The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-29 00:00:00

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SWtt 14411', te .e.M ts.
Where is a French e rely of fiftv th
?—asked " A Sel6ier," in our
At a dietenee of twenty-two miles
. here is a small spot on cur shore, which eiriWkS \l'.l
known by the name of Dover. In former days,
when our ancestors were men of mettle, and when
Kings of England invaded France as a royal pastime,
Dover was considered a port of great importance.
There was a very general feeling that if it was so
easy to go from Dover to Calais, it might be just as
easy to go from Calais to Dover; and consequently,
Dover was defended by a royal fortress, and formed
one of the Cinque Ports. Again, during the prepa-
rations made at Boulogue in 1804, splendid works
were made on the Cliffs of Dover, which command
the town, and a military road was constructed there.
But of late years our Government, with its usual dis-
crimination, thought it necessary to economise—not
by reducing official salaries and by displeciug unne-
cessary plecemen, but by letting our forts be turned
into grazing grounds, and our batteries become use-
less from want of due care. And now let us
see what Dover is supposed to br, and what
Dover actually is. Ordnance maps and plans tell us
that as you enter the harbour, a fort, known by the
name of Archcliff, commands the entrance ; that the
Castle is strongly fortified, and can, with its out-
works, be armed with some hundred guns; whilst
the citadel heights have fifty guns; the whole sup-
ported by a large redoubt.
These are very formidable obstacles, but does this
Ordnance statement show the real state of the ease ?
Dover is a seaport, situated bptween two hi;cil
the valley between which leads to London. Formerly
the entrance of the harbour was protected V two
batteries, known as the Amherst and Townsh end,
both on the water level—and by Archcliff redoubt,
which—situated to the side towards Shakspere's Cliff—
raked the entrance, and also commanded the sea west-
wards. But the harbour requiring certain improve-
ments, the Amherst and Townshend batteries were
pulled down, and a certain space was left nearer the
town, where a battery was to be formed. Now a shore
battery is not an expensive thing ; it is not supposed to
withstand an actual attack, but merely to do as much
damage as potesible, hilst shipping is still at a certain
distance, or whilst boats areheing filled with /ion
for disembarkation. A simple earthen battery would,
therefore, answer every purpose, but from neglect, or
—as the Ordnance would explain it—through want
of funds, the space intended to have been occupied by
a battery is still vacant and desolate, neither useful
nor ornamental. Lately, also, a railway terminus
has been erected at Dover, and in the full belief that
for the future nothing was to appear near our shores
more alarming than pleasure excursionists from Paris,
the terminus was allowed to be erected se as to cut
off all the flanking fire from Archcliff fort towards
Dover, and, instead of its projecting well out, as it
used to do, and raking the sands, it is now thrown
back and comparatively useless—the few guns which
it possesses looking westwards out to sea, in the di-
rection of Shakspere's Cliff. As if that memorable
block of chalk wanted protection against attack, rising,
though it does, some hundreds of feet perpendicularly
from the sea.
The defences of Dover, therefore, are confined to
the citadel height and tits.. castle. The latter dating
from the days of Julius Caesar, situated on the cliff to
the right of the entrance, consists of a keep and a
series of batteries, extending down to the seaside
With the exception of a salute fired from the keep
on the arrival of the Queen from Ostend, and the late
experiments with the magnetic wires from Calais, we
doubt very much whether these guns have ever been
used. Instead of a hundred, there are certainly not
fifty, many of which are carronades. But this is not
all. Instead of the place being garrisoned by ar-
tillery, it is occupied by a line regiment, the guns
are left in the care of the winds of heaven, and there
is not a single gunner on the premises. To the left
of Dover is the citadel. This consists of splendid
field works covering the whole cliff,
,commanding the
town, harbour, the military road which leads up the
valley, and is protected towards the castle by a strong
redoubt. But earthen parapets without guns are
rather harmless, and though they may serve as
boundaries to adventurous cattle or as
pleasant rambling grounds for boys on a Sunday
afternoon, they certainly will not much deter san•
guinary marauders should such desire to venture
near us. But where are these guns ? In Woolwich
Warren surely. Now, when the whole country is
occupied with the grave question of our national de-
fences,—when the Government very well know that
day by day the public are clamorous for some pre-
cautions to btu taken,—we have the key of England,
as it were, totally undefendei. Guns are not moved
and mounted in a day or ain week. To put that
citadel in a state of defence would take the small
force of artillery which is in the redoubt a whole
month, working day and night. As this citadel com-
mands the castle, the latter is useless were the former
taken ; and by landing towatels Folkestone, the latter
might be captured without a single shot from the
castle being able to prevent it ! Is not this a pretty
state of things ? and we may well ask " A Soldier'
why cannot the landing be made at Dover, and an
' intrenchment be completed on Dover heights ? for
an enemy would find things ready made, and have
nothing to do but to mount his guns and man them.
