Lord Charles Beresford, writes Mr Lacy in the ' Sydney Morning Herald,' has just performed one of those risky feats which are irresistibly attractive to him, whether in time of peace or war. It is an axiom to which British naval and military authorities cling that Chatham Dockyard is inapproach able by a foreign ship at night. Even in the daytime, without the assistance of a re creant English pilot, the Medway, broad as it looks, is a remarkably delicate and dangerous maze for a ship to tread. That a torpedo boat, manned by British bluejackets and commanded by an officer familiar with the river, could safely thread the passage on a dark night was held to be impossible. That waß enough for Lord Charles Beresford. Choosing a moonless night, when possibility of the light of stars was averted by a slight mist, Lord Charles steamed out in a torpedo boat from Sheerness, made some way to sea in the direction of the Nore, and, punting the torpedo's head about, boldly made for Chat ham Dockyard, some twenty miles up the Medway. The waterway suitable for ships drawing any reasonable depth of water lies midway in the broad sheet, and is very nar row. It is buoyed on either side, which, with local knowledge, makes the course moderately easy in the daytime. But the buoys are not lit at night, nor is there any light shown from the shore ; fields for the most part running down to the water's edge, with here and there a factory for the making of cement. Lord Charles went ahead ab full speed all the way, and succeeded in reaoh ing Chatham, if not unobserved', at least unchallenged. They had some narrow squeaks at one or two places, where they were conscious of being within a few turns of the screw of running ashore. But the feat demonstrated — not a reassuring thing for the authorities of Chatham — that the dockyard could be approached on the darkest night..
