The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-12 00:00:00

etrienina

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LONDON THURSDAY FEBRUARY 12, 1852

A standing navy is becoming every day more ob-
viously the principal want of these islands as afford-
ing them the most effectual means of defence. Against
a standing army prejudices of a very formidable cha-
racter have long been entertained. Not so with re-
gard to the question of a standing navy, that most ob.
viously desirable weapon of strength to an insular
power like Great Britain. Hitherto, instead of
cherishing the maritime department of the pub-
lic service, our administrators have apparently
been seizing every opportunity that has pre-
sented i self for its decrease in magnitude
and its general deterioration. Peace has been pre-
pesterously advanced as the excuse for these rash and
ill-advised proceedings; and the blundering mis-
management of affairs at the Admiralty has not
elicited, in every instance, the requisite interposition
of the Legislature. Meanwhile the Quixotic advo-
cates of arbitration have been clamouring noisily in
behalf of a yet further diminution of our land and
sea forces ; so that but for the recent agitation
about a possible descent upon our coasts by
the French, or some other adventurous race
from the continent, there would have been
danger of a still more extravagant aban
donment of our position as the custodians of a liberal
and independent Constitution. Seeing that the peril
of any such melancholy course being adopted has
disappeared almost entirely by reason of the recent
panic about an invasion, we can scarcely induce our-
selves to regard that panic otherwise than with feel-
ings of absolute satisfaction. To it we trust the
country may be indebted in the end to the
abandonment of that preposterous do-nothing
system which has permitted the two war-
like professions to retrograde in lieu of advanc-
ing, as they should have done, with the march
of scientific improvement. As evidence that such is
likely to be the case, we need only direct attention to
the sudden detection of the various requirements both
of our military and naval departments in the way
of their general accoutrements and also of their
general organization. Startled by the tocsin sounded
by the alarmists, we have already discovered the vast-
ness of the room for improvement apparent in both
directions. On this account it is that the public jour-
nals have been filled of late with allusions to the
needle gun, and COLT'S revolvers, and the rifle em-
ployed by the Chasseurs de Vincennes—weapons of
the deadliest power when contrasted with our old and
obsolete muskets, pistols, and howitzers. Aware of the
deficiencies existing in oar army, it is but reasonable
that we should simultaneously become conscious of
the need of some more sedulous attention being paid
by the authorities to the conduct and extension of
our marine armaments.

Every where in the navy of England—shrink
though we may from the confession—there is oppor-
tunity for very considerable improvement. Not
that we would for an instant allow ourselves to be
numbered amongst the ranks of those who speak
depreciatingly of the capacities of our maritime
power. Tae opinions entertained by us upon this
matter we believe are sufficiently familiar to those
who are in any degree acquainted with the policy we
have long advocated. Our estimate of the
strength concentrated in the naval force of these
islands is of a character such as could not but be satis-
factory to the most confident admirers of the profes-
sion. The magnificent compliment paid to this the
right arm of England by the Emperor NAPOLEON
himself on the field yet smoking from his great vic-
tory of Austerlitz, and upon the occa.ion of his re-
ceiving intelligence of the terrible battle which Eng-
land bad dearly purchased at Trafalg4r by the death
of her glorious NELSON—might be repeated,
we believe, in these our days without any
degree of by berbole or exaggeration. Yet,
while we are ready to admit as much, we
are also equally satisfied that the maritime arma-
ments are still capable of receiving a very extraordi-

n try amount of improvement. The tardy adoption
of the course advocated by ourselves in these columns
now, during many years past, has only within the
last few months illustrated i❑ a remarkable
manner the capability of still further developing the
vitality which has all along existed in the
heart of our naval department. The al-
lusion here made is obviously to the em-
ployment of the screw worked by steam power
in the larger vessels of war, building or projected.
Happily the screw has at length been recognised as
the most rational application of steam yet contrived,
and as the one most securely protected from shot,
being not only below water mark but central in its
situation. Having at length discovered these facts
—facts proclaimed again and again by ourselves at a
time when they were elsewhere treated with almost
universal derision the authorities at the
Admiralty have finally set on foot a sys-
tem which must ultimately lead to the
empl )ynaent of the screw throughout a
very large proportion, if not at least throughout the
whole number, of the vessels composing the Royal
Navy of England. Then, but not till then, may we
exult in the belief that every reasonable effort has
been made to develope to the uttermost that (the
national) service of Great Britain—that service the
noblest of all the early organizations of which con-
fers an expiatory glory upon the name of King
JA➢iES the SECOND, a monarch who, by the splendour
of his msritime victories, and by the magnificet.ce
of the chang.,s in the way of improvement introduced
by him into the whole policy and system of the Admi-

