The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-27 00:00:00

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of
Oimense establishment is but a phantasy of our
neighbours.- 'Very possibly. France 'desires.-only
to maintain this enormous body-guard in order
mayhe
that and: to
this
to magnify herself before the world, and make
herself terrible in the eyes of her neighbours.
She may not have the least intention to use this
force for any aggressive purpose. Up 'to this
time she has only used it to break up Austria
and make herself the arbiter of events in Italy. ,Mr.
Cobden would denounce us having some private in-
terest in getting up a French war if we were to
encourage the idea that atrartny of 600,000 French-
men could be of half
,as much consequence to Lon-
don as a flock of GOO sheep upon the downs behind
Dover.

and captains,
tanEdningthrms,en.
Suppose
But suppose these 600,000 men, with .those armies
two
hf eagrte:nnienorasttelsFa,draenonfdebheotmilteoing keptnelbs up on the French side,
they were kept on foot on the English side, of the
Straits. Will Mr. Cobden just pass over in his ruled
what the topics orindignation would be which ht;
would feel bound to use in such a ease ? We do not
mean the mere topics of expense. Would he not say
—nay, has he not said, that it would be impossible
to maintain such a force and remain at peace? Has
he not, speaking by the mouths of his political
friends, already objected this to our Rifle Force—
that it must create a military spirit in the country
and tend to produce war ? Would he not say that
such a display of force upon. our part as that which
France has now made would justify the Emperor of
the French in any suspicions and in any prepara-
tions ? Four hundred thousand men would be,
according to the proportion of population, the equi-
valent as a garrison for these islands to the num-
bers now maintained for the defence of France. If
600,000 are necessary or harmless in France, the
400,000 would not be too much for England. If
400,000 would be utterly absurd in England, except
for purposes of aggression; 600,000 must be a some-
what suspicious number for France to suppcirt while
she has not an enemy upon her frontiers, or a
neighbour of whose intentions she can'even affect
to be uncertain. --We- ask-Mr.- Cobden-to- tell-us
frankly whether, if our Government were to- make
any levies at alb...proportionate to those we ha.ve
just shown in .their • official description, he
would not say that they were a threat of war to
France, and not otilrinstified but necessitated
on the part of the French Emperor a- similar
increase of force and preparation for hostility ?
Mr. Cobden is too candid a man not to admit that
ho would take this course, and that he would say
all this with great energy, and perhaps with not a
little acerbity. Is it, then, impossible for him to
believe that it is just possible some Englishman
may honestly and even reasonably think they see
the same danger to peace in the exaggeration of
French armaments which Mr. Cobden would cer-
tainly see in the exaggeration of English arma-
ments ? Why is it that politicians are gratifying
only their " caprices and passions" when they think
it is reasonable to guard against the presence of a
vast host within a few hours' railway of the 'cliffs
opposite to Dover, while Mr. Cobden would 'only
be defending " the legitimate interests of an indus-
trious people" if he Should denounce the inflamma-
tory tendencies of an English army ? We should
be sorry to say anything that would call forth the
wrath and scorn of Mr. Cobden, especially while he
is engaged in the vexatious task of teaching the
Chambers of Commerce of Leicester and Liverpool
what his Treaty of Commerce is and what it is not,
and why it is not a commercial treaty, "but a
simultaneous movement on the part of the two
countries in the direction of general freedom of
trade ;" but we would beg him to consider whether,
while he is exulting over the peace power of his
French Treaty, he could not bring his mind to
imagine that there may be something more than a
" shadowy " interest to us in those 600,000 men
so close to us, and that statesmen may advise mo-
derate and prudent precautions against these too
numerous friends without being actuated only by
" a reluctance to accept the new order of thingb!."