i88o.] 
Submarine War. 
iyi 
than Lord Dundonald was, nearly two centuries later, in 
introducing their infernal machine to the notice of the 
Admiralty under the Duke of York, whose secretary Pepys 
was, for we hear no more mention of this important secret 
which could only be communicated to royalty and heirs 
apparent. It is fortunate indeed that Mr. Whitehead has 
not made this condition a portion of his compact, preferring 
a royalty in hard cash for his non-exclusive secret ; for 
otherwise we should be obliged to send our young princes 
through a course of torpedo instruction at Fiume, prepara- 
tory to their having command of the Vernon* and Hecla } t 
et hoc genus omne , at Portsmouth. 
The above notice of the contemplated use of torpedoes 
in wars is not alluded to in Commander Sleeman’s lately- 
published manual, which, however, mentions the attempt 
of Lambelli to destroy a bridge across the Scheldt, in the 
neighbourhood of Antwerp, during the siege of that city in 
1585. But all of the foregoing were most probably drifting 
and floating explodable magazines, not differing in principle 
much from fire-ships, whereas the essence of torpedo war is 
subaqueous as opposed to subaerial explosion : it is there- 
fore not until 1775 that we find the present system of sub- 
marine warfare dates its inception. 
To Capt. Bushnell, of Connecticut, belongs the credit of 
first inventing the method of igniting charges of gunpowder 
under water, and he also first devised a submarine boat, 
with which, however, he failed to destroy the hostile British 
cruisers. 
Next in order of succession come the submarine bombs 
and carcasses of Robert Fulton, which were tried and 
rejected by Napoleon ; and although encouraged by Mr. Pitt, 
“ England at that time being mistress of the seas, it was 
clearly her interest to make the world believe that Fulton’s 
schemes were impracticable and absurd.” Earl St. Vincent, 
in a conversation with Fulton, told him in very strong 
language “ that Pitt was a fool for encouraging a mode of 
warfare which, if successful, would wrest the trident from 
those who then claimed to bear it, as the sceptre of su- 
premacy on the ocean.” Last of all, Fulton submitted to 
the American Congress his elaborate schemes for rendering 
American harbours impervious to British attacks. These 
schemes included drifting, harpoon, and spar torpedoes, 
together with block-ships, stationary mines, and cable- 
* H.M.S. Vernon. The Torpedo School-Ship in Portsmouth Haibour. 
f H.M.S. Hecla. Torpedo ship, now experimenting at Spithead. 
