The Sun.
London, England, 1801-08-17 00:00:00

TODIYE EbItOR OF THE 5E.1141.

'SIR',

Having been in TOWn on business, for the last
ten days; and being at a Coffee-House; I have had
opportunities of readingin the Papers the Discus
sions which' hare taken place on the Subjeft, of
Invasion, and on the Propriety of Our Guvernmen t's
making Preparations to resist it.

The donghty Champion of Ina&ivity appears• to
have been the Morning Chronicle, Whoin; I think;
Sir, you haVe pretty well laid on his: back, and
forced to recant and to rettad many ;,cif the opi-
nions. with which .he set edit:— I :antinot dispose;!,
after all that you hive said9un 'the.snbjeti, to enter
into a general discussion of the Question, which seems
to me to resolve itself into one or two simple Propo-
sitions, namely What possible Objed can France
have in continuing
.the War, if she should choose
to continue it, but the Invasion of these KingdOtni)
stript as she is, by the annihilation of her Treasure,
of the means of Offensive Operations..against our
Dominions ? "If Invasion is to be attempted,
must not she employ all her means to, render it suc-
cessful, and ought not we to employ all ours to render
it abortive ? These two Questions I defy.any man
to answer negatively, whose understanding :is not
perverted,- or who is not secretly an Enemy to the
vital Interests of Great Britain:

I now take up the Pen merely to make a cursory
observation ot two,on a Letter addressed to the Edi-
tor of the Morning ChrOniele in Satdrday's Paper,
who is; perhaps, his own Ceirrespondent, or, at
any rate, is responsible for whatever he admits into
it. This is nothing more nor less' than a feeble, but
malignant Libel, on the Nation. at large, on Lord
.
NELSON, and on Mr: AntirriCtoN, against' whoni.
it is principally dire6ted, and who, perhaps, will
not be very much 'affeeted-by being so libelled, and
in such good company. Tl2ez,Vßlsairr told, " That
they may thank. themselye.s forihadgial:ffn so -weak
or so wicked as to. len,4 ttlteir kttapitr4. for many
years,, to a system of Desno_tism.",.. pr. ADDING
• •
TON iS charged With clamour, ,vain-glory,
corruption; and attacked as an encourager of
" total dereliftion of public faith and private he-
nour, and as the head of an Administration with Out
popular confidence, public opinion, or mutual trust."
What the composition of the head that, man
can be
,who really yntertains such sentiments, or of
his -heart, who, nest entertaining them, could ven-
ture to express them to the Public-, . it - is. not 'worth
my while to examine. Had kir. ApD NGTO N been
really what the Author of this Later de::Cribes
hini, he :would not have—found an enemy in the
Editor of The Morning Chronicle. Had he - not
been, in, every single point, dire&ly the reverse; he
would not at this moment enjoy ". popular -confi-:
deuce and public opinion," which, with the splendid
exception of the. open Advocate for France,_ I be-
.lieve him universally to possess, nor ha 4 been'able
to put together a Cabinet, of which I consider
" mutual trust" as a leading charaaeristic. I con-
gratulate him on . this decided hostility from
that man, who, having for -eight years caltim
niated Mr. PITT for his . vigorous and sue_
cessful efforts to preserve this :Country from
Traitors at home, preserves his consistency in the
grossest attacks on his Snccessor; ktiendeavouring
to secure it against a,FerefiriEneri:: Those dis.
4,t0
tinguished Charaelers .oeikkpt be told, that to
satisfy The Morning Chrolli
7cie and the... Public at the
MC; f'r,
same time cannot be possible, whilst the interests
of the latter shall appear, as they ever have done
since the War broke out, totally distinft.

But this wise Writer seems to wish that Prepa_
ration, if any should be quite-secret. What is the
objea of'Preparation ? Is it not quite as much to
deter the Enemy from making the attempt, as to
secure the failure of.it, if it should be made ? How
can the first tifea be.prodaced, but by open indica
tiOns of vigilance and vigour in the Government,
•and of spirit and unanimity in the People ? If Inva-
sion be really the objeet of the-Enemy:, as J. con.
fiend: it most be, what is so likely to lead to a ter.
mination of the War itself, as_ demon3tration to
that Enemy of :the futility of such an attempt ?
What species of Preparation The Morning Chronicle
would recOrnmend I am at a loss to'conceive, but
.su3pea it would be such as would Afford but little
hope of security to Great Britain, and such as her
Enemies would have-nothing to fear from.

I shall- trouble you, Sir, no farther. The. Morn,
big Chronicle seems pretty safe in your hands.—r-
Indeed, it is pretty ,safe in its own, for, in the, mo-
ral, as in the physical world, the poison frequently
carries its antidote along with it. The more ma-
lignant it is, the less it bgton-14],diMgekous :—the
sueed that produces it is, itfilYit laviery. indivi-
dual who either passes by it,with egiticausidisgust,
or if he suffers its venom to approach -.his lips, is
completely fortified against its baneful oper4tion.
- I am, Sir, your humble Servant,
Aug. 16. A COUNTRY CLERGYMAN.