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may cross to and fro between England and France without running the risk of sea-sickness. Even now when protected by our 'silver streak' we suffer from periodical panics, which are as injurious to trade as they are undignified; this Tunnel would render their recurrence much more frequent, thereby increasing the loss they occasion. The night does not follow the day more surely than will a vastly increased annual military expenditure follow upon the construction of the Tunnel. Are we to be taxed additionally for these new military establishments in order to save a certain number of travellers and tourists of all nations from sea-sickness?" Lord Wolseley then refers to an argument which had been used in favour of the Tunnel, called by the writer the best argument, that "It is impossible to base the arrangements of a great country like England upon the idea of wars and invasions. To do so would necessitate at once, not only a curtailment of our mercantile activity, and therefore of the population, but even an abolition of free trade in corn." To this he replies, "If this question is not to be discussed on military grounds, but if in pursuit of increased 'mercantile activity' we are to ignore all dangers which this hunt after riches may possibly entail upon the nation, the outlook for the country is bad indeed".
(5) After these preliminary remarks, we are coming to the evidence which is to help us to decide the important question (Shall we have a Tunnel?) which has already been asked, the evidence I mean contained in the Parliamentary Blue Book, and it is to this I shall soon ask your attention, and the references which I give further on are to the pages of this report. Long before I had opened a page of this book or even seen it, I had formed, I believe, a decided opinion of my own against the Tunnel scheme, and that on the ground of what may be called treachery amongst ourselves, that is disaffected persons on this side the channel coalescing (as I have before mentioned) with disaffected persons on the other, and so combining by agreement to obtain possession or the use of the Tunnel for their own purposes, though of course that might only be for a very short time, though long enough to lead to much discomfort and probably to bloodshed. It has since occurred to me, supposing
