BATTLE OE SANTIAGO. 
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was madness to come out in the daytime. Then as to the percentage of hits I 
believe it is extremely low. In 1884 I invented a game called * Naval Blockade ’ 
a sort of maritime * Kriegspiel ’ intended to demonstrate, amongst other things, 
the uncertainty of tire effect and how much it depended on chance. I believe in 
that game the percentage of hits which could be counted on worked out to 15 
per. cent. One of the chances was whether the ships engaged by day or by 
night. It is a very difficult thing to judge distances by night and the manner in 
which electric search lights are used has an important bearing on both tactics 
and gunnery. On the question of the general principles of armament I have 
been in recent communication with the Admiralty Intelligence Department on 
the subject of the distribution of armour with reference to the Spanish ships and 
our own Navy and in this study I received valuable assistance from Colonel Porter 
but as he is present and is 1 understand going to join in the discussion I will say 
no more except that naval officers are always extremely obliged for the criticisms 
of military officers on naval subjects, and in my opinion they are often more 
valuable than the criticisms of naval officers themselves as the military man 
views the question from outside and lookers-on very often see the most of the game. 
Major Gf. (I. Aston, Boyal Marine Artillery (Professor of Fortification at the 
Royal Naval College, Greenwich) :—Colonel Jocelyn and gentlemen; there is a 
certain point, I think which one ought to follow out in regard to this lecture. 
Tne main object in studying history is to get lessons that will last for all time 
for one’s own guidance, and it seems to me that the great point is this question 
of identification. The lecturer referred humorously to the gunner in the Crimea 
who hit “ Eoosher,” but experience has shown that that degree of accuracy in 
war time is extremely creditable. It is a great thing to be able to hit something 
belonging to the enemy. One writer with practical experience of the 1870 war, 
referred casually to the losses from the enemy’s fire and the far greater losses 
from the fire of friends. In the case of coast defences, it is of the first importance 
to identify the nationality of approaching ships and to educate the coast gunner 
to this point is of national importance. The question is whether, under existing 
circumstances, we can expect more of him under the strain of war conditions. 
Can we expect him at long ranges to identify not only the nationality, but also 
the class of vessel approaching, so as to adopt different natures of attack to 
different classes ? There are many here to-day who are far more competent to 
speak on this point than myself, and it would be of great value to get the opinion 
of an officer accustomed to the identification of foreign ships at sea, a late flag- 
lieutenant if possible, on this point; can we expect to identify not only the 
nationality but the actual class of a ship to such an extent as to be able to decide 
the nature of her protection, whether she has a belt or not, etc,, before deciding 
what we shall load our guns with to attack her ? That seems to me to be a point 
which, if we could arrive at it through this discussion, would represent something 
very practical for guidance and future use (applause). 
Colonel Morton Porter late E.A. :—Colonel Jocelyn and gentlemen. The 
point I wish to speak upon is the question of armour and ships protection. The 
Oquendo , the first vessel of the Spanish fleet which was struck, being only belted 
and unprotected from the waist upwards, was pierced at once by a shell and her 
fire-hose was destroyed; a second entered the Admiral’s cabin and she was 
burnt by fire. The Vizcaya , when she came out, gallantly tried to loose off a 
torpedo. She too was only belted below. The unfortunate officer was told to 
launch the torpedo in the face of no protection. I think if I had been him I 
should have cursed the man who designed such a vessel and the Admiralty who 
bought it, for it meant certain death. Immediately the gun cotton of the torpedo 
head was blown up; so it would be again. The third vessel still belted, like our 
