Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-09-07
OUR EUROPEAN FILES

CHEEEut -; c. F!.-.sIV: = AID N..! LNAi' =
| '.c Ion: ,.i-cr-aioas ah'gl; have "'c"i'';" M
'"u'nns Ut E";;sh aui French jpnrn"!s ~ to '''
-"ut al. 10 Frsnch aairs wsch must rrsul' NON
The now complete fort:fca!ion of Cheroourg' eeT"S
10 bays rasu,t.d in General verdict consonant win
III. opinion oppressed in the able articIe OF the Loo"
don Times" which has been 60 ex'ensiV.iy repro
duc,d bv our American oo,emp0raries. That Cher
boar- ia now capable of s-f defence, against airy
no.sb. naval armament seems little doubted, not
wiihs,andug that increased efficacy tor na'Ai attack
which. it is supposed by many, must result from
the modern sysem Of gun bosts' uioed oy Inc ia'e
inprov ements in cannon. That Cheroours' Ut al!
o,ber fortified town, could Withstand regular lano
siege aud Continued bom5ardment, may now %
| regarded next TO impossible Equa'y iniPossiot'
however, would il be- for any hostile power 10 ieho
an army on French coil sufficiently strong Tor suc
| purpose. Thus may conclude, that Inc tornnca'
ton of Cherbourg fully sufficient tor every purpose
| of local defence. More than that, with double gar
rison. the town will possess an army large enough TO
afford the best possible guarantee against the andirg
o hostile force on any part OF Inc aoacen' coaS'
This coast, them may be regarded ID completely de-
Tended except against the naval Domoardment OIL
towns of inferior strength of forticaton, which must
be- left to RELY on the efficiency of tho French navy
for protectiou. In case of a war with France tho
superiority of English sailors might enable thrir
fss IN sweep the chsnn, clear of French cruisers,
and afterwards destroy the *esker martins towns
Bat here the power of destruction would lie hna'iy
arrested The loot of Hi EDgiishmsn could not rest
| on French soil.
For offensive purpose. Ci-rbourg may ha crnsd-
Tt luf
enough to transport an immense land force could be
placed within shelter OF the fordcaons II - true
.hs 100 O0O men could be concentrated At Cherbourg
and shipped on board armed three dsckers. The us"
os ordinary ports would of course lie nut OF the
| Question Bu; when concentrated and shipped, what
th.nl Then co,ues the tug OF war. The concenra-
ton and shipmen, of such force could not be el'
fected witnou; giving notice 10 the English squadron.
A fleet of equal strength manned with British tnrs'
resdy TO tigh, with free elbow would encounter
French three Geckerst sch encumbered with some 2oo
ssa sick land-ubbers fit for nothing at sea but fuod
for powder No one doubt the resu Ut such an IL.
counter. TIE maintenance Of an ordinarily efficient
aeet in the chanuel il all that would BE- necessary 10
protec, England from Cherbourg INVASION ~ new
ex4mplicstion Of an old ruth-that is ALL As ma
increases in double ratio while the more objection
| able power of offence is really diminished
NEW PEERS.
Wealthy, intellectual and learned old bachelor Ia"
yrs are ut high premium in England. The House
of Lords needs legal learning aud this growing neces-
sy furnishes the only real requirement Tor the cre'
ton of new peerages. Thus tbs great majority d
New peers must be lawyers. They must have and.
o estates, uphold the dignity OF ihe peerage Ard
finally lest the upper house sho be inconvenently
enlarged by hereditary access it il very desirable
that the new peer should come l with possibility Ct
issue extinct" The "I.ondon lines" proposes tie
institution of e peerages az ubstitute for this sys-
tenn Of encouragement to .llhy and intellectual
misogsmists.
RELIGIOUS Liberty IN INDIA.
The London "Stsr' suggests that The dissemination
in India of Lord Sianlays speech to the missionaries
will do ten fold more to pacy insurrection than Lord
Cummings proclamation can possibly effect. When
his lordshp out fat footed in favor OF religious
liberty he was met by apecious fsllscy which, IN
fortunately, is not restricted to the soPhi-try OF the
clergy. When Lord Stanley avowed the democratic
doctrine that endowments, no patronage, no fore"
should be employed in connection with one religion
or another, he was asked by the clerical gentlemen
chow he could stand by and suff-r religious ceremo-
malls to exst, such as those which involve human pa
crfce." Lord Stan-y's reply hit the nail exactly on
the head by intima,ng that there certain laws Of
morality which exist independently of theological
creeGs and which it is the business Of the Govern
nent 10 uphold" Ths einge sentence hares TO the
bone til. same fsllacy Which is employed in the Uni
ha En-, liab
bgnt cnn.-rus tha: " 'lout IN established Church,
Christian morality would not be recognized and w
forced by law. The American would be- STATE snan
insists that inasmucl ss the Government ot the Uni
t.! States has 10 right to afford religion superior
privileges 10 another the Mormon has good right
10 his haretn IA the Chr e,icu has 10 hi- wife.
To both of thcse profound casusis. Lord S,anlrys
remark affords the touc!,sune Of error. Christian
reeiliou is one thing, Christian morality is snohrr-
The frat is sill powerful FOR Ia own extension, aud be-
cnnes corrupted under the pcs:i!el -hadow OF Gov
erpment patronage. The other IL 80 Intimately inter-
woven with the spirit Of the common law ot every
enlightened nation, that it iorns tbs very basis OF lis
CIV; and criminal lsgisa;ion written aud unwrilten
ANOTHER FRENCH REVOLUTION.
Alarm is in the camp Of the granlinsrinn- and I'M
guias and friends Of the French language throughout
Europe A mistaken announcement lately made
known 10 the siudous public that it was menacei
with new dictionary Of the French Academy. Now
every Que knows, that with each new dictionary,
our language undrrgocs nothing leas than r-voin-
,on This il doubtless the reason why the Academy
s 60 slow abou. revising liz dictionary, a. showr by
The fact that The sst edition OF 1888 was ccmn-nced
in l762 Thus the present dictionary s' III ell i's
freshptss il is the rule and compass OF everything
written in France and throughout the world; hnd the
world at this moment i. too much occupied with
wha, it aud hears aud hopes, TO study a lie" dc
tiona,y.
No. The Academy does nos jream--8nd +" mIch
the be.er-ot Publishing new dictionary within the
next forty years at least. - 10 the op'Sr"'nS an
nounced and published THE week, il would require
40 entire ignorance to cohinuni attempt At mn
v.rsal encycopeGin with the bad htt!s dictionary N
two vclr,oes quaro, vulgn7y ca'ied thu D,ct'oaars
Of NE Ac1,hmy The ~"'k under con'iderai"n ID
the "L;ycot Historical Uic,oaory Of III L0ngnHrc
which will be completed 10 century, according to
III. r.pnr. of NJ S.intr B.uve h!ns.s Now At
NJ Ssin;e l,ruve unr Of ihr i!iusrIous anu meet
devoted members c! The rfench Academy, Will
admit that ihis Great Historical Dictionary still
r,cuires century 10 be- ltoper!y completed the rect
OF ns poor weak norta!s and III 10 resi- peer
whatever immortal, rnSy we'll without d'srespec add
another cenury TO that required by The Academy
Thus two hundred years separc'e us from The COM
pieiion OF The "Gr-at Historical Dictionary "i ih-