THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1838, 13 January 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1880.

“ God helps those,” we are told, “ who help themselves.” The late Government, however, hardly seemed to think so. At least, in the matter of the defence of our coasts their views and actions wore peculiar, not to say supremely ridiculous. No writer of burlesques could possibly wish for bettor materials than are afforded by the sayings and doings of Sir George Grey, Colonel Whitmore, and Co. during the period when the question whether there would ho war or peace between Great Britain and Russia hung in the balance. The way in which the most extravagant Government wo have ever had put off the subject from month to month on the score of economy, the way in which all offers of aid by efficient Imperial officers were snubbed in the rudest manner by the late Premier, the way in which guns wore hurriedly sent for when, if war had taken place, they would have arrived mouths after they could have been of any use, and would possibly have been captured on the way out; all these facts belong now to the more amusing strata of history, which servo to relievo the more serious labours of the historian. And, standing apart on a somewhat different platform as embodying no absolute fact, and as being too ridiculous to he classed even with the blunders alluded to above, there will he remembered the extraordinary utterances of Colonel Whitmore on the bombardment of our coast towns. Although that gallant gentleman’s antecedents were certainly of a more favourable character than were those of the First Lord of the Admiralty immortalised in the opera of “ H M.S. Pinafore,” “ the Ruler of Queen’s Navee” never, in his most amiable moments, ventured on such statements as fell so glibly from the lips of the late Colonial Secretary. For the inhabitants of our ports to he told that the process of being bombarded was a most pleasant one, and that after they had submitted to an operation that might perhaps gently rouse him, like hair brushing by machinery, but nothing more—the enemy would, tired out by their good nature, retire with an expression of good-will on tho lips of the Russian captain—all this was so extravagant that, had Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan been asked to reduce it into an operatic form, they would probably have refused on the score of the facts being too absurd even for a musical burlesque. These peculiarities of the late Government have been brought hack to remembrance by the intelligence that Colonel Scratchley is now in New Zealand, and has been asked by the Executive to examine our harbours with a view of seeing what can ho done in the direction of protecting them against stray cruisers. There is no doubt but that, with a certain expenditure, much might be effected in the direction indicated. The natural features of many of our harbours are eminently adapted for purposes of defence. Lyttelton harbour, in particular, could at no such very great expense be rendered an exceediningly difficult nnt to crack. Old sea dogs, who have seen and done everything that is to he seen and done, aver that its natural features are somewhat similar to those of Sehastapol, and they say that with efficient means the town and ships lying in harbor could be rendered perfectly safe from the efforts of any force that might slip past the British cruisers into our neighborhood. Tho present Government luckily are not the sort of men who are apt “to lock the stable door after the steed is stolen.” They have every intention to do their utmost, within due bounds of economy, to prevent such a national disaster as would he the presence of a hostile cruiser with our ports in an utterly unprotected state. Such earthworks as may he necessary will no doubt be thrown up, guns mounted, and volunteer artillery men will he found whose pleasure it will be to serve the guns and render the preparations efficient, and who will further be prepared, should unfortunately war at any time he declared, to devote their time to the patriotic business of watching over the safety of the community. The Government too will, without doubt, he eager to foster tho formation of torpedo corps in the various ports. Tho example set by Wellington is one to he copied by the various towns along the coast. The exigencies of modern naval warfare demand the use of submarine projectiles, and nothing hut long and steady training can render any man fit to handle these deadly implements. We constantly see how even seamen are constantly baffled by tho delicacy of the operations whicli are demanded in torpedo warfare. When the Russians were attacking a portion of the Turkish fleet lying in tho harbour of Batoum, a body of Russian seamen undertook the launching of several torpedoes with the worst success. The missiles went in any direction but the one intended, and one that was lowered in tho hui’ry of the moment, without the outer casing in which it is carried, being removed, performed such eccentric gyrations that the sailors fled back to their ships in terror. Again the other day, before the capture of tho Peruvian ship Huascar by tho Chilians, the captain of that ship launched a torpedo against a Chilian ship. But the torpedo turned and made straight for the Huascar, and if a devoted officer had not jumped overboard and had not absolutely swam out and directed the missile with his own hands away from the ship the effects would have been most disastrous. As ready made heroes are not always available, it would bo well that, if our harbors are to bo guarded by torpedo corps, they should consist of thoroughly trained men, and to effect this we fool confident that the present Government would assist to the utmost of their power. The question of our coastal defences is now apparently in a fair way of solution. With such an efficient officer as Colonel Scratchley to report on the matter, wo may ho sure that the best that can be done will ho done.