must say it's very provoking. Howsomever, try it again, and if they don't answer, we must bear a hand across the pond." A second flash was made, and almost instantly the sombre cliffs sent forth a stream of light, though it was only momentary. "I told you so," exclaimed Daniel, "now stretch out like brave lads; we have no time to lose-the company will be all ready. Hurrah, boys, bend to your oars!" Another bidding was not necessary-the men immediately obeyed, and the boat danced over the waves, scattering the spray on either side of her bows, and tracking her wake with brilliant foam. Onward she went, and I confess I felt the excitement of the moment as we approached the frowning shore. "All right now," said the veteran Daniel*, one of the oldest smugglers on the coast, "but, halloo, what's that? Silence, lads, and stretch out-we'll brave the worst." A musket-ball had whistled past close to Dan's head, and the flash of fire-arms was seen broad away on the boat's quarter. This was followed by a volley; but it did no harm-the men bent sturdily to their purpose. "Hurrah, boys, never heed 'em," exclaimed the steersman, "they can't pull and fire too, and what they expend in powder we shall gain in distance; and they'll be brave fellows to follow us on shore." Another volley was discharged with the same want of effect, except that the men kept steady time in the measured stroke of their oars, and it was evident by the flashes that their opponent was dropping astern. Old Daniel laughed, but not a word was uttered; and after a short interval the boat was close to the surf that broke upon the beach. Without waiting for the usual mode of laying a boat upon the land, they dashed at once right through the breakers, that washed her well up, and without an instant's delay she was grappled hold of by nearly a hundred men at the sides and peinter, and run up high and dry; the tubs, already slung, were lifted or thrown out, and carried off; she was nearly cleared of her cargo when the pursuing people landed, ran up ; and one of them sprang into the smuggler, to be knocked back again on to the shingle with no very gentle blow. The assailants fired, and their discharge was answered by straggling shot; a hand-to-hand encounter ensued, the revenue party were defeated by overpowering numbers, and hurried back to their boat, leaving three behind dangerously wounded, and several of the smugglers laid stretched upon the beach. The smuggling boat was literally carried up to a building above high-water mark, and in a short space of time the coast was clear-not an individual was to be seen, except the injured revenue men; for the smugglers carried off those of their own people who had fallen. I had quitted the craft at the earliest opportunity, and took no part * This man afterwards commanded a lugger, of 180 tons, out of Flushing; but having made several successful voyages, she was captured in the neighbourhood of Flamborough Head, sold to a party at Dovor, and, rigged as a schooner, was hired into the Service as a dispatch vessel to the Channel Fleet, under Admiral Lord Keith. in the affray; but I considered that it would not be wise to remain, and therefore ran with the rest. The place we had landed at was St. Margaret's Bay, and hurriedly we ascended the steep acclivity, on the summit of which were a number of horses and four or five country wagons; the goods were soon disposed of, and the mounted party, well-armed, galloped off across the country, and it seemed most probable that I should be left alone. But old Daniel came to my side. "Thou must be blind to this," said he, "we have served you, and you must keep a still tongue in return. But whither art thou going?" I assured him that at that period of the night I had no place to shelter me, and I was so exhausted, that it would be impossible for me to travel far. "Nor shall you, my boy," replied he, with warmth, "they wanted to throw you overboard; but never mind-you are thus far safe, and now bear a hand along wi' me-I'll clap you under cover, all honour bright, if you'll trust to me." I had no alternative but to do so, and taking the smuggler's arm (which he did not seem to admire much), we hastened along the road to a small cottage in the village, where a one-horse gig was in waiting; and taking our seats, we journeyed rapidly towards Deal, and having reached the town, we found a man ready to receive us, who, on our alighting, took the gig and drove off. "You see we do these things quite methodically," said Daniel, as we walked onward. "Howsomever, I hope there's nobody killed; as for a broken head or a limb, they are easily mended, but we are not able to restore life. There-there, my lad, I sees you're tired; but never mind, heave a-head, and you shall have a snug gull's nest to sleep in, and something to grub before you turn in. I dare say you think all this is very wicked work; but you should remember there was no smugglers till they built custom-houses.' Talking in this way, we came to a comfortable-looking house in Beach Street, and on giving three taps at the door, it was promptly opened by a young female, and, without speaking, we entered. I was nearly fainting, but a cordial revived me; and after a slight supper I was shown into a pretty little room, that seemed to invite me to repose. But weariness and pain had overcome me; I tossed about restlessly upon my bed, and when I did doze, terrible dreams once more awoke me, till nature claimed her right, and as daylight broke I sank into a deep and refreshing sleep. DEFENSIVE FORCE OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. BY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILKIE. MILITIA VOLUNTEERS, &c. "Les gens Anglais sont gens qui se defendent."