354 
GOLD MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1893. 
scopes. In certain very moist states of the atmosphere, films form 
between the glasses of these instruments and give very great trouble. 
Bain is also prejudicial to tlie instruments and observations of the 
defenders, while the drift, and especially the a hang ” of smoke, which 
latter varies greatly according to the barometer, are of extreme impor¬ 
tance. Combinations of the above with one another, and with darkness, 
may render useless the best schemes of defence depending on the shore 
alone. 
(8.) Every sort of strategem should be resorted to, and as it is hardly 
possible for a maritime nation like ours to absolutely block our ports 
to all vessels, there is some scope for ingenuity. 
(9.) The probable hour of Attache. —This depends upon : (a) the object 
to be attained and [b) meteorological conditions. In the case of an 
attack upon works on a large scale, the hour chosen must almost of 
necessity be daybreak, for this alone allows of preparations being 
made under cover of darkness, and also affords probability of sufficient 
daylight in which to reap the fruits of the operations. But for torpedo 
boat attacks night-time offers many advantages, and the hour should 
be a little before high water , when this occurs within such hours as will 
enable the attacker to get away, after accomplishing his mission, before 
daylight. The boats should reach thieir objective just about the tme of high 
tide . This will give them the best chance of clearing the electro¬ 
contact mines, many of which will be too deep in the water, at high 
tide, to be touched by a light draught boat. The largest French tor¬ 
pedo boats only draw 7 feet. The tide will also help them and increase 
their speed on both inward and outward journey. Another very 
possible hour for an attack is about 8 to 9 a.m., when the garrisons, 
after a night spent in constant watchfulness, will have, in all prob¬ 
ability, relaxed their vigilance. A bold attacker might, at this hour, 
possibly catch the whole of the Defence unprepared. 
Section III. On the Obstacles to be Overcome by the Attack, 
AND ItOW THEY MUST BE SURMOUNTED. 
It is desirable next to consider what obstacles will stand in the way 
of an attacker, what are the weak points of each, and how each should 
be dealt with. 
In the first instance, the would-be attacker may find himself fore¬ 
stalled by a quicker and more enterprising enemy, and blockaded in his 
own ports. 
On this bead all present experience goes to show that it is very diffi¬ 
cult, if not impossible, for a blockader to keep shut up even large ships. 
To keep torpedo boats from breaking out may be said to be an impossi¬ 
bility. These little craft are so dangerous to the ships of the blockading 
fleet that the tendency will be for the ships to keep as clear of them as 
possible, and boats that toish merely to slip through the blocheading line zoill 
probably meet with little real hindrance. 
Guard-Boats. —On reaching the vicinity of the port to be attacked, 
guard-boats and picquet-boats will probably be met with. How these 
should be dealt with is not for a landsman to say, but if the attack can 
draw on a running fight, and get thus mixed up with the defending 
