The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-26 00:00:00

MR- COBDEN

AND UNIVERSAL
PEACE.:,
T.be following letter has been addressed by Mr.
Cobden to Mr. Sturge in reply to an invitation to
take part in the proceedings of the Peace Congress
it Brussels:—

" Hayling Island, Rants, Sept. 16.
"My dear Sturge,--I regret my inability to ac-
cept the invitation to the. Congress at Brussels, but I
beg you to be the bearer .of my best wishes for the
success of your peaceful demonstration.
"My opinion is asked upon three propositions
which are to be submitted to the Congress :
" 1. The expediency of recommending the inser-
tion of an arbitration clause in all international trea-
ties, by which questions of dispute shall be settled by
mediation.'

" I cordially approve of this proposition ; but may
I be allowed to suggest, that it will be better to re-
commend that treaties be entered into for the express
purpose of binding the contracting nations to submit
their future quarrels to the decision of arbitrators ? I
do not think that it would be easy to find an object
more worthy of a separate treaty than that which is
contemplated in this clause.
" 2. The propriety of establishing a congress of
nations to form an international code.'

" Until I hear the arzuments upon which it is
founded I shall bc in dJubt as to the policy of this
recommendation.
" 3. To recommend as a matter of primary im
portance, ueneral disarmament to the several Govern-
ments of Christendom.'

" I hope the Congress will try to open the eyes of
all the nations of Europe to the enormous expense
and waste occasioned by their standing armaments.
" To accomplish this object you need only to pub-
lish in the different continental languages a few
simple facts. 'When I was last year travelling over
the continent, I took some pains to be correct in the
ifflovving statistical details :
" Behr in mind that no revolutionary symptoms
had then appeared, and that the armaments have been
everywhere increased during the present year. I
estimated the total effective force of the regular
armies of Europe in 1847, including that of Great
Britain, to amount to upwards of 2,200,000 men ;
and the number employed on ships of war to
exceed 150,000 ; making together 2,350,000 re-
gular soldiers and sailors. The National Guards
of France and Switzerland, the Landwehr of Ger-
many, and other bodies liable to temporary military
service, I put down at a very moderate estimate—at
1,000,000. Add to these the armed police, civic
guards, gensd'armerie, and Custom-house officers, and
you will have a total of nearly 4,000,000 of men with
arms in their hands. But, confine our attention for
a moment to the 2,350,000 regular soldiers and
sailors. This is called the peace establishment; but
doubt whether in the most active period of Napo-
leon's wars there was so large an effective armed
force in Earope. There might have been a greater
number on paper, but a far larger proportion was in
hospital, or rendered non-effective from other causes.
It is not ea.sy to compute the precise cost of these ar-
maments. If the total expense on the continent bore
the same proportion per head as in England (but
this would be an exaggerated estimate) the direct
charge for the regular forces alone would

amount to 250,000,000/. sterling per annum.
There is, however, a very large expense in-
curred for maintaining and repairing fortified
places on the continent from which England is in a
great measure exempt. Then we must bear in mind
that the men who are thus wholly withdrawn from
productive labour are all in the vigour and prime of
life ; and assuming that they would be capable of
producing, in agriculture or manufactures, wealth to
the amount of 501. a year each—a very moderate
estimate—it amounts to an additional loss of
icto,croo,oool. per annum. I have put down nothing
ibr the cost of the arms and accoutrements of the
National Guards and Land cvehr; or for the value of
the labour which they withdraw from private pur-
suits and devote to occasional military services.
Without attempting any exactness in my estimate, I
will obviate all objections by understating the case,
and therefore shall content myself by asserting that
the cost of the standing armaments of Europe, exclu-
sive of police, amounts to more than 200,000,0001.
sterling a year. This enormous burden must have
greatly aggravated the sufferings of the industrious
populations during the late bad seasons, and may
have partly caused that discontent which has so often
ended in revolution.

Kit may be objected that I appeal to low motives
in thus dwelling upon the pecuniary view of the
question. True. But if the New Testament has
failed to inspire Christian nations with faith in the
principles of peace, I may surely be excused if I
demonstrate how costly is their reliance for defence
upon the spirit of war. Where Jenner found all his
appeals to the humanity of certain parochial authori-
ties fail, he at last succeeded in persuading them to
adopt his discovery by proving that it would cost
less to vaccinate the poor than to pay for coffins for
those who died of the smallpox. But there is no
danger of the Congress losing sight of the moral
aspect of the question. The modern system (for it is
of modern growth) of maintaining huge standing ar-
maments in time of peace, is a scandal to the boasted
cwiliration of the age. It proclaims to the world a
total want of confidence on the part of each European
state in the peaceful professions of the others—thus
carrying us back to that state of society when barba-
rous tribes were constantly armed, expecting every
moment to be attacked by their savage neighbours.
You will probably be treated with ridicule on the
continent, as I have been in England, for advocating
such a Utopian scheme as a general disarmament.
The larger portion of mankind are, perhaps, at present
opposed to, or indifferent to, our views. But we know
that in contending for a principle based upon truth
and sanctioned by the law of God, we have only to
persevere to convert our minority into a majority.
Your Congress will be the protest of this minority
against a system repugnant alike to humanity and
common sense ; and I can only repeat the regret I
feel in not being able to take a part personally in your
proceedings ; and believe me,
"My dear Sturge, faithfully yours,
" RICHARD COBDEN.
" Mr. Joseph Sturge, Birmingham."

