If the Admiralty had refused on groundw of public policy,
and bad asked the country to believe that these grounds are good and sufficient, though they could not be stated, we should have said nothing. Since, however, they have stated 'specific reasons, and since these are all bad, we are lost in bewilderment. The Admiralty refase because :—(1), A floating- -dock is not suitable to Gibraltar (perhaps not, but it is more suitable than no dock at all); (2), a dock at Gibraltar must be exclusively under Admiralty control; (3), the new 'works will involve additional residents on the Rock, who will have to be victualled in case of a siege. The last is, we suspect, the real reason. Theoretically, no doubt, Gibraltar should be only a barrack and a fort; but that notion has been given up long ago ; a town has been allowed to grow up ; and it is useless to try to reverse the policy. Under the circum- stances, it would, we believe, be best to let Gibraltar grow into a great commercial port, and allow our shippers and merchants to reap the advantage.
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