The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-11 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1871

THE charge by the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals against the assistant surveyor
and the road foreman of Marylebone deserves pub-
lic attention. One of the most frequented
thoroughfares in London, Regent-street, had been
mended in the good old style by throwing upon it

layers of those sharp granite stones which w ere invented
in a remote age by some genius for the torment of
dumb animals. The usual consequence—the laming
of horses—followed. To employ these stones for
paving is a needless cruelty and infliction of injury
at any time, for the advantages of the steam roller
have been confessed even by the parochial intellect,
and there ought to be no longer any delay in its
general adoption. In this case, however, the stones
were laid down in frostytweather, when it was im-
possible for them to amalgamate with the
original pavement, even at the customary
price of so many lamed horses. Further, the
parish, it seems, possesses a steam-roller, which was
not brought into operation—possibly because, though
it was needful in deference to public opinion to get
a roller, it was equally needful in deference to the
parochial spirit of economy never to get steam
up.• It is scarcely to be expected that any legal
punishment can be inflicted for this reckless
folly. The pavement is in the hands of the
parochial authorities, and they possess a sort of
vested right to torture horses and depreciate people's
property as they please. But if they
would only try the experiment of paving the streets
in a reasonable manner, they would find that they
not only avoided an outrage upon the feelings of the
ordinarily humane public, but that they secured a
saving in money for themselves. The pavement
made by the steam roller is cheaper than the ordin-
ary layers of loose stones. The loose stones, after
they have done their duty on the feet of the
horses, pulverise into dust, for the benefit of the
eyes of, passengers. The pavement made by the
roller is solid, as smooth as a table top, and lasts a
long time. But if we cannot even yet get the steam
roller introduced to English streets and roads, the
common precautions of mixing gravel with the
atones so as to protect the horses' feet, and of re-
pairing the pavement in reasonable weather, ought
at least to be insisted upon.

BOTH Mr. DISRAELI and the Duke of RICHMOND
committed the same fallacy respecting our military
forces in dealing with the subject in the debate on
the Address. Both confounded retrenchment
of expenditure with reductim of military
power, and lavish outlay with the efficiency
of the army. This is, indeed, we regret to say, the
common mistake of the Conservatives. Their sole
nostrum for improving the state of the army is to
spend so much more money. Add a few millions to
the estimates, add a few thousand men to the regular
troops such is the extent of their states-
manship in military matters. It is. necessary
that the country should be rigorously on
its guard against committing itself to this kind of
delusion. It is true that an army cannot be hail
without money. But the same sum may purchase
a very inferior or a, very superior kind of
article, according to the manner in which it
is laid out. Our present military system is
the most wasteful that exists, or ever did exist, in
the world'. For a sum ,equal to that spent on the
whole Prussian army we get a force equal to only
one Prussian Army Corps. It is impossible that we
"should establish a force nearly approaching to the
'continental scale at the same rate of cost. No
nation could bear such a burden. When, therefore)