The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-17 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1854.

If to be fully prepared for war be the best and
most efficient mode of preserving peace, it is
equally certain that, to carry on a war vigorously
and resolutely, is the best mode of regaining the
peace that has once been disturbed. We are not
to conduct hostilities in a rose-water fashion, with
" carpet knights," who are merely " playing at
soldiers." No ;we are instructed in what man-
ner to bear ourselves under such circumstances
by one who was not merely an accomplished and
brilliant poet, but a profound philosopher :--.

" But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger ;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair Nature with hard-favour'd rage.
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect ;
Let it pry through the portage of the head
Like the brass cannon ; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide ;
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To his full height '''

The address to his soldiers put into the mouth
of England's most valiant KING by her most ac-
complished dramatist is applicable not merely to
individuals, but to the nation. If the men should
exert every energy, and bring every nerve to its
utmost tension, standing—
" Like greyhounds in the slip,
Straining upon the start"—
it is equally the duty of the nation to put for-
ward its utmost strength, not only to defeat the
nefarious projects of the aggressor—but fearfully
to avenge the violated tranquillity of Europe, and
to teach other despots the danger of exciting the
indignation of a free people. If we are bound to
vindicate the majesty of the offended law by
punishing the robber or assassin, how much more
is it imperative on us to enforce the interna-
tional law by bringing to condign punishment
the Imperial robber who invaded the territories
of an inoffensive neighbour, with the view of
plundering his fairest provinces, and who neces-
sarily sacrificed not one, but myriads, of human
lives in carrying out the object. Having been
forced into war, having been reluctantly compelled
to take up arms, we can never lay them down
until we have obtained ample guarantees against
further aggressions.
Everything, then, urges on us the necessity of
making the most strenuous preparations for the
contest. As we have already repeatedly stated, it
is on our "wooden walls" we must chiefly depend at
this moment. It is to the British navy we must
mainly look for inflicting " the heaviest blows and
greatest discouragement to the enemy." The de-
struction of the Russian fleet and the capture of
Sebastopol and Odessa in the Black Sea, may
easily be accomplished by the combined fleets of
England and France, now ready for action at
the entrance of
that e wh.l h was so lately
but a Russian lake. No addition will be required
to our maritime strength in these waters. All
that is wanting there is, that power should be
fully put forth. It is not enough to compel the
Imperial fleet to remain in quarters, idly floating
in harbour. No ; a lesson was taught at SinoP e
that should not be disregarded, so far as the de-
struction, not of human beings, but of the materiel
of war is concerned. We should sweep the flag
of Russia from the sea ; sink, burn, and destroy
her vessels of war, wherever and whenever they
may be encountered ; and if we do not annihilate,
her commerce. So far for the
at least suspend,
fleet. Meanwhile the troops now embarking for
the seat of war will not only prevent the crossing
of the Danube by the Muscovites, and the
further invasion of the dominions of the
SULTAN, but will aid in driving back the
foe beyond the Pruth, and possibly in carrying
the war into the enemy's country. When the
standards of England and France float proudly
side by side—when every man is " thrice armed"
in the justice of his quarrel, what is there to
fear in that quarter ?
But are these efforts, vigorous and energetic as
they may be, sufficient for our purposes ? Most
certainly not. It is in the Baltic, not
in the Black Sea, that the decisive blow
must be struck—that Russia must be made
to feel the impolicy, as well as the injustice,
a it or Conduct—that the avenging NEXEsIS