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

pitiC*; 4D. STAMPED, 51).

1118. COBDEN AND THE FRENCH CUM-

JIERCIAL TREATY.

The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, who re-
cently passed votes of thanks to Mr. Cobden and
Mr. Mallet for their management of the details
of the treaty of commerce with France, have re-
ceived the following letters from those gentlemen,
which were read at a special meeting of the
Chamber yesterday :

"Algiers, March 20, 1861.
" beg to acknowledge the receipt of the resolu-

tion of the Chamber of Commerce of Liverpool, bearing your
signature as president, thanking me for My exertions in
arranging the commercial treaty witli France.
" I observe with satisfaction the judicieus reserve with
which the Chamber abstains from committing itself to an
approval of the general principle of commercial treaties.
The arrangement lately entered into with the French Go-
vernment is not, in its old and exclusive sense, a commer-
cial treaty, but a simultaneous movement on the part of the
two, countries in the direction of general, freedom: of trade.
Nor should the changes made in the French tariff be judged
merely by the standard of abstract principle, but with a
fair consideration for the opposition which the Government
had to encounter in its first serious measure of commercial
reform from an unbroken phalanx of monopolists, whose
power can be more fully appreciated after the late demon-
strations of the Conservative party in the French Chambers.
" The great feature of the recent commercial arrange-
ments, to my humble apprehension, is their tendency to
limit the power of Governments to disturb the amicable
relations of the two countries, by making their friendship
depend, not on dynastic sympathies, or the alliance with
any particular Ministry, but, to borrow the sentiment of
Prince Napoleon, on the union of France with the great
English people.
" For the first time in the experience of living men, a
lrrge part of the population of the two countries will be
invested with the most powerful motives for keeping the
peace. Old diplomatic rivalries may survive, to find nou-
rishment in topics of shadowy interest; and the relations
of the two Governments may even be subjected to occa-
sional disquietude from the resentments of statesmen who
live in the traditions of the past, and who will aocept with
reluctance the new order of things. But I rejoice in the
belief that the legitimate interests of an industrious people,
rather than the caprices or passions of politicians, will, for
the future, control the relations of my country with its
great Continental neighbour.
" Pray assure the members of the Chamber that Ihighly
appreciate their approval of my services; and, begging you
to accept my thanks for the cordial expressions contained in
your letter enclosing the resolution,
" I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

" RD. COBDEN.

W. J. Tomlinson, Esq , Chamber of Commerce,
Liverpool."
" Board of Trade, March 22, 1861.

" Sir,—l beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of
the 2lit March, enclosing a copy of a vote of thanks to Mr.
Cobden, Mr. Ogilvie, and myself, for our recent services in
connexion with the commercial treaty with France, which
was paSsed at the annual general meeting of the Liverpool,
Chamber of Commerce. I must request that you will con-
vey to the Chamber my very best thanks for the honour they
have done me, and assure them that I have received this
resolution with much gratification.
"I have the honour to be, Sir, your very obedient servant,
" LEWIS MALLET.
" Robert Tronson, Esq., Secretary, Chamber of
Commerce, Liverpool."

(From the Times.)
The last lesson which education teaches to a
powerful and earnest mind is toleration. Such
natures are almost necessarily tyrannical. They
have no doubt as to their own convictions, and
they cannot comprehend that any man can be
honest and not think exactly as they do. . They are
the ultra bigots of every creed, and it is almost a
hazard whether they are benefactors or curses to
mankind. They are the materials from which are
made conspicuous tyrants and great discoverers.
They do violence sometimes upon principle, and in
spite, perhaps, of an instinctive kindliness of heart ;
and they do right sometimes in scorn of conse-
quences and against opposition which would daunt
ail prudent men. Let us not fora moment be
supposed to undervalue them, still less to wish that
they were not. The world would be nothing with-
out them. • It is their limited vision, their incapa•
city of seeing more than one side of a question,
their absolute faith in themselves, which make them
the great moral powers of their age. We mast
accept the inconveniences with the advantages.
When they deny to others the honesty which they
are conscious of in themselves, we must exercise
towards them that charity it is not In their nature
to extend to us. A mind like that of Calvin cannot
and will not believe that a Papist can be really
sincere in believing what he himself cannot believe.
Claverhouse would never come to think that a
Covenanter deserved mercy; our own Duke of
Wellington had no notion of the scruples of even
a civilian who disobeyed orders ; and Mr. Cobden
is internally convinced that it is only from some
base and sordid motive that any one can ever differ
from him upon any question, political or financial.
We do not complain—we must take him as he is.
If an abuse is to be destroyed, or if an institution
is to be overturned which has outgrown its utility,
he is the most useful man of his time. If he hap-
pened, for instance, to take the right view of the
matter, he would be invaluable in India to clear
away the jungle of old jobs there. All we wish to
premise is that, with his habit of attributing bad
motives, he is not a pleasant antagonist for a quiet
and discreet discussion.

