The Press. — London, England, 1856-05-10 00:00:00

cient manner, without having, as we have hod, within the last two years, almost to create a new army from the beginning The Earl of DERBY seconded the motion. What ever difference of opinion there might be on the merits of the terms of peace, or the results achieved by the army and navy, there could be none as to the courage and devotion of the land and sea forces, nor any difficulty in acknowledging their services. He heartily concurred in the tribute of praise paid to the memory of Lord Raglan ; the eulogium of Lord Pan• mitre did not extend, but rather fell short of the merits of that great man. The conduct of the army deserved the highest praise : No word of mine—no word that can be uttered—can do justice to the services of that noble army, whose devoted gallantry in the field, whose maim:bin courage in the hour of battle, and, above all, whose patient heroism in the midst of disease, famine, and privations of every descrip tion—keeping alive under all difficulties and discourage molts not only the strictest discipline, but the most fear less valuer and the most unhesitating devotion to duty— reflect more credit upon them than any army ever gained before. (Cheers.) The services of the fleet were confined for want of opportunity ; but no one would deny that great zeal, great energy, and great courage bed been shown at all tunes, particularly in the naval brigade, where courage almost reckless, and exertions almost superhuman, justly excited the admiration of the whole army. He regretted that Lord Panmure had omitted to notice the services of the marines, a most valuable body of men, and who, on the heights of Balaklava, rendered most effectual aid. With respect to the Foreign Legions, he thought they should, on disbandment, be liberally rewarded ; and he truste i d, that the house would not hastilidispeaSe with the services of tl}e militia, not• neglect to keep up an efficient organisa tion of our forces:— I know that in a time of peace you cannot keep the militia regiments permanently embodied, nor do I think it desirable that you should do so ; but I trust. that we shall not again fall into the error of suffering the skeletons of those regiments to crumble to pieces—of allowing the staff to be disorganised—and of neglecting to retain such a nucleus of each regiment as, called out everyyear, or at all events once in two years, for a limited period of service, may, in the first place, keep alive the skeletons of the mili tia system, to be clothed and filled up when occasion should occur ; and, in the next, maintain among the men that military feeling and those habits of discipline which must enable theta in the hour of peril to render good ser vice to their Sovereign and their country. (Cheers.) I entirely concur in the concluding observation of the noble lord, both in regard to the militia and the regular army, that nothing can be such false economy as hastily to do away with your present establishments. Reduction, and that, too, on a large scale, must undoubtedly take place ; but, in the meantime, however you diminish numbers, keep up the efficiency of your present system—keep your im proved organisation complete, and retain your men, not merely as an agglomeration of regiments, as at the com mencement of the war, but as an army which, though not numerous, is regularly embodied into divisions and bei pules, habituated to act in cuncert, and ready, in the event of the return of hostilities. to avail itself without eonffislon of those numerical reinftevements which the spirit of the country at such times will always supply. The Duke of CAMBRIDGE gave his cordial assent to the motion. His Royal Highness testified to the high courage and patient endurance of the army under incredible hardships, and expressed on behalf of the army his gratitude for the eminent services of the navy,—" From the admiral done to the humblest seaman in the fleet every one worked earnestly and zealously to relieve the wants of the army." The Earl of CARDIGAN expressed his satisfaction at the vote proposed. He viewed the loss of Lord Raglan as irrepaplitle, apCitrove l e ‘ M„be. deeply re gretted that be had not' lived to reap that best re ward of act, his . eminent services—the,restoration of peace. to htficonpiry, Earl Giaiztrat t LE thanked the Earl of Derby for the speech with whiph he had seconded the ,moon. it would prove to the army and navy of England that their achievements would not be made the sub ject of party conflicts. Earl OBEY, while cordially approving the motion, denied that our military expenditure during the late peace was f )unded on principles of false economy. It was our military system which was at fault ; and if the sums granted by Parliament since Water• 100 ad been'Properly applied,:tha army would have been maintained throughout in the highest state of efficiency. The motion was then agreed to nem. con. Lord PALMERSTON, in the Commons, pursuant to notice, rose and moved : That the thanks of the house be given to the army, navy, and marines employed in the operations of the late war, and to the embodied militia. • • 4.1 The noble lora, admitting that *Sett tile' &it force of inpon men quitted this conntry,':itiiltti 'hot 'anti cipated that they woeld proceed beyond the fortifi cations of the Dardanelles, nor do mote than lid in protnting Constantinople, rapidly reviewed the cperations of the war, and expressed the' Mgliesit praise of the intrepidity displayed at Alma, the