LUrTON: CHANNEL TUNNEL. 
217 
require the tunnel by which to bring up his reinforcements, as they 
would come by sea. 
The cost of such a fort, exclusive of its armament, need not be 
more than £620,000, or say one million including armament, or in 
other words, an impregnable land fort could be made and armed for 
the cost of a first-class ship of war. With the knowledge that such 
a powerful fort existed, no foreign General would venture to land 
an army in England, whose only chance of safety depended on the 
tunnel as a base of operations, and thus whatever danger might arise 
from the tunnel would be continental, and that without cost beyond 
this outlay, because the garrison of 1,000 men could be easily pro- 
vided, out of the standing army already existing. 
Many contrivances for flooding the tunnel, or otherwise stopping' 
it, even after an enemy had got possession of it could be provided as 
additional precautions, and the tunnel once stopped, the enemy 
having no base of operations, or chance of reinforcements, would 
have to surrender at discretion, unless our fleet was also destroyed, 
in Avhich case the tunnel even if open and in the enemys' hands 
would not add appreciably to our danger. 
The writer therefore considers that it is demonstrated that the 
construction of the tunnel is practicable, that it will be profitable, 
and no cause of danger to any one. 