Still we will risk the rejoinder, and beg of Mr.
Cobden to give a few minutes of his attention to a
volume which has just been published in Paris
under the name of the Annuaire Militaire for 1861.
This instructive little book gives an account of the
names, numbers, and stations of the regiments at
preient underarms in France and her dependencies.
If we could induce Mr. Cobden to read this work in
an impartial spirit, we would ask him to imagine
that, instead of reading the Annuaire Militaire, he
is reading hart's Array List for March, 1861. He
must begin by realising the tremendous fact that
the catalogue of this vast army contains 6,871 cap-
tains, which, at 100 men to a company, gives a
total of 687,100 soldiers under arms. These nume-
rals get beyond the point at which numbers cease
to convey any definite meaning to the mind. The
impression produced by them is like that of an
astronomical distance. All we know ig that 687,100
men is a collection of many great hosts, and that
they seem enough to swarm all over the world.
Strengthened by discipline and rifled guns, and fed
by well-organised Commissariats, they appear
capable of conquering and eating up any country
whereon they settle and subduing any country in
which they obtain a footing. But, lest it should
be supposed that these are only men upon paper,
we have, duly detailed before us, the present sta-
tions and the names of all the divisions of this giant
army. They read like the description of the host
of Xerxes. They differ in origin, in race, in uniform,.
and in arms. There are the Spahis in their white
burnouses, remnants of the old Turks who ruled the
Arabs before the French went to Algeria; the Arabs
of the original Zouave levies, when the vagabonds of
many races of Algeria were swept into the recruiting
officer's net and drilled into soldiers ; the Zouaves of
a later date, when the vagabonds of Paris and the
kithless outcasts of every country under Heaven
were raked together and welded into, perhaps, the
finest mass of soldiery which exists beyond these
seas. There are the Chasseurs d'Afrique, baked in
the desert, inured to hardship on the steeps of the
Lesser Atlas, and mounted upon Arab horses, which
combine the qualities of speed, endurance, and
hardiness. There are also the conscripts, who come
from every village in France, and who look like
maidens when compared with the veterans of Africa,
and the Zouaves who have carried their eagles in
the Crimea, in Italy, in Africa, and in Syria. Alto-
gether, it is a varied and a wonderful army. Even
its Staff is told off in numbers which would repre-
sent a force if placed in rank. There are ten Field-
Marshals ; there are ninety-four Generals of Divi-
sion on, active service—enough to make a company ;
there-are 162 Generals of Brigade—a very respect-
able*forlorn hope; there are 1,370 Majors; and, as
we have already said, there is a real army of 6,871
Captains. It is a mammoth machine upon a mam-
moth scale. The cost must be tremendous, but as
that cost is in a great measure contributed in kind
by the people, the full amount is never brought out
in .figures. France is at peace, but this great host
is not all in France. The country could not contain
it. It is ever seeking some theatre of action away
ofmi
from home. Some of it is holding Rome. It is
holding Rome against Democrats and Constitu-
tionalists and Papists, for whom it bolds it no one
knows, but it is holding Rome against every one
except only France. Another part is holding Syria
and protecting the cedars of Lebanon. A large
detachment is engaged in the conquest of Cochin
China, where its most formidable antagonists appear
to be the mosquitoes, but where a French Minister
the other day told the French Chamber that rranc6
the however,
mere
w i s a
n the
twantonness
nness pouringof fotth
afau.
having now put her foot, has no intention of with-
drawinglita
military it.
force A ll
in this,
ence, or in the embarrassment of wealth. It can