The Express.
London, England, 1859-08-12 00:00:00

Lo'NDO.N. FRIDAY. AUGUST 12.

It is somewhat singular that the official journalists
and public censors in the pay of the Second Empire
should show so little regard for those national sus-
ceptibilities which they so highly and honourably
♦aloe in themselves. The French Government may
ley down as many new ships se they plesse—may ear.
out any number of soldiers sr seders—may cast any
camber of rifted cannon, but it any other govern-
ment or people discuss the groends of sash prepara-
tions, or speculate epos their probable object, they are
et once &weaned by Imperial doxologiste, and even
by some of their own countrymen, as nervous or
ill-
natured roisehietalakers, who desire to bring en a

war. About a year ago took place the peat
Cherbourg Ikea. Many injudicious persons in this,
couatry objected to that isaagaratioo, and declared
that it was impossible that harbour and its fortifica-
tions could be Untended for any but offensive pur-
poses. The French Governrr.ent vigorously protested
spinet say such interpretation being put upon the
completion of a dawn which had been long in pro-
per , and the more sensible portion of the British
nation ocquieeosd in that view. They maintained
that France bad r much right as England to
a powerful Beet ; and to show the sincenty of
public opinion, the QUI.IN and her Minister
accepted the Frisch Er envie. invitation to attend
the Cberhearg f#tes. The Furth joarnalists of
that day were justified in resenting the assumption
that a powerful Beet and a powerfal army are aecee-
eerily intended he attack.

Yet it is strange how soon they have forgotten
their owe teaching. France, indeed, is to be allowed
to make herself as powerful and secure as she
pleases. bet no other nation roust procaine to de the
same thing. To talk of the national defences tithe
country against a foreign invasion I. to mosso
foreign powers and to provoke attack. It
be sot denied, indeed, that the *yetis of
defense for these Islands should be disarmed, bet,
arieordin g obscene politicians, the quarter flees whisk
&lager may arise nest never be mentioned, so that
of wane the noun of defence may be es little as
pedble organised to meet the particular peril which
threatens. Happily. however, these views find
little favour. The public are determined to place
the country out of the reach of danger, ■nd that
without reference to any individual rulers, or any
transitory circumstances. They claim the same
right to organise their means of defence

as the Emperor of the Farecu or any
other potentate mist justly claim'. They have
too much common sense to be deceived by the weak
fallacy that any King or Emperor, however power-
ful, will for the Brat tiros resolve to attack his neigh-
bour, simply becalm that neighbour chooses to dis-
cuss the various (loaners from which aggression
may possibly come. If such a supposition were
credible there would be the most urgent necessity
to hasten the preparations for defence. To allege
any each mason for invasion would be conclusive
evidence of a foregone conclusion. Nor do we
believe that any man in Europe, however exalted,
would coodescend to so wretched a subterfuge.

At the same time it is a little awkward to observe
that the intention of the Belgian Government to ,
strengthen their national defences has again given
Mee to the imputation of an insult*. France. In a
eignificant article, signed by M. °IAMBS on CAS-
IIAGNAC, Imperial ready-writer, and Deputy to
the Corps Ugislatif, (wham Providential function
appears to be to discharge those heavy ink-drops
which sometimes precede a thunderstorm,) obviously
implies that the Belgian Government by this project
of enlarging the fortifications of Antwerp is guilty of
en offence to France. It is indeed notorious that for
more than ten years this same project has been
debated in Belgium, and various commissions
bare been appointed to consider the matter.
Only a year ago, the proposal made by the
Government for this purpose was rejected by the
Chamber—though, indeed, it was rather the spe-
cific plan them its general object to which dissent was
a:premed. At that time, the least official of the French
journals declared that the Belgians were quite jue
titled in taking such precautions as they deemed ne-
cessary for their protection. Nor can it be doubted
that it Belgium is really to enjoy that independence
to which she is entitled, she is perfectly justified in
discussing the question of her national defence. But
this year the project, which has been dis-
cussed year after year, hag, it seems, as-
sinned a new importance. M. °RANIER has
discovered that England is at the bottom of the ,
whole plan, and that the real object is " to convert
" Antwerp into a trte•de.post where the English
" troops may disembark and overrns the Continent."
What other object, M. GRoliti asks, can there be?
Belgium is guaranteed by the Great Powers, and
therefore a continental enemy is an impossibility—
chimera. Wherefore, then, should Belgium im-
prove her defences? it can only be, according to M.
Oriente, in order to become an English province.
Foe the French Government to tell the Belgians
that the real object of their pretended plan of self.
defence is in order to submit themselves to England,
seems a strange mode of cultivating those good rela-
tions in which the French Government declares it-
self so deeply interested. Nor is the allegation more
*assistant with those notorious facts which render it
utterly impossible for say English Ministry to carry
any such 'chimera' into street; Bet, wend, the
argument of the I epo'y to the Corps Legislalf
prey,s too much; fa. if Belgium is so absolutely
',cum what need, as the Indlpendarace Beige
happily ask', of any army whatever' It is
vein to stop at objecting to the enlarged for&
fiestioss of Antwerp; the first course is to

