Charles Dilke acknowledges the authorship of the series of papers on the Present Position of European politics, which has been appearing since the begimiing of the year. The series is completed by a paper on the United Kingdom. It is not so interesting as the earlier numbers, no doubt because it deals with a subject with which we are all more or Jess familiar,. There are few sketches of the characteristics of men or women of note or of the interiors of public life in Eng-yerd. These gave a piquancy to the and relieved the rather monotonous style Papers on Russia, Germany and France into which the writer was apt to fall. Writing on the policy, the resources, the army and the navy of Great Britain Sir Charles Dilke brings together a great deal of information, quotes the opinions of Stsivent seen cod alves his own. Ho zepeats what he has said in the previous articles that England is past her fighting days, unless moved by a very powerfully irritating cause; in the first place on account of her admitted military unreadiness, and in the second place on account of her strong desire for peace He admits that the great resources of England would remedy some of her wnreadiness for war in the event of her entering on a long war, but he holds that in these days of rapid mobilisation, it is the first few weeks of a war which count, and England being unable to ise large forces rapidly could do ing in the first mouths of a continental conflict. He shows that the desire for peace which animates Englishmen generally has stood the peace of Europe in good stead of late years, in the face of unfriendly and exasperating attacks from foreign cabinets and journalists. England has, he maintains, refrained from justifying the common Continental, imputation that she is a plundering power by refraining from annexations unless in self defence. On the whole the relations of England with Foreign Powers are, with the exception of Russia and France, such as to sup-Tung maintained. England and Russia ort the hope of the peace of Burope
must, he thinks, eventually fight, but a single-handed war between them is in probable. We need say no more on this part of the author's subject, as it is merely the opinions of a student of Foreign Affairs who was by no means a conspicnous success when in office.
A great part of the article is devoted to showing the unpreparedness and insufficiency of the Bag ish army; that is for taking part in a war at a distance. The English any is small and costly, and we do not get the worth of the money spent upon it, but though everything is not as it should be in the navy, we have not much to complain of there. We have not enough troops to defend London if England were invaded as some think she might be from the South and from Harwich way in the East. More-meantime Russia in the Pacific is a over, our Colonies being insufficiently both to England and China as garrisoned and defended, a part of our to England in her approach to Navy would require to be detached Afghanistan, Sir Charles Dilke thought to protect them against attack. The when writing on Russia that we could volunteers count for little in his eyes meet her on the Indian frontier by it is more than hinted that they would pouring out troops without weakening prove an undisciplined mob in actual our force at home and by warfare. All that is within the bounds an expedition to Wladivostock. Lord of possibility, but Sir Charles Dilke and Wolseley's speech on the army has made those alarmists whose views he sets forth, him doubt this, Here again what ix while pointing out that the defence of are speculations of the writer's the Colonies would weaken the defence which are to be taken for what they may of England, by requiring the despatch of be worth, But at the close of them troops and ships, do not take into occur these weighty sentences contain-account that the country with which ing a view of policy for England and England might be at war would be China which we have often advocated weakened to a much greater extent by "To hold our own, then, upon the the military and naval expeditions which north-west frontier, and to carry the it would be necessary to send to the, the into Russian territory by an attack of our Colonial ions, The attack upon Ru shores, is English possessions which are most the most that we can expect to be able likely to be attacked are those in or to de, With a Chinese alliance which near this part of the world and in the we ought to be able to gain and to Pacific, Terasia is the power that can retain, our position in Manchuria would work mischief in these parts, and the be very strong. It is there, and there author shows how she has neglected, and only, that in the event. of war Russia does not seem to care to strengthen her can be bled to death, of the j naval strength in Europe, but has been at upon the Caucasus and the adding greatly to her fleet and power the Pacific We vive elsewhere a mither " dt, both of which
long extract, in which the position of ded, I fear that the one and the other our Colonies and naval force out here are about ey il succeed." is described.
With regard to such Colonial questions as those arising from the New Hebrides occupation and the convicts despatched 1 by France to New Caledonia, the writer quanters of American bars, and natives justly blames Lord Salisbury for his of that happy country where dry humour weakness in dealing with them, It is is an clement in the climate, are familiar to be hoped that the spirit with which. with the multitudinous forms and sug-his speech of platitudes to the Austra-some of them grave but lion Delegates was received will have stic, under which alcoholic drinks opened his Lordship's eyes. Any way, /are pressed upon a thirsty public. At we are confident that in whatever man- one end of the scale of nomenclature we jer the questions sence of the French in the Pacit arising from the pre- find Chainlightning with Core: vivers as companions, and from these now dealt with, if some weak temporising is through careful gradations of Bye= arrangement is entered upon, the time ' openers, Gum-ticklers, Bosom-caress not very distant when Australia will too mmunerons to enumerate, require every European Power to clear we arrive at the we plus ultra of tipsy out of Oceana. wstheticisin in a_ composition which, One great change which has taken appropriately we dare say, is entitled place in Europe in recent ing Sabbath-oahu. Doubtless the series strongly for peace though ax yet it has usually traversed in the reverse di not had time to affect to any great ex- tion. The later stay tent the old dynastic and national policy. the American Bacchus are likely This is the onery, with which France, Uby a demand for Corpse-re Gennany, ud Italy are devot Casks-of-nails in preference to themselves to trade, commerce and manu- those beverages whose seductively factures. The smaller countries such as; soothing rather than any Spain and Portugal are doing the same.; biting qualities, As these nations engage more in; constmer. There is no more drinking commerce they will become like Eng-done in America than elsewhere, but land, averse to war. Again the in-; Americans have gained their alcoholic crease of the United States, Canada} notoriety from the elaborate attention and Australia is becoming a defence for they pay to the art. Of late years a the rest of the world against those! gocd deal of this attention has been designs for universal empire which j diverted to the concoction of so called many impute to Russia. America has no temperance beverages, upon the betitling national interest in the quarrels of Euro- of which fancy has also lavished its pean powers, but if in the course of time it; wealth. Even in the apparently simple should appear likely that Russia would matter of water drinking the American overrun the rest of the world, then the hotel frequenter is not as other men are. United States and Canada and Australia; He demands a perennial supply of what would see that they could not remain he believes to be the pure element, cooled isolated from the old countries. In the to a certain temperature and. presented
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.