The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-04 00:00:00

THE WAR IN EUROPE.

The gathering cloud has broken at last. War has beers
declared in Europe, and so well prepared for it are the con-
tending nations that before these words reach our readers•
there may have been a battle between the two armies.
Now that peaceful relations have been ruptured we can
see how impossible it was to have postponed the contest-
much longer. Napoleon has evidently been bent upon it.
Perhaps he deemed the war necessary to unite his people
more and counteract whatever damaging effect the elec-
tions and the vote on the plebiscite may have had upon
him. At all events his course during the past ten days•
renders it clear enough that there could be no reconcilia-
tion until after there had been a deadly contest of arms.
The candidature of Prince Leopold was but a, pretext, and
while Napoleon might look upon the elevation of that-
prince to the throne with apprehension, there was no occa-
sion for the fiery heat into which the Emperor worked
himself before the Cortes had even a chance to pronounce
its will with regard to the new candidate. Of course there
will be some who will insist that Prussia was wrong in not
yielding a point which was not valuable to her, while re-
fusal would give ground for serious apprehension by
France. It may even be contended that it is Prussia
which is implacable,—the position hinted at
in one of our despatches from London. But the result
shows how useless would have been such a concession to
Napoleon, and demonstrates the wisdom-of Bismarck's
reason for not yielding,—that he did not believe that the
Emperor would be contented with a consent to his last
demands. But, aside from that, the• manner in which
France has made its desires known to Prussia has been so
insolent, and partook so thoroughly of the air of a master
giving directions to a servant, that _King William could
not have yielded without humiliation, nor without a con-
fession' of weakness which Bismarck• would never - make.
France has been the aggressor throughout. Its temper
was aroused, and Napoleon being determined on war has
brought about his end by seizing the smallest pretext that
has been assigned for 1, uch a conflict in modern times
While the candidature o f Prince Leopold would certainly
have involved Spain in the contest, and very likely
Austria, Belgium, and perhaps other nations, the danger
of a general European war is apparently averted by the
ridiculously trivial cause of the outbreak. other
governments may find an excuse as readily as France
has already done, but they are not likely to be
eager for war unless the Emperor makes this
an occasion for pushing his Napoleonic idea as
to the Rhenish boundary. In that case nearly all-
Europe will become entanged in the affair. The United.
States of course remains wholly neutral in word and act. In-
deed we are prepared to find the sympathies of our people
pretty evenly divided between the two contestants. For
although we think that nearly all will agree that France
has been the aggressor,. there will be very many to ap-
plaud Napoleon in forcing war. It is a contest of giants,
and if France has with insulting words and gestures dared
Prussia to remove the chip from her shoulder while bran-
dishing her arms in a menacing attitude, there will be many
to encourage her in a gallant fight against the marvellous
genius who has made North Germany a great, powerful,
and compact nation. It is d contest of intellect and skill.
The two belligerents are nearly matched in strength and
resources, and each is led by one of the two greatest
statesmen of the age in Europe. A long war it cannot
be. A few great battles will decide it, and he who is
quickest in the field and secures the most advantageous
position has made a long stride towards victory. Modern
warfare is too wasteful to be of long duration. The facili-
ties for rapid transportation of men and material of war
are almost perfect, and it can be but a few hours before
the two great armies are facing each other, ready for
battle.—Boston Advertiser.

WAR IN EUROPE-OPPORTUNITY OF THE

UNITED STATES.

