The Ottawa free trader., 1883-07-28
Irregular Correspondence 3


The JOINT committee Appointed IN Apu
last TO inquire whether II IS cXpcdient that
Parliamentary sanction should be gwen Il
submarine communication between Eug
land and France, met yesterday Al noon lc
consider their report. Six members OF The
committee came prepared with draft re
ports. That Of the chairman, winch VA,
in favor Of sauctiOung the construction OF
tunnel with proper safeguards, was FIRST
Mr.. Peel voting with tie chairman IN lis
favor. The Earl of Devon, the Ear. OF
Camperdown, NlsCount Burlington, Mr.
IEarcourt, SIR NJ. Lopcs and Sir II. Vivian
vctcd against It, 1t was therefore lost by
six to four In the end it was decided to
report simply that the majority Of the
committee did not deem it eXpedlent that
Parliamentary sanction should be given to
n submarine communication between Eng
land and France. In these circumstances
the project necessarily falls TO the ground
for the present. From the hour when these
committees entered upon their work the
doom of the channel tunnel was to all IN
tents and purposes sealed Admiral Sir
Cooper Key was among those TO point out
that its construction would neCeSsltatc an
immense outlay for Notifications or the
maintenance Of huge standing army. Its
commercial advantages, he said would be
obtained at the expense of shipping inter.
ests; and in the event of an enemy obtain
ing possession an army might march upon
London "whilc the navy looked on rs a
helpless spectator" Lord WoiseIey has
opposed the scheme most encrgetically,
and almost every military authority in the
kingdom follows sult, Sir John Ayde,
however, was not among those who dreaded
the probability OF danger The Duke of
Cambridge has protested most emphatcal-
ly, over and over again, that it would be
the height Of folly to sanction a project
bristling with hazards 10 the realm. Moth.
ing could be more PLAINLY spoken than the
written and oral evidence Of Lord Wolse.
ley. iIcconslders that the construction of
the tunnel would destroy the great defence
Of the country and the value OF the chan
mel; and that no fOrthCatOn5 and no
means of destroying Il passage so protect
cd could prevent the seizure OF one end
by "a c0Up de ma$H. i channel tunnel would
be "a direct temptation to foreign ruler to
attack England" Nor are the words Of
the Commandcr.in.Chic less explicit.
"Whcn once 1t Is reaIlzed,' he writes,
that If this tunnel were constructed we
might, despite all our precautions, some
day find an enemy in actual possession of
both It's ends, ana able at pleasure to pour
an army through 1t unopposed, cannot
believe that the people of this country
would consent to accept this positive dan
ger for any problematiC amount of com.
mercial profit" Against such powerful
arguments all that has been forwarded on
the other side seems like triRing. Even
the advocates of the scheme are agreed
that England should provide tirstclass
fortress at Dover with a garrison say of
ten thousand men. How could the neces
sary troops be raised without conscripton,
and how paid for without adding TO tie
taxation Of the country? Then, as to the
,r hn rlyo -, =
threatened invasion. Who would take the
of destroying 50 much prI-
yate property at blowy Sir Linthorn
Simmons, no mean authority, very frankly
told the parliamentary committee whose
labors are just concluded that govern.
ment rash enough to permit channel to
be constructed would be mad enough to
fail to blow 1t up at the last moment. This
is no more in need of Sir Edward
Watkins boring under the silver streak"
than of NJ. Achard's contemplated vialuct
between Cape GrisneZ and F1lkeStonc. NJ
Achard conlldenually informs the French
that the tuldllmcnt of his enter.
prise would create between France and
England "vcritable bond of union and a !
policy of cordial agreement" 1t seems
that England prefers that the entente cor-
ijdlG should be preserved without the Gld !
either of bridge or burrow, The commit
tco grants the feasibility of tunnel, and |
at the same time appreciates the danger, |