St. Paul daily globe., 1889-03-08
NO FORTS FOR LONDON.
The People Think the Navy Quite
sufficient---The Lower Thames
May Be Fortified, However.

The People Think the Navy Quite
Sufficient---The Lower Thames
May Be Fortified, However.
Special Cable to the Globe.
LONDON, March Tt may be con.
sidered as settled that there will be no
elaborate system of Notifications built
to defend approaches to London unless
public opinion undergoeS great change.
The mere proposition to erect outlying
defenses within supporting distance of
each other around the vast circumfer-
ence of the great city has opened such
vlstas of boUndlesS expenditure to the
practical British mind that expostula-
tions through the press have become so
numerous that the daily journals have
refused to devote further space to the
communications from excited civilians.
In the first place it is urged that
persons whose property includes ground
the government would wish to use
for its own purposes would resort to
every available obstruction under the
complex laws OF the country to prevent
the confiScati0n of their acres, and the
delays which would ensue therefrom
might be fatal. 1t is difficult, If not i'm
possible to persuade the average Briton
that his costly navy is not sufficient to
guard the shores Of his country. and the
sight OF works going up that would
tacltly imply a prospective defeat Of
that force would have most demoraliz-
ing effect. 1t must be acknowledged
that the articles in practical Journals
such as engineering, have been cal
culated to allay the popular anxiety,
while the United States Service Ga.
zette, and Naval and Military Magazine
have been CaSsandra-llke in their utter
ances. The result will probably be the
recall of Lord Charles Berrisford on his
own terms to an important command,
and all increase of the numerical
strength of the navy. There is
no doubt that some defences
on the Lower Thames will be erected
to guard against the possi-
bility of sudden dash of foreign iron.
clads up the river to within shelling
distance of London, where they could
int1ict incalculable damage before being
driven away, but the prospect of cir
cnmambient chain of works is very
slight. Gen. Lord Wolseley highly de-
lighted the volunteers by his estimate
OF the proWess he is confident they will
exhibit i'll case of emergency. To be
sure, his address at the volunteer medi-
cal statf's dinner was post prandiaI
effort, delivered when his audience and
himself were warmed by their pota-
piolio, UuG llO ttOuDJ CfGIt HAL
felt that, as Tennyson has said of this
very emergency, he would s'strike, were
it but with his cheating yard-Wand,
home," and verify Lord WOlseley's pre-
diction that they would drive off any in
vading force i'll fortnight 1t must
be decidedly depressing, though,
to these unpledged warriors to
have Labouchere call the doughty gem
eral perfect gas bag" The news of
King Milan's abdicatiOn from the Sery-
ian throne does not cause much COM
ment in London. This act of the dis
solute king has been long fOreshadowed,
and the chief interest the abdication ex-
cites is found in the speculation as to
what recent event. or chain of events,
caused Milan to relinquish the throne at
this particular time. The Pail Mall Ga
zette congratulates Russia upon the ab-
dication, and boldly asserts that Milan's
principal object in thus abandoning his
rights was that he might with more
freedom indulge his unhOly passion for
Nine. Christitch, the wife of the Serv-
ian minister at Berlin. Milan's intrigues
with this woman are we'll known, and
have been related in every European
capital. 1t was because of his disgrace
full connection with Nine. ChristitcFI
that the friends Of Queen Natalie sought
to prevent Milan from obtaining di-
YOrce last wear.