The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-05-11
~.v., xaserpslse.
rsas..nsa,. to Naval .Kassrsri'e.
The probability Of encoanserias upon the
..n :, ...r., vhose interest 1t il to avoid


.,,,.I,,<. b efrissags;e Illustrated by facts 10
- -, .,.snrv of Europa Not only ein
-. ,a.s..e l.s.t 'sbo'e lsss, have o'iet n1an
- - :, Keep cut OF tne way ot Aosii
10, Take TIE following. remarkable
In l,a4. experimenting a French Invasion.
air John Morris was sent from England with
. large squadron TO intercept the French
ace,. which eonsia.ea OF twenty ships aud
.ssd force oil twenty-five thousand men
The French succeeded in sailing the short
distance to the British coast without meet
iay any opposition, aud was only prevented
from landing the troops ty storm, which
drove them back upon the coast Of France
for shelter.
In l75s an English d let of several ships Of
the limo ana some frigAtee were sent 10 III
tcrcept French feet Of twenty i've sn!pS
Of the liue aad many smaller vessels, wn'cn
had sailed from Brest for America Ihe
fleets passed each other In thick fog. All
but two Of the French vessels reached Que
bee, aud nine OF them soon afterwards re-
turned to France.
In 1859 British force, under Commander
Boy, blockadcd q French aeet in the port
Of Dunkirk. The French commander. seiz-
ing favorable opportunity. not only escaped
from his enemy, but attacked the coast OF
Scotland, aud cruised about till the next
year. without meeting single British YES
eel, although sixty one British ships Of the
line were then stationed upon the coasts OF
England and France.
A still more remarkable case occurred in
l796. when the French attempted to throw
the army Of Hoche into Ireland. The most
extraordinary efforts were made by the Brit
ish naval authorities to intercept the French
aeet in its passage. Three fleets were put
on guard: one, the Channel fleet, under
Lord Bridport, consisting Of thirty sail Of
the liue, was stationed c'ose on the British
chores; q second, under Curtis, In the Downs;
o third, under Colpays, watched the harbor
of Brest. Yet the French fleet of forty-four
vessels, carrying land force of twenty-five
thousand men, actually passed unobserved
these three lines of coast guard, though it
oce upied eight days in making the passage
and three more in landing the troops. And
they not only passed, but returned, only one
of their number being intercepted by the
vast naval force of England!
In 1871 French squadron again passed a
British neet with perfect impunity. The
same thing occurred twice in 1898, when the
Immense British fleets failed to prevent the
landing of Gen. HumbeIt's army, aud later
in the year, when French squadron Of nine
vessels aud three thousand men escaped Sir
J. B. Warren's squadron and safely reached
the coast Of Ireland.
The escape of the Toulon feet, in 1898
FROM that vigilant aud energetic command
err Lord Nelson, was still Ia Ore remarkable.
There were in this fleet forty ships Of wal
aud All immeuse fleet Of transports, making
ia all three hundred sail, and carrying forty
thousand troops. Its destiaation was Nal
Ia, and 1t slipped out Of port, followed by
Nelson, who tried two courses for AiexaB-
iria, and miased the French iii both, The
sea was narrow; the vessels numerous, the
tain night; yet Nelson could see nothing OF
them himself, aud heard nothing Of them
from merchant vessels.
10 1905 another T0uioD fleet escaped from
Nelson. He sought for it III vain IN the
Metitesranean, then proceeded 10 the West
Indies, then back to Europe, along the coast
OF Portugal, in the Bay Of biscay, and Oh
the English Channel But all IN vain. When
they did meet at last at Trafalgar it Was be-
cause both fleets were willing to try the ia
sue Gi 6 battle.
1t great squadrous can thus elude the
vigilance Of an enemy, how much more
easily single ships, built for speed, and de-
signed to prey upon the commerce of its
adversary We have seen how for years a
few Confederate vessels have foiled the
whole naval power OF the United States
Whenever they have come in collision with
Yankee manofwar they have whipped
her, but the cases of collision have been only
two in three years. Such facts should stimu'
late our people to put privateers afloat on
| every sea. There is NO branch Of warlike
| enterprise which offers such inducementa.-
The risks are small; the profits immense
The ocean Ia a big pond, and full Of big
fish. The angling is almost as safe as on O
river bank, and the returns vastly more re-
munestive. Let Us hope that the Virgins
Volunteer Navy will be soon adoat, and thai
every State Of the Confederaey will follow
her example.