The manoeuvre of breaking the line of a fleet, like that of attacking in column the line of an army, may not always succeed ; and in the action, June 3, 1665, several squadrons passed through and through the Dutch fleet without gaining any advantage. If the line of the enemy is strong, tho ships which would pierce it may be placed between two fires, or may be cut off from the rest of their fleet ; and perhaps the manoeuvre ought not to be attempted unless the line to be broken is already disordered by the action, or unless a favourable opportunity should present itself from negligence or want of skill in the enemy.
Should sufficient reasons exist for performing the manoeuvre by a fleet which is to leeward of its enemy, the ships of that fleet should close up as much as possible, and by a press of sail get rapidly through the opening without attempting to engage the ships between which they peas; or each should give the fire of a broadside to one only, reserving the other broadside for the ship with which it is to engage in the new position : this position the ships should of course gain as soon as possible. On the other hand, an attempt to break the line of battle may be counteracted by causing all the fleet, as soon as some of the enemy's ships have got through, to put itself on the same tack aS these ; by which means some of them will be engaged between two fires, and others will be cut off from all connection with the fleet to which they belong.
When the commander of a ship intends with that ship to come to action with one of the enemy to leeward, he should bear down obliquely towards the latter till be gets nearly into its wake ; and when at a proper distance, he may either run up alongside, or having shot a-head, veer and run down on the weather bow : the ship attacked should never be allowed to bring thcr broadside to bear except when both ships are in parallel positions.
In chasing an enemy's ship which is to windward, the chaser being presumed to sail better than the ship she pursues, it is recommended that the former should stand on close-hauled till abreast of the chase; she should then tack, and stand on close-hauled till again abreast ; and so on. The ship chased, on the other hand, should, in order to avoid loss of time, continue constantly, if possible, on one course ; but it is evident, from time supposed inferiority of her sailing, that she must at length be overtaken by her pursuer.
Such have been, and such would continue to be, the basis of sys tematic naval warfare with sailing fleets. As regards the Royal Navy,
au extended system of manoeuvres is called for, inasmuch as more pre cision in evolutions is attainable by steam-fleets such as will be our future defence.
To this subject both English and French writers have already given their professional attention ; and the French admiral, De la Oraviere, in his work called ' Guerres 31aritimes,' advocates the allpredominant advantages of speed over an adversary. It is to Admiral Bowles, C.B., that we owe even the present position of the question of naval tactics; ; for in 1846 he called attention to the necessity of improved modes of manceu wing steam-vessels before an enemy, as many be seen in hie Essay on Naval Tactics,' 1846. He was ably seconded by Capt. Dahlgren, U.S. navy, in his work on' Shells and Shell Guns.' But it is to General Sir Howard Douglas, Bart., that this country owes that development of a system which has been very carefully illustrated by him in numerous diagrams in his ' Naval Warfare.' We refer, therefore, to that work fur further details, which would be unnecessary in this Cyclopaslia—a work not only valuable to every naval commander, but also to merchant captains, who many resolve to defend,the costly ships and steamers com mitted to their charge. We merely, therefore remark in brief, as a few main features of 1111 most recent opinions—the keeping of a fleet of steamers in well concentrated columns on lines of bearing en echelon ; the turning an enemy's flank by an oblique movement, as practised ou land by Frederick II., by Napoleon at Austerlitz, by Wellington at Waterloo, &c., &c.; and this by bringing an overwhelming force upon the point attacked ; the steaming in line abreast, in readiness by a simple movement of each ship's head to form echelon of ships in line ahead, either as offensive or defensive measures. Thin consists of a wedge.shaped double line formed on a central ship, in the form of two sides of a right angle, the sides being right angled at such central ship, each ship making with the other an angle of four points. Sir Iloward Douglas entirely repudiates the practice of fighting in parallel order.
(7'ra iti den Erolutions Narales, par P. Paul I foste, 1690. A Trans lation of the same by Captain Boswa11, R.N., 1834 ; Clerk's Essay on Naval Tactics, 1790 ; L'Art de Guerre en 41fer, par M. he Vincointe do Grdnicr, 1788; Steele, 1794, Admiral Sir Charles Eking, Nara! Batiks ; and Admiral Sir Howard Douglas's Naval Warfare iritlt, Steam, 1832 and 185S.) TiENIA. [3toutnixo.]