ontrol of the marksman from the time of its launching
until it fulfils its deadly mission. Its range, of course, is strictly
limited; but it may be worked to advantage within the distances at
which the best naval artillery can be depended upon to make good
practice.

The least costly and the lightest form is that in which the backward
pulling of two wires, unwinding two drums on the torpedo, actuates two
screws at greater or less speeds according to the rapidity of the
motion imparted, any advantage of speed in one screw over the other
being responded to by an alteration in the direction taken by the
weapon. The torpedo may be set so as to dive from the surface at any
desired interval; but, of course, an appearance in the form of at
least a flash is necessary to enable the operator to judge in what
direction he is sending his missile. Small torpedo-boats, not manned
but sticking to the surface, may be used in the same manner. Each one
no doubt runs a very great risk of being hit by shot or shell aimed at
them; but out of half a dozen, discharged at short intervals, it would
be practically impossible for an enemy to make certain that one at
least did not find its billet.

The submarine boat will have some useful applications in peace; but
its range of utility in warfare is likely to be very limited. It is
hopeless to expect the eyes of sailors to see any great distance under
the water; therefore the descent must be made within sight of the
enemy, who has only to surround himself with placed contact-torpedoes
hanging to a depth, and to pollute the water in order to render the
assault an absolutely desperate enterprise.

Military aeronautics, like submarine operations in naval warfare, have
been somewhat overrated. Visions of air-ships hovering over a doomed
city and devastating it with missiles dropped from above are mere
fairy tales. Indeed the whole subject of aeronautics as an element in
future human progress has excited far more attention than its
intrinsic merits deserve.

A balloon is at the mercy of the wind and must remain so, while a true
flying machine, which supports itself in the air by the operation of
fans or similar devices, may be interesting as a toy, but cannot have
much economical importance for the future. When man has the solid
earth upon which to conduct his traffic, without the necessity of
overcoming the force of gravitation by costly power, he would be
foolish in the extreme to attempt to aba