The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-11 00:00:00

REMARKS.

A diminution in barometrical pressure of about two-tenths of an
inch has taken place since yesterday in western and southern dis-
tricts, whilst at Nairn a slight rise is reported. Pressures over our
islands are uniform, and are greatest in the N.: there is a difference
of nearly three-tenths between readings at Nairn and Biarritz. Tem-
perature has generally increased. Yesterday the winds were light
over these islands. and still continue so generally from the eastward.
The weather is cloudy. Some rain has fallen on the Irish coast.

The Paris correspondent of the Times is inclined to treat
the probability of war rather seriously. The warlike
diatribes and pacific protestations are of little value, but
the writer thinks the ambiguous tactics of the French
Government press must have some meaning. It would be
easy for the Emperor to restore something like confidence
by a change of tone in the official press, to say nothing of
disarmament ; but nothing of this kind is done, the com-
munique and the arertissement remain unemployed. The
belief in a winter campaign gains ground, for reasons we
have before stated. The continued occupation of Rome is
also considered an unfavourable symptom. If war benear
at band, it is obviously more convenient to leave the
French troops where they are than to withdraw them
and have to send a fresh expedition a few months or weeks
later. The writer justly conc'u 'es that it is too late to
gain the Italian people to the side of France by evacuating
Rome.

The war rumours so prevalent on the Continent just
now, and the presence of the Emperor at the Camp of
Chalons, lead the Times to estimate the chances of a
conflict betwt en the two great European Powers. So long
as a nation's greatness may be gauged by hundreds of
thousands of soldiers, France may easily look upon herself
as placed at the head of Europe. But Prussia holds the
superiority in being a nation of soldiers, and she feels so
sure of her numerical advantages that she can
allow her adversary a few points in the game, and
can afford to temporarily reduce her army. But the dis-
position of her army corps and the great strength of her
frontier fortresses remove every apprehension' of a coup de
main ; and in the anticipation of a more deliberate attack
there would be no difficulty in filling up her ranks. With-
out casting in favour of either party, the Times concludes
that war must be for France a game of desperate
hazard. The Spectator, on the other land, has
also summed up the chances, and pronounces in
favour of France. It is impossible to predict
the issue of war, but the balance of material power is
against Prussia. Her recent acquisitions have not enabled
her to take rank with France. She is still inferior in
territory and in population. Her army is equal to that of
the Second Empire, but there is this difference—France
has 600,000 regular soldiers now ready for the field ;
Prussia but half that number. The recent subscription
for the French Loan of 17 millions sterling, which pro-
duced many times the required amount, making allow-
ance for all speculation, &c., chews how vast is the latent
strength of the Empire. There is, however, yet another side
to the quastion. A war between these two Powers must
almost certainly be caused by French aggression, and it is
doubtful how the rest of Germany would regard the pas-
sage of the Rhine. Such an enterprise would be, at least,
" a game of desperate hazard."

The Italian Correspondence denies the statement of La
France that the Government of Florence have submitted
to France a new project of agreement between Italy and
Rome, and, above all, that this project has been accom-
panied " with the request that it might be laid before the
Roman. Government." The Italian paper states
that no further proposals of modus vivendi with Rome have
been made by Italy. The Italian Correspondence adds
that its Government has no guarantee to offer beyond
those given by its present attitude. This journal is coa-
isichra, the or;,;ail of the 1t444 Cabinet,