call upon Belgium to destroy atl her other for-
tunes*, and to disband all her troops. Tim
Belgians me t►is molt, and have not failed in their
public join:isle to expels, their ideas with sufficient
empires oo the subject. They know, indeed, that
they ars a small Power; bit they are proud of their
freedom of speech and scones. Even when a freeman is
son to be overpowered therein some dignity in dying
after a struggle. To erect a ovastitatioaal kingdom,

Allied with vigorous citizens, and to forbid them to
say how they than defend themselves, is a position to
which no one with self-respect would deign to
submit. A free conotry, if it is to be of any vales,
mast at all events have the right to adopt such nsea.
Nurse of defence as it may deem right-.evea although
the means may be vain.

Bet indeed then is no reason to suppose that the
plea of sanoeadiag Antwerp with an entrenched
camp is so idle a project as some may imagine.
Antwerp la an admirable strategical point. The
harbour is exiselleat; it teems an maenad best of
opsratioas against Holland or the provinces ef the
Rhine ; it is the most advantageous point at whisk
any force might disembark to aid Belgium in ass it
MITIMIOD ; above all, it is placed at a sufficient distance
from the frontiers to enable the Belgian force to
coocentrate. Its importance in this respect has been
recognised for more than a century, and by none
more thoroughly than by NAPOLEON I.
The principle of entrenched camps already
eomnisnds the suffrages of Europe, and the
defensive works of Verona the other day may
have had more to do with the pease of Ville.
frees& than it would be easy to estimate. The
principle, however, is, above all, important where
the surrounding country is in favour of the be-
sieged. Within the forts to be raised round
Aatwerp might be collected 100,000 men, and it
would take not less than 150,000 to invest them,
besides an army in the field. In fact, it is
calculated that out of the Belgian population of
4,600,000, there would be no difficulty in having a
regular army of 60,000 men, and 300,000 National
Guards. Even at present the army numbers 60,000,
and the National Gouda 190,907. With these troops
there would not be the slightest difficulty in keep-
ing an army of 250,000 at bay, until the allied
forces came up to the rescue. Without arti-
ficial means of defence, however, it would be as
impossible for the Belgians to resist a hostile army
as it would have been impossible for the Mike of
WILLINGTON to have withstood 31ASMINA without
the lines of Torres Vedras, or General WILLIAMS to
have withstood MOURATIETP without the lines of
Ran.

It nowt be admitted that the money 'pent upow
the Belgian Army and Militia is money thrown
away, value they can manses to resist an invader
until aid arrives, or diplomacy interferes. Ripe-
risme proem that the entrenched camp, such as that
which is eacommended, woald raise the limited num-
bers of the Belgians to an equality with much more
powerful adversariao, and therefore it is clearly for
the interest of the Belgian people, and of those who
have guaranteed their independence, to take each mea-
sures as will render their resistance in cesi• of inva-
sion most effectual.

Hitherto these views have been bet partially
adopted in Belgium, bat it see= that late events
have converted popular feeling, and that conversion
will no doubt be singalarly confirmed by the warnings
of M. Owl= DI CASSAGXAC.

CDc Court.

OSBORNE. Areorr 11.

ml Qom drove oat yesterday, with Prisms
.Uke‘ Prism Bekaa, ma Princes flabeakats. L air
teeadrs are to Ilerrobroasss of By tad Capella Da Plat.
Olead Dan Osasandlas of Raids, sod Priam mad
Prisons Lialap Masi with km Majesty la as rrealai.
me thread Dohs use stbesad by Causer Pelee' Haa•
nurite, L Cbseslullss Gsloutiao, Colossi Gretg,
sad Captain Boyce, A.D.C. TG &mar party alto lacladal
Lally Augusta Bruce, Sw (harp Casper, and the Has
Mes. 3. M. Dieldalph.

