Inquiry into the disposition of the naval forces 521 Difficulty of obtaining information at sea 521 Perplexity as to the destination of a naval expedition 522 Disadvantages of the defensive 523 England upon the defensive in 1778 523 Consequent necessity for wise and vigorous action 524 The key of the situation 525 British naval policy in the Napoleonic wars 525 British naval policy in the Seven Years' War 527 Difficulties attending this policy 527 Disposition of the British navy in the war of 1778 528 Resulting inferiority on many critical occasions 528 Effect on the navy of the failure to fortify naval bases 529 The distribution of the British navy exposes it to being out-numbered at many points 531 The British naval policy in 1778 and in other wars compared 532 Naval policy of the allies 535 Divergent counsels of the coalition 536 "Ulterior objects" 537 The allied navies systematically assume a defensive attitude 538 Dangers of this line of action 538 Glamour of commerce-destroying 539 The conditions of peace, 1783 540 INDEX 543 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. LIST OF MAPS. I. Mediterranean Sea 15 II. English Channel and North Sea 107 III. Indian Peninsula and Ceylon 257 IV. North Atlantic Ocean 532 PLANS OF NAVAL BATTLES. _In these plans, when the capital letters A, B, C, and D are used, all positions marked by the same capital are simultaneous._