did, after the artillery battle at Tsushima.

In addition to their value in defending navy-yards from raids,
and in giving wounded ships a refuge, the military strengthening
of home bases, if such home bases are wisely placed near large
commercial centres, prevents actual destruction of those commercial
centres themselves, in case an attack is made upon them, either
in the absence of the defending fleet, or after that fleet may
have been destroyed. The line of engineering advance during recent
years, although it has greatly increased the offensive power of
war-ships, has increased even more greatly the defensive power of
land works. For this reason, it is perfectly possible to defend
successfully almost any land position against attack by ships;
and it is so easy, that not to do so, is, in the case of large
commercial centres, a neglectfulness of the extremest character.

One important reason, therefore, for placing a permanent home base
near a large commercial centre is the fact that the fortification
of one is also the fortification of the other.

Assuming that New York is to be defended locally, we can state at
once that the New York naval station can easily be made to be a
permanent naval base of the highest order, and of the most efficient
type. In fact, it can be made into a naval base better than any other
now in the world, because of the large sheets of water tributary
to it in New York Bay, Hudson River, and Long Island Sound; the
proximity of the sea; the untold resources in money, supplies,
and men that it could on demand produce, and the ease with which
it could be defended. To make such a base, it would be necessary
to fortify the vicinity of Coney Island and the entrances from
the ocean to the Lower Bay, and Long Island Sound; to deepen the
channel to the navy-yard, and to make clear and safe the waterway
from the East River to Long Island Sound. It would be necessary
also to enlarge the navy-yard; and to this end, to buy back the land
adjoining it, which the government most unwisely sold to private
parties about twenty-five years ago.

Owing to the position of Block Island, relatively to the lines
of communication of a hostile force coming from Europe to attack
our eastern coast, and because of the sheltered waters held within
it, suitable for small craft, the advisability of establishing a
small naval base there is apparent. With a suitable base there
and another on Martha's Vineyard, and the presen