Are not the French fully aware of this matter ? Is
there a spot along our coast which has not been visited
by military tourists, and is there a stone on Dover
heights which they are not acquainted with ? Ports-
mouth and Plymouth have a formidable defence in
their men-of-war, but large vessels cannot lie off
Dover, for it is a dangerous place, and merchantmen
do not much like the straits of a windy night Yet
we think there would be no great difficulty in moor-
ing a floating battery. When danger is said to be
staring us in the face, it is not a time for dull and
slow consideration, but for action The Ordnance
may wish to put Dover in a state of defence, but what
are they waiting for ? Where are the Ordnance
store boats, which are kept and paid for the purpose
of conveying guns ? and what is the use of keeping
hundreds of these guns stored at Woolwich,
for the amusement of
.royal and noble vi-
sitors from London, when we are told to ex-
pect a very different style of visitor from abroad ?
the name of Monk's
Indeed, the guns in Dover C astleare but small ones,
and very different things from b
French siege guns,
—appear toodeary
valuablel to be exposed to
enough for our ineffi-
cient much for it those in
in
ne England
pay
it too precious to be
theand which—known
De
aub nrde eaB' es V
who
made
s o
useful,ordnance,eha r
Sorely these
it is seem
as
rn ed taismwe
ste pfo taohyri
think
king
why so few ar-
mee are stationed at a place like Dover. At
there are not enough
order the guns which are supposed ;,tpaierioeel eups present
ne and the whole forceto is manve
very
he guns
insufficientactualto
y:
public to be mounted. But whose fault
goes undone
NobodyT is is itby t the
No-
body's, of course.
Member of responsible, and so
able Friend the Secretary he. Premier will refer any
t questioningthe work
de-
clining the Paraltiam.wenotr
;tothheislailtteorn,oure
responsibility, will throw it on the
Clerk of the Ordnance, who will reply that he merely
regulates the estimates, and that such it:formation
must be obtained from the Master-General. That
gallant officer has his hands tied by the Board of
Ordnance—one of which has to supply the guns,
whilst another gives him the order for that purpose.
As to the men, as long as the guns are kept in depot
at Woolwich, the artillerymen are kept there to look
after the guns—a duty which could be as well and
more profitably performed by the police. If we mis-
take not, these idle weapons are at present watched
by both forces, so that the police may throw any
blame on the soldiers, and the latter return it on the
police—a little reciprocal
arrangement which is too
advantageous to be lost sight of.
This is merely another of the series of ill-manage-
ments consequent on
the division cf authority and
responsibility. No man would
subjecthimself to the
through imputation that his neglect such a port as
Dover was left entirely unguarded; but when it is
nobody's fault, neglect becomes an easy matter.
There is no reason for surrounding ourselves with a
Chinese wall, but really we do not see why our very
doors should be left open to admit any housebreaker
that pleases to walk in. As the Ordnance is a bo
that does not trouble itself about this matter—Pe rhi y
japst
th
i public voice will find somebody that will. e
usinsist that proper use be made of the forces we
pay for.—Daily News.

• ._
'5 Pills an unfaiI-
[ADVERTISEMENT.] HollocvnaY
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Valigshannon Herald, pubs-
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Jan.,
1852, the following ex—
fished in his paper of the 16th
e under his notice. A gen-
traordinary cure which latelyhcato
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tleman of the Barony of TYiredity a dreadful cough. He had
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olloway's Pills, and this excel-
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relief by easing the cough and
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ic
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saodo
nr e cgli,ury
es e
°little time, they effected a perfect cure
continuing their
Bodiunrseeestered him to good health.—Sold by all
, and at Professor Holloway's Establish-
vo
vendors
nhdi
os
244, Stran
aunt, r mAaam—The quotation of gold at Paris
:saoalfadjedicd,
MONS
par (according to the new tariff), which,
is about London.
English Mint price of 31. 17s. 10id. per ounce for
at the d „et& gives an exchange of 25.17; and the ex-
staff der b
A t Paris on London at short being 25.27 i, it follows
tchilaatngold is about 0.41 per cent. dearer in London than
gold
By advices from ilamburgh the price of
in parts.
is 428 per mark, which, at the English Mira
exchange
engoef
a/. 17s. Wid. per ounce for standard gold,
gives euieondon at
of 13.6 i ; and the exchange at Hamburgh on
r cent.
short being 13.71, it follows that gold is 0."
pee of dearer in London than in Hamburgh. The
ex-
change at New York on London for bills at 60 drys' sight is
iLsEnglabd
110 i per cent., and the ar of exchange.b re
it tilovrs that the
and America being 109 23.40 per
e of ir..terest and
and, ,after making allowance for difference exchange is nominally 0.67 per cencte.nit'favour of England ;
charges of transport, the present rate leaves a moll profit on
the importation of gold from the United States.