The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-26 00:00:00

THE ARTILLERY COMPANY.

The annual inspection of the members of the Hon.
Artillery Company of the city of London took place in
their grounds, in Finsbury-square, yesterday, before his
Royal Highness Prince Albert.
A very large number of invitations had been issued,
and as the day was beautifully fine, the friends of the
members of the company strongly mustered early. The
space in front of the artillery ground was crowded with
elegantly-dressed ladies, who took very great interest in
the proceedings of the day.
Shortly after twelve o'clock his Royal Highness, ac-
compaied by Colonel Bouverie and Colonel Phipps, en-
tered the ground in one of the royal carriages, and was
received with a salute from the guns of the company,
which were drawn up in the front of the Artillery-house.
His Royal Highness proceeded on to the ground upon a
beautifully-caparisoned charger, and the review com-
menced.
The corps were put through their evolutions by Ad-
jutant Snell. They marched past the Prince in slow,
quick, and double quick time. They then loaded with
cartridges and performed platoon exercise, in column,
line, and square—the last extremely well managed. The
regiment then advanced in parade order, and at the con-
clusion of the review his Royal Highness complimented
the officers upon the manner in which the members o'
the corps had conducted themselves in their military
exercises.

His Royal Highness left the ground shortly after one
o'clock.

The review was most satisfactory in itself; we wish
we could extend our praise to the arrangements for tht
accommodation of the visitors.

LADY LISTER KAYE'S NEW WORE, " BRITISH
HOMES AND FOREIGN WANDERINGS," iII 2 vols is
published this day by Mr. Coltman, and may be ad of
all booksellers. Also, just published-2. Mr. Disraeli',
" Coningsby," cheap Standard Edition, with a new Pre
face, 1 vol., 63. bound. 3. Adventures of a Greek Lady.
the adopted daughter of the late Queen Caroline, writ-
ten by herself, 2 vols., 21s. 4. Captain Marryat's new
novel, " Valerie," 2 vols. 5. King Arthur, by Sir E
Bulwer Lytton, 2 vols., 153. 6. Mrs. Trollope's nea
novel, " The Lottery of Marriage," 3 vols. 8. Lad,
Alice; or, The New Una, 3 vols.
PRESENT FROM THE IMAUM OF MUSCAT TO THE
QUEER OF ENGLAND.—The ship Artemisia, Captaii
Hemmett, arrived in the London Docks on Saturday
from Zanzibar. Her mid-deck is fitted up a temporary
six stall stable, which contains five Arabian horses, four
greys and a bay, of a small, but singularly perfect make.
although somewhat out of condition from a long sea
voyage. These horses, with another which died on th,
passage, were sent over for presentation to her Majesty
from the Icing of Muscat, and will be landed this day
and sent forthwith to the royal stables at Buckinghan
Palace. Whilst at sea their provender was oil-seed an.
dates. The Artemisia has been brought here by at
Arab crew, assisted by an English boatswain. The dress
and appearances of the Arabs is very picturesque, con
trasting strangely with that of our seamen in the sam.
docks. This ship and crew have excited much interest

