The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-11
ENGLAND and Russia.

Exposition at Paris, and bringing
with them the triumphs of art and
industry, the attitude Of England
offers but small hope Of the continu-
ance of peace in Europe. "The ar
morerS, with busy hammers closing
rivets up, give dreadful note OF prep
aration;" an army is being modelled
and fleet rapidly fitted cut, and
some circumstance, insignificant in
itself, may at any moment set the
continent in a blaze. One or two
more such ARRAYS as that which is
said to have occurred between the
Russian and Turkish troops on the
neutral ground between the lines
would render futile all the we'll meant
efforts ofdiplomacy to preserve peace.
| For the last two months England has
acted as if she were confident that
Russia would not move from the pO-
sition which she had taken, and even
with communications passing be-
tween the two Governments, she
has steadily continued making prep
arations, until her army is now al
most ready to take the field. On
Monday night Mr.. Claiborne Hardy
announced in the House Of Commons
| that England could send seventy
thousand men abroad at once. The
reserve forces are being mustered
rapidly; from Canada alone comes
the offer of ten thousand men, and
the enthusiasm which the native
troops in India display at the pros
pect of active service shows that they
can be depended upon in the case of
hostilities. Sir Garnet Wolseley in
recent article contrasts the military
condition of England in 1854 with
that of the present time, and his con-
illusions are favorable to the efficiency
of the army and navy. A few weeks
seem to have effected wonderful
.change in the condition of affairs.
The regiments number a little over
nine hundred men, and all of them
by this time are fully equipped, arm
ed and drilled. In order to bring the
| eighteen line battalions of the First
Army Corps up to their full strength
forty-one hundred men are required,
and they have been furnished from
the ten thousand men in the infan-
try portion of the first.class army
reserve. The purchase of large
number of horses has made the six
regiments of cavalry belonging to the
First Army Corps very efficient,
while the formation of regimental
transport will enable each regiment
of cavalry and battalion of infantry
to move independent of the general
transport of the army. There are in
garrison in the Mediterranean twelve
line battalionS, which will form a
portion of the Second Army Corps,
about seventy eight hundred men be-
ing needed to complete it. They
could be drawn from the firSt-claSS
army and militia reserves, and still
/ leave twenty-three thousand men of
the latter available for other pur-
poses. England, therefore, according
to these calculations, would be able
by midsummer to put an army of
one hundred thousand men in the
field, completely armedand equipped
with every requisite. Sir Garnet
Wolseley in speaking of the military
condition of England laments that it
has been too much the practice for
that country in time of peace to
neglect the suggestions of her Gen
erals, and then when war comes run
as householder would in case of fire
to his fire engine, only to find that il
will do nothing towards eXtinguish-
ing the flames. The bitter expert
ences Ofthe Crimean Warappear, how
ever, to have taught her lesson, and
writer in the London Times, who
evidently speaks with authority,
says that, "whereas at the commence
ment of the year we could not have
placed a single division complete in
transport in the field, we could now,
three months later, despatch corps
Gdameee to any part of The world we
shall be able six weeks later to send
a second, and by the first of July a
third, without any straining of our
resources, without eXhausting all our
reserves, and without denuding our
garrisons." All these. facts are sig.
nificant, and an army of one hundred
thousand men, capable of being
placed exactly at the spot from which
they could successfully advance on
the enemy, is not to be despised,
while the facility of shifting her base
and moving at pleasure by sea
doubles the military power Of Eng
land.
If we turn our attention now to
the condition of Russia it will be
found that it is one which initiates