bril liant spirit at Balaklaya, the heroic persistence at TR PR S S. Tnkermann, and the daring courage on the 18th of June, and at the assault of the ltedan. But the army proved itself to possess other qualities not less noble, and by the endurance it displayed in silently subiritting to sufferings and privations almost in. credible, men and , officers proved themselves dis tinguished by every quality which gave dignity to human nature, and claimed the admiration and gra titude of their country. The noble lord also alluded at. length in fitting terms to the distinguished ser vices of the navy, the matinee, the militia, and the civil. depertme,nts, and admitted that thirty-seven regiments„of the militia had tendered tor foreign service; but which offers were not accepted or required by the Government. Mr. DISRAEXI seconded the motion. So great had been the variety of deeds, so numerous the develop ments of character, which have . already become household words in England, that one might say that every village had its hero, and every fireside its thrilling talc. The object of the war was from the beginning understood by the people of this country, and the contest bad been sustained by them with that firmness which can only be derived from couvic dun. The war, though .brief, had .yet presented every variety of encounter:— _ _ Although these campaigns have not been of such long duration as some which have taken, place under great captains—those, for instance, of our own Wellesley—still I believe there is hardly any variety of warfare which has not been proved during their course. We have had the pitched battle and we have hail the protracied siege, we have had heights triumphantly gained, we bevelled heights defended with success. (Cheers.) Throughout these campaigns so numerous were the traits of individual heroism, such were the wonderful effects produced by the determination of the soldiers, that I do.not know whether, were we to search the most glorious annals of put wars, we should be able to find a match for the achievements of our contemporaries. (Hear, hear.) The services of the navy, marines, and militia fully deserved the high praise bestowed upon them. Our allies, too, were worthy of our warmcst thanks ; but there were other soldiers, neither our allies nor the troops of our Sovereign, to whom it would not only be generous but wise to do justice : The father of poetry has told us that the strength of a conqueror cannot be more surely estimated than by the c:ntracter of him whom he has conquered. Sir, the men whom the forces of the Queen and her allies had to meet in the great struggle which is now concluded were no common men. The legions that triumphed under Sower• ruff and conquered at the Borodino, although defeated at Sebastopol, hare proved themselves foemen worthy of the united chivalry of England and of France. (Cheers.) In doing this justice to our late opponents we are, in fact, only placing the achievements of our fellow-countrymen and our allies in their true aspect and proper position. ( Hear, hear.) Sir. I have great pleasure in seconding the motion of the noble lord; and, if it were not presumption. I would express my opinion that when the verdict—l will not say of posterity—but that when the calm end unim- passioned verdict of the time in which we live is given upon these events, it will be acknowledged that in the late struggle our country I as shown all those qualities which maintain a nationig, greatness and which prevent the de cline and fall of ia r piTes. (Cheers.; Mr. STAFFORD called the notice of the house to the services of Admiral Dundas, who had been unjustly misrepresented. The eulogiums of Mr. Disraeli and Lord Palmerston were due to the high character of our soldiers in every point of viewon the inthority of Miss Nightingale, who, in March last, wrote as follows: I have never been able to join in the popular cry about the recklessness, sensuality, and helplessness of the sol. dier. I should say (and, perhaps, few have seen more of the manufacturing and agricultural classes of England than dhate before Ileattio out here);that l haw ner&been eh telichable and helpfnl a class as the army generally. Give them opportunity promptly And securely to send money home, and they will use it. Give them schools and leetnreS, end they will come to them. Give them books and games and. amusements, and they will leave off drink ing. Give them work, and they will do it. Give th e m suffering, and they will hear it. I would rather have to do with the army than with any other class I have ever at• tempted to serve, and when I compare them with . . . . I am struck with the soldier's superiority as a moral, and even an intellectual being. The lion. member concluded by suggesting that some deed of •grace, such Re the liberation of all juvenile offenders, should mark the conclusion of peace. The motion was then agreed to nem. con. DThEMBOMIXENT OF THE MILITIA. Lord PALMERSTON in the Commons, end Lord PANMURE in the Lords, on Monday, said that the Governreont would endeavour to•arran;;,e the disem bodiment of the militia in the way least Inconvenient to the community at large. The militia could hot be kept embodied for a considerable time after the eon. elusion of peace. and it was desirable, with a view to the agricultural employthent of the men, that they should . bUdieembodied at such times as to enable them to fall'imek' into their usual:employment in their /several distrieti. With respect to the army, that