The Sun.
London, England, 1803-09-16 00:00:00

We hare asserted that a Fleet might go up the
Thames and advance in a parallel diredion with t!l'e
'Army,. Two 4;bicaikms,may ht; started. r,,t. The
English have Naval force sufficient to block up all
the Ports'of:France and her Allies.' If the sailing
()Nile Fleets, Which are to second the operations of
the, French Army, becomes impossible, the passage
would infallibly be more perilous, and every corn.
Lined operiktion..wpmfd cease robe probable.
The Forts which are on both sides the Thames will
render the navigation of .that river too dangerous to
..be, attempted.
_ _

One single answer suffice for these two oh.
jeCtions, namely, " that fae.is prltve the possibility .".
It----Admiral RuYTF.tt sailed up the Thames ; and,
though unprovided with any Trwps for lattdiog, had
alaioSt appeared befte London. This incursion,
!, on which the English Ministers cannot dwell with,
serious' reflection, is called by the multitude an
useless bravado. 'l3tit RUYT ER himself was ton
good alt Officer uselessly to enter uron an operation
so dangerous. I perceive in it an eminent advantage,
of which more modem assailants cannot fail to avail
.theniselves. It proves at leait,.that the ;talon, tho'
dangerous, is by,. no means iMpossible.
The two banks of -the 'RiVer • Were not. then
covered with batteries: No precaution had been
adopted against this unexpeeted enterprize,by
struCtiog the passage .4 the River.—These bat.
teries, and these obstacles, however, would .make
but a weak resistance to a triumphant army.-,--NE
sox passed through the Sound under the file of bat.
teries much more formidable ; and there is no Sea-
man who does not knuw,. that it is in tbepowerfol
a ship of war to silence those land -batteries. when'
she can make use of her own at a reasonable dis-
tance. They also know, that a stiff breeze will
facilitate a passage through those ;hamlets which
fear or ignorance have covered with batteries. The
currents, the rocks, the shallows, and the other
natural.cl,:,rades presz:r much surer means of de.
fence than those tr. ~!rous cannon which never can
che;:ic.an intrepie .ariner. .
lint in this remark, I do not mean to
,Late that an essailant should expose himself by sail-
ing up the Thames with a Fleet composed of Ves-
sels of a large borthen. Gun-boats or other decked
Vessels carrying Cannon of a large calibre, appear
to be the most proper Lot such an attempt. The
English, on the same 3CCOII9f, 'could 'not makeltse
on the 'River of Vessels of •a. large burden. The
passage of the assailing Vesiels might be sitnulta,
neous with that of•an Ault Matching along either
bank of the River, and it Wtrollithett'be vossible to
ered at several points Batterie- for the phrpose of
dismounting those of the' Enethy , and protedi!,g the
pawge of our Flotilla. All that can be done to op.
pose those establishthents seems' to me to be nnavail.
ing. A chain of Redoubts, of Towers, or of her
4 Works of the like nature, would only facilitate Inc
operations • of •the French, by offling to them hi)
many ready-made points of support, which m v be
rapidly seized upon and occupied by a vtg.irous as-
sailant. The Bay of Algiers, the Coast f M iita,
and the Island of Goya. are coveted with these small
forts, which by good wail may be easdy carried.
The advance of such a in c.lnktnttion*With
that part of the Artily which.is destined to seize
opon.the intermediate points,- would have the ines-
notable advantage of carrying with it a largeCluan-
tity of provisions, tee. thereby shortening the way,
and diminishing the number of carriages to be em-
ployed On that serVice.—(Fram L' Ambigu.)