THE INTEREST AND THE POWER OF ENGLAND.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2865, 22 April 1878, Page 2

THE INTEREST AND THE POWER OF ENGLAND.

Under this title a series of letters by " A Loudou Physician " have appeared in the Morning Post. From the lttest of these letters we reproduce the following instructive deductions arrived at by the writer. . First, as to money :— " We are not only rich, but our wealth, one year with another, increases at a rate that may well be deemed marvellous. A single fact of the money recently submitted to the Statistical Society will prove this. We know the aggregate, amount of a part only of the incomes of the people of the United Kingdom, but this aggregate, made up as it is of several kinds of income, when capitalised according to the, practice of financiers, yields a total of 240 millions as the new capital added to the national treasure every year. So great is the increase of wealth since 1815, when the great war with Frtnce terminated, that the charge of the National Debt, which then amounted to a third of the entire capital of the country, has now fallen to the low figure of a 22nd part. So much more wealthy are we that we could bear the pressure of a debt of 3000 millions with no greater strain than our countrymen of 1815 bore their burden of 900 millions. Money, then, will not fail us when next we are called upon to chastise even the most powerful disturber of the peace. "2. War Material and Appliances.— Of these, as of money, we have a practically inexhaustible supply. Neither coal nor iron, neither mechanical skill nor inventive ingenuity, will fail us. In all these things we are, more than other nations, self-sufficient. "3. Men.—The population of the United Kingdon takes rank after those of Russia, Turkey (with Egypt), and Germany; and approaches nearly those of France and Austria-Hungry, and exceeds that of Italy by some 6,000,000. It is is four times as great as the united populations of Bonmaiiia, Servia, Montenegro, and Greece. England's recruiting-ground which may be said to comprise its colonies, may be roughly estimated to embrace 40,000,000 of souls, being some 3,000,000 leas than that of Germany, some 4000,000 more: than that of France and Austria - Hungary. As to the recruiting-ground of Russia, with its 87,000,0C3 of inhabitants, we know little; but if the tribes of Central Asia are to be counted in her favour our Indian Empire must be thrown into our scale. When next we fight with Turkey as our ally (and the conduct of Russia must, sooner or later, render that union inevitable), we may reckon the Turks among our available recruits. Certain it is that, if we act with common sense and the most ordinary prudence in our foreign relations, we shall be able to command more men than any of the nations of the Continent.

" 4. Ships.—As it is incouceivable that France should be arrayed against as, and hardly credible that Austria or Turkey should, I shall assume as possible that England, without a single ally, may bare to face a hoatile combination of all the other Powers. On this extreme assumption, she would enter on the rar with 510 armed resseis of all sorts (of which 61 are ironclade), against 228 ships of all kinds (of which 57 ironclads). These figures do not, of course, represent the real disparity of force. If we assume Turkey for our ally, her fleet, with that of Egypt, would add 165 fighting Teasels. In this event, the figures would stand thus :—England, with Turkey, 675 ships : the other Powers (less France and Austria), 228 ships. We should hare ships enough to encounter any hostile combination, to protect all our possessions, and to ensure ample supplies of food, probably at no great increase of cost. If we substitute sailors for ships, England would muster 82,000, against 49.000; and if Turkey (with Egypt) were added in, some such total as 136,000." As to our command of men under the system of volunteer enlistment, that, says the writer, I will illustrate by two instances—the one general, the other special. " We had been fighting with France some sixteen years when we first sent troops to Portugal, and those troops we contrired to reinforce and maintain at such a standard of efficiency that Wellington, after six years of continuous fighting, drore France out of Spain and followed her to { her capital. As a special fsct this must suffice/ We had been seventeen years at war when we contrired to send on the unfortunate expedition to Watcheren a mixed armament of soldiers and sailors to the number of 70,000, of whom 42,000 were soldiers. All this, be it recollected, was dons nearly seventy years ago, when our population was not much more than half what we number now, and our wealth but a seventh part or so of what we now possess. Gentlemen of the peaee-at-any-price party, when next you hare occasion to disparage England's power, to frighten her with threats of a conscription, or plead her poverty as an excuse for inaction, please to bear these and such like facts in mind. Do what you will, you cannot prevent wars, but you can give a monopoly of fighting to such a miscreant as Bussia has once more shown herself to be. To such a power as this, a very monster of perfidy and violence, you would hand over England's sword. To whom do you propose to give Britannia's trident? Germany is ready to ascommodate you.'