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May; 1910 NAVAL HISTORY SOCIETY. Rear Admiral C. F. Goodrich is the prime mover in the organization of the Naval History Society upon lines some- what similar to the Navy Records So- ciety, of England, which has done so much to preserve the records of Eng- land's naval achievement and to incite public interest in its development. It is the theory of Admiral Goodrich that there is much literature of an invalu- able kind to be gathered concerning American naval history on both coast and lake towns, all of it now lying neglected and forgotten in the form of private letters and log books in attics and other unconsidered places. It is to resume this precious material that Admiral Goodrich is urging the forma- tion of the Naval History Society. The circular, regarding the proposed society, reads: "The absence has long been regretted by the student of our early history of some instrumentality by which to collect, care for, calatogue and make available, the vast amount of material bearing on the growth of the American merchant marine and the creation and develop- ment of the American navy, material which, in the form of old letters, jour- nals, log books and souvenirs of travel or adventure, now lies buried in garrets and store rooms or elsewhere held pri- vately and so practically lost to the world. In -many cases, the owners would be glad to place such records in responsible hands for preservation. It may be truthfully stated that a reason- ably full knowledge of our maritime evolution is essential to a right under- standing and appreciation of how our fathers founded the nation and carried its name and fame into remote corners of the earth. "Recently a number of gentlemen in- terested in this question have organized the Naval History Society. With head- quarters in New York, the Society ex- pects to have branches or Correspond- ing Secretaries in all principal cities of the Union. The ground it purposes cov- ering is exceedingly broad, and is de- fined in its charter 'to discover, procure and preserve by publication and other- wise whatever may relate to naval his- tory, science and art and the surround- ings and experience of seamen in gen- eral and those of the United States in particular, etc.' Notwithstanding the popular belief that little remains to be said on this score, those best capable of judging realize that in the latter case only the very beginning of knowledge has been achieved, while the wider theme; that of the sailor in all times, still presents numberless points that de- mand and deserve elucidation. The aims of this Society ought to appeal to all TAE MarRINE REVIEW thoughtful persons and especially to those who take just pride in what their ancestors did on the water, whether as peaceful traders in remote seas, as pioneers in the whaling industry or as- defenders of their country in armed vessels, private and public. "A few names of those identified with it will suffice to show the character of the Society and establish its claim to consideration; such as the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Dewey, U. S. N., Capt. John S. Barnes, late U. S. Navy, President of the Society, Mr. Loyall Farragut, U. S. Senator. Geo...C;,. Perkins; Gol, RM: Thompson, Col. W. C. Church, Editor of the Army and Navy Journal, Wm. Agnew Paton, Hon. Herbert L. Satter- lee, late Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Hon. Chas. H. Allen, late Assistant Sec- retary of the Navy and Governor of Porto Rico, Mr. Charles Francis Adams, Rear-Admiral Stephen B. Luce, U. S. N., and many other distinguished naval officers. "The Society needs a permanent en- dowment and a large membership. Con- tributors to the former are 'patrons' when giving $1,000; 'benefactors' when giving $5,000 or upwards. With these titles goes membership in perpetuity which can be bestowed by gift or be- quest. The fee for life membership is $100; the dues for annual membership are $5.00. Every member will receive, free, a copy of the Society's publica- tions, which will doubtless be valuable and interesting in the extreme. "Substantial progress has already been made towards an endowment and certain valuable memorabilia have been prom- ised. "You are cordially invited to join the Society on such footing as you elect, making your cheque payable to the 'Treasurer, Naval History Society,' and remitting to him, Robert W. Neeser, 1076 Chapel street, New Haven, Conn. Mr. Neeser, who is the Secretary as well, will be glad, on request, to supply any further pertinent information. Tue EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, The Naval History Society." A QUARTER'S SHIP BUILDING. From the returns compiled by Lloyds Register of Shipping, it appears that, excluding warships, there were 386 ves- sels of 1,057,636 tons gross under con- struction in the United Kingdom at the close of the quarter ended March 31, 1910. This includes 341 steel steamers of 1,051,667 tons, compared with 337 steel steamers of 902,970 tons in the corresponding period. The tonnage now under construction is about 144,000 tons 185 more than that which was in hand at. the end of last quarter, and also exceeds by about the same amount the total building 12 months ago. The figures of the warship tonnage now being built (303,685 tons displacement) are the larg- est reported since September, 1904. Of the vessels under construction in the United Kingdom at the end of March, 314 of 734,590 tons are under the supervision of the Surveyors of Lloyds Register with a view to classifi- cation by this Society. In addition, 72 vessels of 213,508 tons are building abroad to the society's classification. The total building at the present time under the supervision of Lloyds Register is, thus, 386 vessels of 948,098 tons. De- tails of this total follow: Building in United Kingdom for home account, for sale, etc, 266, gross tonnage 631,106; ditto for foreign and colonial account, 48, gross tonnage 103,484; building abroad for United Kingdom owners, 4, gross tonnage 1,625; ditto for foreign and colonial account, 68, gross tonnage 211,883; total building on March 31, for classification with Lloyds Register, 386, gross tonnage 948,098. The statistics showing the amount of work in hand at the principal districts on March 31 show increases in every case except the Barrow and Belfast, which last-named center heads the list with the largest amount of work in hand. The total for Belfast is 233,360 tons, represented by 20 steamers, which compares with 26 steamers of 258,590 tons at the corresponding date of last year. At Glasgow there are under con- struction 68 steamers of 185,307 tons and 11 sailers of 1,129 tons, against 70 steamers of 177,977 tons and 30 sailers of 6,218 tons; at Newcastle, 51 steamers of 180,468 tons and 5 sailers of 2,450 tons, against 48 steamers of 123,165 tons: and 3 sailers of 900 tons; at Greenock, 44 steamers of 154,810 tons and 3 sail- ers of 40 tons, against 34 steamers of 122,505. tons and: 5: sailers of 31 fons: at Sunderland, 41 steamers of 117,050. tons, compared with 40 steamers of 86,- 787 tons; at Middlebro' and Stockton, 34 steamers of 62,549 tons, compared with 13 steamers of 41,543 tons and 3 sailers of 916 tons; at Hartlepool and Whitby, 14 steamers of 52,930 tons, compared with 10 steamers of 30,095 tons; at Liverpool, 12 steamers of 35,- 140 tons, against 14 steamers of 23,588 tons; and at Barrow, Maryport, and Workington, 6 steamers of 2,880 tons, against 6 steamers of 4,500 tons. Of -- the total of 386 vessels of 1,057,636 tons, 279 of 842,561 tons are building for the United Kingdom, and 17 of 36,- 788 tons for the colonies. Two vessels of over 20,000 tons each are under con- struction, and (including these) 12 of © over 10,000 tons each. During the