The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-22 00:00:00

NOTICE.

-- -
The number of STAMPS issued to the DAILY NEWS
by • the authorities of the Stamp-oflice, during 1347, was:
From Jan. 1, to DEC. ai .... 3,447,009
This, we believe, is within eight per cent of the number
issued to the Morning Herald, Morning Chronicle, and
Morni7 Post, ALL PVT TOOETIMIL
In a ditien to the above, issued to the DAILY NEWS, ,
Morning Paper, there were issued for the Evening Edition,
THE EXPRESS,
From JAL 1, to Dcc. 31
Which was more, we believe, than were issued either to
the Glair,. or Standard, Evening Papers.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
Intended for The Express; Loran evebiog pap., mus t
, BOovene.NrOtt, by Tee delobb On like day of pabhestion

M at lb: Dem

01011 WATER AT L04D13,4 BRIDGE.
To 13 at —Matai $
7 =IA pa t 3, Alterman. $2 mix paw B.
To Warsaw, ada past 4. kftantooa,22 W. put 4.

LONDON,WEDNESDAY,MAR. 22.
Tin most prominent characteristic of the present
revolutionary epoch, is certainly the very humble,
passive, and insignificant part played in it by the
military. Read the accounts of every revolution and
riot which have yet occurred in 1848, and tbe soldier
will be found to have passed for nothing in
all of them, and this by their own con-
sent. Ever since 1830, the attention of the
sovereigns and cabinets of Europe has been
chiefly directed to military organisation, to
defences, to fortifications. Millions of money, with the
best efforts of the brains and talent of each country,
have been spent upon armies, their discipline, imple-
ments, and organisation—and this avowedly for the
purpose of making the army serve for internal police,
as well as external force.
The events of one short week have shown all these
precautions idle, and at the same time have rendered
all these military, preparations and expense utterly
null for procuring quiet at home, and needless for in-
spiring awe abroad. What pains were taken to attach
the French military to the House of ORLEANS ! In
Austria and in Prussia the army was everything. Yet
in Vienna, Paris, Munich, and no doubt in the other
continental capitals, we shall find that the soldier has
everywhere learned to respect the citizen too much to
constitute himself at once his executioner.
Whilst the military have become thus useless as
police, they will be even more useless for awing or
deterring the encroachments of other countries. Be-
holding Germany as it is, uprisen for nationality,
and bent on common freedom, who could suppose
France or any other country mad enough to encroach
upon it, or provoke it? The career of France s mili-
tary ambition is absolutely closed and precluded by
the events of Germany. There are on or beyond the
'thine at present no oppressed classes to em ncaipate, no
malcontents to appeal to, no petty sovereign to tread
upon or sacrifice, amidst the satisfaction and
silence of his compeers. There will soon
be no Prussia to swallow up in one cam-
paign, with Austria to be beaten in the next.
Alemannia has taken the place of the old monarchies,
between France and whom there can be no senti-
ments, save those of amity and mutual respect.
Events similar to those which have taken place on
the Rhine cannot but occur on the Vistula and the
Danube. The Poles end Sclavonians will assert and
vindicate the rights of free humanity, and of inde-
pendent races. -Russia, the only land of undeveloped
civilization and despotic power, will be shut out from
influencing or menacing Europe.
In such a state of things, a complete change is
likely to take place in the military organisation of all
European countries—a change from the offensive to
the defensive system, and from the active and expen-
sive army to the landwehr, militia, or national guards.
When that old and costly phantom, the balance of
power, no longer demands immense war budgets
in European kingdoms, it can surely demand no
corresponding expenditure with us. We shall never
have to subsidise free countries, which would spurn
the idea. We need not interfere to prevent invasion
or encroachments :nations will take care of this them-
selves. Millions of national guards will render
France, Germany, Sclavonia, Italy, all inexpugnable
to each other. The age of heroism and conquest is
over. That of war budgets and standing armies will
inevitably follow.
We, therefore, hail the present as an epoch from
which' will commence and date a total change in the
foreign policy of each country, and consequently in a
very great degree, otdomestic administration also. We
need scarcely add that the world, aid that each coun-
try, will require statesmen who can fling off tradition
and routine, and adapt themselves to the new state of
things. If existing and reioning statesmen will not do
this, they may depend upon it that the country will
donna their ejection from rower, and the enbetita-