Page:The Next Naval War - Eardley-Wilmot - 1894.djvu/72

 destruction is decided upon, provision made for the crew, and passengers if carried. Privateers were often inconvenienced by the number of prisoners they took out of a prize, but how would a torpedo boat fare if so encumbered? If the captured vessel's own boats are utilised and the passengers put adrift in them, humanity demands the stowage of food and water. Is this likely to be adopted at any distance from land? Would not the whole civilised world cry out at such deeds? Might they not even range themselves against the transgressor? On this occasion the inconveniences I have mentioned soon led torpedo boats to leave commerce alone. They had work more worthy of their steel.

It is impossible to describe the sensation which these events caused throughout the land. Though for many years representatives of the people of both political parties had loudly proclaimed the Navy should be outside all partisan strife (but continued to vote steadily with their side when its efficiency was questioned), all question of allegiance to an individual in face of such a disaster now disappeared. A vote of censure on the Government for not putting plainly before the country our naval requirements, was carried by an overwhelming majority. It was a lame defence which urged fear of wounding foreign susceptibilities. Why, we had never uttered a murmur when other countries had in twenty years spent a sum nearly equal to our