CAN BRITAIN BE INVADED?

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81917, 30 January 1907, Page 3

CAN BRITAIN BE INVADED?

•LORD VTOLSELEY'S COIIIIEXTS OX A REAL PERIL. -BREED OF COWARDS." !>oidom has such a startling prophecy of jHii! been tittered by a great British soldier as is contained in two letters on Army policy addressed bv Viscount Wnlseley—himself an ex-Commandor-in-Chiof of tiie L'rkish Arm,)'—to Lord Weniyss. ' ■• ;-j.; : Lord YVoUdey's first warning is contained in a lei tor dated Lewes/.November J. In it he .speaks fnvlv of our national lack uf an ellicient Army. He evidently does not believe that an invasion uf Jiriiain is impossible. In fact, promising a defeat at sea, lie appears to regard invasion as more or less certain. Here is a startling extract from the letter: "Jlritain can never have an ellicient Army during pence, and she musi. therefore, accept the rebuffs and calamities which are always in store for the nation ti:at is content to follow the breed of cowards who visually direct her great affairs. "The day will come when she will violently and suddenly lose her former lighting renown to such an unmistakoable extent that the plucky fishwives will march upon Downing street, and if they can catch its usual inmates will rend them. "One party is as bad as the other, and I hope and pray that when tiie national misfortune of a great defeat at sea overtakes us, followed by the I invasion of England or Ireland—very possibly the lalter—that John TJuil r will I urn and rend their jawers and I talkers wlki prevent us from being ;■ prepared to meet invasion." Xm- does Lord Wolsolov retrnrd the \ Xavv as all-ellicient. lie concbid's , Ibis lir-l lelle,- will, (|„. .( ; it,.„,,.„( : ' "I sleeiM 'ike t., „.,. „„,. v, lvv ] la |f. I' airaiu as -t run- as it is. but still, to '■ be. ipiite secure nirainsf invasiun. we :l require a .-Irene: defensive Armv aU„." 1 His si.-oud inter i-, addressed u, I Lord Weinvss from llcnlono: \ "(liner ua,iu,,s-l ne,.,l not name them—are now very strong at sea as | well as oui'se'ves. and any well-plan-ned combination amongst thorn might, 1 believe. give our enemies the command of the Channel for a sullicienlly limg lime (o enable :l great inrading armv io be landed on our coast. "The onlv stores it would retpiiro wiinl.l be "nmniunitioii. as our rich . (•..unties would furnish them with cvofv other requisite." : These are striking view's, and their \ ulteranee bv a so'diev who held the ' olliee of Commander-in-Chief from IS'Jo to 1(100 gives them additional import-