Year: 1859




"Straws show which way the wind blows " and
every steamers news contains items which show the
way in which these indicators point in England; they
show the current of popular sentiment and point
toward France-the same way that the English rifles
WILL we are afraid, before great while The
mechanics and yeomanry of the island, the shop
keepers and students laying aside the spade, the
trade implement, the yard stick and the books Of
study, to join the rifle corps and practice with the
weapon not in the dread, SO much as in the desire to
aim one day at the breasts Of Frenchmen rather than
the senseess mark at which they try their skill This
popular passion for the formation of rifle corps was
not disspated by the frantic doggerel Of poor
Tennysons war song Form, form, rilemen form y
and the ridicule thus cast upon the movement
scarcely seemed to check the enthusiasm, SO deep
its foundation in the very hearts of the people.
When whole nation from the highest to the lowest,
thus buses itself in getting ready for fray it is
unmisakabe indication that they rather wish for it.


The press of the kingdom, too, is increasing in its
ominous vaticinations of coming trouble and anti
French promugations, all of which are countenanced
if not encouraged by Government, that seems to be
entirely willing that the nation should ripen for the
muss,'' which may any day become unavoidable.
The elegraphic advices of the North Brion's news,
received yesterday, contain two items pertinent to
these refections-one large item and the other small
but some what pointed. The one is rumor that Eng
land and Prussia intend 10 attempt interference with
the belgerent powers, and the chances are, that
when they undertake this, England, at least will be
drawn into the war, for she will probably threaten to
take sides unless her demands for peace acceded
to, and Louis Napoleon will not be likely to'agree
to any such arrangement unless he gets enormously
favorable conditions that will scarcely be conceded
Great Britain will have to take hand, for she is too
good pluck to back out of proclaimed resolve what
ever may be the cost of carrying it out.


The small item referred to is that which tells of
| the fight among certain English and American
Sailors because the latter rosettes of the French
tricolor. This is said to have occurred at Florence


but we doubt it, as sailors in bodies could scarcely be
in that interior city, and incline to the opinion that
the fracas took place at the seaport of Leghorn,
which is, perhaps more than other coast city, the
harbor place of Florence. Whether it occurred at
one the other, though, it right there in the
| war neighborhood, and where the French and Sar-
dinians are in the ascendancy, and it shows that
sentiment bitterly hostile to the French possesses the
spirits of the of the English navy well the
people at large, uncomfortable even when minging
with their late allies and influenced by the pervading
human tendency to hurrah for dominant party with
whom one may be associated. Perhaps the English
tars were all corned, and very likely they were for
the gallant fellows" have way of getting all the
"sheets in the wind' they possibly can but when
corned men more frequently speak their real senti
ments than when sober, particularly if their feelings
are such as would be suppressed were they more
rational The outbreak of the Sailors then indicated
a feeling that they the Austrian side in the
war, and that they didn't care who knew it, This is
a small straw, of little Importance, and may have
been fabricated at that but if not it is of many


and it struck fancy to pull it from the rick and
display it along with those of greater moment.