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 np 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 Both 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 bard the breath, and bend up every spirit
To Lis 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, noc 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. Uwe 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 a rnri, we can never lay them down
until we hav,, (-,1)`.4i!1e41 aalple guarantees against
further an r?sil o

Everything, then, urges on us the necessity of 1•
making the most :,; i.enuous preparations for the I
contest. As we have already repeatedly stated, it
is on our "wooden walls" we must chiefly depend at
this mcmicut. It is to the British navy we must
mainly look for inflicting " the heaviest blows and
greatest discouragement to the enemy." The de-
-Btruction of the Russian fleet and the capture of
4-ebastopol and Odessa in the Black Sea, may
easilY be accomplished by the combined fleets of
tinglaudand France, now ready for action at
entrance of that which was so lately
hut 'a Russian lake. No addition will be required
•to our maritime strength in these waters. All
that is wanting
Ithere is, that power should be
fully put forth
Imperial fleet to tis not enough to compel the
\Toremain in quarters, idly floating
in harbour.
not
be
disregard: ap, lesson was taught at Sino
'that should l, so far as the de-
struction, not of hurrytwbeings, bat of the materiel 1
of war is concerned.
should sweep the flag
of Russia from the sea ; sink,
burn and destroy
her vessels of war, Wherever and '' .
whenever they
iLoy b-i encountered ; and if we do not annihilate,
at least suspend, her commerce. So far for the
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 doininions of the
SULTAN, but will aid in driving back the
foe beyond the Prnth, and' possibly in carryingthe wat into the enemy s country. When the
standards of England and France float proudly
man is " thrice armed"
side by side—when every
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, suffici_mt for our purpses ? 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,
of her conduct —that the avenging NEMESIS