The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-07 00:00:00

Ottufaut *'ax Ant
LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1852.

Speaking of the political superiority arising out of
the geographical advantages possessed by a maritime
state, Lord BACON has observed, with his accustomed
wisdom and more even than his accustomed senten-
tiousness—" To be master of the sea is an abridgment
of a monarchy." CICERO bad already implied the
same truth when, in writing to ATTICUS about rom-
eex's preparations against CsE Sea, he observed that
the opinion of POMPEY was manifestly identical with
that of THEMISTOCLES, seeing that he considered that
whoever possessed the command of the sea held in his
grasp the reins of imperial dominion—" Consilium
Pompeii plane Themistocleum est; putat enim, qui
marl potitur, Run rerum potiri." The opinion of
BACON, the opinion of CICERO, the opinion of Poet-
PET, the opinion of THEMISTOCLES—aII combine to
force upon the recognition of the British Government
the necessity of maintaining our marine predominance
over the rest of Christendom. The dictates of self-
preservation, indeed, point imperatively in the
same direction. That motive of itself one
might conceive would be sufficient to induce the ads
mieistrators of England to cherish with the utmost
conceivable assiduity the energies of its naval power.
Yet, not so—it has only been by the most reiterated
Appeals made to the patriotism of party that the en-
deavours of the ruling Cabinet have been directed
towards the development of the latent resources of
the great national profession. Happily, however, on
reviewing the progress made of late years in the ad-
vancement of the maritime forces of the world, it is
gratifying to observe that the improvement discern-
ible in the Royal Navy of England is more than pro-
portioned to the original superiority of Great Britain
at the commencement of the peace thirty-seven
years agone. Nevertheless, this advantage has
been gained solely by the pertinacity with
which the necessity of change after change has been
thrust upon the attention of the authorities at the
Admiralty. The reluctance of these officials, it is
scarcely necessary to remark, bas been for a very
Period proverbial!
considerable And no wonder.
For while several of our marine octogenarians have
been left at full liberty to wander about the dock-
yards razee-ing this vessel and that, tryingexces-
sively comical but, we regret also to observe,
ex-
cessively expensive experiments upon frigates
and
three-deckers, a civilian has too often been placed
at the head of the hoard of Lords Commissioners. It
was among several of the most important sources of
satisfaction to the country on the resignation of the
Whigs, that the Admiralty was at length placed once
more under the command of a distinguished naval
officer—a sailor no less eminent by his position and
no Jess respected for his character than his Grace
ALGERNON PERCY, the Duke of NorthumbEaland.
Altogether, therefore, affairs at the Admiralty may
be regarded as holding out to the nation the happiest
prospects us to the still further development of our
maritime resources, es well es to their prespectively
improved organization. We may hope, before long,
under these agreeable auspices, to hear somewhat less
about calling out the awkward squads of a cumbroue
tad aburcibliag militia, for the nonsensical purpose of
5 I ndines an island, the security of which (under
Divine PROVIDENCE) ought to depend, of course, upon
its se" forces, and
especially upon its arine artillery.
Once let feelyal Navy assume its natural position,
and we shafind
as to the asleidear.no of
reason thenceforth for anxiety
invasi9n Let that branch of
the public service he
regarded as by right it should
always be regarded,
namely, T.!le 3T, as the most national and
the most essential
tne existence of the British
Empire—and we shall never have the time of the
upon the discussion of hasty
L islet ure squandered
the protection of the coast
and inefficient measures for
by hurriedly drilled and nlomslly accoutred bands of
civilians. What England requires in the
defence against the possibility of
any warlikew'aYn of
sion it—not troops of amateur soldiers fight
tcuthe
hearted, iron-
r-
invaders after they base landed, but—the brave
heeded l'ers of Old England to prevent
their landing at all, and so by the most effectual
means secure to the country the blsssings of unin-
terrupted tranquillity.

Hitherto, with colonial possessions scattered all
over the world—stretching northwards beyond Had-
lon's Bay up to the extremity of the Arctic regions,
fu
rthest
limits beyond New Zealand to the
limits of Victoria Land westward beyond New
Brunswick to the coal deposits of Vancouver's Island,
and eastwards beyond Gibraltar and Valetta and Ce-
phalonia to the rice-fields of Hindostan, and the tea-
depots of Hong-K
--°rlg, and the spice-treasures of
Borneo—hitherto,
we say, notwithstanding the enor-
mous extent and scattered situation of her territorial
acquisitions, England has been enabled to maintain
the security of her position and the integrity of her
dominion. She has done this simply because of her
almost involuntary regard to the necessities of her