The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-02-16 00:00:00

grorresponlitnre.
A 31 AD RISK.
T., the Editor.

I Ohl sort r;,..! that there is not a arca uprising of the
eon,: ea. • an,l determination id our flOOlllO against
U;li.•la I am startled to site flaSOo•oli-C 41111.,T
:sec.:a:di-MA -to rob our " tight lit: to island "ii the pro-
let jot' 'nerd: Silly given us by the "silver streak " of sea.
For a long titne I had fancied the prop.eitton Was SO
utterly awl visibly an attack on our defence., that I centsl
not think the men at the seat of power vroul.l suffer it to
succeed. liar .Linger is admitted to collie froth the vast
armies of the Continent, which would be capal I. of sweep-
ing before Olean any resistance our little (mem could give
I —if only they get suer here. Balt now, it 3CUI:111)* appears,
'We are to allow settle peddling company to borrow under
our straits. awl loin Lugland to the Centotient, and our
C inservative Gavenonent, following wit its "potter of
repose," blintd while the 9 it,, it. I do not wonder at the
Freuch nation, with its phantasmagoria called a Govern.
men:, Consenting such a SeIiCIIIC, fliey have nothing to
tic es..enit tire tr imp Of armies across a corner of their
territory cause them a loss, an I for that they may !e pool.
But England, r. it Itritain, has everything at stake ; the
mint on l,tolon, years sig.+ pointed out as the way to
cowitier England, wwild be made easy, awl England, the
hope s, the w.ebl is crushed. The) talk of reservin4 the
power ti doss I the I lover tonne' : but whe Slippo,,,l that
any Power, or c 'Attie' of NOW's, WoUld 41.., Us llolife sbj
war hi tiine ti dowl the t 11111 l el 2 Any one who thinks so
must he void of cot 1111 l sense, and err...holy cannot knew
what is meant hiy a 'to!itsgoerre. it sine long ago (at the
tittle when the Defence Commission sat) shown hat a
small force might easily, by means of a fleet of strancrs,
be thrown On MC east or south coast, ..f our ishviol. Mot
it was seen Lila,: to Lll.l b11..11 it form tor did sake sit doing
mischief only, would le scarce worth the almest certain
destrte•tion which would be hurlwl sit Its Now, in the
cruises of our 11.41, or in the yearly absence at Portugal, •
small first of armed men might he thrown on the coast of
Kent, seize ill., I lover entrance if the tunnel, and in a
very few hours, a sutheient army WOUI,I march under the
ses, secure their positions by entrenchment's, awl then
from that corner of Kent would speedily delsoich the
great hosts sae of Germany or 1111 l re probably, of ,
Germany awl Russia C.SIIIIIIIIA Our rulers ought to be
impeached for high treason it they do not at whatever
rea.ffiable co.; withdraw their fatal permission. What !
Are we to supitose that an invasion oh EngMnd would wit
Ist gratifying to the great despots of the Centittent I We
know that England is far toe much for them—
(treat, glorious, and iris
First dower of the earth,
First gem of the eve."
I know not whether the Liberal party favoured this paltry.
seffing lif a nation's independence for fear of a few liours
aea•sickne.s ; but if they did, it is tinge the Censervative
Governinent should repair the shopkeepitig blunder,
know not whether the independent spiris of our workmen
iStOuissuchfOroUrCOlLSOMatiVOisover•helders,altil whether
they look at some not far distant date ti cow English
freedoni by foreign bayonete ; if they do, it is time they
should be hurled (non their place before they've time to
Join hands with their despot allies. Do I seem to rave?
The independence of a hation, of our nation, is at stake,
and it will all depend oil our power to flood the Dover
tunneL If all goes right, we may have that power ; but
might it to be left to the chance of going right! Never !
Let us bear in mind one consideration ; an iuvading army
hastily lauded from skips on our shore would scarcely be
supplied with artillery sufficient for our conquest; but let
them hold a piece of Kent, and all the artillery might
easily, and would certainly, come through the tuunel. We
lambed with the French at Eupaturia, we held a piece of
the country, our army dankluerched after Alma to
Balaclava, and we Lmided our artillery and finally took
Sebastopol. het the Rely Alliance (I mean Prussia,
Austria, and Russia, who destroyed Poltind) mend an
ext.lition that shall capture the Dover end of the tunnel,
and them all is essay for them to conquer England. its,
not let us suppose that one attack only would be made,
nil doubt other's, feint attacks, would draw ulf our atten-
tioll, and might give us fruitless victories, but the blow
would be struck hunts I do not "Pin my faith "to iso
military heads; the cry of 'England for the English " is
passing morerapidly, more quietly, through the people than
may be pleasant for holders of grind tracts, vast wealth,
And power; let the people see to this themselves, WO
stop the Dover tutineL How are we to be sure it will be
flooded! When the great German invasion of Franco
catue otf, the tunnel of Archcrillier, the passes of Vosges,
were found open, and the Gentians marched through.
:Shall we build a great fortress at the Dover east? How if
we have a !famine in our Metz What use slur forteas if
it be ceded to our foe? flow if we have an unpopular
King! Let the brave Frenchmen answer who were led
into the sink of Sedan! We ought not to leave the matter
to Prinete sir Dukes; the people themselves should rise
and demand that our independence lie not jeopardised
because a few idlers are seasick ; let us stop the Channel
Tunnel, keep betweeu us and Continental humors the
"silver streak." and ..or ships of iron, Iso.ked huy heats of
oak, and in thin reliance on Providence which teaches us
the WO Of 1.11.115. we feel that -
.... . • .

'7.C.001e the four corners 01 the world in anus
411,1 We 1.1.411 shock thew ; nought shall nuke us ru2.
II England i. lorseU 1t.r.%0: lout tn. "
&ft:LAND WIC 11111