Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1804-05-14
On the THREATENED INVASION.

The follouving judicious and scientific re-
marks and Suggestions on this mast m
bortaat, topic, are taken .fionl a letter to
the Editor of'a L2na0n paper. TIE 7Jri-
ter zvho takes the Signature " Nearchus, I"
introduces himself in the toI|ow'ag or
der
C A seaman by profession, middle
aged life, spent in the constant naval ser
vice of my country, and the experience OF
the frequent embarkation and debarkation
of numerous. troops in every quarter OF the
globe, under various difficulties and cir
cumstances, may, or at least ought to en-
able me to form some not very inaccurate
notions On this subject.
He then proceeds
s shall consider it under three heads.
9; 1st. The enemy's quitting their ports.
g 2dIy. Their crossing the sea.
" 3dly. Their landing on our shores.
g 1st. On the enehy's quitting their
ports.
" 1t would not be doing justice to tire
cautious foresight ofBonaparte to suppose
any thing has been neglected by him, which
might facilitate the speedy embarkation Of
his numerous troops destined to invade this
island take it for granted, and | think,
] though believe many will differ from me,
yet know it to be practicable that his whole
force can be embarked in tour hours, yes,
I say that his whole force can be embarked
in four hours, and if he cannot do that from
Brest to the Texel, he is mere Tyro in
the embarkation Of troops; but with this l
have nothing to do. Whether four hours
or four weeks be employed in the embarka-
ton OF the troops, is nothing to the point.
I suppose them embarked-to be useful
they must quit their ports, and that is
the point on which shall give my OPT
Mon.
To blockade port, particularly in these
attitudes, rs impossible, ifby blockading is
meant the obstruction to the ingress or
egress ofvessels at al times; ifitwere pos
sibe, it would be done by the unrivalled
skill and unexampled perseverance OF our
naval commanders but we cannot with
stand the elements we already do with our
ships what no other nation will ever VEN
ture to attempt. To British ships there is
no winter.
consider, then, that it is not III our
power, at all times, to prevent the enemy's
sailing either from Brest or the Texel;
those from the former port would be, most
probably, destined for Ireland, and those
from the latter for Scotland. have hi
therto only spoken of the sailing of that
part OF the enemy's force which is COM
posed of large ships, which will sail from
large Ports, and which, it is conceived,
will most likely be destined to act against
Scotland and Ireland and these are sup
posed to escape from their ports, when our
blockading squadrons have been driven
from their stations by tempestuous wea-
Their.
The troops intended to be sent against
England will, I conceive, issue from all
the small borts between Flushing and Cher
bourg. If the attempt is to be simulta-
neous, they must have wind which viii
be fair from each of those ports---suppose
S. E.; this is an Of share wind, which will
enable our cruisers to keep close off their
harbors' mouths, watch all their motions,
and transmit early intelligence. IF the
wind is such as to render the shore a lee one
and oblige our cruizers to keep alta greater
distance, the enemy cannot cane out so that
it is clear, that if our enemy can q1at their
ports, our cruisers can170t keep in cl78e wish
them; ard that if our cruisers can ken
closet to the share, the enemy cQnnot came Sut.
The case here being very different from
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