The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-12 00:00:00

And when the question is put to the Commission
whether or not the existing law of nations as re-
gards the right to seize an enemy's merchant ships
shall be maintained, it is at once carried in the
affirmative, M:Dufaure, the President, observing
that its maintenance is necessary—.
" Because, if English merchant vessels were declared
safe from attacks, England, relieved from that which is
most vulnerable in her position—free from all anxiety
on the subject of the protection of her commerce—would
recover a freedom of action with respect to France that
would be highly prejudicial to us."

--
In the Mediterranean the greatest advantage is
attributed to the possession of Algiers as a means
of predominance, and of sweeping away our com-
merce in that sea, while the fact that the French
force will be close to its supplies of coal from the
mines in the south is strongly insisted on.
Admiral Baudin, in his evidence, says
"The Mediterranean is the theatre on which great
interests will be at stake. The Eastern question is
always ready to divide the nations of Europe, and
France must always be in a condition, at least in the
Mediterranean, to earry troops with great rapidity to
the coasts of Spain, to the coast of Italy, to the Adri-
atic, or to the Levant, if her intersts should demand
it."

M. de Montebello, Minister of Marine under
Louis Philippe, observes in one of the proces ver-
baux

f, When the internal troubles of nations shall subside,
the Mediterranean will again become the theatre of
great events. A continental power of the first order,
and a naval power of the second rank, France might,
on certain points, oppose this double element of her
strength to England, which is only a naval power. We
should, therefore, apply ourselves to the development of
our steam fleet."

We recommend the preceding opinions to tha._
great commercial authority, Mr. Cobden, who has
told us that if we expect invasion, the fleet should
be immediately recalled from the Mediterranean.
It would be satisfactory to learn how we should de-
fend our colonies, and our merchant shipping—
how we should maintain our communications with
India,
or obtain our supplies from the Black Sea,
on which the cheapness of bread depends—if war
break out, and this advice were followed.
Our last quotation shall be from the evidence of
Admiral de Verninac, who was Minister of Marine
under the Republic in 1848 :
"Some distinguished statesmen, struck by the insig-
nificance of the colonies that remain to us, have re-
garded our navy as being heneeforward for France an
affair of `luxe,' and of misplaced pride. But these
men have not reflected on the revolution steam navi-
gation must make, or rather they have not foreseen
it. That revolution is immense ; it throws a bridge
across the waters, and unites together islands and
continents. On examining the extent of our mari-
time frontier, which is double that of our land fron-
tier, it must be considered indispensable, however ex-
pensive, to maintain a great naval establishment, and to
carry it to the extent required for the security of our
coasts.
" The application of steam to navigation creates such
an intimate relation between the arms of sea and land
that if there were no other reasons for the maintenance
of a formidable navy than the facility, and the prompti-
tude it will henceforth provide for our military opera-
tions in defensive, but especially in offensive wars, we
tve-
cannot hesitate at once to prepare the means,
and
com"mSte
enadmt hber mi n
gbsybdaicskc discussion ion
the toco
apubliccoasts
th opinion.
conflictswhich,
for their own safety, sailing ships engaged in far from
the shore. It menaces every territory with an invasion,
the more dangerous as it is the least expected,—it re-
stores, in short, the wars of invasion, almost abandoned
since the time of galleys."
He asks,—What will war be henceforward ? and
replies—
"A struggle as much shortened in duration as it will
be more bloody
.and more terrible—a war of ravage
and destruction, in which steam will play the principal
part.,,
M. de Verninac, like M. de Montaignac, does
not see the distinction between attack and defence,
for he says, subsequently to tehxeaibnoedvere
tiextractstility •
f.
" It is designedly, and by a discretion all will under-
stand,
ratnhce were
av
y
France n
that I have as yet only am
the marine under the head of 'defence.' Itfh
obliged to take the offensive, she would find in
I propose (that proposed by the commissionis far more
powerful) all the elements required for
attack
only necessary to urge the formation of theseelem.
M. de Verninac's further views in this discre-
tion are again veiled under asterisks enltet .i's'
but we think
his evidence valuable as it
shows; the visions of
ambition and aggrandizement was can alone ex-
plain the vast efforts France has
making, for extending her navals made, and is still
power.
(To be continued.