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

COURT CIRCULAR.

_
SATURDAY.—Her Majesty, attended by
Viscountess Canning, rode out this morning to Inver-.
cauld Waterfall, sketching.
This afternoon her Majesty and his Royal Highness
Prince Albert walked out.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, the Prince of
Wales, and Prince Alfred, attended by Miss Hillyard,
walked out this morning.
The Right Hon. Sir George Grey has arrived on 6
visit to her Majesty.

Lord John Russell has left Scotland for Dublin.

Dispatches were received yesterday at the dolonia
Office from the Governors of the West India Colonies'
also from the Governors of the Cape of Good Hope, Vial
Diemen's Land, Ceylon, and Hong Kong.
. _

Dispatches were tent off yesterday evening from the
Colonial Office for the Governors of Ceylon and Hong
Kong.

EXETER HALL.

Mr. Lavenu gave a concert last night which was
well attended. The chief attraction was Mademoiselle
A lboni, ssho sang three of the most popular arias she
was in the habit of singing during the season, and was
most vehemently applauded and encored. Miss
Miran was most successful in her oharming interpre•
tation of Gluck's celebrated aria " Che faro," which
she gave with the purest taste. The Misses Williams
were deservedly encored in Mr. W. Holmes's popular
duet " The Swiss Maidens," and Miss Durlacher
received the same compliment on singing Balfe's
" Merry Zingara." Mise Poole's charming voice was
heard to much advantage in a pretty ballad by F•
Homer, which was also encored. Miss Kate Loder
played part of a concerto by Mendelsohn with the
most brilliant effect. Mr. Lavenu provided an ex-
cellent orchestra, and several favourite overtures were
performed in excellent style. Mr. Lindsay Slopeg
and Mr. Lavenu were the conductors.

PEACE.

" 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 coatinent, I took some pains to be correct in the
followip.,g statistical details :
" Misr 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 2,950,000 regular soldiers and
sailors. This is called the peace establishment ; but
I doubt whether in the most active period of Napo-
leon's wars there was so large an effective armed
force in Europe. 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 easy 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
100,000,0001. per annum. I have put down nothing
/tar the cost of the arms and accoutrements of the
National Guards and Land wehr; 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 hate bad seasons, and may
have partly caused that discontent which has s ) often
ended in revolution.

"-It may be objected that I appal 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 tine
principles of peace, I may surely be excused if I
demoirtrate 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
civdiaition 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—thin
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 Powr ASSOCIATION.—The annual
meting of this association was held in the Guildhall of
the eity of Bristol yesterday, and was most respectably
attended. The Mayor presided. The principal speakers
on this nee:anima were Messrs. Bright, Habenfield, Aiken,
Wells, Ford, Dr. Green, Sac. Resolutions congratulatory
of the success which had attended the formation and pro-
gress of the society were passed, as were Yot.?* of thanks
to those gentlemen who had contributed to that success
by their eff9rts. 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. 45 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 firm,
and in consequence the increase in her shipping had
been 25 per cent. The business was terminated by a
vote of thanks to the Mayor, which was carried by ac-
clamation.
WELCH EDUCATION.—Her Majesty and his Royal
Highness Prince Albert have been graciously pleased to
eontsibute 1001., on the part of his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales, to the Welch Educational Institution at
Liandovery, recently endowed by .the venerable and be-
nevolent Cambrian, Thomas Phillips, who has given
3,000/. for the purpose of enabling the inhabitants of the
principality co owAzu us guuu au cUus.acz... -- 2- - _
found in the best public schools of England or Scotland,
combined with a thorough knowledge of their own lan-
gunge, the culture of which, besides its intrinsic value to
the antiquarian and philologist, is the only true key to
the affections of the people and the best means of pro-
moting the interests 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 OF the ENCLOSURE WALL AT THE STANLEY
DOCK.,—At an early hour yesterday (Wednesday)
Morning: 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-
r4ceen Waterloo-road and Great Howard-street. The
wall in quesKon,which was 19 inches in thickness, 14 feet in
height, and entirely built of brick, faced Great Howard-
street, and it is supposed that its fall was officasioned by
an immense number of square sets for paving having
been placed outside of it ready for use. They pressed
against 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 yards 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
eare happy
steamers and vessels lying alongside ; but
w
d haPPy to say he escaped uninjured. The
image will, probabl be about 100/. in addition to
the cost of erecting buttresses
nag buttresses round the whole of the
enclosure walls of the new north docks to prevent the
occurrence of aimil
Ames. ar casaalities in future.—Liverpool

HUMAN LUrai EsTIMITBD IayPULSATION.—An
ingenious author asserts, that the length of a man's life
may be estimated by the number of pulsations ho has
strength to perform. Thus, allowing seventy years for
the common age of man, and sixty pulses in a minute
for the common measure of pulses in a temperate person,
the number of pulsations in his whole life would amount
to 2,207,520,000; but if by intemperance he forces his
blood into a more rapid motion, so as to give seventy-
five pulses in, apinute, the same number of pulses would
£4 tildobraikeect 'in rfifty-six years, consequently his life
oula-)xrreititiFedlourteen years.
17.F1,„ TJEVo3.lroltr, SATURDAY.—The lion. General and
it;.y;:lirs. Murray received the Lords of the Admiralty and a
select circle at dinner, on Friday, at the Government
including the Duke and Duchess of Marl-
borough, the Earl and Countess of Morley, the Earl of
AucklaW, Lord John Hay, Sir John and Lady Jones,
A.diniral Dundas (the Commander-in-Chief), Sir W.
Ward
leN-Gage,'-Su Baldvvia Walker, Captain Eden, Mr.
sici

MR. COBDEN AND UNIVERSAL

The 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
at Brussels:—

" Hayling Island, Hants, Sept. 16.
"My dear Sturge,—l 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 disputa 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 elksy to find an object
nos 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 arguments upon which it is
founded I shall be in doubt as to the policy of this
recommendation.
" ' 3. To recommend as a matter of primary im
portance, general disarmament to the several Govern-
ments of Christendom.'