A &rustics os the subject of the parr/stir of re.
leesats ia Arta had an taterrisw with Lad Jobs Rase&
rizedey, et tho Foreirroace. The deputems teas Saw
Tissue' litratleed de Roach& eM the Hos.
IP. H. W. G. Caltborps M.P. The Rev. Jere Darla we
et Us INCTiarke of the Evaagaboal Atbaesce, stated the yar-
d:era. The following were aim priest . —the Roc J. Chap-
sea sad Colonel Dawes (essetaries of ths Cheri
&catty), Dr. tleadreeki Omsk wissiasazy tram J=T,
Dr. Crawford (hos. ow:eery), rod the Rem lb. Jars
(eaetary of the Matta Preaserest Callow), the Rev. Pre.
Beer Hopper, F.H.8., Rev. Dr. Fry ( eirt Tows), Roy.
B. H Cowry (seaneasp of the llveheal Cestruttal
Stroty), Rev. Dr. Ats Mr. Jure (abalneas of the
Prase' Arociatre), Rev. George Dawes, Rev. W. D.
resit (searary of the Jeerers Drover Mrsicorry
road), sad Us See. Mr. Lewd.
_

• iipotatkot boa tho Ddby Locol Board of Hoak had
ea larrwolow with Air O. C. Lewis yesterday, at Ow Romp
°Moo The &wows woo moolocod by Mr. H. B. Sao&
dr, 8.?., aao acootolod d Mr. Moo (inflate (eimlnwo
of too bad), Mr. Joao Aiwa (olminow ths oorwars
mud pale work* anudtwo), Ur. Wm. H. Brooke Nat to
the Word). owl Mr. Joh& lam= (aorveyor to the Mad).
Despatetios wars nor Mod et the Colospal•Alos pesadv,
from the (Joys.,. of Gibrolow, Malta, the Soot:aim maw
Iwo, the Mom omo. awl Now Zoolowl.

Tb. Qum sad the Prisms Consort embark this
'mai ma lewd the Violetla sad Albert royal yacht far as
moron he a bre days et sea. Is all probehillty her Ma-
jesty sad her IllatMleas Nowt will, daring the =be, visit
the Cbssael Wends.

Os Wedna+day ageniag the Prim* of Wales and
Penes Alfred, attended by their mites. visited Profener
Lyon Playfek's 'amatory at the Edicbrugh University,
where they heard exploitations of the chemical phew:awes
connected •ith the procaine of calico printing and dyeing.
In the evening their royal highnesses visited the Qesea's
Theatre.

Mr. Herbert Fisher, the eldest son of the Rev.
Cesar Fisher, the rector of the pariah of Pouliot, Wyk
hes bees appointed private tater to his }Loyal Ifighaiee the
Prince of Wales, during his sojourn at Orford.
His Royal Highness Pnnce Alfred will arrive at
Backfathom Palace this morning from viaitiag the Pies
of Wales at nolyroed Pekoe, on his way to join the Qui
aad royal family at Osborne.

The Marchioness of Westmiaster and Lady T.
Groarowor loft Grodvenur BOUM 3e,terday for Neatewebe
Beams, Waist.

TM Earl and Counter of Mount Edgecumbe hare
weird to town hoes Mount Edgteuenbu Deno.
The Earl and Counter Fitswilhem leave their
*out in Irulsatt the week Wear sent foe Wentworth How.
Torkohinu

Lord and Lady iVenlock gave a grand fete at
&crick r..►, Vutkaitss, ea the 23M icat.

TN, Catkin and (Ilc•aatees- ---atiiondy have left
Orllwa'a Claraidoa Hotel toe Park.

Mr. and Lady Henrietta Riddell have arrived at
Edwatdd's Hotel ken Harrow's's.

Lady Rose Ira arrival at the Queen... HotaL
Upper Norwood._ _ _

ileums Carly* &q., and lady have LA du
nslghboarbood of Aleodur, and en et print realdri
Allenwood fleas, lb, art of Jame Ltdiell, En.
Tenday Us marriage of Sir James Ferguson,
iitharan, Bart., with u. Lady Bildt Christian Bars,
arand itaglirr af u. Marra of Darer., wee edsu•
nisei et Wheels Gotha Ilia errmo■, was parker.* by
the Vary Bev. Dean array.

It me rumoured (says the WsltiAirt Independent)
that Itar Arthur Zhou and Bit Henry Heats bays emend
ice. scannas, and grill i,Ser themselves at the neat peed
elation far East hateetest.

A letter from Rome of the 9th lays:—" Mr. Ode
Roman wails from Cirita Vecchia to-morrow incasing far
Idaraallaa, and will akrwupany Lady Willis Hord) to
Pests. On the eapwaLkin of hid brief lea's of shames Yr.
Ode Rama •ia retool to hie diplomatic poet is the
Lama City
public fountain cnorernent, whit& has beat
so swesmaful s Efigland, la n unfelt sr Beam, bet tM
&shows bare reined it. Oa all the open places *la-
pin little otructoi,a of wood, painter •hit,, and more
et lava gilded, ►ate bean put op Th•:y are about
maw ion by eight. Behind a narrow counter,
adiread with water pleats, tea maidess aerie out to
the shinty poblw g .Llett of rata-doer at the mall charge
of a halfprestay. They h■re many reatoorr, sad the Li-
en...at optaderer id doing a lucrative Waimea.