uired to excite the energies and
to occupy the leisure hours of our numerous youth. We are always in
danger of becoming too peaceable a folk. Our avocations, all of a
mercantile or professional character,--our amusements, less out-door, and
more sedentary, than ought to be the case,--the very humane spirit which
pervades all English society,--our enormous wealth; all tend to make us
peaceably disposed. None can be alarmed at our warlike demonstrations.
No nation in Europe need fear a British invasion. No foreign government
can possibly pretend that the British government harbours designs of
active hostility against any European power. Indeed, the naturally and
necessarily peaceful intentions of this country are candidly acknowledged
by the most eminent men in France itself. Michel Chevalier, in his
account of a recent visit to this country, has done ample justice to our
moderation, and to our desire to be at peace with all the world.

We may, then, view the increase of our volunteer riflemen without any
alarm--nay, rather with a considerable amount of pleasure. People
connected with fast life, tell us that the falling off of the attendance
of young men at the casinos is something very remarkable; the reason of
this is attributed to the fact that they are engaged and interested in
their drill. It is with unmixed satisfaction, that we see, day by day,
the long columns of the _Times_ filled with the names of the towns which
have just joined the movement, and the proceedings of those which already
possess a corps of riflemen. The _Times_ tells us, that already the
force thus raised consists of 170,000, of whom half nearly are Londoners;
but the movement, we trust, will continue to be developed for some time
to come. Every young man should join it, as it gives him healthy
recreation, soldier-like habits, and a feeling that he is a son of our
common mother--fine Old England, the land of the brave and the free. We
are much in the habit of doing our work by proxy. Shareholders, in
companies, leave the management to a few directors, and learn, too late,
to curse their folly. Institutions of the most excellent character, in
the hands of a few become perverted, and are often real stumbling-blocks
in the way of reform. So it is with our army and navy. We pay for them
handsomely, we intrust their management to a few, and then we wake up to
find that we have been trusting on a broken reed; that our guns, and
muskets, ar