INVASIONS OF BRITAIN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 6

INVASIONS OF BRITAIN.

LANDINGS OF THE.PAST. A SURPRISING: MAP. "This England novcr did, nor never shall Lie at the proud foot of. a conqueror, But when it first did help to wound itself, said Shakespeare, and in so saying, as is not uncommon, sacrificed some Amount of truth to rhctoric. But the idea that England novcr was invaded, except by "William the Norman, that very great warmaiV and a few other aucient worthies who harried and slew such ages back that, their memories have become as quiet almost as . their bones, is moro .common in thesa tranquil days than probably it. was'in:those of Queen Elizaboth, when the possibility of invasion nnist .havo been often imminent' and. generally pleasing. The map hero printed, which is republished_ frotn the "Windsor Magazine,"-; shows'the sites where over sixty. hostile- expeditions; great'.': and little, old and almost recent, have, been lauded for the invasion of British soil. Nowadays a foreign landing is regarded, except by Lord Roberts, as an almost contingency, so powerful are tlio iron walls, and so constant the .vigilance of . the 'sentinels of iho sea. . But when tho .wooden

wall's were Britain's rampart it was comparatively easy for a watohful foe/ to. find unguajded' spots, and throw ashoro a foieo whjch, if it did not Bhako the'; throne, made matters -very lively where it landed. 'And when the- wooden., walls wore'still ,unbuilt, or very .new, a sparring match on English or , IriVh soil was such a common diversion to .'Dimes, French, or Spaniards', and 1 likewise to their cheerful adversaries,'that most of 'tho ; encounters are hardly now remembered. Julius Caesar, of course;, set tho fashion; and his first invading fleet of about eighty vessels must have seemed all Dreadnoughts to the painted .-Britons, paddling round it in their, coracles, or 'shaking 'their rude- spears upon tho shore. But', his' army of .8000 men l had.no terrors for them, and Caesar, found that a larger fores was. needed to effect his purpose. Ho came again n'itli 800 ships and 20,000 soldiers, and still he failed to conquer 1 Britain, except in name.-.Other Romari'arm,ies; landed, conquering half tho'island, aftof 'Caesar had-been "turned:-to clay." ' When thoy, withdrew, . Saxons, Angles, .. Jutes,- .and .afterwards' Danes; landed' ana pillaged almost . nt^, their wiir for,'several centuries.. .'AVilliam 'the 'Coriiiueroir'' gbt ,: ashbr.e-'' Very "Easily,' but might have '..wished himself at sea ; again ■ if, reclsless Harold had not rushed to meet him .with ,a smallor,.force. Four counter-invasions troubled.. William's "reign, ■ and.-, most of.; .tho numerous invasions: which 'followed , in -suc-> oeeding centuries' .were, j made, as. . Shakespoaro says," when-England helped to\ wound herself. ' . ' : ,

The gallant Irishman, "Wolfe Tone, was the last invader ofythe British Isles. ■ In re-, sponso to his appeals,-a French fleet,of 46' snips, with an army, of 15,000- nfen, was sent in 1796 to strike-at\the. United Kingdom through Ireland, which had long been a favourite vantage point for foreign expeditions. A storm' separated, tho fleet,, and General-Grouchy, with 8000 men at Bantry Bay, would not risk a landing. Had,bo landed, it, is said, "the Irish 'would haivo trisen, fresh French' reinforcements' would have arrived, and ,we certainly should have, lost Ireland. AVolfe Tone toot part in several other expeditions, of which one was defeated at the battle of Camperdown,' and. another,' known as, the invasion of "the Black Legion," was -lindono 'through the character of its members. It consisted of tho scum of the French prisons and. galleys,' who wore

thought to be just good ' enough"' to burn houses and- commit outrages' on the English, coast. Wolfe Tone i had somo : compunctions about joining with' theso 'ruffians, who . did some plundering in Pembrokeshire, but shoved-'the final vice of cowardice by surrendering on demand to : a : smaller■ force of militia. It is said that the -American adventurer who led them saw some, red coats on the hills, and thought they were more soldiers. Thoy: were only tho,. red cloaks of Welsh .countrywomen. Tone joined another naval expedition, which was dispersed by winds. His ship was captured by the British, and Tone took his own'lifo after condemnation, which might havo I been reversed, to a felon's death. The failure of the French attempts was not his fault. -He-was'handi-capped'by weak commanders, but a high authority has said that he was "near being m: fatal an enoiny to England as , Hannibal wu" to-Rams,"