line of Martello Towers was erected between these two points,
at a distance from each other of from one-quarter to three-quarters of a
mile. Other towers of the same kind were erected on various parts of the
coast where the shore was low, in other parts of England, but more
particularly in the counties of Sussex and Suffolk. Towers of this
construction appear to have been adopted, owing to the resistance that
was made by the Tower of Martella, in the Island of Corsica, to the
British forces under Lord Hood and General Dundas, in 1794. This tower
which was built in the form of an obtruncated cone--like the body of a
windmill--was situated in Martella, or Martle Bay. As it rendered the
landing of the troops difficult, Commodore Linzee anchored in the bay to
the westward, and there landed the troops on the evening of the 7th of
February, taking possession of a height that commanded the tower. As the
tower impeded the advance of the troops, it was the next day attacked
from the bay by the vessels _Fortitude_ and _Juno_; but after a
cannonade of two hours and a half, the ships were obliged to haul off,
the _Fortitude_ having sustained considerable damage from red-hot shot
discharged from the tower. The tower, after having been cannonaded from
the height for two days, surrendered; rather, it would appear, from the
alarm of the garrison, than from any great injury that the tower had
sustained. The English, on taking possession of the fort, found that the
garrison had originally consisted of thirty-three men, of whom two only
were wounded, though mortally. The walls were of great thickness, and
bomb-proof; and the parapet consisted of an interior lining of rush
matting, filled up to the exterior of the parapet with sand. The only
guns they had were two 18-pounders.

The towers erected between East Were Bay and Dymchurch (upwards of
twenty) were built of brick, and were from about 35 feet to 40 feet
high: the entrance to them was by a low door-way, about seven feet and a
half from the ground; and admission was gained by means of a ladder,
which was afterwards withdrawn into the interior. A high step of two
feet led to the first floor of the tower, a room of about thirteen feet
diameter, and with the walls about five feet thick. Round this room
were loopholes in the walls, at such an elevation, that the men would be
obliged to stand on benches in the event of their being required to
oppose an attack of musketry. Those benches wer