The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-28 00:00:00

embarkation, at Old Fort. Then would come
" the tug of war." But we do not suppose that
tl ►e Russians would hazard a general or decisive
battle in the open field. Their aim would rather
'be to harass or delay the invading army, and not
to risk a serious encounter until they could do so
behind stone-walls, protected by the redoubts and
batteries erected during the period of inaction,
while full information was given of our ultimate
intentions. It is more than probable that the
Fabian policy pursued with so much success by
I BARCLAY, ToLLY, and BAGRATION, in 1812, will
be adopted. The circumstances are, however,
,ery different. The system of retiring day after
day, leaving nothing but devastation in its
train, though it might have answered in the
heart of Russia, in 1812, would be of
but little benefit on the shores of the
Crimea, where abundant stores could be supplied
by the numerous steamers engaged for the Allies.
We believe, then, that though there may be seve-
ral skirmishes, there will be no serious encounter
until the Allied Forces approach the entrenched
heights above Sebastopol. The formidable strug-
gle will take place there ; and when they are
stormed, the fate of Sebastopol cannot be long
deferred. Humanly speaking, we may anticipate
the complete destruction of the Russian fleet and
arsenal long within the period allowed for our
operations.

We need only add, that the reserve force was
to embark on the 18th, so that they would pro-
bably rejoin their comrades by the 21st or 22d
at the latest.

Our domestic political quarrels one after an-
other become matter of history, yet they do not
appear to lessen the materials for Constitutional
struggles. Hardly is one ended when it is found
that another was ripening behind the last, and,
perhaps, only hindered by it from forcing itself
into prominence. Probably our " Venerable Con-
stitution," like our frail personal constitutions,
needs the constant reaction of opposed organisms
for the continuance of sound health. Such a belief
is, at least, both common and very consolatory, for
those who must share in the interminable strifes
which will arise when men are really free. Even
in America they contrive to keep up Whig and
Democratic parties, the Whigs of that Paradise
of white-skinned liberty being gentlemen whom
the RUSSELLS, GREYS, and LANSDOWNES Of this
country would denounce as superlatively extreme
Radicals. Republics, as well as Autocracies,
must have their " ins" and " outs," their pull-
back and push-forward parties, and the only
difference seems to be that under the latter,
Siberia or the bowstring is too commonly the fate
of the unsuccessful, while under a republic the
mortification of being in a minority is the worst
result.

It is happy, too, for the stability of our in-
stitutions, that while a few in all the great
quarrels retain their prejudices with their
lives, the vast majority of our hold-back
party frankly accommodate themselves to the
settlement effected by the majority, and often
manfully avow that it works better than they had
feared. We are much gratified to. find Mr.
HEN LEY amongst those nobler specimens of Eng-
lish Csmservatism ; we are almost as proud of
the English good sense and temper, which adopt
cordially a system which had been long resisted,
as of the ability and energy which planned and
carried some great reform. It is the want of
this quality in which most of our Continental
neighbours are so deficient, which makes Con-
stitutional Government so difficult to work among
them. Mr. HENLEY, at the Agricultural Meet-
ing at Chipping Norton, instead of repeating to
the farmers before him any of the usual and
dolorous old forebodings, frankly expressed
his conviction that English wheat would always
command English prices, that the continental
prices would be raised more than ours seriously
depressed, and that, grow as much as we would,
we should still pay for it what the richest nation in
the world could afford to give. He sees that our
consumption must increase at least as fast as the
productive power of our agriculturists, and that
the lowering effect of foreign supplies must always
be checked by the rise in the ports of purchase,
and the cost of freight. With such, now, verified
facts before him, Mr. HEN LEY counsels the farmers
to imitate their best customer.:, the manufacturers,
and endeavour to increase their production indefi-
nitely. He expresses his confidence in theirskill and.
1 energy, and has no fear of the result. He even turns
the tables on the manufacturers, by suggesting
that if they could no more increase the number
of their mills than the farmer can of his acres,
they might not, perhaps, have doubled their pro-
duce. We must say, however, for our manufac-
turing friends, that they have by improvements in
machinery certainly made each mill do at least
the work of two, more probably of three
or four, of the old ones. Such a speech
as Mr. HENLEY'S is proof enough that
not merely is a Protectionist policy abandoned
for ever, but that the old Protectionist feeling is
dying out.

As we observed, however, some quarrel must
soon spring up to supply its place. The War will
not last for ever, we trust not for long, though
we can see causes at work which may pro-
tract it till the suppressed nationalities of
Europe get their own. At home, however, there
is obviously one question which is forcing itself
more and more upon public attention, and which
we venture to surmise will be the next grand
subject of political struggle. We do not advert
to Reform, not even to the only real reform of
the Ballot, the electors understand that subject, and
mean, without much further discussion, to have
something better than the still-born babe, over whose
interment its stoical parent softened into some" natu-
ral tears." The struggle, which we regard as begin-
ning to become a great one, is that on the rela-
tions between Church and State. It meets us now
at every turn, in the colonies as well as at home,
and the position of the combatants is totally
changed from that which they took some thirty
years ago. Then Catholics were struggling for
emancipation from frightful penal laws, as well as
from political disabilities. Protestant Dissenters
were humbly petitioning for the repeal of the
Test and Corporation Acts, and hardly dared
to think of opposing a Church Rate, much
less on the ground of the equal claims of all
sects. Ireland was crushed, and Scotland was
quiet—we mean ecclesiastically. On the other
hand the Church assumed that its priority of
privilege was unquestionable and unquestioned ;
and even the Scottish Establishment, with its
assembly of Doctors of Divinity and Elders, felt
herself as secure as she could wish. How changed
now is all this ! Toleration is scouted as igno-
minious, as a mere ticket-of-leave freedom, and
religious equality is now the demand of all
the unprivileged. A member of the House
of Commons, destined, if his life be spared,
as we trust it will be, to be a distin-
guished member of the House of Peers, even
publishes to his fellow-members that equality of
religious privileges is the obvious tendency of the
age- For this he is taunted by one who should
be the leader on questions of religious liberty,
Looking Church Rates. with using arguments which would subvert much
more than
Nor is the charge de-
nied.ari:teunsd., we see Anti-State-
Churchmen rising
into great influence, and not
despicable in point
of numbers in the House of
we see, moreover, Roman Catholics
Ctakingonommts ;
their own independent course, and the
Free Church in Scotland far more powerful both
than the old Church.
, while the Religious
II numerically and politically
Then Church-rate battles are universal, and are
d the mind of the
foughts ohnast h
ae
lbmr
oo
sa
td ersetv go
iruo
tui no dn s e
Legislature itself. The friends of Church Endow-
men is are become the apologists, and their oppo-
nents speak as if theory and fact were both on their
side. Churchmen themselves are demonstrating
the power of Voluntaryism, who are vastly increas-
ing Church accommodation on every side ; and
the Voluntaries, now an acknowledged party, are
triumphantly pleading the Churchmalfe own