Wilmington journal., 1871-07-07
The Battle Of Dorking.


Recent telegrarhic dispatches convey
the information Of sellons disagree msnts
between England and Prussia. Angry
notes are eaid 10 have been exchanged be
tween the two Cabinets. aIhough notEing
is stated as to the nature or cause of the
difficulty.
1t seems somewhat improbable that war
should occur between TWO powers whose po-
sitions, interests and former history exhibit
probably less of conflicting rivalry than
those of any other European nation Yet
il is to be observed that a bitter feeling
towards England arose in Germany during
the War, and was famed 11So ecttvity by
the Prussian press. IL is to'be remember
cd, also, that the correspondents from the
seat Of war agreed in stating that general
idea prevailed in the >jerman armies thai
the war with France would be followed by
another with England. Iheso my be
COZ gidered as idle rumOrs, but they arc a.
straws showing the direction ct 'Ee wind.
It is certain that feeling Of very great
uneasiness prevails d England, and that it
hiss led to the consideration Of very I'M
portant bills for the reform OF the army
| and the increase of tie national defenses.
! The policy Of isolation pursued by Eng
land and so we'll described by that charm
! Jog little story, :" The Fight at Dame Eu-
ropa's school,, has lett her without a sim
gle ally in case of a war with Germany,
! and even the Treaty of Washington would
! hardly suffice 10 shield her from Fenian
| attacks in such a contingency. A remark
able article in Bldckw0od. entitled The
Battle Ct Do,l<ing," has produced pro
found impres ssion. aud while il has il
creased the popular anxiety. it is one Of
! the most powerful arguments for the re-
o gani2ation of the national defense. That
article las been thought so important t1at
it has been repub:ished in book form, not
only in England, but in this country also.
1t seems like IL significant coinciAenot
that it has been followed by another in the
Augsburg AN9emeine Zeituu9, attacking
and ridiculirg the weakness Of England
and the blind policy of her government.
Tho Battle cf Dorking is most interest
leg and graphic narrative Of events SUI
posed to have taken place aboat this TIM , |
and related by an aged volunteer to his
grand children, fifty years hence. 1t is |
therefore an anticipation of future history
and foresbadowiDg of the disastrous con-
sequences of the policy Of neutrality and
isolation lately followed by the British gov
eminent.
Tie narrative opens with the excitement
produced in England by the conquest Of
Denmark and the anne xation Of Holland
It describes how, after having temporzed
and used every expedient to avoid war,
the British government is at last compel
led to declare it. Whereupon the pious
German Emperor, more $40, Issues pro
clamation appealing to Heaven, and avow
ing that he is the peaceable and irjure,
party. The British iron-clad feet Assem-
BILE and start out to meet the IN orr hern
feet" kilograms from a cable continual
Iy accompanying the fleet are received,
stating, first, that the fight has begun, then
that two or three of the iron-clads have {
been blown up by torpedoes, then com
plete silence for days, fearful anxiety in {
London. At last one single iron clad, es- {
capes from the disaster, comes into porr
and re!a es how the Northern fleet retreat
ed before the British, drawing them On | :
after them over sunken torpedoes of new a
invention, which de troyed the whole t
deet. Now follows vivid description OF
he alarm, the confusion. the dismay.-I n
The enemy's feet hover around the coast, q
,ow seer at one place, then at another.- Il
The volunteers, body of tho most gal
ant material, bnt unuded to anything but A
Holiday soldery, are hurried to and froI
nd exhausted by countermarches. Troops =
re concentrated where there is neither :,
ood nor ammunition and the latter where c
here are no troops and red tape makes W
1atters still worse. These seem to -
emind us very forcibly of the com -,
lencement of our war. The enemy in
md and are opposed by all the regular In
oops, but in vain. Outnumbered and 81
at manu avred, the British army is com ~
elIed TO retreat back to the town of Dor sn
ing, where the great and final battle is be
ught and lost. The description of this ye
,nflict is beautiful and striking, Then oD o1
llows the capture of London and a treaty wa
peace worse than that of Frankfort. rel
ngland is stripped of all the colonies IN
lich made her wealthy. Ireland is given
er to Independence and anarchy
The complets .uin of England's wealth oe,
d power results from these events and W,
9 narrator, speaking in the year 1925, wlt
claims "After all, the bitterest part of ~ Iy
r reflections is that all this misery and ern
cay might have been SO easily prevent the
There, across the narrow street, was to
writing on the wall, but we would not VIZ vlI'
d it - the
The story Is so well told and with so tha
Oh power that it is no wonder that it n
produced suoh an impression. Eng wild
d will do wisely to profit by its moral, in