The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-07

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that peace being, however, the order that
reigned in Warsaw. Should the aims and settle
ments Of such Congress be opposed to the
liberties of Europe, EDglapd's representative
must repeat the infamies of Castlereagh, or he
must leave the session in the spirit thatno Con-
tinental Power will dare to initiate.
1t is to avoid such disastrous conjunction
that England to-day insists, as preliminary
basis to the proposed Congress, that force shall
not be used to coerce the newly liberated peo-
pies of Italy. Not that she will take up arms
for them, for that is neither in her policy nor
her interests, but that she will not, without
such general engagement, countenance
the other aims of European imperialism
Whatever these may be, and however general
may be the imperial consent to them, the
Withholding of England from them not only
makes the arrangement partial one and gives
room to new combinations, but the course of
her constitutional government serves as
protest and leadership to the anti imperi-
al feeling of the rest Of Europe. If Louis
Napoleon is honest in his professions in re-
gard to Italy, the course England has
pursued must greatly strengthen his hands
and contribute to the formation of a new
constitutional Power in that peninsula But in
England there are two extremes Of opinion that
distrust his honesty. One of these is the radi-
! cal element, which insists upon judging him by
his acts at home, and believes that phantom
legislature, shackled press and a mighty
I orr arap oil no s,o fr -
ducive to, popular liberty, and popular eleva-
ton and advancement On the other hand, the
old tory party and the German element of the
English Court cling to the ideas of George the
Third, and persist in believing that Napoleonic
imperialism is the greatest and most dangerous
enemy of legitimacy and the sanction of time.
For the last ten years these two elements of
the British public have been abusing Louis
Napoleon and his policy. With varying de-
grees of bitterness and constancy the attack
has been kept up by the English press, and from
the London Times down to the smallest penny
Sheet with few exceptions, every journalist has
flung his feathered darts against the imperial
form. In Parliament and out of it many of the
public men of England have re echoed the ac-
cusations, until now the ire of France is aroused
at the vituperation of her selfconstituted leader
and there is state of irritation in the public
mind against England that has not been equalled
since the days Of the giant efforts of the first
Napoleon. Thus the strenuous efforts
Of the English press have succeeded in pro-
ducing state of things in which England,
whether with or without reason, assumes to
fear an inimical invasion from France, at the
very time when all are preparing to go into
peace Congress. The busy note of warlike
preparation is heard on all sides-new arsenals
are created, new instruments of destruction are
invented, and the people are called on to study
the use and practice of arms
Here England shows her weakness. Strong
in her Intellectual defence Of the constitutional
system of government, she is quite powerless in
giving it physical support If the emergency
should arise, not only can she not send an army
to the Continent with any prospect of success,
but if French army should invade her she
must anticipate continued defeat in the field.
Should conflict arise between England and
imperial Europe she must rely for safety upon
her fleets and upon the command of the sea.
The growth of other navies has equalized the
chances there; and SO fully persuaded are the
English people that they must prepare for
something else than naval war, that every
effort is being made to prepare for the worst.
The great difficulty to be commended with is
the utter ignorance of the people in England
of the use Of arms. Reliable military authori-
ties hold that it takes two years to make
soldier out of an English recruit, while as
contrast it is well known that an American
volunteer becomes effective in two months. For
this reason numerous schemes are devised in
England to bring the people into what they
call "a normal state of preparation" One Of
these is the establishment of national associa-
ton for the promotion of rifle shooting, "the
subscription to which is to be placed at the low
rate Of one guinea per annum, so as to make
the society as comprehensive as possible"
This is the emanation of pure ignorance
| People that can afford to pay guinea year.
and the time requisite to belong to rifle shoot
| ing club, are not the class of men that will
volunteer to fight Old England's battles at six
come to "a normal state Of preparation" let
her abolish the game laws and the Arms acts,
and every other restriction that prevents the
common people from owning gun and learning
how to use it when their time and inclination
combine 1t does not seem probable, however,
that conflict between constitutionalism and
| imperialism will yet come up in Europe 1t is
not part Of the Napoleonic programme. But
Louis Napoleon will keep England at the point
Of irritation by the creation of continental dam
ger near some Of her many exposed extremes,
| till he has carried his plans to success in Eu-
rope and controls the policy Of that continent.
What may come then no man can predict.
City Intelligence.
ANOTHER INDEPENDENT VOLUNTEER PARADr-Thc Peter
sen Light Guard intend parading the 26th inst as
battalion numbering two hundred mcn-Samuel Jackson,
Major The corps will be divided into four companies as