The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-19 00:00:00

prehension. Lord Lansdowne says we have not remon-
strated as yet with France and Austria. I ask your
Lordship if we are in a condition to remonstrate. When
Rome is taken—which I fear it will be—if we offer any
threat, if we say one offensive word. what is to hinder
the French collecting the very steam vessels that trans-
ported the French army to the capital of the Catholic
world, at Cherbourg, and transporting an army to the
capital of Protestant England ? It may be argued that
the French have their hands full already; that they are
quarrelling amongst themselves. What, my Lord,
would unite them so soon as a war cry ? It appears
the Government have got the better of the Red Republi-
cans. The President, in his speech, tells France that
they have an army of 450,000 men; they have a sailing
navy nearly equal to our own, and a steam navy far su-
perior.

The army seem stanch to their colours, and if we dare
to remonstrate—if we dare to say an offensive word,
were Louis Napoleon to hold up his fingers, and pro-
nounce the name of England, I verily believe the whole
army, Red Republicans and all, would throw up their
caps, and rush to the sea coast, just as the gold diggers
do to California; they would find a rich harvest here,
and easier reaped than by digging; and what, my Lord,
have we to prevent them? If in 1847 it was thought
advisable to have a Channel fleet of six sail of the line,
and as many steamers, when France was quiet and under
a strong Government, is it not more necessary now when
all France, and indeed all Europe, seem to have run
mad? If, my Lord, there was a bridge between Dover
and Calais,' and France was quiet, would you withdraw
your sentinels? Far less ought you to do it when Louis
Philippe is hurled from his throne, and the country in
revolution. There are bridges, my Lord—moveable
bridges. One has already passed from Toulon to Rome
30,000 men; another may pass a still larger force from
Cherbourg to Portland; and yet, my Lord, you have
withdrawn your sentinels, and, at the bidding of Mr.
Cobden and his arbitration party, have turned adrift
4,500 seamen. The First Lord of the Admiralty says
the redactions are not so large as was supposed. He is
mistaken; your reductions are larger; apparently, it is
3,000 men; in reality, it is 4,500, because you had at
least 1,500 men above the estimate.
It may be said I am exposing the nakedness of the
land. The Duke of Wellington's letter has done that
already; but his Grace's letter was not necessary. The
French Government know just as well as we do the force
of every ship of war in the service, the station of every
regiment, the number of our guns, and, I dare say, the
number of the muskets in all our arsenals. I may be
called an alarmist. I confess it ; I am alarmed at our
defenceless state ; and I hope to God I shall alarm the
Government, the Parliament, and the people. Let Mr.
Cobden and his party arbitrate if they will. Let them
go to Paris now, and ask the French to withdraw from
itome—uak thorn to reduce their enormous army—and
no man will be happier than 1 snail be to see all our
establishments reduced. But, until he has got his
arbitration into play, let us, for God's sake, take care
of ourselves. _ _

Your Lordship may say we have already a reserve
steam force which has cost the country millions. That
is true. But what a contemptible force it is—a force
that is quite unequal to contend with France.
Your Lordship may ask what I propose. I will tell
your Lordship. Put the whole strength of your dock-
yards on the steam-vessels (such as they are) now on the
stocks, and get them ready for service.
The Queen has been commissoned—man her and fit
her out as fast as possible; complete the crews of the
Superb and Ganges; man the Blenheim and Ajax screw
steamers out of the Excellent; fit out and arm your best
steam-vessels; and do this at once before your sailors
go to Denmar and Germany; let this squadron assemble
at Spithead. You will then be in a position to arbitrate
or remonstrate if you will. Watch well the progress of
events in the Mediterranean, and if any war take place,
order the fleet home for the protection of our own shores.
Parliament cannot object to this; Mr. Cobden could not
object to it, It is a precaution; it will not be an expen-
sive precaution. If you do not want to press for money
at present, you may suspend works in progress in the
dockyards, that are not pressing. Search closely into all
your departments; ransack the dockyards, and you will
find the means of saving thousands and thousands of
pounds ; appoint a committee of experienced steam
officers to decide how your future steam-vessels shall be
built; give up cutting and carving and changing ships'
bows and sterns; give up converting good sailing ships
into bad steamers at au enormous expense; and look
more strictly at the expense of your dockyards: and you
will have no occasion to go to Parliament for more

money.
I remain, your Lordship's obedient servant,
CHARLES NAPIER, Rear-Admiral,
And late Commander-in-Chiet of the Channel
Squadron.

THE WATERLOO BANQUET.
Last evening the Duke of Wellington gave the annual
banquet at Apsley House, in celebration of the battle of
Waterloo, to the officers who participated in the honours
of that memorable achievement of British valour.
It has been for many years past customary for the no-
bility to make congratulatory visits to the venerable
Duke on this anniversary of one of his most signal vic-
tories, and yesterday above one thousand calls were made
at the ducal residence. His Excellency the Prussian
Minister and Madame Bunsen, his Excellency the Bel-

