The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1862-02-14
England to lay waste our Western
Cities.

The London Times Of the 7tb thinks
that in case OF war with the Uuited States,
Canada would be attacked by sea instead
of Land. and maintains that the policy of
England would be to cary on naval war;
fare on the great Lakes, devastating the
towns on their shores:
In the event Of renewal of such hos
tili.ies as were terminated by the Treaty
of Ghent, there wond be q renewal of
course, Of foperations on these island seas,
for the command of the water which sepe-
rates Upper Canada from tbe federal ter
ritories would be equivalent to command
of the field. 1t becomes a qsstion, there
fore, of great interest to ascertain how
this superiority is likely to determined, and
we publish this morning detailed state
meut Of the various conditions by which
the result will be governed II will be
seen that the matter divides i,selfn two
periods of which the frs, would be the
most critical for England. Up to the
month Of April next the lakes may be re-
gardel as inaccessible from the sea, and,
therefore, whatever force is created must
be created on the spot. The Americans
could build their gunboats ard .heir
RATS, and so could We
No: much could be done, probably, on
either side, as all the vessels must be ex
temporizej from materials actually st hand
On both shores there are railways leading
up to the waters edge, but the Amsi
cans have the advantage in population
and resources at the critical points, aud
Sackett's Uarbor, their arsenal on Lake
Ontario, is an establishment for which we
have no match. Still, timber is plentiful
guns, munitions and steam machinery
could be transported by railway; and SO
widely hss the country been civilized since
the last war that some of the most ilnpor-
tant towns of the federal states, such
as Milwaukee and Chicago, have .s~
en on the chores Of these once remote wa
ters, and are consequently exposed to the
attacks of our squadrons. The risks there
fore, are divided, and the opportunities of
inf:cling mischief are divided also. |,
may perhaps, be admitted that for the
next three months, the Americans, beng
more numerous ana powerful than the Ca
nadians, might succeed in placing on these
inland seas larger fotilla than could be
launched in the same time by the csonists
but i. must De remembered tha. this flo.
tiIa must, in case, be -uleIy extemrorized,
and that earthworks judicIously construct
cd and we'll armed, would suffice for the
protection Of the menaced points against
such feeble assailants.
As soon, however, as the ST. Lawrence
is opened again there will be an end Of
our difficulty. We caa then pour into the
lakes such fee. of guuboats and other
craft as will give Us the complete com mand
of these waters. Directly the navigation
is clear, we can send up vessel after vessel
without any restrictions, except such as
are imposed by the size Of the CANAL
The Americans would have no such re-
source. They would have no access to
the lakes from the sea. and il is Impossible
:hey could construct vessels OF any eonstd
erabls power in the interval that would
e!apse before the ice broke up. With the
opening of spring the lakes would be ours,
and if the mastery Of these waters is in
deed the mastery of all, we may expect
the result with ps.fsct satisfaction. On
the whole, therefore, the conclusion seems
clear that three months hence the field
will BE- all our own, sod that in the mean
time the Americans, il judiciousiy en-
cauntered, would not be able to do u,
much harm. .....-
IL H. fnv Il ~