The sun., 1908-01-19
s0ME NER n nR1OKs.


Ths latest and most interesting description
~ the invasions Of the British LAles at
tempted or contemplated In the wars Of tho
French republic and empire will be found
N two large volumss oolleotIvely entitled
Nupolooa and tie Invasion o. England. by
n. Y. 3. WHEELER and A. NJ. BRoADLEY
John Lane Col. Most comprehensive 1t Ii
not. Tor Capt Edouard DesbEiars has pub
hshed nve vohIrnes on the Same subject. oon-
tanning an aggregate OF 2.Sse pages. under
the title 'l1oS-lsoS, PrOjels Of TsRtatiles Dc
OebdygHemsnis dur Isles BrtGnRii. SeS." The
illustrations OF that work. however. are con-
lined 10 few planA and diagrams. whereas
tbs book before US is oopiously supplied with
appropriations Of contemporary prints and
caFicatl1res. II 10. OF couraa a popular error
which makes Napoleon the fOas Il origo Of
the invasion idea. which originated with
Philip ii. Of Spain nearly two Centuries
before the great CorEican saw the light. was
rampant during the reign OF Loula XIV,
when Napoleon was still in the cradle. and
recurred In an acute form long after his
death. In the sighteenth century no fewar
than tan sinvasions OF England we're pro-
Ntected before the outbreak Of the French
Revolution So. too. with respact 10 the
countsr preparations in the BritiSh Islss:
defence associations volunteering. the cali
ing out OF the posse comitatls. campo Of OBJ
ssrvation and stirring appeals to arms both
IN prose and verse are by no means confined
20 the period lEo0-i3Os bat are really an in
heritance of the Great Terror Of 1888
The absence Of adequate English text
books relating TO the dread Of invasion felt
In the British Isles during the wars Of the
French Revolution and Empire is more
than compensated for hy the richness Of
other sources Of information. from which
che authors OF the book before US have
endeavOred to reconstitute the political.
military, naval and social history OF the
crises Of l7o7-oS. as we'll as those OF 1901 and
1e0S-OS. For eight years. II we except the
brief respite given to mems minds on both
sides Of the Channel by the Peace OF Amisns.
the proposed invasion was the all absorbing
topic OF correspondents and conversation.
from tho palace 10 the cottage It was an
age Of letter writing. diary keeping and
pamphleteering. and Napoleon's designs
are continually mentioned in private jour.
nale. Bishops at their visitations. Judges
on the bench. politicians in both houses Of
Parliament, preachers in their pIilpits.
dramatic authors in their plays. poets In
their verses. actors on the stage, Free
nasons in their lodges. Magistrates at their
county meetings. merchants on Change.
shopkeepers at their counters and laborers
at the plough all held the same language
as to the common danger. The writers Of
thess volumes have had access. they tell
us. to many unpublished letters OF the
period in which the great subject Of the
hour is discussed or alluded to by Fox and
many Of his English and French oontem-
porarics. Some half a dozen letters Of
George III. win be found reproduced in an
Introduction wholly or In part.
By Ear the most important source of
information. however. now utilized for
the first time is the manuscript memoirs
on the defence Of Great Britain and Ireland,
compiled in 1908 and 1904 by Gen. Dumouriez.
one Of the ablest statesmen and soldiers
whose latent powers were developed by the
exigencies OF the French Revolution. There
is reason to expect. we believe. that the
whole OF this remarkable manuscript will
be translated as a supplemental volume to
the present work. 1t - an interesting fact
that DlmourieE when Governor Of Cher
bourg had himself pre- pared plans for the
invasion Of England in the winter OF ITT7-7s
The primary objective then was 10 be the
Iele Qk WHIT. after taking which the Span
~ md French fleets were to proceed to
Portsmouth, In l77p and land 70, 900 men for
= march on London. The preparations for
carrying out these schemes are said TO have
cost SO.OOO.OOO francs.