SUBMARINE BOATS.
[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
SEE,—I have read with much interest the letters that have appeared in your recent issues on submarine boats. None of your correspondents have made any mention of the moral effect that the possession of these vessels would produce upon an enemy. No commander could with any confidence engage a hostile fleet that included submarine boats. The possibility of an attack from an invisible foe would certainly impair the effectiveness of the resistance to the visible opponents. If, however, he had some of these vessels, he could engage know- ing that the enemy ran just the same risk as he did himself. A close blockade, too, would be impossible if the blockaded fleet alone had submarine boats ; but if the blockaders also had some, the blockade would become even more effective. They could be carried with ease by the largest ships and put in the water when required. The dilatoriness of our Admiralty in attempting to solve the question of submarine navigation is incomprehensible, for besides France and the United States, Portugal, Italy, Spain, and even Turkey, possess these vessels. Your determination not to let the matter rest is not only praiseworthy, but patriotic, for when the Govern- ment will not act on their own accord, the nation must make them.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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