-Voltaire. "Come, ye lads, who wish to shine Come with me, and choose the line SONG BY A SON OF GEORGE III. THE increase of numerical strength in the Navy, and the Reports of the Commission appointed to fix on proper situations for the construction of harbours of refuge, show at least that the Government has become imbued with the conviction, already imprinted on the minds of its subjects, that the shores of England no longer hold the inviolable character they once were supposed to possess; and that invasion comes within the probabilities of future times. These preliminary measures are good as far as they go, but they should be followed up by others of a precautionary nature. If it is an acknowledged military maxim that an officer who allows himself to be surprised is disgraced, what should be said of a nation in similar circumstances? The evidence taken before the Commissioners relates chiefly to the south-east coast of England; but people seem to become aware, of what never struck them before, that the whole coasts of their island are nearly without such a thing as a safe port; those that deserve the name of harbours of refuge may be confined within a very small number— Spithead and Portsmouth; Falmouth and Milford Haven, formed by nature; and Plymouth, by art. When we speak of harbours of this description, it means, of course, those into which ships can run at all times of the tide, and be safe from every wind within. Ireland is much better endowed with harbours that come within this category, but they are also confined to a comparatively small space; from Cork, on the south-east, to Galway Bay, in the west; the east coast being as destitute of harbours of refuge as that of Great Britain in the same direction. In the report of the Commission of Inquiry, it is strongly recommended that all these works constructed in the sea, moles, piers, or breakwaters, should be fortified and armed-a very proper and necessary precaution; but it may be asked who is to defend them-where are the men to come from? Without wishing to go again over the details of our regular force, it may be sufficient to say, that for the defence of Great Britain and Ireland the whole effective number of all arms would not exceed fifty thousand men, with a probable reserve of ten or twelve thousand pensioners. To watch our immense line of coast, to furnish garrisons, defend these new works, and to keep down U. S. MAG., No. 198, MAY, 1845. H revolt or disturbances, it is simply asked, Would this force be adequate to its task?—and in case of an accident to any portion of it, how is it to be replaced? It may be said that we have the yeomanry and militia. With respect to the first, its value is fully appreciated; but the services of these horsemen are chiefly confined to their own county or district, and they could hardly be called out for permanent duty unless an enemy had actually effected a landing. With respect to the militia, where is it― where even is its shadow? A very few of the old Field Officers of the late war still exist, and some Adjutants remain, or have been recruited from the Line; but where shall we find the rest of the officers; and what are we to do when we catch them? Many of them reside on the Continent, and are scattered over the world; were they brought together, we could scarcely expect them to be good Normal schoolmasters, as they could know very little more than the pupils they had to instruct, who are for the present imaginary beings. It has long been the custom in England to speak of the militia as a constitutional force; the question then follows, Is it to be supported or not? If answered in the affirmative, it will strike the most casual observer that some degree of organization and training is necessary to make it available in the hour of need, which may arrive sooner than any one alive can possibly foretell; if this institution or establishment is to be allowed to drop into oblivion, what have we to put in its place? Voluntary enlistment into the line, with increased bounties, even in the most popular shape of raising new regiments, would never succeed to the amount required; recruiting even now, when the situation in life of the soldier has been so much improved, is anything but lively. Ireland, which used to be formerly the chief nursery of the British Army, no longer furnishes the required supply. The chief reason for this backwardness seems to arise from the miserable