A Treatise on Future Naval Battles and How to Fight Them.

Maroon cloth binding with gilt title on the spine and the front board.

A very fine first edition Not illustrated. 1885 Excerpt: ...in peace time, and depots for stores should be erected. But in order to go to the root of the evil which has produced such an impaired condition of our coast defences, a reform of administration should be brought about, by which departmental responsibility could be more distinctly made known. At present it is difficult to draw a line between War Office and Admiralty responsibility for coast defences. The broad line would appear to be, that the Admiralty has to provide and man all vessels which are movable about the coast wherever it may be threatened, and that the War Office is responsible for all stationary local defences. Thus the former department would provide and man monitors and gun and torpedo boats, and the latter, fortifications, mines, and miners. Thus it appears that the Admiralty are responsible for organizing a coast brigade to man the flotilla, and as they have all the means at hand for training an efficient force of volunteers for that purpose, it is to be hoped that no time may be lost in repairing the deficiency; but a separate vote should be taken to meet the present requirement, apart from the navy estimates, which should not be infringed upon for maintaining the fleet. It may be observed that the more self-protective our coasts may be rendered, the greater freedom will be afforded to the fleet for strategical operations abroad. Our powers of offence will thus be much increased, and in this respect placed more on an equality with other naval powers, whose coast defences have of late years been greatly strengthened. In order to arrive at any sound decision as to the best type for modern monitors and gunboats, it is essential to define the exact nature of the services which they are required to perform.