The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-21 00:00:00

SPANISH DONKEY-DRIVERS.

" The only drawback to the perfect enjoyment of this
lovely scene arose from the conduct of my guide, who
was much given to profane swearing, and unmerciful
usage of his burro.' On remonstrating with him in
regard to his cruelty, he chose to be offended, and
offered me advice in his turn :

" Take care, Senor,' said he, how you interfere be-
tween a man and his donkey, which is just as bad as
interfering between a man and his wife; and if you do,
perhaps you may get the answer of Torquemada cast in
your teeth.'
" What was that?' I inquired.
" Why it so happened that Torquemada was beating
his donkey very severely, when a courtier came by and
bade him be more merciful to his beast. " I sbell do so
for the future," said Torquemsda, "since I now find he is
a relation of yours from the interest you take in him."
Wasn't that well said, Senor?'

" ' Passing well for a beater of donkeys.' "
SPANISH DANCING.

" In Britain a quadrille is generally a solemn affair,
but here it is far worse; not because the performers feel
ill at ease during their saltatory exhibition, but from the
circumstance that the variety of difficult passages and
shakes to which they condemn their lower members is
such as can only be executed by means of much agility,
and the utmost concentration of their faculties to the one
purpose. Hence no dancers upon the tight-rope can
look more anxious and thoughtful than those in Spanish
ball-rooms when a quadrille is in progress."
The above extracts are illustrative of the manners
and peculiarities of the country. The more interest-
ing portions of the work, the legendary tales and
travelling adventures, are too long to be quoted here.

INTRODUCTORY LE CTUREontheDUTIES
and REQUIREMENTS of BRITISH OF
FICERS, delivered at Howell College, Middle-
sex, on the 11th of October, 1849. By J. H.
Stocqueler, Esq., Military Examiner.
Mr. Stocqueler, a gentleman well known in the
military, political, and literary world, recently
delivered the above lecture to the students at
Hanwell College, which is so excellently presided
over by the Rev. Dr. Emerson. In his opening
paragraph Mr. Stocqueler thus effectually disposes
of the nauseous charlatanisms of the paix a tout
prix sect .-
1 "In commencing a series of lectures upon the Art of
War, and the profession of the Soldier, beneath the roof
of one whose mission is essentially peaceful, I feel it due
to him to premise that I enter upon the task in the full
conviction that there is nothing inconsistent with the
office of the pastor in the inculcation of a love of the
Military sciences. At the present moment there is a
great outcry in France, Belgium, England, and America,
upon the subject of war. Men are leagued together for
the purpose of endeavouring to provide a substitute for
the arbitrement of the sword, and war is denounced as
a cruel, absurd, and expensive method of arriving at
great public ends. It is impossible not to respect the
motives of these philanthropists, but I feel it more than
difficult to discover the utility of the agitation they have
commenced, or to assent to the propositions which form
the sequel to their leading argument. War is a great
curse,' say they.—Granted. •It is the duty of every
Christian to avoid, and put an end to war all over the
wt rld.'—Admitted. Abolish armies and navies, the
instiuments of war, and you have taken the first great
step towards the extinction of the curse.'—There we join
issue. If armies and ffiets were merely used fur aggres-
sive purposes, the postulate would hold good; but, inas-
much as they are chiefly maintained as agents of national
defence, the argument goes for nothing. I grant that,
if the whole of the nations of the earth, civilized and
uncivilized, were simultaneously to lay down their arms
for ever, human blood would cease to be shed in the
quarrels of mankind; but, since such a consummation is
impossible, we must repudiate the ideas of the Peace
advocates as perfectly Utopian. It would be manifestly
absurd for any single nation to disarm. As surely as it
did so, its neighbour would seek some pretext for a dis-
pute, and pounce upon the undefended soil. Before men
can afford to become entirely passive, human passions
must be annihilated. What is a nation but an aggre-
gate of individuals possessed of desires, hopes, fears?