Year: 1859

War Between France and England


The rumor, by the last mail of an impend-
ing war between France and England seems
to be pretty generally credited on this side
of the water: fer no particular reason we
Lalievs other than the fact that there Is q
natural enmity between the two peoples
which is ready to blaze forth ut the first
cause Of difficulty and at the first convenient
opportunity. France, which is now as thor
oughly Napoleonized as it was in the days of
the Little Corsicau, longs to see the day come
when She can be revenged for the field of
Waterloo and the Island of St Helena.
Though she can scarcely hope again to re-
duce the power Of England to the condition
in which it was placed when Charles Second
aud the Second James played part not Il
whit better, in reality, than that OF mere
yassal to the King of France, shaping Their
policy according to his dictation and recelv-
ing his money for their menial.like subser-
yiency, vet she very strongly entertains the
expectation that she will one day humble the
present overweening pride of that Govern
ment and cause her to remember the period
when her kings were the obsequio1s lacqueys
of the French Monarch for long series of
years. She will teach her, in short, if she
can, that France can whip her.


The preparations which Louis Napoleon
has been for some time making, have indi-
Gated pretty strongly a design upon England.
His ships have been constructed upon a plan
very different from those which are designed
for the exigeneies of purely naval engage
ments They are built, on the contrary-as
described 10y an intelligent observer writing
from Frauce-more like floating batteries
cased in iron and lined with steel, clumsy
but proof against any ordinary storm of balls,
and capable of landing large masses of men.
| They are maniiestly not intended to roam
/ the ocean at large, but are exactly fitted to
! float upon a hostile shore and weather almost
any sort of attack from q land force. If a
descent upon England were contemplated,
this kind of ships is the very thing for land
ing armies and taking possession of English
ground Let the supremacy of the English
Navy be what it may, it will avail but little,
if the fight is upon land.


Louis Napoleon has also been busy with
his coast delenses, making them as strong and
as numerous as possible and arming them
with rifed cannon, Il species of artillery
capable of taking the enemy from what is
vulgarly called "long taw."


All these preparations give evidence of de-
cided military genius, and genius which, like
that of the elder Napoleon, struck out new
paths in the science of war. The fact is.
Louis Napoleon is thoroughly skilled in all
the ground work of a great military COM
manler, whether he become one or not
During his residence in Switzerland, while
yet in his minority during his stay in Eng
laud after his abortive effort at restoring
Napoleonic dominion in France during his
long imprisonment by Louis Philippe; and
during his exile TO America, he employed
much of his time to close and careful study,
not in the way of mastering the theories Of
others, but in evolving those of his own ori-
! gination. His various works upon military
science, as well as upon political subjects,
were highly spoken of long before any body
ever dreamed of his becoming Emperor o
France


1t is supposed that Napoleon has been de
ferring his descent upon England until such
time as he could feel secure of the neutrality
Of the other great European powers, and par
ticuarly of Russia, in the contest. So far as
Russia is concerned, there is reason to be-
lieve that the present Gar and the French
Emperor are on very good terms.


But as to the probabilities of war, we shall
be better able to decide on the arrival of the
next transatlantic news. We may remark
one thing, however, before we close, and
that is that if the present rumor be true,
the San Juan Island difficulty will be apt
to come to a speedy settlement.