The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-01-17 00:00:00

THE EARL OF MALMESBURY AND
ADMIRAL WALCOTT AT HOME.

CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday.
Last evening the Earl of Malinesbury, whose country
seat, Heron-court, is near this town, and Admiral Wal-
cott, M.P. for the borough, attended the anniversary of
the Vales of Avon and Stour Farinera' Club.
The Earl of Malinesbury, responding on behalf of
"The Army," said :—lt may not be appropriate to this
toast and on such an °cession as this to may a few word*
—and a very few words they shall be—with respect to
the military conduct of the population of this district.
You will, perhaps, some of you have been surpriaed that
when so great a movement has taken place throughout
Great Britain as that which has, I believe, raised 100,000
volunteers in this country, ready to repel any invasion
which may be made upon its shores, this town, so near
to the southern coast, and probably so much snore ex-
posed than many others to foreign attack, should not
up to this moment have ostensibly displayed ony of that
enthusiasm which we have met with elsewhere; but if
the public believe that we have been eatirely neglectful
in this matter, that we have been careless of our duty to
our country, end have thought it not worth while to
exert ourselves in the naive way as OM fellow-country.
men, they must be told that it is only in appear.ince,
and that the fact is not no. (Hear, hear.) The fact is
this. that, having had the I ~,,, our nut hal; ago to be a
member of Her Majesty's Government, I know how
anxious Iler Majesty's then Government were, and I
know how anxious Her Majesty's present Govennueut
an, that at much as possible, and especially on the
coasts of England, these volunteer forces should be
funned of artillery ; aiid I WWI desired by menden' of
Her Majesty's Government to exert myself to raise, if
possible, and to encourage an artillery force in this Ills-
inct in preference to a corps of riflemen. I will not go
into the question of the relative utility of the two
forces, but I entirely agree with those omen of military
experience who have urged this upon sue, and I believe
that a force of volunteer artillery, provided we were
defended by batteries erected by the Government,
would be re peculiarly essential in the defence of this
harbour, town, and roadstead than any body of volun-
teer infantry could be. (Hear.) Holding these opinions,
I was assisted by several gentlemen of this neighbour-
hood in bringing out this project, and ire met three or
four times in committee, with the view of carrying it
out manfully. I invited to Heron-court Sir John Bur-
goyne aud his aille-dwcanip, who surveyed Ilenoistbury
Head and the coast tO iliglicliffe. They pointed out to
mime that those two points might be fortified with very
great advantage to the security of the roadstead and
harbour. I then proceeded to address myself to the
War Department on the subject, awl yoii inay be aware
that not lung ago a Royal Cot ttttt WAS appointed by
the Crown to make a report upon the fortifiestiona
necessary for the protectiol. of the cloak I thought it
wise until the report was issued, to leave this .junction
in abeyance, and not to raise a force of volunteer
artillery in this district until we were certain that bat-
teries would be erected for our defence, and this was
my reason for so delaying the matter. You will see by
the conditions under which volunteers are enrolled that
they will be obliged to serve at the nearest batteries to
the locality in which they are resident ; and therefore,
if we had no batteries on these heads, and near to this
locality, the nearest Latteries to Christchurch would be
Hurst, Calshot, and perhapil Portsmouth. It would be
altogether out of the range of possibility that gentlemen
and persona employed As those whom I tee before inc
could, under any circulustanees, give up their time so as
to leave the locality altogether, awl go to these distant
fortifications, although they might spare a certain IIUIII-
- of hours any day for drill at the batteries which
were erected close to their own homes. (Hear, hear.)
I therefore proposed to the oounnittee that no serious
step should be taken with the view of forming an artil-
lery volunteer corps until I had ascertained whether the
Government would erect batteries at • reasonable dis-
tance from this town. I have ascertained that —pro-
bably from a necessary economy—the lieeerninellt has
decided that no batteries will be erected in towns which
are not either commercial or military town., and that
they could not consider Chriatchurch as coming under
one of these categories. We should therefore, although
permitted to have practicing batteries—although the
Government would scud us down a couple of guns for
the purpose of drill and instruction,—still, practically
speaking, we should be liable to be sent, when • serious
occasion occurred, the whole way to Cidshot Castle or
to Portsmouth, which is evidently out of the sphere of
local volunteers. (Hear.) This being the ease, I should
reemumend—and I expect that the inhabitants of
Christchurch and the locality would probably prefer it—
joining in the general movement of our fellow-country-
men in other parts of the kingdom, and foriuing • volun-
teer ride corps, instead of one of artillery. (Cheers.) I
very much regret that we are driven to this alternative,
because, on the ground of utility, artillery is one of
the best of all defences on the coast, and I ain persuaded
that if we had fortifications within our reach we should
have been more useful As artillery than as ridemen.
Still, there can be no doubt that voluateer corps of
riflemen may he of service. It would be a slur upon us
if Christchurch were behind the rest of Great Britain,
and I trust that an effort will be tuade to raise a respect-
able *ape of riflemen. (Cheers.)
Admiral Walcott, M.P., in responding for "The
Navy," in • retrospect of the past year referred first to
the gallant deeds of our seamen, marines, and soldiers at
the mouth of the Peiko as beyond example great; they
held to their genii even while their vessels were sinking
under their feet; they withstood a moat withering fire,
and their heroic admiral—a case unexampled —shit teil
his flag from ship to skip as wish became successively
sunken. It WWI an exploit the gallantry of which was
never surpassed, and of which the country ini4lit be
justly proud. He trusted that the flag of England
would make a pathway for the miiiiionariea of religion.
Another great proof had been given of the intrepidity
of British seamen. Captain relintock had returned to
England with authentic proofs of the death of Sir John
Franklin, and of 136 men and officers, having AWMOIII-
- the discovery, though with the loss of their
lives, of a north-west passage. Peace and honour to
their memories! (Cheers.) England bail had the gm-cot
good fortune of escaping the horrors of is continental
war through the exertions of the late Guverimient and
the statesmanlike views of the late Foreign Secretary of
State (Lord klalineebury), to whom the country was
much beholden. (Cheers.) In India the intrepidity
and discipline of our troops had overcome one of the
wait formidable mutinies. The gallant Admiral, in
conclusion, said—l am perfectly satialied that a high-
minded policy is the best protector of peace, and that
preparation for war is the best preventive against it.
I have listened with great satisfaction to the statement
of the noble earl with respect to the introduction of •
v•ilunteer corps. The voluuteer system of ride corps
forms a aunt formidable and useful auxiliary in the
field; but 1 ion rejoiced to find the feverish excitement
of the public Wind has been set at rest, and that our
capacity for resistance is no longer, as it has been, a
matter of debate. It is icy lino conviction that if
ever the ease should nocur that a foe should invade our
allures there will be found in every English field an
English Joan of Arc and on every battlement an Eng.
lisli deg and an English Maid of Saragossa. Our safety
depends upon our insular position, our unity among
ourselves, our loyalty and devotion to our Sovereign,
and the honour in which we hold our country; and be
assured that if such an occasion WM an invaai should
arise, the merest stripling in the country will he found
ready to meet the crisis, and the enemy will find that
he has kindled a tire the flame and smoke of which
will extinguish him for ever. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. Tice proposed " The Health of Lord Malinesbury.'
fle observed that when the noble earl succeeded to
office it was at the time of a continental crisis, —when
Europe was in such a position that it became • matter
of difficulty and tact for any Gove tttttt ent whi?li might
be at the Imelum of affairs. The noble earl allowed by
his administration that he was an ardent lover of
pews, and when lie resigned the seals of office the
threatened danger had in a great measure poised away.
(Cheers.)

