Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-06-10


THE FALL OF ENGLAND ?-Messrs. G. P. Put
nam & Sons have just repubished, in small
pamphlet with this title, an article which ap-
Peared originally in Blackwood's Magazine for
May. 1t is a political tract, In the guise of
narrative, written with wonderful skill, and well
adapted to make deep impression in England,
as it has done. The author speaks in the char
acter of an old man relating to his grandchil-
dren, about the year 1925, the story of the con-
quest of England by the Germans fifty years be-
fore. Regarded as work Of fiction simply, this
is admirably done; the incidents are natural,
and are related with faithfuness of detail and
a dramatic truth that no narrative ofreal events
by an actor in them could exceed. No better
description Of battle, as it is remembered by a
soldier who fought in it, can be found any
where than this writer gives of the decisive
struggle at Dorlzing where the British army of
defence was thoroughly beaten. The varying
incidents of the battle, the sensations of one
who was for the first time under fire, the alter
nations of hope and dependency, and at last
the growing conviction of the superiority of the
enemy and the disorderly retreat, are depicted
with wonderful truthfulness, and there is Just
enough mention of wounds and death to i'm
press the reader strongly with those miseries of
the battle field, without daubing the page with
blood, as is the custom with some writers.
The writer, in his fragment of anticipated his
tory, represents England as reused for a time
by the German conquest of France to the folly
of disbelieving in the possibility of disaster
merely because it had never happened before
and making some spasmodic efforts for the re-
Orgauiza fion If fhe army ond tla
of the defences; but the government hesitated.
the radicals insisted upon retrenchmeDt, and
the alarm gradually subsidized. Then a rising in
India drew away part of the army, ten thou
sand men were sent to Canada in anticipation of
trouble with America, and half of the regular
army which remained was in Ireland to repel
the Fenian invasion fitting out IN the west. The
fleet was scattered abroad in the West Indies, in
fhe Chinese seas, and on the northwest coast of
America. While things were in this condition,
secret treaty was published, annexing Holland
Ano Denmark TO Germany. England, boiling
over with indignation, declared war. The Ger
mans at once cut all the telegraph cables seized
AL vessels in their ports, and bIockaded all
the coast OF northern Europe. Confusion
and hustle on all sides, hurried orooni,o
ton of volunteers and militia nress nj
work in the arsenals and doo,,,,o.a,
immense expenditure of red tape and sealing
wax in the government offices, and total lacl, Of
definite information of the movements and de-
signs of the enemy, filled up the next two weeks.
Then it became known tat an immense feet of
sTar vessels and transports was assembled and
shat an invasion was imminent. The British
feet was not ready, but delay would be fatal,
and all the vessels that could be dispatched
steamed away for the North Sea. A submarine
cable accompanied the fleet, to be laid down as
1t advanced, by which news was transmitted.
The nation was confident in the proves of her
navy. But in two days it met the enemy, and
was destroyed by torpedoes, only one iron-clad
escaping to bring the news Of the disaster.
within afew days the invading army landed
unopPosed' in the south of England. The army
OF defense concentrated at Dorkng: but I'M
trained, poorly armed, with few competent Off.
GERS, no adequate organization of the commas
seriat or quartermasters department and little