The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-01-10 00:00:00

SIR CR
NATION

Admiral Sir Cherie, Napier undertook to be present
on Wednesday evening at a meeting in Lowestoft to pro-
mote the enrolment of " Royal Naval Volunteers" along '
the coast. Captain Steward presided, and the meeting
was numerously attended.
Sir C. Napier said, those present, no doubt, knew
perfectly well that for some time pest ansiety Lod pre-
vailed in England with reference to the position uf the
country in respect to France. Great Itritain, as an
island, relied for defence on her navy and the fortresses
on her coast • while France, as a military Power, hail an
army of 600,000 or 700,000 men. Nobody could know
better than the present audience that the aspect of naval
affairs had now greatly changed. In days gone by there
was no such thing as steam, and the country was then
defended by the navy alone. The application of steam
to modern warfare had now produced a great change,
and given other countries • great advantage in attacking
us, and although lie believed that the superiority and
, skill of our men won Id always he maintained, still the
difficulty of invading our coast was not 50 great as in
former days. A year ago it appeared that the French
navy was almost equal to our own, and lie was sorry to
this was Owing to the inattention we had paid to
our navy, (Hear, hear.) For some years we had seen
danger in our position, but we were now, lie was glad to
say, building a number of large ships and fine frigates.
Still, what would be the use of building ships and erect-
forts if we had not men to man them ? This was our
real necessity. When Parliament voted a certain num-
ber of seamen, 30,000 or 40,000, that total e. uld be kept
up, when it was once obtained, by bringing forward the
boys, as they grew up, to meet casualties and death ;
but when a sudden augmentation was required, as in
the CAMe of alarm or invasion, and the
_Government
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found it Za—ry—tc.i..call out 10,000 or 210,000 more, the
men under ordinary circumstances were nut to be had.
The mercantile marine had its number of men, and the
navy had its number, but in the case of an emergency
extra men for the latter were not to he had; and he was
glad to find that the Government had at last come
forward awl taken measures for forming a reserve force.
Coast volunteers had beets for some time organized, to
assist the Coastguard in looking after smugglers, an I, if
necessary. they would come forward in this' event of war
suddenly taking place, and man the reserve ships. It
was true that they might have to fight ; hut at present
they hail only to put down their names and come forward
in ease of an emergency to defend the co.ist. The boats
plying on the coast were some of the finest in the world
and they were fit to receive the enormous men—de-
pliants he might call them, who went out in them some-
times to save life and property. When they thus pot off
to ships In distress they braved grist dangers and could
not say whether they would come back again. Fighting
was nothing at all $o thin, for there was excitement in
it. (Laughter.) The plan under which enrolment was
now invited was different from that of the Coast Volun.
teems. The Government hoped to take 20,000 men, to
be ready in the event of an invasion of this country or
an attack from France, and they would be required
to serve in any part of the world in time of
war. The class invited to enrol themselves were
able-hodied seamen, and they would receive Ili a year,
merely to be ready when wanted. They would assemble
for 214 days' drill annually, and would receive while up
Is. 4.1. per day victualling money, and la. per day pay,
with the advantage of • pension of no less than £l2 •
year after 10 years' enrolment, which, under certain
regulations, might be enjoyed by their wives after their
decease. In addition to this, whether wounded or not,
they would be eligible to an asylum in Greenwich Hos-
pital. The tinie for drill would be so selected as not to
interfere with their fishing and other ordinary OCCUIOS-
tions ; they might, with leave, go foreign voyages, and
gunboats would be stationed so that they had their drill
at home. What inconvenience, lie would ask, would
they endure in learning, under Audi circumstance, as
these, different exercises with guns, cutlusnes. 111111
muskets, in order that they might be efficient defenders
of their country in the event of war? Men not drilled
were nothing more than a mob. Some might he in-
clined ti say, "Oh, we should do very well ;" but if lie
took 100 of the 400 seamen present and accustosnisl
them by discipline to the use of guns, entla.sses. Ice., he
would wager his life that if Ise were to put himself at
their bead he would "lick" the whole of the rest.
(Laughter and cheers.) Sailors and beachnien could not
be expected to come forwanl as riflemen ; they were
born to the sea end accustom.' to the sea only ; but it
was to them that the country looked for its defence.
The Government had not asked him to will res. the meet-
ing, hut being on a visit to his daughter in the neigh-
hourhood lie hail volunteered to ask those present to
volunteer. If they did nit do an. any " lousy" priva-
teer might come down upon them, burn their houses,
ravish their women, co 't all manner of atrocities,
_ . . . .. • .

and drive them like a thick of stomp liefore the wind.
Another view of the matter was that in the cv2lit of
war the Government might compel them to Come for-
ward. The Queen bad • right to call upon them to
defend the country, but now, when dont was no imme-
diate chance of attack, Her Majesty offered them is cep
fain sum of money to go and be drilled, that in the event
of war they might be able to defend themselves, their
wives. and property. With reference to impressment
the Parliament and people of this country were dead
against it. He had himself brought a Bill into Parini-
inent not to establish a pressgang, buttes exercise • little
gentler compulsion. His measure was to the effect that
every boy, after serving three or four years in the Me
,-
chant service, should, before he was entitled to be
I ranked as a British seaman. be compelled to serve two
' or three years on board a nein-of-war, that lie might be
fit for service. He thought when he brought thst
measure forward, and lie thought now, that this would
be an excellent preparation, hut the House of Commons
would not entertain the scheme because it wss a species
of compulsion. He stated this to show that the House
of Commons was opposesi to the slightest show of eon,.
pulsion. and for this reason sailors were now called upon
to volunteer. He did not wish to deceive them. If a
war broke out it would be absolutely isecessary to com-
pel men to come forward, and everybody must do so—
not only sailors. hot gentlemen and noblemen. He was
not one to say that the pour man should he Ow first to
serve and fight, but every man, from the Prince ss(
Royal blood down to the poore:t in the land, ought to
come forward it were necessary for him to come forwaisl
if it were necessary for him to do so, for the defence of
the country. (Cheers.)
The Chairman stated that he was informed on ex.
cellent authority, that • battery would be shortly
erected at Pakefiehl, connuanding the gateway, and
another at Lowestoft Ness Point, commanding the
Roads.
Sir C. Napier, in acknowledging a vote of thanks ac-
corded to him for his attendance, noticed the almost
total extinction of corporal punishment in the navy, and
referring to the late mutiny on board the Princess
Royal said, in that ease an admiral and 12 captains sat
to inquire into the circumstances, while when the
men of the Great Eastern refused to scrub the decks •
single magistrate committed them.
The proceedings shortly afterwards terminated.