---
The unfortunate dispute between the operative
engineers and their employers still continues, and
unfortunately there is no greater prospect of an ami-
cable arrangement than there had been some weeks
since, but the breach is becoming wider day by
day. The non-combatants, viz, the men not
belonging to the Amalgamated Society, and the
" unskilled labourers" are the chief sufferers.
They are deprived of employment, although
they made no improper demand, and their condition
is the more deplorable, inasmuch as, not anticipating
any contest, they are unprovided with the sinews of
-.411.- war. Other parties, toe, are becoming involved in
The stream of bullion continues flowing rapidly the conflict. Operatives of different trades sympa-
towards this country. The amount in the Bank thise with the workmen now out of employment, and
cel.ars still rapidly increases. Hundreds of thousands willingly subscribe for their assistance ; while, on
of pounds sterling are added to the stock each week, the other hand, their employers are desirous of
and there appears no prospect of any speedy diminu- checking such demonstrations, and to the utmost
ti". The last published returns for the week ending extent of their power preventing any assistance from
th,t 31st January, show that the amount of specie in being afforded to those whom they regard as but
both departments was no less than 18,21.5,172/., being little better than rebels against lawful authority.
;tll.:lccirease of '281,648/ , w hen compared with the The quarrel may thus possibly extend until it as.-
tug return, and it should be borne sumes still more formidable dimensionq, and there be
in mind
. that the sum then in posses- a complete organization of labour against capital, and
y exceeded the stock held at
Scotch period,kare in
an vice versa. Should this internecine warfare once
y former We also find that the Irish andbreak out, it is impossible to calculate where or in
amount of 2,147,7061_
possession of further sums to the what manner it may terminate, or the extent of the
injuries which the belligerents
ment locked up i, the, 80s. that there are at this mo-
ifferent banking establish- may inflict on their
country. We look, then, upon those persons
ments in the United u eowmon
Kingdoms bullion to the enor- who may come forward to establish an honourable
But this sum shows
moos amount of 20,362 87
- extent by no means the fuel ' 81'
former stock of specie.
• te bands, which have private peace, on a permanent and lasting foundation, as
of the addition to the among the best friends and benefactors of the com-
p are
not large amounts in munity in general.
yet been paid into The directors of the London, Brighton, and South-
the Bank of England, or received at the Mint, owing Coast Railway Company have just come forward
to the vexatious impediments that have - •
e been inter- with an address to the men employed in the com-
posed to its on recepti ,
and to whi •
ch We have p any 'a workshops, most strenuously advising the
already elided. The general circulation of gold observance of a strict neutrality cn the part of their
and silver, usually estimated at from 40,000,000/, to employees, and declaring that they themselves " have
50,000,000]., must also have increased in a
still larger I no intention of making any change or enforcing
proportion. Experience has shownl that in countries any new regulations unless compelled to do so,
in genera use,d such as R
where small notes are
-cote i 4 self-defence." They can, we believe, truly declare
land or Ireland, notes of the lower denominations are that they have always dealt fairly and liberally with
chiefly affected by the increase or diminution of the , their
workmen, and that there has been no complaint
circulating medium. As sovereigns represent the I against the system of work carri •
ed on in the com-
smaller notes in this country, we may easily conceive I pany'a h wor ks .ops- It is admitted that the
that an addition to the Bank of England ' parties have hitherto been on the most amicable
notes in general use, of more than
.2,000,000/. terms, a state
of affairs which we trust may be
sterling, must be accompanied by a more continued. r k
re the directors now offer advice to the
than corresponding increase in the quantity i men that they should abstain from any degree
of specie in the hands of the public.. We may, of interference, observin
g a strict neutrality,
therefore, venture to assume that there is now in the declaring that in such case they are prepared
to
United Kingdom not far from 80,000,0001. of gold remain neutral also, and to make no change in the
and silver coin, or of ingots ready to be coined system which has hitherto been found to give satis-
whenever there might be e demand for an additional i faction. This is a wise and judicious course, and
supply. In fact, as we have already stated, we are Iwe should indeed rejoice if others would follow the
ow labouring under eembaras des richesse. and example, and refrain from i. flicting injury on those
when we consider the enormous quantities of gold who have really no part in the quarrel. Still better
that have been already collected hi Califoraia and 1 would it be if the directora of thia and sabot influen-

1%417, was qualifit.d to exclaim with truth—Exeg,

monumentum (ere perennius.