The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-11-02


| causes of dispute in Central America. At any
| stage OF the questions arising from the state Of
affairs in these quarters, these two Powers
| light find pretext for voting themselves at
| war. and sending an army 10 carry The vote to
Washington, To us, indeed, II seems apparent
| that we are eiernally on the brink OF war, an"
our people do not see il only because we nave
| enjoyed q season of peace, nneAainP 'eu 'o'
| length in the history Of mankind A"es ""s".
| to reflect that this instance is exceptional, ana
TINT as Il has no example in the past, SO II may
| be many hundred years before II occurs asain,
| IL indeed. IL ever does occur at ali.
| Tbere is very general impression prevail
| i.~ among our countrymen, that cur great
| distance from Europe will prevent us from
| ey,r being invaded with an army sufficiently
| formidable to do us any efettual damage
Lei those who hug this delnsion to their
besomx, deign to cast their eyes for a romen',
upon what has been passing in the world dur
ins The last FIVE years. Fifty years ago, the
siege and capture of Sebastopol by combin
cd French ard English army, numbering near
Il half a million of men, transported thither
all the way by sea, would have been con-
sidered impossible. Yet We find that the
thing was actually done, and that it produced
empire, rs to leave the one capable of putting
down the most formidable revolt that had
ever occurred in India, ten thousand miles of,
and the other equal to the task of throwing
upon the shores of Italy. in a few days, not
less than $780, 20 Iaen, all veterans Injured to
war, while half a million were left behind, TO
,, kcep the peace on the Rhine and in The in
error. Now, let us make rough calculation
# the distance, by sea, at which Sebastopol
ay from the TWO confederate countries, cal
cu!aJing by lines of latitude and longitude,
and estimating distances as the crow fiies.--
T. begin with England Southampton lies
in 50 degrees Of North latitude. We shall
therefore, take fifty as the starting point
Surprising I ship always TO sail in straight
Ine which Of course is impossible, thirteen
degrees of latitude lie between Southampton
an q point in the Atlantic on the same par
.iliel with Gibraltar. From this point the
course is East, through the Straits, and thirty
seven degrees of longitude lie between it and
The eastern Extremity Of the Island of Gambia.
Thence the course is North seven degrees OF
latitude through the Archipelago, 10 the OAR
dauelle>. From the entrance Of the Dardanel
les through the Sea Of Marmora, "a northeast
cuurSe,) the distance is equivalent 10 at least
four degrees more OF North latitude. Passing
into the Black Sea by the Bosphorus, the dis
| lance to SebastopOl is equivalent to about six
| degrees of North latitude. The ship Will then
| have passed from Southampton to Sebastopol,
| over distance equivalent TO thirty degrees f
| latitude, and thirty seven of longitude. De-
| gr.es of latitude are always the same but de-
| grees OF longitude diminish as they recede
| from the equator, and come 10 a point at the
| poll. Assuming degree of longitude in the
| Mediterranean TO be equal TO sixty miles, the
| ship sails 2,220 east from the assumed point in
| the Atlantic. In addition to this, she sails a
| istance equivalent to thirty degrees Of lati-
| tude. each degree being equal to COZ miles
| that is. @,CS5 miles. England, then, carried on
| his war IL Z distance of 1865 miles as the
! crow fes, from her nearest port. As Ter ships
| actually sailed il could not have been much
short Of six thousand. France, assuming her
| expedition To have all set out from Toulon.
| had about 3,oJj miles straight sailing 10 make
As her fleet &C tuaIly sailed it must have been at
| least five thousand. When we reflect that the
| Atlantic cable was short Of two thousand
| miles and that France alone, independently Of
| England landed three hundred thousand men,
| with all their munitions, and forty thousand
| horses. in the Crimea, ought to feel some
| hesitation in voting that we are unassailable
| from our distance. Neare not alarmists, but it
| is IN indisputable fact, that we lie completely
| at the mercy Of France and England or of Ell
| Their of them, whenever they may think proper
| to pick Il quarrel with us. We do not say they
| could ultimately subdue us-perhaps they
| might nOt--but they could iniict injuries
| y hich it would take Il quarter of 4 century to
| repair. Since the Crimcan war two events
| have occurred which ought 10 attract atten-
| ton 10 the vast power welded by these two
| nations The capture of Sebas topol, taking
! into consideration the resources employed to
| plot the world had ever beheld. 1t sunk into
| the shade in comparison with the energy and
| resources employed in the re-cOnquest of In
dia, aud that exploit again pales before the late
| campaign in Italy. There have doubtless,
| been other expeditions in which vastly more
genius was displayed; neither of them will be
compared, We suspect, to any one of the cam
pairns of the first NAPOLEON, or TO YELLING
TONS in the Peninsula. But meme other ever
called forth sucn prodigious exerton OF en-
ergy and resources, 20 meet sudden and uneX-
pected emergency. They leave room to suspect
that even now the half OF what these govern
ments can DO has not been shown, and those
nations will be wise who take warning from
W hat they have seen.