economy that shrunk the soldier's pension to sixpence a day; if any doubt arises that this is the real cause, I should think what is passing in the Army itself ought to set the question at rest; there we see the men of the very best character, with badges and increased pay, purchasing their discharge; preferring to take their chance in any other calling, rather than keep their eyes fixed on the prospect of winding up their career, as Monsieur Sixsous, on crutches. To my apprehension the only means that can be devised to make the Army popular, will be either to increase the pension, or shorten the period of servitude. I have seen it put forward as a boast in some of the papers, that, within a limited period, one thousand pounds had been paid by soldiers for their discharge. I certainly think that this is nothing to brag of, as it plainly shows that men of the best character, and who are sufficiently satisfied with their present situation, will give up their own savings, and tax the assistance of their friends, to buy their discharge, rather than look forward to the sixpenny futurity. Under these circumstances, the increase of the Army on an emergency is more than doubtful, and our eyes are naturally directed to our defensive national means. The military force which goes by the various names of sedentary armies, military colonies, landwehr, landsturm, burgher guards, trained bands, or militia, is of modern invention and use; having probably its origin with the petty states of Italy, the free towns of Germany, or the Hanseatic League. The Swiss, who have furnished mercenary troops at all times to the different nations of Europe, are contented with a militia for their own defence; and it may be called the army of North America, for the few thousand regular troops they have, form but a drop in the ocean when frittered away over such an extent of territory. We have seen the militia of Prussia put themselves forward when the country was to be relieved of the stranger; they accompanied their army to Paris, and partook of the toils and dangers by the way. The Russians have also a great military organization going on along their frontiers, which partakes of the nature of a militia; but the best organized and more useful of these national institutions is that which the Austrians possess along their eastern frontier, reaching from the Carpathian Mountains, that separate Hungary from Poland, covering Transylvania, Sclavonia, Croatia, and Illyria, to the Adriatic Sea. The government of this line of frontier is purely military; the peasants are all soldiers, and enjoy for their lives the produce of the lands on which they live, by inheritance. They are very good troops, sufficient for the purpose for which they are located, and even in peace have forty-five thousand men under arms, which, in time of war, can be doubled; they cost the Austrian Government nothing during peace, and must give it great confidence as to the safety of the largest portion of its frontier. These people are formed into a regiment of hussars, seventeen of infantry, and a corps or body of sailors; in time of war they serve as other soldiers, and receive pay when they leave their homes. It has often struck me that this organization, or something similar, was exactly the sort of thing that ought to have been established on our Canadian frontier when the separation of the United States took place; perhaps it would not now be impracticable, by exchange of Government lands and some sacrifice. Such an arrangement would be of the utmost value in several points of view; it would check, if not put an entire stop to, the desertion of our soldiers in that colony. We see by the late proceedings respecting the annexation of Texas, and the propositions with regard to Oregon, that the arrogant ambition of the young republic looks on all other occupiers of the American soil as intruders; to-day it is Texas and Oregon; next it will be Mexico; and when their strength is fully gained, if they do not fall to pieces previously, Canada will be the object to which their grasping policy will be directed. The nations of the north of Europe have all adopted, and in various forms, the militia system. In France it was established under Louis XIV., but disbanded at the peace of Ryswick; subsequently a force of this kind was organized, to be chosen by lot in the towns and villages; during the period of our contest with the American colonies and with France, this force was formed into a hundred and six battalions. The French Revolution put an end to these levies, and in their place was substituted the National Guard, which they boast now numbers a million of men. Properly speaking, it is a volunteer force, as they receive no pay; this is certainly an advantage, but in all other respects the British militia, as it existed during the war, was infinitely superior. The origin of this institution in England is probably due to the Saxons, who levied a force by charging every five hides of land with the equipment of a man for the service: these soldiers were enrolled, and placed under the |