The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-07 00:00:00

THE SUN,- LONDON SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 7, 1860.

hours at sunrise ; and, long before our small army
could be collected to impede them, might make all
secure for another army to land under cover of the
works the first had thrown up. If we had, as is but

too possible a case, an army not more than suffi-
cient to hold them in check, they might easily

spare a detachment for such an all-important
attempt as that of crippling the nursery of our navy
at Portsmouth. Success in that object being also
half way towards enabling them to march in safety
on London.

But by sea—how would they get at Ports-
mouth r Unless we had there a much larger part
of our fleet than we could spare, in case of its being
wanted to prevent or embarrass a landing on the
open coast, it would seem to be but too easy. Cap-
tain HEWLETT tells us (Quest. 244) that though

wooden ships might be destroyed by the continued

fire of forts which might be (but which are not yet
erected on the Isle of Wight and other places, i

;hey attempted to anchor at Spithead ; yet that
Lron-clothed vessels could not be kept out ; that no

........
shot could hurt them at 2,000 or 3,000 yards dis-
tance ; but, that they would lie quietly in mid-
channel and bombard the place ! Boarding would
then be the only thing which could be resorted to.
The testimony of sailors was indeed strong as to
what screw wooden ships could stand in slowly

passing well-built forts, and a well-directed fire ;
much more so as to what iron-plated ships could
do, by the aid of tide and steam, passing along
rapidly. On the other hand, another authority
thought that even a couple of well-placed guns
could destroy any ship ; of course if she were not

in motion.
What, then, has to be done is to render any
position, either by sea or by land, untenable, if it
lies within five miles of the Dockyards. That is,
a circumference of thirty or forty miles mast be
either naturally impracticable for an enemy, or
rendered so, The works already existing nearer
the arsenals would have their value, especially as
an inner line of defence in case of a siege, and for
the retreat of the defenders of the outer
works ; but it is only considerably advanced
works which could save our magazines and
and naval stores, from the fate suffered by those of

Sweaborg.
We cannot, of course, enter into the details of the
land and sea defences required by each place.
Portsmouth is every way the most important, as it
is not only our largest establishment, but is vir-
tually a part of the defences of the metropolis; on it the
fleet must rely which would have to prevent or mo-
lest an army landing on the south coast with a view
of marching on London. It has a fine outer defence
in Portsdown-hill, but then its great extent makes
it both costly to fortify, and it would require a
large garrison to man the works. On the sea-side
lies the Isle of Wight, like a huge man-of-war
anchored abreast of the harbour's mouth, but it seems
the island itself needs a formidable armament, and
a large crew not only to render her destructive to
the enemy, but to prevent his boarding her, and
making use of her to injure us. It is indeed not a
little remarkable that Plymouth and Milford
Haven have each a smaller island situated
at the very entrance of the harbours, as if
moored there by nature for their defence. Even
Cork }malts Spike Islan d directly fronting its narrow
entrance, only some little way within it. But we
need not dwell on details. Whether the twelve
millions, and it will be more probably double that
sum if we begin, must be spent on Dockyard forti-
fications, will be decided by most men from more
general considerations. They will ask themselves
whether, from political reasons, they think there is
any need yet to sink so much money ; and, if they
decide that there is, then their fears will not rest
satisfied with anything less than defences which
no enemy will venture to attack. We must, how-
ever, return to the subject.

IVISION.

fished.

Cortes.

of October.

LATEST NE 8‘

ADVANCE OF GARTBALDI ON MESSINA.
The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

PARIS, JULY 6.

A telegram from Naples, dated yesterday even-
ing, announces that Caribaldi has marched against
Messina.

Active negotiations appear to be decidedly going
on between Naples and Turin on the subject of a
common action of the two Courts in the affairs of

BADEN, JULY 6.

Notwithstanding the denials given by some
newspapers, it is certain that the Prince Regent
during the late Conference here drew the attention
of the other Sovereigns to the state of things in
Italy.

The King of Naples had directed the Marquis
d'Antonini, the Neapolitan Ambassador at Paris,
who is well known to the Prince, to request his
Royal Highness to defend in the Conference the
monarchical interests threatened in Sicily.
The Prince Regent, in reply, gave the Marquis
to understand that he acceded to his request, and his
Royal Highness not only remarked during the
Conference upon the state of affairs in Italy, but
also caused an exchange of views on that question
to take place between the Powers in the ordinary
diplomatic course.

THE INDIAN MAILS.
MARSEILLES, JULY 6.

The Bombay and Australian mails have arrived
here. The dates are, Sydney, May 14 ; Melbourne,
May 18; Mauritius, June 7 ; and Bombay, June 7.

BOMBAY, JUNE 7.

General Outram's protest against an amalgama•
ion of the two armies has been anonymously pub•

Disturbances have taken place at Banswarra.

MADRID, JULY 5.
A Royal decree prorogues the session of the

The official Gazette announces that an exhibition
of the fine arts will be held at Madrid at the end

bilier, 697 f 50 to 705 f ; Lyons, 885 f to 890 f; Or-
leans, 1,365 f to 1,370 f; Northern, 987 f 50c to 990 f;
Austrian, 532 f 50c to 534 f ; Saragossa, 530 f 50c to
540 f. The following are the last quotations :-
41 par per Cents ... 97 20 Credit Foncier 877 50
Do. end II °nth.... 97 25 Belgian 41 —
3 par Cents
Do. eml month 6B 95 Roman
Bank Shares .2820 Austrian .. 82 —I
redit Mobilier.... 692 50 Spanish Threes 5O
Do. Account 693 75 I Home Debt