/ ridiculed by General Lloyd. TheDutch, paid for his opiniom 
628 Thoughts on an Invafion. eee 
during all the latter part of the conteft; tate Marthal Saxe, who intitled his 
nor fhould we have dared to relieve Gi- ilitary works a Reverie, to ftamp 
braltar, in the laft quoted year, if the upon ita charaéter of ab ity: but 
Dutch had cordially united with our while it bears ftrong marks of talents, 
enemies; but, fortunately for us, the and military knowlcdge, it appears to 
powers above detained their fleet in, the me in many places abfurd in the extreme. 
Maefe and the Texel. 4 After having Witneffed the {peed with 
At the prefent moment, Richery’s and. which our troops on many occafions pe- 
the ‘Toulon fquadrons, are faid to amount » netrated through the woods and wilds of 
to 21 fail of the line. The Spaniards, Ameriga, as’ well as the, rapid progrefs 
according to all the. accounts we have of the French through fo many hoftile 
received, have fitted out more than dcu- countries, I can never believe that 
blé that number. The Butch have alfoa encmy who fhould debark in Eagle 
confiderable fleet; and the French h , would not be able to advance above a 
a’ force, either lving at Breft. l’Orient, or twoa day. Nor after the diftance 
and Rochefort, or failed from thofe ports. the Highlanders advanced in the rebel- 
Were all this ftrength muftered invone lion of forty-five, in which the author 
place, it would, in the prefent difperfed was concerned, can I give credence to his 
fate of cur marine, amount to very fear- affeftion, that an army of 50,000 mer 
fulodds, againft which we might contend, would certainly perifh by famine, or by 







with the hope, but without the certainty, his infallible attacks, wha ig force, 
of fuccefs. fg “ their line of operation, Before they 
iles Into 
are they to land? ‘Thi§gwill be better the country. Neither can EB underftand 
ave fur- how our hedges, fo eafily cleared by a 
n every few field-pieces and howitzers ; or our 
¢ d hillocks, ditches, and copfes can render 
dnd they are numerous, they have admit- this country impenetrable ro the French, 
~ The next queftion that be where could make their way for 


‘ted the prac after feeing “the Alps and Pyrencas 
fink before them,” and the immentfe fo- 
refts and rivers of Germany oppofe no 
valid obftacle to their furious career. 
It would be ‘well for all thofe who read 
this book, to which its author’s name 
as 2 large proporticn them,are open and the times have given popularity, to 
in the rear, they could oppofe no refif- recolleét, that the excellent fy and in 
tance to an enemy, when landed, in force. idrigwer who wrote it had made his peace 
As to myfelf, T have little doubt that with our government, alles 28 become -a 
if a general engagement at fea were to penfioner of the fiate againft which he 
terminate to our difadvantage, the enemy had eommitted fo many offences. # it 
would ftrike at the vitals of the empire, by was wai ren at atime when the terror of 
failing up the Thames. As far as Til- an invahon was prevalent, and as he 
bury-fort, I believe there is no refiftance councils the ftockholders to lay afide their 
that a ftrong flotilla would not overcome.’ fears, it is not Labret 3 to conclude 
Iam aware, that every fuch idea is that he was counlel for ibe defendant, and 
fays he, failed up the Medway with . While I expofe opinions of fo different 
twenty fhips; but it is a folly Bop pole a tenor, I admit, that it would be dans 
an enemy would’ attempt to fail up gerous to #pread a panic alarm, that 
Thames. But he forgets'to fay why might drive us to defpondency, inde- 
itis a folly,to attempt the’forcing a_ cifion, and defpair : ¢ it would be ftill 
paffage up @ river lefs defendéd, and more dangerous to be lulled into a falfe 
nore eafily navigable, than the Mi ay, fecurity, or to truft to infuffielent means 
and with which multitudes of foreign of defence. Our boafted wooden walls, 
feamen are as well acquainted as our-  confidering the term as applied to fleets 
felves. of great fhips, ace teksty an excellent 
As feyeral of the opinions Ihave flight- rampart; but there are two that I . 
ly indicated here, are direétly in the ceive to be better fill: The next beft 
teeth of the author I have juft quoted, I. is a flotilla, which could follow the 
thal! take pea to fay a few words enemy into fheal water, and being ren-. 
of his book. “When hé called it aRhap- dered by its oars in a great meafure 
fody, he, no doubr, meant rather to imi- “Independent of the winds, could carry 
pn . confufion 


ey 
a 