THE NA.PIER, ALARUM.
(From the Examiner.)
It is some time since we heard one of Sir Charles Na-
pier's loud notes of alarm, for Sir Charles Napier has
been employed, and when employed his mind is always
at ease, and untroubled with vain fears; but when the
period of command ceases, the want of occup iti m is
pregnant with dissatisfaction and panic, as idleness pro-
verbially is with mischief. An experimental squadron
or station is a thing to calm the gallant Admiral, and to
assure him of the safety of the country; perhaps because,
when ho finds himself entrusted with an active part of
the duty of guarding it, he feels the best guarantee for
its security, and can cheerfully pronounce an all well's.
But just now all's ill. The Admiral is not afloat, and
everything is out of order at home and menacing abroad,
as appears in a terrible fee-fa-furn epistle in the Times,
beginning, rationally enough with the defects in the
construction of steam-ships, and the causes thereof, but
ending with all sorts of wild alarms, doleful representa-
tions of our weakness, and appalling ones on the other
side, of the strength of the French. Our sole comfort is
that we see on the other side of the water statements the
precise counterpart; setting forth the insignificance of
the French naval force and resources, and the over-
whelming superiority of the British.
The signature of this dismal letter is a key to its lan-
guage. " Late Commander-in• Chief of the Channel
Squadron" signifies that of late things were not so much
amiss, or, that the Admiral when occupied with his coma
mand had not the leisure to survey the disorder in our
dockyards, or the threatening aspect of foreign affairs.
France has sent an army to Rome, ergo France may
send an army to London. The French went to Rome
without telling the Romans they were coming, and so
the French may come to London without telling the
Londoners they are coming. Such are the sage views
of Sir Charles Napier; who perceives that no distinction
is to be taken between the powers of Rome and the
powers of Great Britain, and all that can be done with
impunity to a State the most weak and distracted may
be done equally to one the most united and potent.
A very brave man remarked that he was not bold
enough to be afraid. But when brave men do take
fright there is no fright like their fright. A Napier
knows that he may be afraid to any degree of irrationa-
lity without any hazard to his established repute for
dauntless courage. He has carte blanche for panic.
Nay more, he relies upon the argument, that when so
bravo a man is in such a fright we ought all to be quak-
ing in our shoes, or shaken with a delirium tremens.
Sir Charles strongly recommends Lord John Russell
to be vehemently alarmed. He desires the Premier to
remember many things he possibly never knew, such as
that our fleet might have been beaten by the French in
Syria.
" Has your Lordship forgotten the affair of Syria,
when war was on the point of being declared, and our
ships were lying for months at Spithead waiting for
men, and the French so superior to us that we might
have been beaten in detail? If your Lordship has for-
gotten it, I have not. Has your Lordship forgotten the
affair at Otaheitie, when we were powerless, and even
torced to patch it up, and I doubt if the indemnity is
paid to this day? Has your Lordship forgotten that we
sent a fleet to Copenhagen and stole the Danish fleet in
profound peace, without declaring war? Has your
Lordship forgotten that we sent a squadron to intercert
the Spanish galleons, without declaring war? Has your
Lordship forgotten bow this country was bamboozled by
France about the Spanish marriages, and that by a
regular Government, notwithstanding the entente cor-
diale? and has your Lordship forgotten the Duke of
Wellington's letter, in which ho exposes the defenceless
state of the country?"
As for the present aspect of things, Sir Charles, see-
ing that all Europe has run mad, thinks it suitable that
we should run mad too, and put ourselves in a state of
preparation against French invasion. He to this end
most fully instruc:s the Premier; neglecting no details,
but directing him as to all he should do for the protec-
tion of the country; not only informing him that he
should man the Blenheim and the Ajax to save us, but
how they should bo manned from the Excellent. We
were about to say that one grand measure of precaution
was omitted in these instructions, namely, the appoint-
ment of Sir Charles Napier to the command of our fleets;
but on consideration it seems better that he should re-
main unemployed at present, in which state he serves on
the look-out, detects all detects in the naval manage-
ment, discerns all dangers abroad, and has ready cut
and dried the infallible means of averting them. If a
command were given to the Gallant Admiral, we should
forthwith be deprived of the inestimable benefit of these
revelations and recommendations; and Lord John
Russell would be without a counsellor, the gain of the
fleet in one way being the Minister's loss in another.
Excellent, however, are the uses of our Napier; inas-
much as when employed we have in him one of the bravest
' and best officers, and when not employed, a watchman
not to be surprised by any danger, inasmuch as he an-
ticipates all, and does not trouble himself about degrees,
but signals them all as of the first magnitude.
But let us hear the warning and the exhortation:—
" 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; lam 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
Rome—ask them to reduce their enormous army—and
no man will be happier than I shall be to see all our
establishments reduced. But, until he has got his arbi-
tration 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 commissioned—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 Denmark and Germany; let this squadron assemble
et 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,
or3er 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 nut 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 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 goof
sailing ships into bad
steamers at an 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-Chief of the Channel
Squadron."
The one thing needful, to put the whole strength of
the dockyards on the steam-vessels on the stocks, is
somewhat inconsistent with a preceding argument, that
the right mode of constructing a steam-ship has yet to
be devised; the plans of the engineer and the shipbuilder.
and the views of the practical seaman, never having been
brought into harmony and concert, or attempted to be
brought into harmony and concert. According to Sir
Charles's representation, how would the efficiency of our
navy be improved by adding to it a number of steam-
ships unable to carry or to work their main-deck guns?
The miscarriages in building are certainly a disgrace
to the service, but we deny the assertion of Sir Charles
Napier, that the same reproach does not attach to our
neighbours; and defective as our steam-ships are, they
are generally vastly superior to the French, and incom-
parably less liable to disasters.
To improve our navy to the utmost on its scale, not to
extend it, is the proper course now; and egregiously are
we mistaken if Sir Charles Napier can frighten the
Government, the Parliament, and the People," out
. .

of their wits and out of their money by his exaggerated
statements and preposterous apprehensions. The coml•
try is every now and then ready to be frightened. Like
Ally Croker, it has its moments when it hugs some
chimera "to make it uneasy." But it had the quaking
fit two years ago, and the period is not come for a return
of the ague. Sir Charles Napier will not find a single
old woman afraid of the French at this juncture; we are
all of us much more afraid for them than of them.
John Bull must not have practised upon him the tricks
that were played off upon Sancho Panza in his island,
when an alarm that the isle was attacked frightened him
into a suit of mail; incased in which, like a hog in
armour, he was knocked down and kicked and cuffed
4bout by the defenders of his dominions, trampling upon
Sancho most mercilessly while they were clamouring
about the protection of his person and property.