In the first place, any such heavy extraneous work (such as is here involved) means an utter dislocation of the current work of the Admiralty if carried out by the regular Admiralty staff! and as any such _extraneous_ work must of necessity give place to any very pressing _current_ work, then the extraneous work doesn’t get done properly--so both suffer!--But further! these seven other spirits (not more wicked than any of those at the Admiralty!) will be absolutely untrammelled by any remarks of their own in the official records in the Admiralty, and will not be cognisant (and so not influenced!) by the past written official minutes of the High and Mighty Ones, and so we shall get the directness and unfettered candour that we desire! (Parenthesis:--A most distinguished man at the War Office used to think he had gained his point and blasted the Admiralty by collecting extracts 20 years old with opposing decisions! absolutely regardless that what is right to-day may be wrong to-morrow! but he traded on what we all dislike--_the charge of inconsistency!_--Why! the two most inconsistent men who ever lived, the two greatest men who ever lived and the two most successful men who ever lived, were Nelson and Napoleon!) Nelson most rightly said that no sailor could ever be such a born ass as to attack forts with ships (_he was absolutely right_), and then he went straight at them at Copenhagen. Napoleon said, “_L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace!_” and then he went and temporised at Warsaw for three solid weeks (was it a Polish Countess?), and so got ruined at Moscow in consequence of this delay. _Circumstances alter cases!_ That’s the answer to the charge of inconsistency. So please let us have this excellent and unparalleled small working Committee to thresh out all these details (when the general outlines have been considered), but this very special point will no doubt be borne in mind:--“Until you have these details how can you say you approve of the outline?” So what has to be said finally is that if the facts and figures corroborate what is sketched out, then the proposals can be considered for adoption, so the ultimate result is this:--“Let the Committee get on at once.” J. A. FISHER. 19/10/04. [Illustration: SIR JOHN FISHER AND SIR COLIN KEPPEL (CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL YACHT).] MAIN PRINCIPLES OF SCHEME. _Future Types of Fighting Vessels._ Four classes only of fighting vessels. Uniform armament (except torpedo attack guns) in all classes of fighting vessels. Inviolate watertight bulkheads. Subdivision of magazines. Protection of magazines. Abolish Ram.