"The United States Navy." A hand book, by Henry Williams, Naval Constructor, U. S. Navy. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1911, 228 pages, illustrated with numerous half-tone engravings and line cuts. Price, $1.50.
Naval Constructor Williams, U. S. Navy, from his experience at sea, as well as on shore, is well qualified to write on this subject.
Many of those questions that every person in the naval service has been asked hundreds of times are answered authoritatively and in a non-technical manner.
The book opens with a chapter on Naval History; then follow chapters on The Navy's Organization: Personnel; Man-of-War in Commission; Classes of Ships; High Explosives; Mines; Torpedoes and Aeroplanes; Designing and Building a Warship, Dry Docks, and closes with a chapter on the National Defense.
The information given is accurate and will prove interesting to those who have some interest in the navy.
There is an excellent index, which will undoubtedly increase its value as a reference book.
W. B. Wells.
"A Manual of International Law ": for the use of naval officers, by Rear-Admiral C. H. Stockton, U. S. N. Annapolis: Naval Institute, 1911. 313 pp.
The manual before us represents the experience gained in the practice of international law by its author during a long and especially useful career as an officer of the United States Navy; a career which may be said to have culminated in his fortunate incumbency of the office of superintendent of the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island. There is no place, certainly in the United States, where instruction in international law is carried on with such systematic thoroughness, or where better or more practical results are obtained, and this is due, in great part, to the intelligent and well-directed endeavors to that end which were put forth by Admiral Stockton, and by Professors Snow and Wilson who cooperated with him in the establishment of the school upon its present basis. A notion of the extent and character of the work done at the War College may be obtained from the annual volumes of its Proceedings—a work of standard and permanent value.
The manual is primarily intended for the use of naval officers, as is indicated by its title. The book is not quite equally divided between peace and war; a comparatively full presentation of the former being necessary in the discussion of the subjects of territory, including boundaries, insurgency in its relation to belligerency, jurisdiction on the high seas and nationality, all of which are of the first importance to officers of the navy. In the portion devoted to war, belligerency, neutrality, maritime capture, blockade, contraband, the right of search and unneutral service are all of them thoroughly and lucidly discussed in the light of the most recent authorities. The old rules of maritime capture, which have recently been made the subject of conventional amendment, are brought fully up to date; the most recent of these, the Convention of London of 1907, is treated in great detail and at sufficient length. This is as it should be, for that convention, if generally and fully adopted and followed, is calculated to bring about very material changes in the practice of maritime warfare.
It was an earlier American author, the late Major-General Halleck, whose work on international law was required to be carried on board every public armed vessel in the British Navy. It is fortunate, indeed, that Admiral Stockton's excellent work on the same subject is to occupy a similar place in the navy of the United States. For that purpose a better selection could not possibly have been made.
Geo. B. Davis.