'rho Earl of Malmeabury, in reply, 1101, in-
deed, deeply touched at the very flattering speech which
I have just heard from Mr. Tice. Compliments are
commonly paid on these occasions —compliments, of
course —compliments which are expressed of course and
received of course, yet mere compliments they are.
But more than that has been expressed, as far as my
personal feelings are concenied, by my friend Mr. Tice;
for you may safely believe we t!.at, among the changes
aud chances of public life, its 11111001100 anxieties in such
a position as that which I had the honour of holding
for some 15 months, among very difficult tionee—when
relieved from the heavy weight of responsibility—a
responsibility almost too much fur human nature on
many occasions to bear—you may safely believe that,
being relieved from such • responsibility and returning

to • quiet home aud to domestic habits from so stormy
a sphere as that which I have left, it is with the great.
CIA satisfaction that one Can possibly feel to know that
one's neighbours, whom you knew before taking a heavy
task, meet you with open bawls and smiling faces when
you return to these scenes from tho.c stormy ones. I
do nut boast of having succeeded in the great task
which was before me. I did not prevent a great and
bloody war. I did not prevent the deaths of some
80,0111.10 r 11.10,001/ men who fell on the fair and fertile
plain:. of Italy; but this, I believe, with the help of
God, I did prevent—l prevented a general European
war (cheers); this I believe, with the help of God and
the aseistance of my colleagues. I did prevent—that the
war should have extended beyond the sphere it did ;
awl if my word is doubted it is proved by the state-
Divots of the Emperor of the French and of the Emperor
of Austria theinselves--the one complaining that be
was not assisted by England, the other saying that
Prussia did not come to his aid, and both circumstances
being those which prevented their continuing the
struggle any longer. (('heers.) It has been properly
stated this eve g that this is not • political meeting,
but I should not be acting respectfully to Mr. Tine, who
ham just spoken, or to you, who probably listened to
him and heard his remarks of use with pleasure, ill
did not say that to the last day of my life I shall always
thank !leaven that I was the humble means of prevent-
ing a war which I believe would have extended to as
great a length of time as that great war which swept
away so many millions of men and swamped so many
millions of money. (Loud cheers.)