The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-30 00:00:00

ROYAL
ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT- more easily made a fact by coupling with it
R GARDEN. Under the sole Wanagement of Misi Louisa my wane and my presumed Philhellenism." Ob-
ryne and Mr. IT. Harrison.—The nobility, g.eq,Algl‘fit:n
are respectfully informed that a Series of }OU serve what follows—" This is 'their M',,taie. I
MORNING PERFORMANCES of the highly
_su
will be
New Pantomime, LITTLE RED RIDING MOOD, will 1.) speak with due respect for every sentiment of
given, commencing on MONDAY next, Jan. 3. The per-
fOrmance will commence at two o'clock. Carriages to be nationality, so bug as it keeps within possibility
ordered at four. Places may be secured, without any charge
•
for booking, at the Box-office, open daily rem ten till five, and justice. But those who—without onsideration
under the direction of Mr. J. Parsons.
to time, method, persons, circumstances, and conse-
quences, in a word, facts—would like to take that
sentiment of nationality as a rule for human things-
may be styled out of their senses." And, as if
this was not sufficiently plain speaking—and
the words must certainly be allowed by any one,
to say the least of them, to be quite strong enough
—Mr. GLADSTONE went on to say to his undoubt-
edly astonished auditors,—" I may add that doc-
trines of nationality, couched in certain terms,
become doctrines of disorder and anarchy." Add-
" And what is this love of nationality, taken
as an exponent of the policy of these islands. . .
. . It is certainly a phantom—a dream. Nay, it
is worse. The lonian people have not the power
to enlist either annexation or reform, or the actual
state, or status quo, because annexation being, under
present circumstances, impossible, there remain only
two choices for them : one is to aim at a reasonable
liberal progress ; the other to maintain the exist-
ing political and administrative system." Nay, as
if this even were not enough, Mr. GLADSTONE re-
solves the whole question into a very startling
syllogism. He says to the lonians—" Those who
clamour for the impossible exclude the possible-
Those who clamour for annexation, which is im-
possible, and exclude the reforms, which I should
like to render possible, leave no choice. They
exclude reforms ; annexation excludes itself ;
thence there remains nothing but the
status quo." Q. E. D. This is surely ad-
mirable. It is what we term in the ver-
nacular—Astonishing the Natives—Astonishing
their Weak Minds ! We don't wonder in the least
when we find it added in the accounts last received
from Zante—" The venerable gentlemen with their
long beards seemed quite taken aback. They had
not expected such a speech. As Mr. GLADSTONE
proceeded their mouths fell." Of course they
did. Had not the placard of that " Flower
of the Levant" Zante, but just then
been issued in these words —" Union of the
lonian Islands with free Greece. Long live Mr.
GLADSTONE, the Philhellene. The Zantiots." Had
not the Archbishop come to Mr. GLAD STONE'S
house, carrying with him a petition in favour of
this tabood annexationy A petition the Most
Reverenkhad quietly to pocket as inconvenient
.after the home-truths addressed to himself and his
attendant clergy by the plain-speaking lips of
his Excellency.
Now that the'situation has been clearly put before
them, let us hope that good will come of it—and
that the lonians will at last begin to flouri-1 as a
community, under the reformed British Protec-
torate. The realisation of this hope will not be
the least of the triumphs won by Sir E. B. LYTTON
since his installation in office as chief of the Colo-
nial Department. The country may be all the
more sanguine upon this head, remembering that
it is one of the most gifted of living English states-
men who has been despatched by the Colonial
Secretary to those lonian Islands in the unwonted
capacity of Lord High Commissioner Extraordi-
nary.

.ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT
GARDEN. under the sole Management of Miss Louisa
I'yne and Mr. W. Harrison •
. THIS EVENING will be presented an entirely new and
romantic Opera, by Mr. W. Dalfe, entitled SATANELLA ;
or, THE POWER OF LOVE.
• Conductor—Mr. Alfred Mellon.

in g,—'

"Rule, Britannia!" If singing, or reciting, or
even paying for it, could insure the sovereignty of
the ocean, there can be little doubt that we should
still rule the waves, as absolutely and completely
as in " the good old times when GEORGE the THIRD
was king." But there are other conditions essential
to success. The money liberally voted must be
judiciously applied. We must not permit, vessels
of considerable power to remain rotting either in
harbour or on the stocks; nor can we continue,
with impunity, to turn adrift trained and efficient
seamen to seek in other lands the remunerative
employment denied to them under the British flag.
The prestige of the United Kingdom mainly de-
pends on her maritime, or "supposed" maritime,
supremacy. If that be removed, or even the belief
in it shaken, she can no longer maintain the exalted
position she has occupied in the scale of nations—
she must be contented to sink into a third-class
power, "to be assimilated to Spain, and become an
object of contempt, if not of plunder. A first-class
fleet is essential, not only to our honour, but to our
safety. The cost may be regarded as a premium
of assurance, not merely to replace a loss when it
has occurred, but to prevent the possibility thereof ;
and any undue economy with regard to that all-
important branch of the national service can only
be looked on as "a penny wise and pound foolish"

policy.
But without in any degree complaining of the
heavy expenditure that has taken place for a series
of years, we may fairly demand that,the expendi-
ture be applied in a judicious and prudent manner;
that there shall not be so many palpable failures,
proceeding from too rigid an adherence to red-.
tapist precedents. We have recently heard from
high authority that the British navy is not what it
ought to be—that France is closely treading on
our heels, if she has not already overtaken or sur-
passed us in the race. The Earl of HARDWICKE is
an unexceptionable witness, not merely from his
position as a Cabinet Minister, which gives him
access to the most authentic information, but more
so as a distinguished naval officer, who can apply
all the facts he has ascertained in the best possible
manner. The impressive warning which he de-
livered should therefore be taken to heart, and
promptly acted on by the Parliament and People
of the United Kingdom.
It has now been followed by a very elaborate
document contained in the Conversations Lexicon,

a publication of high standing, conducted with
considerable ability, and possessing great weight
and influence in all parts of Germany. This also
asserts that, looking to all points, the balance of
naval power is in favour of France, and that not-

withstanding the heavy outlay to which Great
Britain has so cheerfully submitted, and which she
is still ready and willing to undergo. It gives sta-

isties, too, that go far to sustain the assertion o,

paper ; and although, if occasion should unfortu-
nately arise, we believe that England would still
maintain its ancient reputation—that its wooden
walls would prevent any attempted invasion—the
experiment would be costly and dangerous, and one
that should be averted by any reasonable expendi-
ture of money and trouble.

We want a thorough and stringent investigation
into the state of our navy ; we desire that it should

be accurately ascertained if there is full war-

rant for the apparently candid statements of our
Lcipsic contemporary. We know that the old

system has been defective--that our navy has been

falling off, while that of France has been growing
rapidly. We have great confidence in Sir JOHN
PAKINGTON. We believe that he is fully impreised
with the magnitude of the trust confided to his
charge, and with such a colleague as the Earl of
HARDWICKE he will have valuable assistance in
his progress in the right direction. But there are
too many red-tapist traditions prevailing at the
Admiralty, and it is a task of no ordinary difficulty
for any First Lord to free himself from the tram-
mels incidental to the office. There are forms and
regulations which, although they may be very
useful servants, are excecdipgly bad maulers, and