COAST DEFENCE IN RELATION TO WAR. 
515 
respecting tlie usefulness of Garrison Artillery, but he (Sir George Clarke) main¬ 
tained that nothing in his lecture denied the fact that the Garrison gunner was an 
invaluable person. (A laugh). Sir George had had a little correspondence with 
his critic on this point, and lie was sure he had convinced him. The Garrison 
gunner was, in his opinion, most necessary in Coast Defence as a deterrent; his 
usefulness was like that of a notice that “a fierce dog was on the premises.” 
(A laugh). That fierce dog was the Garrison gunner. (Loud laughter). We 
might want one or two, but we did not inevitably require a whole pack. 
(Renewed laughter). With respect to Captain Acland’s question, the lecturer 
did not see why the Mediterranean fleet should be withdrawn. He could only 
think of two causes which might make such a step necessary; a withdrawal, with 
a view to concentration, to come back in force afterwards, or a defeat. In both 
cases, however, a naval attack on Malta seemed extremely improbable. (Hear, 
hear). Such a step, taken after the withdrawal of the fleet, would be extremely 
dangerous; while, after a great naval battle, an enemy would hardly be in a posi¬ 
tion at once to risk ships in an attack on Coast Defences. (Hear, hear). With 
regard to commercial ports, the great point was to keep them open in war and 
make their vitals secure against bombardment by an enemy’s cruisers. Fortunately 
some of the great commercial towns of the United Kingdom were so favoured 
by Nature that an enemy—our inferior at sea—would run risks too great in 
attempting to attack them. 
72 
