present, indeed, it seems that the centre of sea power, resting mainly
with England and France, is overwhelmingly in the West; but should any
chance add to the control of the Black Sea basin, which Russia now
has, the possession of the entrance to the Mediterranean, the existing
strategic conditions affecting sea power would all be modified. Now,
were the West arrayed against the East, England and France would go at
once unopposed to the Levant, as they did in 1854, and as England
alone went in 1878; in case of the change suggested, the East, as
twice before, would meet the West half-way.

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1. The battle of Navarino (1827) between Turkey and the Western Powers was
fought in this neighborhood.
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At a very conspicuous and momentous period of the world's history, Sea
Power had a strategic bearing and weight which has received scant
recognition. There cannot now be had the full knowledge necessary for
tracing in detail its influence upon the issue of the second Punic
War; but the indications which remain are sufficient to warrant the
assertion that it was a determining factor. An accurate judgment upon
this point cannot be formed by mastering only such facts of the
particular contest as have been clearly transmitted, for as usual the
naval transactions have been slightingly passed over; there is needed
also familiarity with the details of general naval history in order to
draw, from slight indications, correct inferences based upon a
knowledge of what has been possible at periods whose history is well
known. The control of the sea, however real, does not imply that an
enemy's single ships or small squadrons cannot steal out of port,
cannot cross more or less frequented tracts of ocean, make harassing