Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1806-10-30
srp1otts CONSIDER ATOMS CONCERNING Al
INVASION.
Ep,.o,a The Tzest,ainste,. Journal Of July 2l.

yasion have no ma0nef OF uouot ua.e
to,, ts,,,d "a oDiaion of the abilities Oh their
smIalss,v 20 deuat il. Fae ruin OF their
frade the loss of saeir most valuable pes.
SESSIONS. when furnish the springs OF their
com4nercs. sle loss of reputation IN the
eyes Of all Europe, by shs repeated losses
and insulss saey have suffered on their swn
e9asts. with a thousand Soiher consldera.
st,oas.g,s,,st nc axe thar, sensible that they
have nov no chance Of recovering thas I'M.
por,ance which shsy have always held IN
Eurape, bur by hazarding sbold ssrokc ];
and none so likely 10 succeed, ns to carry
the sword inse the bowels OF their capital
enemy
Appearances, ii is true, are agalnstthem,
bat fortune may be for them. The opera
lons, by sea, caunot be 80 mechanically,
or SO deliberately conducted. as those by
land an ualucky atom of powder, may
blow up he huess ship. aud disable Inc hn-
EST feet tna, ever sailed. The winds knd
tides NAV lock Up Que squadron, and hii
,,he sails of another. A .ssmPsst may de-
stroy or dissipate Acct upon one coast,
and forward il npon anosner. Nay II mas
been often seen, that when swa fleets OF
Dequal lorss have been engaged, they have
come off with eqaa. loss, witch 10 IN fact q
victory 10 the weakest, while the strongest
hsd il nor in ais power to ssake sh snsans'
age by IFS superiority.
All these are considerations in favor CT
any desperate effort, which sas ffeaeh In
the tech Of probability, may maSe win
their aees.. Sir John Norris, enc OF sns
bss. and most experienced seafasa shas t.
ser Englaad bred sir Charles Wager, who
was as honss, a anar, and az able seaman
as any ia his time; nay, admiral vernon
himself, were often heard to owos fhas cur
feet. though probable, was buta prseaf'-
ous defence 20 ourco Suppos'ag, mere
fore, for argumeu, sake, the swo sfenca
squadroas. BY joining, TO be equal TO oar
feet now under sir Edward Hawke snp.
posing them 80 be superior, whica' ! WIZ
venture 60 say, is no unreasonable su2posi.
ton: il il 90, worth their while TO hazard
al engagement? Undoubtedly It IS: for
it is a saaxim with al! good generals and ad,
rairals, ALWAYS to hazard 40 engagement,
when the advantages they can get by aviS-
sery, greatly over balance the loss thsy can
suffer by defeat. Surprising the ffencn
to be beat in this engagement, they lose .
OF 10 ships, and there is an end 10 the al.
fair; and even ,her, their feet is as useful
TO them, as il caa be while It Is locked up
IN ,;nsir harbors. But snPposing (Wnien
Heaven aycrt) by any OF the accidents 2.
have already mentioned, or by the dins OF
superiority. the Fsenca feet should beat
ours, what must then be the consequence
Enthusiastically then they would be able to
employ their fat bo,tomed boats with safe.
~ and effect. Bat supposing, what by 40
meaps is improbable or impossible. that
they should be able, by the assistance OF
wiods and tides, to draw our fleet OH their
COAST. the consequence must be the same,
if not worse for then very weak escort
will be able to take charge of their boats.
in the short run they have between their
own andthe British coasts.
My reader, undoubtedly, by this time,
has right to ask what mean by all this
discourasing preachmens. My meaning
IS not to discourage, but to awaken every
Brison, who Gas 100 many are is lulled TO
security by the strength and station OF our
feet. My meaning is TO convince him.
that it is only probable security, aud that
events at sea are at best precarious. My
meaning is TO tell the public that unanim'.
~ BY land, as well as by sea, is the only
security that this island has, or can have,
against its enemies. We are not 10 re-
gard what French or Frenchi6ed papers
say upon this head we are either TO read
them backwards, like witch's prayer, or
We are to construe them as common sense
and experience dictate. 1t is now well
known that only the last real invasion
which France designed against this country
had very near taken effect before we knew