BRISTOL FREE PORT Assocurtotc—The annual
meeting of this association was held in the Guildhall of
the City of Bristol yesterday, and was most respectably
attended. The Mayor presided. The principal speakers
on this occasion were Messrs. Bright, Habenfield, Aiken,
Wells, Ford, Dr. Green, Soc. Resolutions congratulatory
of the success which had attended the formation and pro-
gress of the rocioty were passed, as were vot.ts of thanks
to those gentlemen who had contributed to that success
by their effirts. The large room of the Guildhall, in
which the -proceedings were conducted, was crowded
with people. It appeared from the report that the pros-
pects of the association were favourable, and that every-
thing w.s in a satisfactory state. It was shown that
during the great commercial crisis which affected mer-
chants of the highest eminence in London, Liverpool,
and elsewhere, the Bristol merchants have stood arm,
and in consequence the increase in her shipping had
been 25 per cent. The business was terminated by a
Cote of thanks to the Mayor, which was carried by ac-
clamation.
WELCH EDUCATION.—t-Ter Majesty and his Royal
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Highness Prince Albert have been gracif.u.ly pleased to '
contribute 1001., On the part of his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales, to the Weida- Educational Institution at
Llandovery, recently endowed by the venerable and be-
nevolent Cambrian, Thomas Phillips, who has given
5,000/. for the purpose of enabling the inhabitants of the
principality to obtain as good an education as is to be
found in the best public schools of England or Scotland,
combined with a thorough knowledge of their own lan-
guage, the culture of which, besides its intrinsic value to
the antiquarian and philologist, is the only true key to
the affecrions of the people and the best means of pro-
moting the interesta of religion. Had former Sovereigns
thus judiciously encouraged the best objects of life by
assisting the education of their Celtic subjects by means
in unison with the natural genius of the people, the influ-
ence of dissent would never have predominated as it does ,
at present.
FALL OP the ENCLOSURE WALL AT THE STANLEY
Docit,—At an early hour yesterday (Wednesday)
InorninK about 45 yards of the walls which surrounds
and encloses the Stanley Dock fell with a tremendous
crash. It will be remembered that the Stanley Dock is
one-of the new north (internal) docks, which runs be-
tween Waterloo-road and Great Howard-street. The
wall in queoion,which was 19 inches in thickness, 14 feet in
height, and entirely built of brick, faced Great Howard-
Street, and it is suppo,nd thttt its fall was occasioned by
an immense number ~f square sets for paving having
been placed outside of it ready for use. They pressed
agitinst it, and, as, there were no buttresses erected inside
for its support, they forced it from its foundation, and
carried, as we have said, 45 yard: of it down. The
whole of the 45 yards fell inside upon the dock quay,
where there was a porter at the time keeping watch
over the steamers and vessels lying alongside ; but
We are happy,
.will probably, to say he escaped uninjured. The
damage
probabli be about 100/., in addition to
the cost of erecting buttresses round the whole of the
enclosure walls of the
new north docks to prevent the
occurrence of
similar c
Times. emulates in future.—Liverpool
HumAtir LIP' ESTIMILT
ingenious anchor asserts, that7heleirngrthuLosfaaTlmONan.7s PULSATION.—An
may be estimated by the numbert of pulsations he has
stsength to perform.
the common a Thus, allowing seventy years for
ge of man, and sixty pulses in a minute
atemperate ' for the common measure of pulses in
person,
the number of pulsations in his whole life
would amount
E to 2,207,520,000; but if by intemperancehef °" his
• blood into a more rapid motion, so as to give rSeventy.five pulses in a minute, the same number of pulses would
be completed in fifty-six years, consequently his life
would be reduced fourteen years.
DEVONPORT, SATURDAY.—The Hon. General and
I:'_ar.,..;( Mrs. Murray received the Lords of the Admiralty and a
select circle at dinner, on Friday, at the Government
•House,• including the Duke and Duchess of Marl-
borough, the Earl and Countess of Morley, the Earl of
f;•:::,Auckland, Lord John hay, Sir John and Lady Jones,
Admiral Dundas (the Commander-in-Chief), Sir W.
Gage, Sir Baldwin Walker, Captain Lden, Mr.
Ward, &c,

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