The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-01 00:00:00

ENGLISH SOLDIERS.

In these days, when we fancy we are soldiers if we can
only keep step, it is interesting to rectll the following ob-
servations, made by Mr. Windham on April 3, 1806, with
reference to the military establishments of the country :
" We seem (he said) to suppose that whenever we have
got a set of men together, no matter on what principle
combined, have put them in a certain dress, ranged themin
certain order, and taught them certain exercises, that, as
far as that number goes, we have created an army; which
is about as wise as what we see of children in their sports,
. who, when they have fixed a piece of stick in the ground,
fancy they have planted a tree. What is wanted in either
case isthe vital principle. We perceive this in the case of
the children, but never suspect that the same is true of our
own attempts when we suppose we can create armies with-
out danger and without discipline. Danger and discipline
are the very sap and juices out of which all that has life
and action must spring ; it is from them alone must arise
the real military character, as from the military character
must proceed all that can really constitute an army. How
danger must operate to th's end is obvious to every one ;
but it would not be difficult to spew that discipline is
equally necessary, and that all the high military
virtues, whose characteristic is courage grow like flowers
out of dung, from a principle that is founded on fear."
The element of danger is not wanting in the regular army,
who, when marching to Aldershot, incur the risk of death
from suffocation or sunstroke. But if we may judge by
the accounts of the late Review at Wimbledon, the only
danger Volunteers incur is that of losing all sense of dis-
cipline, and how far this would have satisfied Mr. Wind-
ham we are unable to say.—Pall Mall Gazette.

Mr. G. G. Scott, the architect of the new Home
and Colonial Offices, has received a command to proceed
with the work immediately. The stoppage occurred (the
Architect says) by order of the First Commissioner.
Admiral the Hon. George Grey will probably hear
with feelings of disappointment that there is no intention
on the part of this country to give up Gibraltar to the
Spaniards, but, on the contrary, in order to prove how
we value the possession, we believe that a small iron-clad
squadron will for the future be stationed before this im-
portant fortress.—Army and Navy Gazette.
It was.recently announsed that the Government
had determined not to ratify the treaty concluded by Sir
Rutherford Alcock with China. A letter bias been sent
to the chairman of the committee of London merchants
by Earl Granville stating that though the Government
were of opinion that the treaty would have secured con-
siderable advantages, yet they deferred, with regret, to
the forcibly expressed opinion of the mercantile com•
munity. _ _

On Friday morning six men were employed in
driving two branch headings at the New Pit, near Pen-
gam, Cardiff. Three men were in each heading, both of
which reached towards the old workings, which had been
closed for forty-two years, but of the close proximity of
which the men appear to have been ignorant. A shot
was fired in one heading, and the men retired for the ex-
plosion, after which one of the three men thought he
heard a trickling of water. They advanced to see, when
the whole burst upon them in an overwhelming flood.
One of the men was drowned, and four others were
shut off from help in one of the workings for several
hours.
At the Meath Diocesan Synod, held in the
Rotunda, Dublin, on Thurday, the Bishop of Meath, in
an opening address, said that the "Manual of Short
Prayers " (about which there has recently been so much
excitement) contained the doctrines, taught by the
modern High Aiiglican Church school of divines and was
unfit for circulation among their flocks, especially the
youth. He, however, deprecated the cry for revision of
the Liturgy, as it laid them open to the imputation that
for 300 years they had cherished as leading. doc-
trines that which was false. Besides, it would only tend
to- confirm in place of eradicating evils complained of,
but.-would estrange the Church from other episcopal com-
munions,