an army. In India especially there is no saying what might not be economised in carriage and transport if these reforms could be effectually introduced. Be it observed, too, that unless our artillery it put in this way of progress it will soon be of no use at all. Rajahs and Begums have no arsenals, fortunately for us, furnished with modern arms, nor sharpshooters among their retainers instructed in the new arts of musketry. Lord Clyde therefore could push his guns to the frost and clear .the.way for bit

infantry with perfect judgment and success; but European armies now possess marksmen who at MOO yards distance could pick off every artilleryman at his piece, and silence the best battery erer yet brought upon a field. We do not forget that in so far as rifled cannon could be said to have been tried at Sebastopol they were not thought successful, but the same was the case for a long time with the rifled musket. The theory was well known generations ago, although the rifle, as the soldier's ordinary weapon, is but a year or two old. It seems to stand to reason that what has been accomplished with the musket can be accomplished with cannon too, and it would be suicidal folly to overlook such a resource. Even if these guns should not be valuable for range, they must be valnable for force of propulsion, as this trial of strength with the iron side ship sufficiently shows. The attack will be more than a match for the defence if we do but avail ourselves of our full power of aggression. In such matter we cannot be left behind. Perhaps some philosopher or economist will ask, what is to be the end of these incessant discoveries in the art of mutual destruction ? Why, perhaps, the disuse of the art altogether. As fighting acquires more and more fatality people may be somewhat less ready to fight, and, at any rate, if the old race between attack and defence is maintained in speculation only instead of practice, it will be a great point gained. If an invention of floating batteries can be extinguished by au invention of rifled cannon, the process is about as cheap an expression of international rivalry as we can expect on this side of the millennium.

The lonian Despatches. — An interloper at the Colonial Office, named William Hudson Guernsey — and known also by the suspiciously aristocratic alias of Wellington Greville Guernsey — was on the 27th of November committed for trial by the magistrate at Bow-street on a charge of stealing, from the library of the Colonial office, the two lonian despatches, to the unauthorised publication of which in the ' Daily News' we refer elsewhere. Guernsey was an acquaintance and a trustee of Mr Miller, the sub-librarian of the Colonial office. His visits to this official appear to have been very frequent ; and whenever Mr Mayer, the principal librarian, was absent, he was freely admitted to the library. According to Mr Miller's own statement, Guernsey on some occasions remained there for an hour and an hour and a half at a time. He was even left alone in the library. In this library, and lying on the table, were the private copies of Sir John Young's despatches which had been printed with a view to circulation among a few official personages, within whose department questions relating to the lonian Islands lay. In one instance, on the return of Mr Miller to the library, in which he had so confidently left his friend and trustee, Guernsey was found standing close to the despatches. He then volunteered to Mr Miller the assurance " that he was not prying into his secrets." Here, then, was ample opportunity for the abstraction of despatches, for on one pretext or another Guernsey appears to have been continually at the Colonial office. The despatches thus abstiacted were sent by him to the ' Daily News,' and he at the same time committed himself by direct correspondence with that journal. Mr Walker, the editor, acknowledges that he had in some soit pledged himself to Guernsey that he would not reveal his name, and on this assurance the prisoner no doubt relied for his escape. Mr Walker, however, did not understand the pledge to involve the contingency of legal proceedings being taken by the Government ; and, being subpoenaed as a witness, he gave evidence " under the pressure of the court." The note with which Guernsey had enclosed the despatches was proved to be in his own hand writing. The envelope was also produced. It is an official envelope not now in use, except abroad, having no departmental seal, but only the royal arms and the inscription " On her Majesty's Service," in a peculiar type. The prisoner, it was stated, had filled the office of provost marshal in the Crimea in the Turkish Contingent, and there had opportunities of becoming possessed of envelopes of this description. Several of them, indeed, were found in his lodgings. Guernsey's motive is not clear. On the part of the Colonial office, it is imputed that he was induced to take the course he had done in revenge, not having received place and pay according to an application which he had tendered.

An extraordinary instance of self-mutilation by a soldier, with the view of disqualifying himself for further military service, has recently taken place at Chatham garrison ; a private of the 81st Regiment, named George Drower, having deliberately shot off liis right leg by a ball from his Enfield-rinVd musket, in order thereby to obtain his discharge from the regiment. The occurrence took place in one of the barrack-iooms of St. M.iry's Barracks, where the 81st depot is stationed, causing the utmost consternation among the troops in the room at the time. The man who is of a moody, sullen disposition, was seen to load his musket, when he deliberately pointed it to his leg and fired, the ball shattering the limb below the knee. He was at once conveyed to the garrison hospital, where the remaining portion of the leg was immediately amputated by Dr. Maclean, the principal medical officer. Since the occurrence Drower is very anxious that it should be understood that he was labouring under religious excitement when he committed the act, and his conversation since he has been in hospital would lead to the supposition that he is under a monomania on the subject of religion. This, however, is believed to be assumed, the belief being that be artfully maimed himself in order to obtain his discbarge. As soon as he is able to leave the hospital he will be brought to trial before a court martial, the Mutiny Act making it a serious crime for any soldier to mutilate himself. This is not the first instance at Chatham of a soldier deliberately maiming himself, a man having deliberately blown off one of his hands, and another chopped off a finger, with the view of obtaining their discharge. Both those prisoners were, however, sentenced to long periods of imprisonment.

M. Ballogh, a Hungarian, asserts that be hai managed to square the circle, and he has just sent copies of his work on the subject, which contains numerous diagrams, to the Academy of Science in Vienna and Paris, and to the heads of the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. — ' Home News. 1 A lady asked a veteran which rifle carried the maximum distance i The old fellow answered "The minne mum*

[Printed by G.W. Woon.jJ