The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-26 00:00:00

THE IMPOLIOY OF REDUCING OUR SEA ANJ

LAND FORCES.

( Prom the Paris Correspondent of tke Morning Post.)
Whilst English economists are discussing the redo
tion of our army and navy, it is surely common Pr
dence, in the first place, to take into consideration %lb
tber we are likely to want either the one or the other
defend those British interests which are scattered
over the globe. The home made policy which has serf"
England since 1815, and found us quite unprepared',,
,
a fight in 1854, should not be again embraced with°
consideration. We are so apt in England to forget lb
rest of the world, that it is well, before we leave
selves without a sufficient protection, to look beyon°,l
smoke of London. Mr. Cobden has not yet persully
Continental States to disarm. Since the close of 001,
even France has made but a trifling reduction of
force ; Austria has only got rid of the troops
her finance was unable to pay, and the Prort,
army remains stationary. The great mobile
-otiv
sian army for Europe is still declared to p
500,000 men, independent of the reserve o,ll°
talions, amounting to about the same figure. Yri,
Russian Caucasian army (said to he now increased) et,
ginally numbered 4 regiments of 5,000 men, °
20 000 Or.'
10 battalions, infantry of the line, 10,000 men ;,
10
Chernomaria and at the Black Sea, 10,000 men ;
Ad""
talion of sappers, 1,000 men ; 22 regiments of Coser' ,
&c., 38,567 men ; artillery, 146 guns, with 1,600 03emdo
total, 81,167 men. Then there is the Finland corP
Siberian corps, the Cossacks and the veterans and
valids. It was declared at the close of the war that i,
sia would gradually cease to be an empire of soldiers, lilt
turn her intention to the arts of peace ; but little eig;!
of such reforms have yet taken place. The Poles, index
have had a chain amnesty, which no wise man Call
cept, and railways are to be built with English 111°,111,f
,7g
uniting the large cities of Russia, and enabling the
to concentrate his troops at any given point. FreSw
hairdressers and Italian singers have returned to
Petersburg, and everything is pretty much as it fidoi
excepting a proposed increase in the steam 01.1
Russia.

Then, again, is there anything in the aspect of 60
many to encourage us to disarm? Is not Austria tkore
ening Piedmont, which, let us hope, is threatening 913;:il
land ? Her troops still linger in the Principalities, ell
our statesmen must know that she is mole likely to be I,
enemy than a friend. As for Prussia, that power 070
favoured Russia whilst we' were at war. In filet, A
whole of the German Courts are anti-English ;
though there are thousands of Germans who are 11.'""
of free England, we cannot reckon on this vast graf
allies of Great Britain. Germany, too, is consloseustol
military Governments. It was calculated at the tiol`9
the war that if Germany had joined the Allies, she °ls
have easily given us 995,600 infantry, 159,600 oava'ail
121,600 artillery, 26,600 genie, and 94,900 gesol
troops ; total, 1,398,500 men, and 2,572 guns. The/4'oDi
colossal force might be turned us. The misfol's
is, that the Governments of Germany must keep up so o
thing like their present military establishments, betao
they are required to keep order at home ; and tias
perhaps the only consolation for England, when Wce e
template the armed hosts of Europe generally, they
wanted at home.
pie!'
Italy has only one good native army—that of fr;-0-1
mont—which would bo found on our side in ishs„l-ojr
quarrel. The King of Naples may have 100,000 NeapB
tans at his command, but they would not be likely top/
very formidable. Turkey is not likely to be able t° ',4s
port a much larger force than that she alreadypesseseoo
which may be 100,800 infantry, 12.780 cavalry, 13 01
artillery, 1,700 genie troops, and 325,000 reserve tso°,
—total, 457,680 men, and 360 guns. The r011r14,44t10
power of Turkey consists of 10 line-of-battle shiritli
frigates, and 60 smaller vessels ; total, 77 shit:off:o
3,000 guns. These figures are taken from the bot t ,
o
at hand, but cannot be considered as pellectly corAto
as we have no European army returns since the —indi
of the war. France can command 600,000 soe°'
within a certain period, 1,000,000 men. That foreteoo
friendly one, and will remain so as long as Nsf)°,lolo
111. is on the throne. IVe may also hope that ther;(ol
of France and England will daily consolidate the a 0
of the two nations ; but the statesmen of great ha"„"
1-,0!
should not found their policy on their own ssisbe°'
even that of the people, as applied to foreign aff3l:,o.
Now it should be observed that, with the excePt'-of
France, Turkey, and Piedmont, the other countriee
Europe are supporting with their clouds of soidiers oisl
general policy directly opposed to that of our own', ll
to such an extent as to have brought on the late !IN: tso
the aspect of Europe much changed during the /ae,"Rof
years ? May we not be called upon to defend the
of Paris ? May not Piedmont be attacked by All/.00.1p
We should never cease to remember that our diploaldio
without a large fleet and army, is as useless as a °ld
without his sword. Surely a general view of the st%eDss
the Continent ought to make us pause before we disci lo
a soldier of the army which has cost us so much to c°"-es4
and is, in fact, national wealth. At all events, ie'ost
keep every man that can work a gun, cur cawlll\llo
engineers. If we make any economy at all, it shoe'is
in the infantry, because that arm alone of the serVi/e
more readily replaced.