Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-05

Walter Scott 81 and Jane Austen, Charles
Lamb and Walter Savage Lander were
each ~.
Nelson and Wellington alone were do
ing things' in this year of mutterings and
peepings a century ago. The sea dog Of
Old ENGLAND WAS growing and showing
his teeth In half the waters Of the world.
From May. 1903 to August. 1906 he left
his ship three times only. and on each oc
casion he was absent but an hour.
We shall hear much Of Robert Emmett
from our Irish friends next July. on the
n?rd of that month. in 1903. Emmett was
a conspicuous figure in motley mob Of
rebels who ranged tho streets Of Dublin,
ARMED with pixies. old guns and blunder-
husaes. A great riot enSued. in which the
Lord chief Justice Kilwarden was bru-
tally murdered. Emmett might have cs-
capcd, but Re would not leave ireland
without seeing his sweetheart. The result
was that he was cautured near her resi-
denCe. tried. convicted and hanged
On September % we shall commemorate
the centenary Of the battle of AssaYe won
Ivy wellington in India. when greatly out
numbered by Mahrattas. with only 100
troops WELLINGTON defeated Orr0 Nah
rattas commanded by French officers,
and captured ninety.cight pieces of can
non. This was the Iron Dukes nrst great
campaign. and right nobly he conducted
II. In four battles and eight sicges he
conquered 20"D men and captured up.
ward Of 100 pieces Of cannon. besides
enormous quantities Of ammunition bag
rarc and spell.
But. stirring rs these achievements
were, their glory was obscurei by the
tension of events at home.
ON MAY l6 1903 George III declared
var against Franco. and Napoleon set
about his great project OF invading Bril-
tain
no 6~c.-,ra1 IN M ,,,o, cr,o-;t> tI,o
coast of kentand placed n vast fotilla Of
gurhoaIs AZ Bou'oGne. This grand army
Of invaders, known as the army of Eng
land" was to be transferred across tn"
channel IN thousands Of fat-hottomed
boats, and then - Fifteen millions
must give way to forty millions" boaste,i
the Little C1rslcan, alluding to the rela-
tive populations of Britain ana France
Ne overlooked the fact however, that
Rritllns fifteen millions included Horato
Niscount Nelson, who very quickly play
cd particular havoc among the shoals of
fat-hottomed boats
But ere that happened the Inhabitants
Of Great Britain were in the condition OF
terror colloouially known as Gathering"
Not even the approach of the Spanish Ar
mazda excited feelings OF greater appre-
hersion and dismay.
All britain arose as one man, shaking Il
maddened collective FIST at the impertur
the Man of Sin, the Beast Of the Appeal
ypse the DOGGY of the nursery.
IF you are naughty, Boney will come
to you. Borey will cat you up!' Every
nursery maid used some such oh'urgation
10 terrify her charges into submission.
Thackeray. when a small boy, was the
victim of n similar threat. His black
servant pointed to a man walking near
them and said: THAT is he, That is
Boney, lie eats three sheep every day
and all the little children he can lay
hands on"
BY the end OF the year the volunteer and
yeomanry CORPS of Great Britain num-
bered $50, coo independent OF the regular
army. Beacons were erected all round the
coaFt, and everywhere elaborate local de-
lenses were organized.
How genuinely Napoleon's project was
feared in England may be gathered from
n letter written by King George to his
friend, the Bishop of Worcester, Should
the enemy approach too near to Windsor. -
he wrote, II shall think 1t right the Queen
and my daughters should cross the Sew
ern, and shall send them 10 your episcopal
pnlnce ut Worcester
Then were erected the martcllo towers,
which we are now told the sea is under
mining away.
"1hc towers are circular. with burnb-
proof roofs and walls IL feet thick. The
hase formed the magazine two rooms
above were for the garrison. and on tho
fiat roof were a heavy swivel gun and sew
eral howitzers In later years their ar
maments were removed and the Garrsons
replaced by coastguard men or old mas
ter 9unners
or course, the towers are Of no prac-
teal use, but in this year of all years
the force of patriotic and historic senti-
ment should quickly he set afoot to res
cue and preserve them.-Archibald Had
den In London Express.