The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-10-21 00:00:00

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narch has bad cause of 't,ersonal displeasure with the'
King of Paossit—whether his views with respect'
•tO the angry , and complicated "Pits .Of • Saari.,
and Baden have not beets met as•he could wish—
whether be is jealous *of the close • connexionbe-
tween Prussia, the Netherlands, and Rnisia,-.--who.
tier he conceives that the obvious leaning of the
:latter Power to France, and the _terms she has
obtained through the Medium • of Russian policy,
may, at no distant day, endanger his footing in
Italy—whether soe(te Isikiegtifection for his deeply
injured Daughter wily have Whited himie fay a
•
word or two for NAPOLEOff, which bad ,not been
.
• received w‘tb,a correspoeding feeling—whithesthese
or any ether circomdiances, may ho•weektil in the
vied of the-Emperor of AIUSTRIA., 111116111114 Pots
bat the 'anent. from Ais-la-Chipelle Strongly in-
duce a belief that he is discontented. Be this as it
may torn eel, the great political probkm, which asks,
• 64 what will best secure the Welfare of society," is
Dow likely to -undergo the progress of solution. It
will not be long before the truth of the position that
this security rests alone.,ott aimed power and here.
• ditary right to dontineetiver mankind, shall be tried,
and thee the chains of .despotism trill lie bioken in
the dust. Thrones, established on a disregard eof
the first rights of the People, will siuk into insignifi-
• canoe; and' persons who, ity their haughty preten-
sions, titbit to be considered as demi-gods on earth,
may yet own the weakness of their mortality, in the
pains of elite, and in the sorrows of despair. The
degradation under which the continental People la-
: boor—the useless slavery to which they are reduced
—the vile tyranny of their Boleti—the pride of 'their
dependents will cease, when ignorance resigns its
place to wisdom, end the multitude disown the folly
of being sacrifices to theMolochs of power ! Forms
of government will then be established, which will
Surround property with security, and the subject with
protection ; and the political truth that treason
•
...gamin the nation is a fouler crime than treason
against Kings, will prevent Monarchs from assuming
power inconsistent with the happiness of society !

Now that the Army of O.cupation is to be with-
drawn from Francs, an important question arises fgr de.
termination, namely, whether or not an additional
force of 26,000 or 40,000 men is to be added to the
already enormous amount of our Standing Army.--'
If the decision of this question were left to the pub.
lie voice, or to rest on the public ability to maintain
the monstrous butthens of military and other es-
• pence. imposed upon it,•we can easily conceive in
what meaner the deterasination would be made. Bot,
• the power of decision unhappily rests where prejudices
In favour of large Standing Armies exist in a 'stronger:
degree than is the minds of the ind ustrioos community.
Great differeeces and difficulties, hum/orient told
have arisen at military and Ministeriel'hesd-ilearters, '
In regard to the disposatof the returning army. The
determination of the Cabinet, has been to reduce them,
•but it is asserted that foie Commtoder.iu.Chief and',
bis councils object to theiedection. A Paper of this
morning' informs us, that this question has occasioned
• 66 no little alter Cation Otween the Commander.in-
Chief and the Ministers, and rumour, through vari•
cos channels, gees's° far as to affirm, that it is the
intenders of the Deke of Yona to resign, end that
the Duke of WELLINGTON will be appointed Com-
. mander-in-Chief., The remonstrances of the Doke
•f YORK, it is said, bare been supported by the
• 'PRINCE REGENT. This very curious state-
: meet, and might well excite some remarks, but
we will not treat suoh rumours as facts. It is for
Parliament to decide upon such proceedings, and en-
der such circumstances it is not too much to desire
that the Constitutional guardians of the People's kr-
terests and safety should be speedily assembled, nor
• too much to expect that their conduct relative to this
subject should be vigilant, and be regarded by the
station with more than common interest. The Earl
of LIVERPOOL, it is understood, is most strenuous
• 10 urging the necessity of ;eduction.—lie is so•
• entirely convinced, says one of the statements;
. of the incapacity of the nation to' bear the
continued espence of the immense army, that
be Ins been firm in his recommendation of the urea-
sure, and we' trust he .will gallantly persevere.—
Finding the Minister' inflexible as to the Tonto" of
the reduction, the next topic of controversy has been
the mode of effeetteg it—wfieflielbjr the eedecaiiit.
whole regiments, or by redecing the complement
' of each. The Duke ot Treenrie for keeping a great
number of skeletons, so as to lave Officers,
Serjearits,,aod Coporits ready to fill up the corps
end drill thim when occasion should require them
to be brought to the War Establishment. This
course would not merely eutail on the country e.
much greater expence than if the infantry were re•
duced at once to the 80th, and the cavalry to the_
18th, which is proposed, but it.woold also require a
more numerous Staff, and be a snare for raising the
regiments imperceptibly, under the pretext tdrafts
to foreign corps, by which all the needful Mtiomy
would be evaded. That the troops. Jo be brought
from Front, would, if Ministers could gratify their
own predilections and the'n jibes of theWar•Office, be
incorporated into the Standing. Army there can be no
doubt. But the finances of the coontry•will not per-
mit its being saddled „with such in eteentl• burden
without the danger 'of some great' convulsion;
end sorry, indeed, from Many considerations,
should ire be, to 'see the-tino"pa which have been so
• long in cuenttieseubject to a Military letpatiscn) that