The Sun.
London, England, 1804-10-06 00:00:00

NATIONAIrDEFENCE.

Tits recent Work itt Sir .R,pi!taT Wrisntr ex-
I,ibits a moutuful pigtire of the state of our National
Def'ence, but,-fortunately, he writes from a gloomy
itilliginatitql, and by no means properly estitnites
the feelings of those •Eoglishme.n.who have so nobly
'enrolled themselves in Volunteer Corps, in order
to reel the efF)rts of out presumptuous'Foe. ,All
the IVlilitiry Writeekof this'Country, however, do
not look With the same desponding eyes .on our
National Charader • and.on our means of Defence,
and we therefore 41i7gly extraet the following
PAssages from a WOrk, tntitled; " The- French con..
Jidereel as a Military Nation iirice•the ConmenCement
of their Revollition;" because the Authtir expresses
his thoughts witVtlie freedom of a genuine Briton,
with a titte confidence in the patriotic, zeal of his
Countrymen,
.and .with a firm reliance on those na,
tionaLenergies of which. so humiliating-a pieture
haS been drawn., %Ve have reason, to believe,, that
the Author of the Work from which we now make
an Extraft,- has given to the Public• much useful
matter on Military - Subjefts., in many. successful
-Works ofthe same kind.

tg We have Regular Troops and Flying Artillery
enough to support a constant succession of Volum.
teer Corps, whoseuntemitting pressure upon an in.
wading Enemy einnOt fail of ultimatly crushing the:
most deperate effort he could make*, An English
Soldier knows no retreat when his Country is in
danger; nor is it in his nature or coMposition to
eel upon the defensive. The instant the Lion ceases
to rush forward, that itaant he drops his mane; and
loses. hall his eneity.— Whatif on the first irrup.
t ion of an infuriated' foe, thirsting for a land of milk
and honey, for wealth and beauty, •-and'goaded out
of his own Country, by the most unexampled Despo.
tism, hundreds and thousand of our brave Volunteers
should lie prostrate in the dust, are there not thou.
aantlsr and tens of thousands still. left to avenge
their fall ? This island is a host within itself; and
were all Europe to rise in arms apins!:her, ;he
could smile at the idle thleat of subjugation,, and-
bid 6efiance to the world. Bur we must be true to'
one another, and the little luxuries of life, even its
comforts, be a little while suspended among all
ranks and all descriptions. As to Party-Spirit (if
there,be such a thing existing at this moment), let
it be taught to feel, that the safety of the COmmu.,
nity at 'age is paransount, to "tt, influence.' Leiser
evils moat be borne, when the existence of the State

is in, question.
"Itmay be asked, where is our niotive for so
many sacrifices ? the answer is given—from Thhant
to tlte Baltic, it cornea, to t/5 daily in the proud me.
riace of invercr3te France ; and every real Briton
must feel, that the motive is neither more nor less
than the salvation of his Birth.right, the security of
his, property, and the peaceable enjilment or-what
his ancestors have left him. Let us then dismiss
all private considerations, look to the general wel.
• fare of the CountrY, and if there are grievances, as
grievances there unquestionably must be, let the te.
dress of them be postponed to a future period. Let
uo not even think of.inatiy a meritorious Officer
whose case is, perhaps, overlooked in the hurry of
official business ; but patiently wait for the moment
when His Majesty and the Commander in thief
*ill, with beComing dignity, rescue merit from ob.
scuriry, and distribute Justice through every Civil
and Military Branch.
" To return; to the Capital—the spider encircled
,by its web cannot be more alive to the least out.
ward impression, titan every true-horn Englishinan
Must be to' the unhallowed and brutal tread of a
Frenchman on his Coast. Have we not a depth of
which forms an impenetrable barrier ? Is there
not. the ocean, anti on it mnumetable floating Matte.
ties, manned and headed by the bravest men in the
world ? Are there not thousands of boati ready 'to
be fitted by undaunted individuals ? Are there not

Corps of Sea Fenciblesthirstink to meet an inv,id.

ing fbe with the intrepidity ortSeamen; and are there
nOtitegular and Militia Regiments, beside innu-
dies of Volunteers, all upon'the•alert,
and eager to move to any quarter of the island ?
Where then is the necessity of lines about the Capi-
-01? We haste already said that a Soldier, especially
a British Soldier, knows,no retreat—nor does he
stand in need of the artificial Means which have
been praCtised upon Frenchmen to excite them to
action."
Every Engfishinan must feel, that, in common
with himself, his ;Sovereign, and all the bratiehes
of the Royal FaMily, will have to fight for their
lint s'take ; and all: Englishrrien know, that they
will be led into aCtion with a daring and a magna-
nimity which will'Only be,equalled by the.impurt-
ance of the_objea,..
..Our Kipe will combat with
hereditary honour on hiS side ; their Leader will
siring with him_ (and worse, w ill also
-leave behind,him) all the:disheartening impressions
that must groiv nut of usuipation and tyranny—our
King will carry into, the liald.the affections of a
Loyal peOple; their Leader will have the secret eXt.
crationi of every true Frenchman pursuing hint in
the midst of devoted columns—our King will have
the .recolledion of our former conquests, crowding
before him ; their Leader,. the memory, of Egypt,
With all its horrors, and the ghost of Kleber stalk-
ing is the rank—d-0.).., in a word, shall hatie God
and Justice on nor side ; they the treacherous fiends
of criminal aggression.- Having lost all that is
dear and valuable in, life, they will rush .into aaion
with the ruffian's sentiments about them ; que.(atill
preserving our birth-right amidst. the -crash and
downfall of surrounding mitionsh shall advance
sigainst'the Enemy with the cheering consciousness.
of doing our duty. Every British soldier that fall;
in battle, will have a short and glorious transition
from the bosom of his Country to that, of his Crea.
for; from a short-lived possession of. temporary
comforts 'to eternal,happiness ; leaving behind him

" The English should fight "tie French is the French
siniforirdy fought the An&trians—hy reliefs, or by fresh
fttoops perpetually succeeding others. And we ought a!-
ways to recolle4t, that, we have a tenlbld advantage in our
!MULL( Sittlati9n. Every attack most lessen the harassed
!Enemy's force, whilst our's is increased by a continual sue.
cessiOn of fresh,Troops."