Our commerce should be just now the leadin., subject of
national attention. In the present juncture of world's
affairs there appears the opportunity that, righly improved
might not only restore to us the maritime strength that
was swept away in our great war, but out of which also
we might secure a start that would easily enable us to
distance within a few years every rival power. At this
moment there are twenty:six German steamers carrying
passengers between ports in Europe and the United States.
All these must stop at the very mention of the presence
outside of a French cruiser. Sailing from this port
also are all the splendid steamers of the
" Compagnie G6n6rale Transatlantique," and these must
stop, for there is also a Prussian man -of - war
not far away. And this statement of the case with regard
to the splendid passenger steamers, many of which also
also have a fine trade in first class freight, is the state-
ment of the whole case with regard to French and Ger-
man commerce. Each nation has naval power enough to
drive the mercantile marine of the other from the seas'
What shall become of the numerous trade thus done--
and of the great number of ships engaged in it that are not
fit for war, and ought not to rot in blockaded ports?
England already has covetous eyes on this great trade,
and in the assumption that business will fall to
neutral flags " the Government is usged to remain
neutral despite every possible complication that mai
arise. British neutrality in this war will no doubt
result greatly to the advantage of the Brstish
shipping trade, and for this reason along every nerve will
be strained to keep Great Britian out of the Continental
struggle. Will this effort be successful? It is doubtful.
Already we hear that neutrality will be inconsistent with
the honour of England if the Low Countries seem to be
in danger, and this reference to the fact that England is
one of the Powers that guarantee the independence of
Belgium is too plain for misconception. Again, we hear
the intimation that England morally stands behind
Prussia, and that any sign of failure on the part of the
latter Power will draw England into the struggle.
The very fact that these things are canvassed
renders the neutrality of English ships uncertain,
and so unsafe, and the probability is that the United
States alone will have it within its power to reap all the
harvest of this war. Indeed, this is a change that is
justly due to us in the whirligig of time ; for as one war
destroyed our commerce and built up Vie maritime trade
of some Enropean ports at our expense, it is but proper
that another war should build up our trade again at the
expense of the commerce of Europe. But it is not only
from the effects of our war that our commerce is pros-
trate. • It was stricken down by. the war, but
it has been kept down by the inconceivable foil),
of certatn of our laws—laws like the compact
with Shylock—framed to " protect " certain interests,
to give those interests their pound of flesh, though this
could only be done at the expense of.the whole body fro
which the flesh must be cut. Before, therefore, war hi
Europe can give us again that of which war in America de'
privedus,,we must first set aside these most foolish, villanous
pocket-picking laws ; these laws framed to enrich ten men
and starve ten thousand ; laws which declare that this
great nation shall own no ships except it can make terms
with Mr. Kelly, of Pennsylvania, and a few more me°
of his kidney ; laws only second in atrocity to those
slave laws that the nation has recently torn out
of its life at such frightful cost ; laws whose
authors and supporters, if the slaveholders de'
served all the opprobrium cast upon hini,
should be stoned in the streets of every city of the repub ai
-
lie. The world has not, for many generations seen a more
bewildering, confounding spectacle of imbecility, of down'
right inability to comprehend and grasp a simple,
thought—than that shewn by the United States Congres'
when its attention was properly called to this sub;
ject. The President by special message pointed
out the opportunity; and hinted at the way we could illy
prove it, but his words fell on minds preoccupied with
another thought. What was this grand thought that left
no room even for the proposition to erase the last great
disadvantage left by the war? It was the reflection of
every member that he had his ticket in his pocket, that
he had made up his mind to go home, that be did not
want to be delayed and stop for the bother of any more
legislation, however imperatively necessary for the
interests of the nation ; and in this pitiful haste to get
away, and for this puerile reason, the Congress of the
United States turned a deaf ear to one of the most inr
portant messages that ever came to it from the
Executive. Some members there were who
proposed a measure that might have covered the
case ; but Mr. Kelly, of Pennsylvania, was there,
standing, as one might suppose, bludgeon in hand, deter-
mined that the nearly lifeless body of American commerce,
should not rise while he could strike, and in the criminal
indifference of the mass of members to their duty he was
able to kill the proposition that was made. Such, then,
is the patriotism of the Republican party, and such is the
contrast between its conduct in the presence of a real
national emergency, and the ready attention it once gave,
to the nigger and now gives to every form of corrupt
jobbery. Shall our opportunity pass because of a recreant
and imbecile Congress, or must the government stab?'
means to evade the operation of oppressive laws ?—Nei
York llerald.

During the present session, up to the 23rd of .10371
6,606 dinners and 4,912 luncheons have been served in the
refreshment rooms of the House of Commons.

SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S OE SERVA TORY.—We tire
informed that subscriptions are being collected for the
purpose of purchasing this interesting memorial and I)r°°
senting it to the nation.—Times.

There is an old chapel in Tilbury Fort, consecrated
in the reign of Elizabeth. On inquiry it was found to be
used as a billiard and reading-room, and all the Church

furniture•removed ever sincelB44. The War Office have
consented to restore and refit it for divine service, and it
will be opened in the middle of August by the Bishop of
Rochester.