The following letter appears in the London Times of Gath Dec., upon the proposed cession of Gibraltar for have read with much interest the conflict opinions respecting the "ce-sion of Gibraltar" express in The times by military ant al authentic als this question is of paramount importane: to the public, I submit the following facts for consideration gibraltar is one of the strongest fortressss in the world.
is the Meviterrancan, ug no vessel can pass the Straits without the knowledge of the garrison is the princi 1 feature of the position, is inaccessi 'a comparatively small garrison is required in proportion to the strength of the fortress, Thus, i. is the least expensive at the same time the most scute key to the Mediterranean, On the other hand, the harbour is inf n To obtain such an important position is so difficult, while to evacuate it is so easy that deep consider tio. is required. when the startling question is put forwanl, **Shall we cede Gibraltar?"
vat value of a military position is hardly appreclated in time of peace; we will, therefore, suppose that England is at war with a great maritime Power.
ngland's first effort must be to protect the rout to Tniia rit the Mediterranean, France and Spain are at home on the shores of that sea, where England would be a strand ger without Gibraltar and Malta, In former times the success of our navy was due to our sailors; in future it will concn upon coals, without which our irone ads would be as helpless us Nelson's Vie ory in a dead calm.
Thus, coals will be the sinews of war, and enormous depots must be secured at certain intervals. These depots must be the first points of attack; therefore they must be placed at impregnable positions.
Gibraltar: s five days' full steaming from England, about the same distance from Malta, which is an equal interval from Alexandria; thus we have two impregnable coaling fortresses t" commantl the Mediterranean route.
Few ships of war will carry more than seven days' sup-of coals for fall speed. Common sense will suggest that the maximum effect of a vess-) will depend upon her fuel; thus, as a period of seven days ix the extreme limit of her capacity at full speed, we must be provided with coaling stations within that interval, wherever our navy is to be most actively employed. That activity must be displayed in the Mediterranean.
th the event of a war with a great maritime Power, the greater portion, if not the whole, of our Indian trade would be carried through the Red Sea and Mediterranean, as we could protect that route by our possession of a mag-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.