The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-24 00:00:00

referred to was insisted upon with incomparable
ability by one of the most charming writers of our
age, and one consequently who could most readily ad-
dress himself to a numerous proportion of his con-
temporaries. Sir FRANCIS HEAD, in his somewhat
startling appeal to his countrywomen, disclosed
in a masterly manner the position of things
along our coasts, showing that, to say the
very least of it, there were enormous,
if not in the end wholly irresistible, temptations to
the more warlike among the continental enemies of
Great Britain. Everyone knows well enough that
the Prince DE JOINVILLE declared the practicability
of a military incursion into England. Everyone knows
this as well as that the Emperor NAPOLEON not
merely resolved upon the conquest of these islands,
but went even so far as to collect together his army
and his fleet in the immediate vicinity of Boulogne.
More recently a French General no less dis-
tinguished than CaANGARNIER declared his readi-
ness to conduct a body of 10,000 men to London :
and as that merry old gentleman, Mr. Punch, has
since remarked, CIIANGARNIFR, in fulfilment of his
offer, has really arrived in our metropolis, only—
he has left behind him the 10,000 soldiers who were
to have been his companions. All these historical in-
cidents, though familiar long before now to the ma-
jority of the people, are here recalled to the public
recollection, because they unite in demonstrating the
views entertained by our foes themselves in reference
to a matter vitally affecting the interests of the empire,
and hinging even upon the very question of the na.
tional existence.

Elsewhere in our impression of this evening will
be found an epitome of the ingenious theory sug-
gested by the Baron EMILE MAURICE DE SELLoN,
which we have transferred to our columns from those
of a morning contemporary. As the production of a
soldier already distinguished by several very excel-
lent works as a military tactician, this theory is
perhaps, of all the theories yet advanced, the one most
fully entitled to consideration. Founding his
scheme of invasion upon the data of the arma-
ment actually assembled in 1804 by the Emperor
NaroLEois, the Baron MAURICE asserts that 150,000
men would be the number requisite for the conquest
of the British Government. Descendingto particulars,
he maintains that the force must consist of 110,000
infantry, of 22,000 cavalry, of 13,750 artillery, of 3,000
engineers, and of 3,050 baggage train—in all,
a gross total of 151,800. Together with them he
enumerates 22,000 troop and 35,806 draught horses,
making a full compliment of 57,806. These, with a
due proportion of carriages, ammunition, stores, and
provisions, he would have transported to our shores,
one-half from Brest, and the other from Cher-
bourg—conveying them thence through the aid of
some 224 sailing vessels, 4 auxiliaries, 325 steam-
ships, 657 of merchant service, giving a sum total
of 982 altogether. The subsequent proceedings of the
expedition planned by the bellicose ingenuity of Baran
MAURICE will be observed to be very explicitly de-
fined in subsequent portions of the document already
particularized. Landing 32,000 men at Bristol,
where little or no resistance is anticipated, bombard-
ing Plymouth with the line-of-battle ships, con-
taining 43,000 soldiers, and, of course, taking
it after a few hours' siege triumphantly, and directing
no less than 76,000 upon Rye, where every imagi-
nable facility is expected in the process of debarka-
tion, France is to concentrate those three corps d' armee
upon the ill-fated metropolis of Great Britain, which in
panic, flames, and bloodshed, is to deliver up is
treasures to the conqueror. What is to be done
after the unwieldy province is vanquished is left, of
course, as yet, to the vaguest daydreams of
the liveliest imagination. The Baron contents
himself with sketching out a plan which
has been recently laid before the English
community through the medium of a translation by
Captain ADDISON.* Now all this, doubtless, is very
pretty, very agreeable, very enticing to that jeune
France which cherishes the idea of supplanting " "the
flag that has braved a thousand years the battle
and the breeze," by " the tricolour that has made
the tour of the world in the midst of glory and
victory." But JOHN BULL cannot, for the life of
him, comprehend the notion of ignoring thus sum-
tnarily the existence of that naval power with
which, since the days of Dutch prowess and of
the Spanish Armada, he has " ruled the waves,"

