The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-01-18 00:00:00

OUR NATIONAL DEFENCES

A writer in Fraser's Magazine for the present month
discusses this highly-important subject. In the course of
his remarks he points out the following geographical rela-
tion of France and the British Isles, with a view to the

" From the relative geography of Great Britain and
France, which from Margate to the Land's End, and
from Dunkirk to Brest, are parallel to each other, and

at no great distance, it is obvious that the maritime coasts
of Cornwall, Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Hampshire, Sussex,
Kent, and Essex, would be the points of attack. The
three latter, from their propinquity to London, would in
all probability be made the theatre of French operations.
From Dover and Calais the shores of France and England
mutually recede, both to the north and south. From
Cherbourg to the Isle of Wight, the distance is sixty-
three miles ; from Boulogne to Rye, forty ; from Calais
to Dover, twenty-five ; from Dunkirk to the IV ore, forty-

five ; and from the same point to the Humber, two hun-
dred and seventy. From Brest to the south coast of Ire-
land, the distance is about three hundred. The maritime
frontier of Kent and Sussex may be divided into three
sections-Ist, from Portsmouth to Dover; 2d, from Dover
to Margate ; and 3d, from the latter point to Sheerness.
The distance from these lines to the metropolis varies
from fifty-six to seventy miles ; and to Chatham, from
thirty to forty. Between Portsmouth and Sheerness
there are five great headlands, and between them nine
bays, exclusive of smaller inlets. One half of this line of
frontier is composed of high cliffs, forming an imposing
barrier; the other is flat, and unprotected by natural ob-
stacles. A few miles in the rear of this shore a chain of
downs extends from Beechey Head to Portsmouth. Be-
hind Pevensey and Roinsey the ground rises gradually
until it reaches Hythe, in the rear of which place and

,
Folkestone the hills form a chain of natural bastions. The
centre of Kent, from Dover to Chatham, is one continued
chain of hills. Dover and Deal are the two keys of our

base of an equilateral triangle, of about forty miles each
way, of which the Nore forms the acute angle—Kent and
Essex the two land sides. The interval of this great
triangle, and the Straits of Dover, are the two great con-
tiguous channels through which nearly one-half of the
commerce of England circulates, and are in immediate
contact with the centre of government. Deal, by its geo-
graphical position, commands the whole maritime face on
Kent, Essex, the mouth of the Thames, and the Medway.
" From Deal to Folkstone, there are about eight miles
of bold and insurmountable cliffs ; thence a flat shore of
thirty miles extent, to Winchelsea ; and from that point
to Hastings, seven miles of steep rock ; to which succeeds
another limb of about two miles to Eastbourne. From
Beechy Head a line of tremendous cliffs extends to Sea-
ford. Between this town and Newhaven there is a small
bay and flat of five miles, formerly the estuary of the

Ouse ; from thence a range of cliffs is pro
miles to the west of Brighton, where the shore becomes
flat, and continues so to Portsmouth.

to nine

`I The south segment of Ireland, Munster and Con-
naught, between Galway and Waterford, abounds with
excellent harbours. Within a sea line of three hundred
miles there are Waterford, Cork, Kinsale, Bantry, Crook-

haven, Kenmare, Shannon, Galway, Sligo, Donegal,
Lough Swilly, and Foyle. But along this extended line
of coast, both in England and Ireland, until very recently,
there were only two fortified posts of any importance—
Plymouth and Portsmouth. The recent creation of
guard-ships, the defences making along the coast, and the
ion of the dockyard battalions, indicate but too

organ's,
clearly

that our g

rernment is preparing for coming

To effectually defend, however, with batteries and

fortifications, our extensive line of coast, would be impos-
sible ; in fact, from the immense dissemination of force it
would require, such a system of defence would present all
the defects inherent to the cordon. The essential would
be to cover the most vulnerable points of the coasts, and

•eat naval and military

acting c

force we

hand on a central posi-

tion, ready

D movernpidly on the point of

Ai to what

)me to meet the alle

The increase of ti

ation of an

rmy of reserve is t
measure, and the f

once a

tem col

,nt must
are not

vm the

of a powerf

this measure must, of

I the es-
sh like a
object of

to run'

to: leave

absolved to a British

that no one would covet

ation of the invadir

rison with

will hesi-

I anni-

and fertility of the Country, the wealth and luxury of our
towns and cities, and the matchless loveliness of our wo-
men, presents a-splendid aggregate of all that can inflame
the imagination of t

id compensate him for
fact, to troops accus-

the dar

mi.vations of Africa

very poetry of war

campaign in

ment and execution of a well organised

of national defence is a measur

'mit that it will not

only entail on the nation sacrifices of a pecuniary nature,
but likewise others of a personal character, which our
money-making habits may be unwilling to subinit to.
Should we, however, neglect the only means of placing on
a secure and firm basis the national honour and indepen-
dence ; if, forgetful of the warlike traditions of our ance
tors, we concentrate all our energies on one object

lone—

nation of

-spinners and stockjobbers, a gloomy
will sooner or later dawn upon our horizon, and
when too late, the absolute mockery of mere

