The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-27 00:00:00

bodied militia numbering 21,773 men, and 15,122
volunteers, make no more than a moiety of the dis-
ciplined army under the eagles of NAPOLEON. The
aggregate of our land forces during the last year,
making altogether no more than 225,881 men—in-
clusive of the 36,895 militia and volunteers already
specified—our cavalry numbering in 1858, 17,819,
our artillery 20,598, and our infantry as herein
before stated 150,569. Contrasting with which
miscellaneous and scattered land forces of not quite
226,000 men, distributed under the banners of Eng-
land over our enormous and widely separated colo-
nies—there will be (as soon as the victorious
army now in Italy shall have returned
homewards), there will be within the boundaries
of France upon the morrow of the return of the
conquerors of Magenta and Solferino, a stupendous
military armament of upwards of 400,000 troops,
an army that might be speedily yet further raised
by the recal of the Algerian forces and of the con-
tingent at Rome, together with a slight anticipa-
tion of the regular working of the vast and com-
plex machinery of the conscription, to an aggre-
gate very little short, if anything short
of 600,000 soldiers. It is preposterous, there-
fore, to draw any comparison whatever, as
the Moniteur, for example, has affected to do, so
very recently, between the armaments of France
and the armaments of England. One armament,
we repeat, is necessarily scattered—the other
is necessarily concentrated.
As with the land forces—so with those of a
maritime character. England must, with a view
simply to the maintenance of the integrity of
her empire, throughout her numerous and extended
colonial possessions, distribute her ships of war,
hither and thither, in every sea, along the borders
of all the four great continents. France having no
colonies, can hold her maritime armaments perpe-
tually in readiness along her own coasts, prepared
at all times for rapid concentration. Here again,
therefore, there is absolutely no room whatever for
analogy. It is true that our naval estimates reached
in Mr. DISRAELI'S last Budget the considerable
amount of X 9,215,487 ; and that, thanks to the patrio-
tic energy of the late First Lord of the Admiralty,
that total has been enhanced, according to Mr.
GLADSTONE'S recent Budget to the yet more for-
midable sum of £12,782,000, or within a single
twelvemonth just £3,566,513 additional. But—it
should be borne in mind 'oy JOHN BULL himself,
and by our friendly monitor the Moniteur, what it
is requisite for the safety (for the maintenance
of the integrity) of our empire should be done in
the way of distributing or scattering the naval
power thus munificently provided, and done, remem-
ber, not once in a way, but at all times, and under
all circumstances !
Recollect, then, to begin with there are those
numerous and remote Naval Stations of ours
making perpetual demands upon our peace
establishment. There is the East India sta-
tion involving the surveillance of the Chinese
Seas and of the islands of the Eastern Archipelago.
During this last year—the war with China of
course there of the augmentations that one
station alone .absorbed 68 ships of war,
manned by as many as 10,000 men altogether !
Since the triumphant close of Lord ELGIN'S famous
mission to China and Japan, the squadron em-
ployed upon the East India station has been re-
duced by about one half—yet one half still holds
there, in those Eastern seas, 34 of our vessels and
5,000 of our sailors. Somewhere about 2,000 more
of our seamen are always required, again, as the
complement of the squadron upon the West Coast of
Africa. As nearly as possible 3,500 others are kept
afloat perpetually as the crew of some 20 ships of war
constituting the regular squadron of the North
American station in the Atlantic. Another total
of 3,000 seamen we find required in 1838, together
with twelve of our war vessels in the north-eastern
waters of the Pacific—by reason, more particularly,
of the gold fields of British Columbia. There is a
squadron at the Cape of Good Hope and along
the east coast of Africa, in the direction of the
Mauritius. The Mediterranean fleet—monstrously
allowed to dwindle down, about a twelvemonth
since, to no more than four ships of the line—has,
since April last (again, thanks to the patrio-
tic energy of Sir JOHN PAKINGTON), been
increased fully three-fold—the Mediterranean
fleet, now consisting of twelve ships
of the line, or thirty-two vessels altogether ! Scat-
tered abroad, then, upon these widely-dissevered
stations during the absolute European peace of 1858,
there were as many as 139 of our ships of war
actually in commission, with 21,948 of our seamen
and marines, or nearly one entire moiety of the
available force constituting the aggregate of our
maritime armaments. Stubborn facts like these
we commend to the Moniteur when next that
organ may feel disposed to make a few more of its
disingenuous comparisons !

