The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-07
FRIDAY, DECEMBER :. 1900.
MEnCIEH.S INVASION OF ENG
LAND.

General tMcrcier's speech in the French
Senate urging the French Government to
make preparations for the invasion Of
England when that event may be thought
opportune, is a very curious illustration
of French character. lie gave no reasons
why the preparations should be made ex-
cept that it is entirely practicable, and
that it would impose upon England the
necessity of keeping herself in the same
state of preparedness for war that the
Continental Powers of Europe are under.
This would seem to be strange way of
proving his case, as it would put England
into such state of preparation as would
make the French invasion futile If at
tempted. The only ray of hope for the
French in an invasion Of England, if they
could succeed in landing troops upon her
soil, would consist in the fact that france
has an immense standing army always
ready for action, while .Englands military
resources consist in gallant, but an I'M
drilled militia If, however, France is to
take such "a measure as will force Eng
land to levy immense standing army
like that Of France, what would be accom-
plished by landing one hundred thousand
French soldiers In England? They would
be destroyed before succor could reach
them.
Ninety-six years ago Napoleon collected
at Boulogne Sur Mer that splendid army
OF Frenchmen with which he fought the
battle OF Austerlitz. with the intention of
shipping them across the channel while
the English feet was away. But Nelson
caught the French and Spanish fleets that
We're TO guard the crossing at Trafalgar
and DESTROYED them, and Napoleon, divert
ing his schsmes of conquest from England
To Austria, marched his army suddenly
off TO the Danube and inflicted the terrible
disaster of Ulm and .Austerlitz upon Aus
1ria-
Mercier's projects would turn out like
Napoleon's if he could get the French
people to seriously consider them. The
English have crushinsly defeated the
French whenever they have met them in
the last eight hundred years and this has
been many times. and they will defeat
them again whenever the French force a
conflict The mercurial, absinthe drink
ing Frenchman cannot stand mp against
the sturdy, beef-eating Englishman. and
he will ride for a fall whenever he forces
an issue with the Englishnan in the fin |
ture-
The F'-enchman's incessant snarling at |
the Englishman is like the imitation of |
flee dos with a big mastifr However Quiet |
and rnobtrusive he may be. yet the flee |
can never forget that he is mastiff. and |
that fact remains standing injury to the ]
fee So it is with the Frenchman. He I
Can never forget that he has been pro- |
foking contests with the Englishman for |
eight hundred years. and that he has been |
ANONYMOUSLY trounced Whenever he has
met the Engashn,an. and that fact rankles |
in his bosom He is like the nrtle fellow
that rnsuccessfully fought the courthouse
gully fourteen times and announced his in
'ehtion 10 fight him again, saying in am
sWsr to the remonstrance that he wou1d
be beaten again. But I'll be getting in
lair way for settlement" This seems
10 be the Frenchman's philosophy. but he
VIII never get a settlement EXCEPT by spb.
nsitting 10 his thrashinc