The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-09-19
nirl,monn qispatfh.
MONDAY MoRNINd.-..,-,.ss'Esfi EFT. ~, is''
r.. ,nv..,on Of Engiand--The Pessibi'i.

,,,....~~e that the London Tunes congras.
-. ...a,f and the country, upon the COM
.,,a,,,a of the English preventive measures,
s,r,,,s its readers thai there mo longer
40, SIR of invasion from France. We are
ssr,,x 70 think that this is so, and to learn.
.,sn thar the Emperor of the French, and the
French people no longer entertain any re-
sentiment towards England, for the unprovok-
cd inlnries OF the first revolution. 1t argues
a state Of Christian feeling which is highly
eosnmendahle, and which is SO much the more
refreshing, that 1t was entirely unexpected
StilI, it can do no harm TO imagine case
10 suppose that forbearanee has at last once
mere given place to The less worthy, but more
natural, sentiment of resentment for past
injuries, and the desire TO avenge them we
viii suppose, also, that the French again nave
the superiority on the ocean as thes ma" d
short time since, and that by virtue Oh 'i'' !
superiority, they have likewise, Tor TWO
months to come the mastery OF the cha"iiei'
t., us ~, a little farther and suppose that
they ara nj war with England, and haVing
,,essessioa OF the channel, design TO INVADE
the island Of Great Britain. We know that
NAPOLEON | entertained that design, anu
was very near carrying il into execution
We know, also. that the highest military au-
,horitses OF England. after making all due al
iowauees for The yalor of the population
which would no doubt, have been e1erted to
tie utmost on their own soil, are extremely
doubtful rs 10 what might have been theIssne'
Il should I've recollected, in the meantime,
that the whole militia OF the isiahd WIS
trained, and that Great Britain eouid nave
turned out force 10 meet the invaders OF SIX
hundred thousand fighting men Ii success,
was doubtful then, what would II oe no" -
Perhaps we shall presently arrive atsome-
Thing like The means of forming an OPINION.
The Island of Great Britain presents, upon
The map a figure which it would be no great
stretch of the imagination 10 describe as
triangle: 1T least ii has so much Of the proper
tvof a triangle that it rests upon broad base
formed bv the channel and The straits OF Do
yer. and grows narrower as ii recedes from
that base From Lands End, in Cornwall,
10 Margate. in Kent, the distance, rs The crow
flies. is about ;i25 miles; by sea, OF course,
il is much greater Throughout this en-
tire distance it is washed by the channel,
the straits of Dover, and the Downs, the coast
running nearly east and west, that whereas
Lands End is in latitude 80, the latitude of
Margate is but quarter OF degree above
81. Without great geographical inaccuraey,
we may, therefore. uteCIiDe tHt coast Dtt"teH
these TWO points as the southern coast of Eng
land, though in point of fact the Straits OF
bower run III nearly northeastern and south
west tern drec ton. Along this southern coast OF
England are innumerable bays, creeks, inlets.
and indcntations of the sea, fit for the reeep-
ton and harborage of vessels of all descrip-
lions. Here are Pevensey, (where WILLIAM
the Conqueror landed,) Seaford, Portsmouth,
Weymouth, Portland, Tegnmouth, Torbay,
lwhere WILLIAM III. landed,l Plymouth.
DarImout III, and many others.
five are to believe the Quarterly Reriew, none
OF these fortified in such a manner that
they could resist an attack from such force
us the invaders would be sure TO bring against
it for half an hour. On the other hand, oppo-
site to the southern coast of England, and run
ming nearly parallel to it, from Brest to Dun
kirk. lies the northeastern coast of France,
abound ing in harbors, all Of which are brist-
ling with artillery of the latest invention, and
strong in works upon which the science OF
engineering has been exhausted. Dnnkrk,
Boulogne, Deppe, Cherbourg, Brest, and many
others sare of this description. In rear OF ali
lies the most military nation that the world
ever shone upon, numbering thIrty-ilNe mil
lions, and Boosting an army of 600,Go0 men,
they have been tried in Asia, in Africa aud in
Europe, led by monarch who has shown
himself one of the best Generals of the age
Let MS suppose that he has command of the
channel, and designs TO invade England with
900 men. There are many ways in which
he could do it; we shall con1lne ourselves to
that pointed out by Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS.
We viii suppose that the 2o00D0 men indi-
a int, "a mn
men each. One of these is embarked on board
the transports, with its arms, entrenehing
tools, and twenty days provisions. Steaming
al the rate of ten miles an hour, it makes its
way within sight of Pevenzey between two
suns, and throws the good people of that town
into terrible consternation All day it hold.
lis position, cut of the reach of shot, and is
apparently engaged in making prepare tons to
land. The fact is soon made known at the
war office, and every who can possibly
be spared IS sent down 10 resist the landing.
Night comes on. and the next morning the
commander at Pevenzey learns that the French
feet has disappeared. He is not long left in
doubt; fer the telegraph informs him, while
he is at breakfast, that they have landed ut
Torbay, and are entrenching themselves by
works extended across the Isthmus, from Tor
quay 10 DARTMOUTH. belOredHUlnef udy lOey
are too strong to be attacked by less than
double their force their artillery has all ar
rived, and they are receiving other supplies
necessary fer their use when they take the
field. While they are celebrating about the
best means OF disiodging them, news arrives
that another corps, OF equal strength has
passed the Straits, disembarked without OPP
position at Harwich, in Suffolk entrench-
"a
city receiving its munitions of war, prepara-
tory 10 taking the field. London is thus
threatened from two opposite points from
Harwich, iii the Northeast, and from Tor
bay in the Southwest. While sages and mill
itary men are consulting TO the means
Of asersing the threatening calamity, news
arrives that third division of $4,000 has
landed between Shoreham and Seisea, marched
10 Chichester, and thus completely masked
The fortified town and great naval depot Of
Portsmouth. A fourth corps is left, and this
lands at either of the three points already oc-
cupied We will suppose them to land at
Torhay, where the force, by their arrival Is
Increased to 100, 900 men, and all are ready to
march for London. The distance is about
TWO hundred miles, the roads are sood, ana
forage is abundant. AT Reading, The main
army is Joined by the Chichester division, and
they. march upon the capital In two divisions,
one along tho Oxford road and the other along
the Bath road. AL the same time the Har-
witch division advances upon London from
the Northwest. and it is thus threatened by
ouo.0ou troops, equal, If not superior TO any in
the world
That such landing as we have described
might be eted with the loss of not more
than i,ooo or 5000 men, Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS
regards us certain. The same officer says that