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Lessee and Directress, Miss Swanborongh
THIS EVENING, QUIXOTE, JUNIOR. Mr. J. Clarke.
After which, A SCHOOL FOR COQUETTES. Misses
Swanborough, Oliver, and Lavine.
Followed by THE VERY LATEST EDITION OF THE
LADY OF LYONS.
Commence at 7 o'clock.

VERDI'S OPERA OF MACBETH. The
whole of the first Act of this Opera. now produced
for the first time in this country (the remaining three acts
being in course of rehearsal), is sung nightly at the CAN-
THE DELEPIERRE FAMILY,
Consisting of three Juvenile Violinists, viz., Jules, Juliette,
and Julia Delepierre, aged, respectively, FOUR, SIX, and
EIGHT years.
The perfect execution by. these Lilliputian Artistes of some
of the most difficult and brilliant Solos, Duets, and Trios ever
written for the violin, has excited mingled wonder and admi-
ration in Continental Musical Circles, and drawn forth enthu-
siastic tributes of praise from the Public Journals of France
and Belgium.
They will perform TWICE EACH EVENING, in addi-
tion to the usual Entertainments.

THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFICE, JULY 27.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
77—highest since noon yesterday.
66—lowest this morning and during the night.
76—this day at noon.
BAROMETER-30.15.
WIND, South-Westerly ; rather fresh, with fine cloudy
weather.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THig DAT.—Morning, 11h. 9m.—Afternoon, 11h. 47m,
To-Mow:taw-Morning, Oh. Om.—Afternoon, 12h. 22m

The Peace of Villafran ea bids fair to end in
smoke or to engender still more bitter animosity
between Austria and Sardinia. Nor will all the
manoeuvring of NAPOLEON be able to reconcile
their differences. The fact now turns out to be
that the Emperor of the FRENCH overshot the
mark in setting aside the very existence of his too
confiding ally. Emperors look, or affect to
look, upon kings much in the same mag-
nanimous spirit that mastiffs bear with
terriers. If they seem to endure them, it is only
for a purpose of their own. So the closet conference
of the two Emperors seemed to ignore the case of
Sardinia altogether. Indeed, the Emperor NAPO-
LEON overreached himself in paying such hypocri-
tical court to FRANCIS JOSEPH, who felt so flattered
by the Imperial deference paid to himself at the
expense of his Royal opponent, that he swallowed
the bait and signed the peace of Villafranca.

But now comes the test. The Austrian will not
meet the Sardinian—no, not even in a friendly
spirit. The war is over, but only for a time, for
the original poison was left to rankle in the wound
of their enmity, and it will take all the inge-
nuity of NAPOLEON to make matters pleasant
—pleasant he never can while Sardinia holds
Lombardy, and Austria keeps possession of the
Quadrilateral fortresses, with Venetia to boot. Thus
it comes of self-overweening conceit ! No man, be
he Emperor, King, or ttnave, will ever forgive
being overreached in evil-doing. His very pride
revolts at the idea of the conceit being taken
out of him by the sleight-of-hand cunning
of his rival. We may, therefore, suppose
that this botch of an over-hasty peace
is only a truce to still fiercer strife, which in
the end may prove better for the people and worse
for those who would use them, as they have not
scrupled to abuse them without making due allow-
ance for the consequence.

