(TO THS EDITOR OW VIZ “seseraros.1 FitzGerald's interesting letter in
the Spectator of March 8th has no doubt calmed much discussion among your readers and others. I venture to put the case in another form. Suppose a naval engagement between England and another Power is being fought, and two second-class seventeen- knot cruisers of the enemy are being pursued by one of our first-class twenty-knot cruisers. One of the former is over- taken, and hoists the signal of surrender. The Captain of our cruiser takes no notice of this, but sinks the ship, and at once pursues the other, and captures her, saving the crew, of course, in this instance. Does any one mean to say that the Captain in this case ought to have stood by and picked up the drowning bluejackets of the first cruiser, and thereby allowed the second one to escape P—I am, Sir, .&e.,
ALEX. BAIRD.
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