Page:The Siege of London - Posteritas - 1885.djvu/46

 characteristic of the English race. An invader had dared to set his foot upon the soil, and he must be cut to pieces to the last man. For years it had been known that the northern coasts of Scotland were in a weak and defenceless state, but no one dreamed that an enemy would have the daring to slip into the country by those rocky barren shores. When the war was declared, the most strenuous efforts were made to protect the mouth of the Thames, as it was deemed certain that an attempt would be made to destroy the tremendous arsenal of Woolwich, and blow up the magazines at Purfleet In order, therefore, to prevent this, a number of gunboats were stationed in the Thames, and the first line of defence was rows of sunk torpedoes. But the French never came near the Thames. They utterly ignored it, for they knew perfectly well that it would be absolutely impossible to approach London by that means. They therefore fell back upon the bold and extraordinary plan of effecting a landing in the most vulnerable part of the British kingdom. That is, vulnerable to a determined enemy, in spite of the stormy, rock-bound coast. This plan of the French for invading the enemy's country will ever rank as one of the most brilliant strategical feats the world has known. The French commanders were aware that if they could only effect a landing in the extreme north, they could march almost as far south as Edinburgh without meeting with any serious obstacles. While, by carefully guarding their lines of communication, they could draw supplies from their fleet, and if beaten be able to retreat again to the North. There is little doubt that this plan must have been studied out for years; and in order to make it successful when the time of action came, the French had disposed a powerful fleet round the southern shores of England, in order to divert attention and keep the English fleet occupied. In the meantime they covered the northern sea with well-armed cruisers and several floating batteries, and while they made feints in the south, they embarked at Brest a strong force, which was carried in remarkably swift and powerful vessels, heavily armed; and besides this they were convoyed by four floating batteries of tremendous power. This wonderful fleet stole out of Brest Harbour under cover of darkness