However frequently we may have scanned the
position of our naval armaments of late, it becomes,
if possible, more than ever advisable to revert yet
again and again to their consideration. The Royal
Navy is the right arm of England. Our wooden

walls are our true defence. The ordnance of this

country floating upon the deep in our ships-of-war
form the true offensive and defensive weapons of
BRITANNIA—her sword at once and her shield—
beyond all the Martello towers that could be con- " Leave ill alone"—seems to be the motto now,
structed along our coast line--beyond all the forti- in regard to the Thames. The stench arising from
fications that could bristle from the crown of our it is daily becoming more and more intolerable.
white cliffs—beyond all the rifle corps, the Nor can this be wondered at, considering the aye-
militia, and the yeomanry, that could be rage height recently of the thermometer. What
organised by any means among our aggregate is far worse, however, than the mere nausea pro-
population of 26,000,000. According to the ordi- duced by the effluvia rising from the river and
nary calculations the British Empire has, for some impregnating with subtle poison every cubic
years, been understood to maintain, upon the aver- foot of the London atmosphere the Death-
age, a navy of from 600 to 700 vessels of all classes, Rate continues steadily to rise, and rise, and
manned by between 40,000 and 45,000 seamen, rise Above the Average ! According to the
with an army ranging, in round numbers, from report of the City mortality during the past
200,000 to 300,000 men. But those numbers have week, the deaths have been as many as
for years past notoriously fluctuated in an extra- seventy-one—whereas the average during the last
ordinary manner. The infantry, for example, at three years has been about forty-four : showing
one time closely approximating to a grand total of thus an increase, not only of half as much again,
very nearly 250,000 men, while, at another time but, even with that, of five additional. The returns
it has fallen considerably below 100,000_ from the City Proper, however, form, as it were,
that branch of the public service numbering, in but one moderate item in the terrible account fur-
-1814, 237,329 men, and in 1823, 81,940—the total , nished to us now, from week to week, by that inex-
of the British infantry alum in 1858 being in a man orable chronicler of events, the Registrar-General.
ner intermediate, or, to give the precise numbers, Looking down his black catalogue for the week
150,569 men. Mere aggregates, however, mere just brought to its conclusion, we find glaring before
estimates in round numbers, afford but an indiffe
_ us the appalling fact that there is an increase dur-
rent notion of the actual strength or efficiency of ing those seven days of almost 600 deaths upon the
either service, in reference to a gigantic and scat hebdomadal returns for the metropolis ! During the
tared dominion
like that obedient to the sceptre of ten years between '49 and '5B, " the average," we
VICTORIA—" sovereign
Queen," as .her magnificent are reminded by the Registrar-General's Report—
Proclamation upon assuming to herstllf the empire " the average number of deaths in the weeks cor-
of Hindostan, avowed
her most gracious
Queen 1,064." Whereas,
to be, " Sovereign MAJESTY responding with last week was
Ireland, and of all the of Great Britain and in contrast to this average—the deaths in London
in Europe, Asia, Africa in
thereof, last week reached the dreadful total of 1,605 !
, America, and Aus- , Bearing in mind the increase, however, in the
tralakia!" Remembering that by no flame of
(but that literally) upon this empire speech amount of the population, the excess above the
of ours the average just given may be indicated correctly, the
sun, in truth, dot's never set, that our rule extends Registrar-General adds not by 541, but as nearly
into each quarter of the habitable globe, north and las possible by 435. Examining carefully into the
south, and east a, id west, into the arctic regions eayses of this lamentable increase above the average
and into the torrid zone, it is obvious that no kind (even after making due deduction for the increase
of comparison can ever in reason be drawn between of population), it is not surprising to us to observe
the apparent numeric al op 1 ality of army or of as chief among t hose sources of increased mortality
navy—here in regard to an empire like France, —deaths fiym diarrhcea! The average number
here in regard to an empire like England. 01 deaths from nl;rrficoli in corresponding weeks
The forces of France, whet). ter military or maritime, from '49 to '5B ii nc usivz.-.. 1 y was,
we find, 108—the
are in a manner perpetually, and by a geographical returns throughout these 4en jean being duly
necessity, in a state; of viworoue concentration ; corrected with regard to increee of
*population !
whereas those of the Briti.th Empire are scat- Instead of 108--415 have died in London ta.l ring
I-
tered in all ,dire ctions, over the length and ' the past week from diarrhoea !
Actually 307 above
breadth
of the two hemispheres. As at the average during the 10 years preceding ! Be-
present constituted, Ihe whole of our military sides which, there are observable •
in the report for
forces, including amo, ng them, in 1858, an em- this past week 8 deaths from diphtheria and 48

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THE SUN.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 1859.