' A
few figures will be interesting and, it may be added, conclusive.
Between 1793 when the war began and 1802 when the Peace of Amiens
interrupted it, the public income of Great Britain increased from
L16,382,000 to L28,000,000, the war taxes not being included
in the latter sum. The revenue of France, notwithstanding her
territorial acquisitions, sank from L18,800,000 to L18,000,000.
The French exports and imports by sea were annihilated; whilst
the British exports were doubled and the imports increased more
than 50 per cent. The French Navy had at the beginning 73, at
the end of the war 39, ships of the line; the British began the
contest with 135 and ended it with 202. Even as regards the army,
the British force at the end of the war was not greatly inferior
numerically to the French. It was, however, much scattered, being
distributed over the whole British Empire. In view of the question
under discussion, no excuse need be given for adducing these
facts.
[Footnote 63: 1793-1805. _Projets_et_Tentatives_de_Debarquement_
_aux_Iles_Britanniques_, par Edouard Desbriere, Capitaine brevete
aux 1er Cuirassiers. Paris, Chapelot et Cie. 1900. (Publie sous la
direction de la section historique de l'Etat-Major de l'Armee.)]
Captain Desbriere in the present volume carries his collection
of documents down to the date at which the then General Bonaparte
gave up his connection with the flotilla that was being equipped
in the French Channel ports, and prepared to take command of
the expedition to Egypt.
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