portion which i►hs abroad would not return for stencil inenthis to' come, and would then return in twee/wire detachments ; therefore there could be no difficulty in arranging as to that. ■ SATURDAY. Lord P4NAWRE, on TilllrAday, stated that the Go. vernment propcseil with reference to the militia regiments when they were discharged, to add to the permanent staff the quartermasters who at present held commissions in regiments. To the subalterns, ,many of whom had been at considerable expense to join their regiments, it. was proposed to give three months', and to the surgeons and assistant-surgeons one year's pay. The men would, upon the disern. Wail-Aleut of their regiments, receive the balance of bounty for the present year. Ip reply to. the Marquis of SALISBU RY , Lord PArawar: said, that the question of the addi. tion of non-cummissioned officers to the per manent staif was under the consideration of the Govern. menu. DISEMBODIMENT OF THE IRISH MILITIA. Mr. PEEL, ou Tuesday, in reply to Air. Davison, said that the Ir'sle militia would be dealt with in tho s ame way as the Scotch and English militia. Those regiments in billet would be disembodied first, and then the remaining regiments; but by the time that the men reached their homes he thought that they would find as abundant opportunity for employment as at any other period of the year. Mr. PEEL, in reply, to Colonel French, was under stood to say that the balance of the 6/. bounty due to the men would be paid to them when they received the balance of pay due to them. TIIE TURKISH TARIFF. Lord PAL3tE:usTort, nu Monday, in reply to Mr. Wise, said that, instead of the tariff affixed to the treaty of 1838, a fixed tariff would be established, settling for seven years the value of each commodity, upon which value nine per cent. was to be levied. With regard to the Danubian provinces they regulated their own scale of duties, and he believed that at present there was no other duty levied in those provinces but the export duty of three per cent. In further reply to Mr. Roebuck as to whether the Turkish Government had offered to do away with internal duties upon the transport of goods, Lord Palmerston was not aware of any offer being made except that established by treaty. AFFAIRS OF CENTRAL AMERICA. Lord PALMERSTON, on Monday, in reply to Sir E. B. Lytton as to whether the supplemental corre spondence on this question had yet been completed, and whether the Government, in the pre , ent state of the question, would think it desirable to enter into the disenssim , , said : Her Majesty's Government has not yet received any reply to the proposal made to the United States Govern ment that the questions connected with the nifairs of Gantt al America should be referred to arbitration. I sliould hope that an answer might very shortly be received, either consenting, or giving reasons for declining. Undoubtedly, as the hon. baronet has mooted the question, I am bound to say—though of course it is not for me to presume to throw out any suggestion fur the guidance of hon. members in the discharge of their parliamentary duties—still,as the hon. baronet has hail the goodness to submit' his views, 1 am bound to say, with a view to the national interests, on a question pending between this Government and the Government of another coentry, while a proposition for referring the dispute to arbitration is under consideration, I certainly do thiuk that the national inierests would be best consulted by this house abstaining from enteriug into the discussion—( Hear, hear)—of a question of that delicate nature until the answer of the United States Goternriient, one way ortthe other, may be received. ( Hear, hear.) Therefore if the hon. baronet, in the exercise of his discretion, should postpone his motion until after the holidays, I confess I think he would exercise a sound judgment in the matter. (Cheers.) Sir B. B. LYTTON : After the obeervatiuns which have fallen from the noble lord. 1 shall postpone {111;1140n until after Whitsuntide ; but I earnest,y hope that no very great Delay will take place iu laying the papers before the house. PENSION TO LORD DALHOUSIE. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE, on Thursday, asked whether' the Governrmnt had Sanctioned the grant of it 'Nil&On to Lord Dalhousie of 5,f 00/. a year char g the revenues' Of' Tndia, and 'Moved for the aorrespoirdence. The tfraVi Wtti Wholly unwarrantable. Ear T CIRANIIII.V. Stated that the strbject had not yet come under the notice of the Board of Control, and that to correspondence existed. The motion, after a warm discussion, in which Lord HansownY defended the proposal of a pension, was ultimately withdrawn. TITHE COMMUTATION RENT•CHARGE BILL. Mr. R. Pltummont, on Wednesday, in moving the second reading of the Tithe Commutation Rent charge Bill, explained the object of the bill, which was to protect the interests of the tithe owners by providing that the assessment, now madeupon the full value or the rent-charge, should be made in respect to that, as well as other accessible property, upon the net annual value, by Allowing certain re ductions from, the , amount of the commuted rent tharge, order' to adjust the'lalian*' The inOtioh' i►t seconded by Lord A. HERVEY, who urged strdrigly the injustice inflicted by the unequal Operation of the existing law upun the clergy. Mr. Bouvennt admitted the grievance, but insisted that the provisions of the bill would not afford an appropriate remedy, while they were not consistent