348 
GOLD MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY., 1893 . 
“ Brassey’s 
Naval 
Annual,” 
1892. 
“ Hostilities 
•without 
Declaration 
of War,” 
by Colonel 
Maurice, 
It.A., ls8J. 
Beal danger 
of a sudden 
attack before 
fully 
prepared. 
Now tlie modern equivalent of a cutting-out expedition is the torpedo 
attack. Modern ships, unless actually under steam, are too heavy to 
remove, even if they could be successfully carried by boarding parties; 
and their construction is such that they are likely to be but little 
harmed by being set on fire. Their destruction , however, with as little 
risk as possible to the attackers, can be best and most speedily effected 
by means of the torpedo. 
That this has already been realised by those nations who have had 
recent experiences of war can be fully proved. In the Civil War in 
Chili on the 27th January, 1891, the Government armed merchantman 
“Imperial” was lying in the harbour at Valparaiso, when an attempt 
to torpedo her (unsuccessful) was made by a picket boat belonging to 
the Congressional battle-ship “ Blanco Encalada.” 
On the 23rd April, in the same year, the “ Blanco Encalada ** herself 
■was lying in Caldera Bay, when she was surprised , about 4 a.m., by tw r o 
Government torpedo gun-vessels, the “Condell** and “Lynch.'” These 
acted in concert. The “ Condell ** leading, steamed straight for the 
“ Blanco,” fired her bow torpedo (which missed), and then, turning 
sharp to the right, fired two in succession from her port side, one of 
which appears to have struck the “ Blanco** near the bow. The 
“ Condell 33 then steamed away. The “ Blanco 33 kept her fire on the 
“Condell” as she fled, without apparently noticing the approach of the 
“ Lynch f which, following the “ Condell,” discharged two torpedoes, 
the second of which struck the “Blanco” amidships, sinking her in 
two minutes, with a loss of 11 officers and 171 men. 
The destruction of a Turkish gun-boat in the Danube in 1878 by a 
Russian torpedo boat is another instance which will be recalled in this 
connection. 
Such are the effects of the torpedo. 
In the early part of 1882 a Committee of the Board of Trade was 
considering the proposal to make a channel tunnel between England 
and France. The opinion of the War Office was sought as to what 
formalities, if any, were customary between opposing States at the out¬ 
break of war. A somewhat startling result was arrived at by Colonel 
Maurice, R.A., then of the Intelligence Department, after a most care¬ 
ful compilation of all the cases in which hostilities have occurred 
between civilised powers, prior to a declaration or warning, between 
1700 and 1870. The words of the Report presented to the Board of 
Trade Committee are worth quoting :— 
“ The result of the investigations.is to show 
conclusively that there has not been .... any established usage 
whatever on the subject.” 
“Less than 10 instances have occurred during the above period, 
when f Declarations of War* have been issued prior to hostilities: 
107 cases are recorded of hostilities without declaration.** 
“ In 41 of these cases the manifest motive (in several cases the 
actually avowed motive) has been to secure advantage hy the suddenness of 
the movement , and the consequent surprise of an unprepared enemy .** (The 
italics are the writer*s). 