ROYA

AMPHITHEATRE

In our last we offered some introductory remarks on the
splendid equestrian troop of M. Dejean. We will now

notice the various members forming the company, and the
great feats achieved ; and in speaking of them we shall

proceed in the order in which we have ma

ie our observa-

tions rather than with any preference. Gallantry would
lead us to give the ladies precedence ; and although it is
with some degree of anxiety we witness their more deli-
cate and tender forms undergo these violent tests, consi-
dering the muscular and compact form of man more

ledge that the females acqu'dthemselves with all becoming
elegance, and show great skill in their art, and a consider-
able charm would be wanting in the performances without
their aid and presence.

M. FELtx is a perfect living antique statue of a young
Hercules, as he appears in the dress he wears on the In-
dian ball. The simple Peruvian costume shows off to ad-
vantage his finely moulded form. His thigh, leg, and
foot are perfect symmetry. The " bull neck," which the
poets have given to Hercules, is perfect in him—it rises
from his shoulders like a column. This performance is
truly wonderful. A more difficult position to maintain we
cannot conceive. The ball is at his command by the most
exquisite skill of equitation. He rolls it up the inclined
plane, and when at the apex adds to the difficulty by some
feats of jugglery—throwing up three small balls. He
then poises his body on one leg, and when in this posi-
tion, but wants the cap, Caduceus, and wings of " Mer-
cury," to be the personification of the celebrated statue of

John of Bologna. His descent backwards down the in-
clined plan: we are inclined to think the ne plus ultra of
his feats. M. Felix is also a clever equestrian, and per-
forms some very astonishing acts riding backwards. We

gure by the chi

'e he makes in his dress when ric

the Indian dress is the one to show his form to perfection.
This is well worth considering. Dark sandats or boots do
not accord with a flesh-coloured dress.
MADLLE. EMMELINE LAMBERT evinces much taste
and feeling in her personifications. She has a pleasing
expression of countenance, and possesses an elegant
figure. Grace is in all her movements. The " Mantle
is highly classical, and her finest performance.
e wears the beautiful costume of the Grecian maiden :
• • - metal hand enrirelpc

her waist, and confines the loosely-folded tunic and
dress, also edged with gold—hanging sleeves—and .an
ethereal-blue mantle, edged in the same exquisite style.
Nothing can exceed the grace, ease, and variety of her
attitudes, as she arranges this garment round her person,
I truly br -14' 1 performance, and cannot be 4-

are remarkable for the
4—Qteful change of

A is a truly beautifu_
often repeated. The " Seasons
same excellence, with the variety of

costume' and characteristic accompaniments. To these
may be added her " Scarf Act," another elegant idea.
She is the most graceful female equestrian we ever saw,
or expect to see—a perfect Thalia, the first of the graces..
We have little to suggest to her, except that the hair tied
into two tails, in the last act, is not in fine taste.
MADLLE. PALMYRA ANATO is another graceful crea-
ture. To considerable beauty of person she unites much
elegance, and a modesty of demeanour which is very
pleasing. With a refined expression of countenance, she
combines that happy medium of fulness of form without
being too stout. Her surprising feats of agility place her
at the head of the school of female equestrians. The
perfect ease and precision with which she accomplishes
her leaps, bounding like an antelope, over endless
streamers and through hoops (no less than thrice round
the arena), show the perfection she has acquired as an
expert equestrian. Her manner of dressing her person,
little in need of ornament, is in the most chaste order of
fine taste, and embraces a pleasing variety—from the pute
white, or the delicate pink, to the more dashing crimson
ribbons and bodice—a crimson rose, or an elegant gold
netting to tie up her hair in the Grecian style. She is a
great favourite of ours, and to our idea nothing becomes
her more than the simple white dress, and the wreath of
white roses round her dark hair ; next to this is the deli-
cate pink mixed ; and as she thus appears, she is a perfect
Euphrosyne. There is the same good taste displayed in
the trappings of the handsome dun-coloured steed, with
his fine dark main, tail, and legs :—a delicate rose-co-
loured velvet saddle-cloth, bordered with white and edged
with yellow silk—all perfect in its way. The perform-
ances of these ladies are accompanied with well-selected
music, of a soft and appropriate harmony. 11. M.