gian Minister and Madame Van de Weyer, the Austrian
Minister and the Countess Colloredo, his Excellency
Prince Castelcicala, and his Excellency Count Kielman-
segge, being among the Foreign Ministers who made
complimentary visits ; and among the aristocracy
the Duke and Duchess of Richmond, the Duke and
Duchess of Beaufort, the Duke and Duchess of
Northumberland, the Duchess Dowager of North-
umberland, the Marquis and Marchioness of
Salisbury, the Marquis and Marchionees of Ely,
the Marchioness of Conyngham, the Marchioness Dow-
ager of Dcwushire, the Marchioness Dowager of Ely,
the Marquis of Winchester, the Marchioness of Sligo;
Earls Aberdeen, Jersey, Jermyn, Kinnoull, Craven,
Strafford, Chichester, Sandwich, Delawarr, Verulam,
Nelson, Ellenborough, Bandon, Grey, Brownlow, Had-
dington, March, Mulgrave, Normanton, and W tilde-
grave; Countesses Jersey, Craven, Verulam, Nelson,
Dowager Nelson, Haddington, March, Kinnoull, Brown-
low, Sandwich ; Viscounts Beresford, Combermere,
Maynard, Strangford, Somerton, Villiers; Viscountesses
Beresford, Hardinge, Combermere; Lords Colchester,
Braybrocke, John Russell, Ernest Bruce, Henniker,
Seymour, Colville, Willoa.thby de Eresby, De Ros,
Southampton, George Manners, Elphinstone, Forester,
Norreys; Ladies John Russell, C. Villiers, F. Hay, H.
Somerset, Seymour, Colchester, Colville, Fuller, Wil-
loughby de Eresby, Braybrooke, de Ros, Southampton,
Beady Drummond, Rolle, Norreys, Henniker; Sir Robert
and Lady Peel, Sir John and Lady Shelley, Sir Hugh
and Lady Hume Campbell, Sir J. Bailer East, Sir F.
and Lady Lewis, Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Sir Arthur
Ayton, Sir J. W. Riddell, Sir J. M'Gregor, Sir J.
Kirkland, Sir W. Verner, Sir C. W. Thornton, Sir J.
and Lady Antrobus, Sir H. Floyd, Sir F. and Lady
Thesiger, Lady Maria West, Mr. and Lady Mary
Ross, &c.
As is invariably the case, a vast crowd of curious
spectitors congregated in Piccadilly to witness the arri-
val of the gallant veterans to the banquet, but on this
occasion the assemblage far outnumbered what had been
previously seen, for there could not have been less than
4,000 individuals mustered. At both entrances to the
courtyard of Apsley House a great many equipages of
the nobility and equestrians had collected, among which
were numerous members of the nobility. Notwithstand-
ing the public interest without, and the occasional stop-
page of public vehicles, the best order was enforced by a
powerful body of the C division of police, commanded by
the able Superintendent Beresford, and consequently no
interruption occurred.
The gallant and distinguished personages invited to
this purely national entertainment began to arrive at
seven o'clock; and when the Marquis of Anglesey and
Viscount Hardinge arrived they were recognised by the
populace and warmly cheered.
The band of the Grenadier Guards was in attendance
in the inner vestibule, and as the Waterloo heroes passed
through, played suitable martial airs.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert arrived at twenty
minutes past seven o'clock, attended by the Marquis of
Abercorn, Colonel E. P. Bouverie, and Colonel Buckley.
Immediately on the royal carriage approaching the man-
sion, the illustrious consort of our beloved Sovereign was
welcomed by repeated bursts of applause from the crowd
of persons. The Duke of Wellington, attired in the full
uniform of a field-marshal in the British army, came to
the portico to receive the Prince, and the greeting was
cordial in the extreme.
The Noble Duke conducted his illustrious guests to
the saloon, in which the whole of the Waterloo officers
had collected previously to the banquet, to all of whom
the Prince bowed his respects. The Prince was in the
full review uniform of the Scots Fusilier Guards, and
this year the Marquis: of Anglesey wore the uniform of
the Royal Horse Guards, the Marquis, on other occa-
sions, having appeared in his old venerated habiliments
as Colonel of the 7th Hussars, which he seemed to have
been loath to doff.
It is quite unnecessary to enter on any detail of the
gorgeous embellishments of the sumptuously arranged
gallery in which this banquet
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banquetting board was illuminated chiefly from the valu-
able
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ay, of the Duke's
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candelabra presented to the Duke by the late
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asanacknowledgment
Count o s equestrian statues of
Napoleon, the Duke, and the Queen, and massive can-
delabra, were the principal features on the table, if we
may except two luxuriant dwarf vines, bearing a super-
fluity of fruit of the most exuberant culture, a present
from a Mr. Beaufoy, and some enormous pines the
Duke was presented with from an equally kind admirer.
At each end of the gallery was a beaufet, crowded
with gold plate, in the shape of gold salvers, candelabra,
&c. Flaxman's celebrated shield was among the conspi-
cuous objects that met the eye, and also the handsome
tribute, the candelabra presented to his Grace by
the gtiff
citizens of London, and the superb gold vase,
of the nobility of his native country.
We are gratified to say the mortality among the'' gay
soldiers" who shared the glories and dangers of Wa-
terloo, has this year not been so serious as might haved
been anticipated, for only one general officer has passed
to 66 that bourne from whence no traveller returns " ex-
cept the lamented King of the Netherlands.
• dd.
Noble and Gallant Duke, a
The guests guests of the
Lion to Field-Marshal his Royal Higness Prince
Marquis of Abercorn (groom of the
Albert, and the
stole to the Royal Prince) were all Waterloo officers,
and included—
His Excellency General Prince Castelcicala, the
Neapolitan Minister.
His Excellency Major-General Count Kielmansegge,
the Hanoverian Minister, and of the British army.
Field-Marshal the Marquess of Anglesey, E.G..
sad G.C.H., colonel of the Royal Horse Guards,