in the name of hiq titulary goddess Britannia.
Setting aside the extravagance of the calculations
made by those continental advocates of invasion,
there is, assuredly, nevertheless, ample reason on
our part for setting on foot preparations, such as
might be best calculated, in case of emergency, to
repel the force of any foreign aggression.
Among the proposals which have been recently
made public in reference to these suggested prepa-
rations, we may briefly refer to the schemet of
forming and enrolling rifle clubs throughout
the United Kingdom. It has been hinted

to ourselves, moreover, that it might, perhaps,
be advisable to have the police force instructed
in rifle-shooting, in the adoption of which
ceurse it is argued that, without any extra charge, a
supplementary militia would thereby be very readily
organized. Might not our artillery, also, sug-
gests our correspondent, carry with them
iron Venetian blinds, of a portable character, so
us to constitute a moving fortress capable of
being advanced to the sea shore or withdrawn into

the interior, according to the exigency of the
situation—protecting the men effectually from rifle
bullets and musket balls, while obviating at
the same time the evils attendant upon a
stationary sea-side battery, which must, of course,
become altogether useless, so soon as the enemy
have actually landed. Together with changes of
the kind here specified, it were probably advisable like-
wise to have all the old ships now laid up idle in
dock fitted out with the screw propeller, well manned
by an increase of our maritime forces (sailors,
remember, being capable of acting both as marines
and as soldiers)—and thereby rendered available in
the instance of any serious emergency. In connexion
with this portion of the subject, it is gratifying to
observe the following significant announcement made
with the rest of to-day's naval intelligence :
"ANOTHER SCREW THREE-DECTER TOR THE BRITISH
Navy.—We are glad to find that the Admiralty have
ordered the Windsor Castle, of 120 guns, now build-
ing at Pembroke, to be cut in two amidships, in order
to introduce about 23 feet of midship body,
and also to be lengthened abaft to receive
the screw and engines of 750-horse power, made by
Air. Robert Napier, of Glasgow, originally for the
Sini"na; and we hone to see a similar operation
performed on many more of the ships now building.
t:uph_lrtoa:as.l Albert, 120, building at Woolwich, is also
'wing adapted for the screw, to be propelled by the en-
i"'4 Of ti2o-_horse power, made by Seaward for the
With
of large
power
nuos brio in into us some of the engines
lying on hand."
preparations of this description 11-foot there
ctoanntohte, we
captabbinillic;Y of our maintaining our
remain very large anxiety as
positionostformidable
against the
depreciatemali ofthe value moat confident and the
m
gn
the
invaders. To say otherwise
awere
to to
temper of the people,
of the ever-memorable
and glorious records of Our
national history.
For the preservation of the
we have to look with unflagging might of England
c of the popula-
tionconfidencdefencese
;
to the prowess of our military and maritime
yet m; obrue t thebov ;valour
ofcourse, :and patriotism,
to the aid of
DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
"On National Defence in England." By B
Translated by Captain J. E. Aris", &a P.
E.
Maurice, Scc-
With a Map of the Channel and adjacent Coasts. Bv°•
c.
88. Lond:m : Parker, Furniv
Immediatef Formation and En-
rolment of Rifle Cl übs thlootntgoonn.t
John King
ntry.,, By
as Old
Soldier. Bvo., 81. g. 1852.

_ . 7 n
Clop, and
It was with mingles feelings of shame, i d•
qua-
astonishinent that we read in the Moniteur
the decree signed Louts NAPOLEON BONAPARTE,
confiscating the property .of the Orleans family. Had
the Red Republic been inaugurated, had Socialism
been acknowledged as a fundamental law of the State,
then, indeed, decrees of confiscation and decrees of
proscription might have been expected ; but we were
told, and we believed, that the accession of Louis
NAPOLEON to power was necessar? to prevent the
advent of the reign of plunder, proscription
and terror. If,
however, he himself inaugurates
the reign of plunder, and
proscripti9n,
terror, the french people may nerbps
begin to consider that the
reign of tie Red
Republic would not ba one whitmore terrible, while
it would be much less expensive. This act of plun-
der was, it appears, opposed by all Louis NA-