The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-09-06 00:00:00

EZTiltshire.

WILTSHIRE POLITICS.

Dab-at:L-4, Thurbday.

On Thursday afternoon last, the anniversary of a
charitable institution in this town, tailed the Rear
Club, was held at the Sear Hotel. In the evening
the members dined t 4, ,:•ther under the presidency of
Mr. It. P. Long, M.P., when among others were
present—The Right Hon. 1. 11. Sotheron Estcourt.
M. P., 'aptain tladatone. M. P., II igh Sheriff of the
county, Mr. Darby Griffith, M.l'., Colonel Olivier,
the Rev. Dr. Wilkinson, Mr. Merewether, Reconler
of Devises, and the Lev. P. Wood, riador of
Devizes.

The usual loyal toasts having been given,
The CifatellaS proposed" The Army and Navy." He
said he believed that the niaintenanoe of a standing army
and navy in an efficient condition afforded the surest
guarantee of peace, If they wished to avoid war they
must always take care to be prepared for it. His own
opinion was, that the ono remedy they required, and
without which they would never be able to get rid of
periodical invasion panics, was the entire Arming of the
population of England. (Hear, hear.) He made that
declaration fearleesly, because he believed that though it
Was all very well for Lord Palmerston to eay that we
had 200,000 wen to meet an army that might invade the
country, the real troth was that we could not bring
30,0110 into the field in an efficient condition. (Hear,
hear.) The remark had often been made of late that
:deem ha i thrown a bridge acres* the Channel, and be
believed that exi erience hail taught us that it was true.
At all events recent events in Northern Italy bad shown
us the ease with which a large foreign force might be
thrown upon the shores f another country. (Hear.)
The great difficulty Was how to guard against euitlen
attack, and to have at hand a large body of disciplined
tr.mps available in any emergency, and he did not think
that the volunteer COMM 11111 W being raised, invaluable as
they might be as an auxiliary force, would meet the
difficulty. At the salon time he WAS convinced that
Englishmen were prnprired to make every sacrifice
which loyalty and patnotism demanded, and bethought
that it was the bounden duty of every man either to
serve in the Militia or find • substitute. If such a
course were pursued they would never have occasion
to fear an invasion, and he believed that the interests
at stake were not too small for such a sacrifice. lii
Prussia every man above X) year* of age WAS COlll-
- to serve, and he would adopt the same system
in this country. (Hear, hear.) If it were adopted
the Government would be enabled at any moment to
secure the services, net of an untrained volunteer
force, but of hardy, disciplined, and, to a certain ex-
tent, scientific bobber& (Cheers.)
Captain GLaDsToNit. M.P., in responding to the
toast, said lie believed that the navy of this country was
in a most efficient state, and he WAS satisfied that the
country was never so much alive as at the present
moment to the necessity of keeping it in that state.
((heers.) Whatever Government might happen to be
in power, he trusted that they would not be afraid to
ask the House of Commons for such • sum of money,
even if it involved additional taxation, as would enable
them to keep up at any rate • powerful standing fleet.
(Hear, hear.) H, agreed most cordially with met of
the remarks which had fallen front his lion, friend the
president, for he thought it most desirable indeed that
far more of the people of this country should be trained
to arms. At the same time he was aware of the
great difficulty that was experienced in inducing •
laige portion of the population to enter either the
Militia or the regular army. Including 23,000 embodied
Militia, who, though not forming part of the standing
army, might be counted with the neuter force, the
army WAS at this moment 10,000 men below the
number voted by Parliament. That was by no Inver
a satisfactory state of affairs, though he had no doubt
that if there were any serious danger of war linen would
come forward readily to supply the deficiency. In the
meantime, he hoped it would not be presumed that lie
wished to act upon the principle that there was " noth-
ing like leather' (a laugh), but it was of the utmost im-
portance to maintain a large Channel fleet, not alone
for the purpose of resisting iIIVA4IOII, for lie had no
doubt that if any body of soldiers were to reach these
shores it would encounter certain defeat, but for main-
taining the virgin character of the soil of this try,
and preventing the possibility of its being said that any
foreign force ever succeeded in effecting a landing upon
our coasts. ((heers.) At present the great difficulty
experienced by the Government in reference to the
navy was in laying their bands upon any large number
of trained seamen when their services were required.
The position of the French eloverninent was very
different. When they paid off their ships a large pro-
portion of the sailors weld seat into barracks and there
retained, while the seises were placed in magazines; so
as to be available upon the shortest notice. lo muiitof
fact, both ship and stores were laid up in ordinary, with
every article properly numbered, and the result was that
it required very short time not only to man a ship but
to place the stores on board. (Hear, hear.) Again,
in France, every seamen before he joined the merchant
service was obliged to serve in the navy, if only for a
period of four or five years, and the consequence was
that every French sailor was inure or less a trained
seamen, skilled in gunners', and thoroughly disci-
plined. (Hear, hear.) Great credit was due to
Sir Charles Napier for the efforts which lie
had made year after year to induce the Govern-
ment to provide something like a naval reserve for
this country, though. no doubt the carrying out of
such • scheme was beset with difficulties. If the roast-
ing trade were relied upon as • reserve, it would be
found, when • war broke out, that many of them hail
entered the foreign trade, and that when they were
wanted they were not to be found. He believed that
the Government were now making an atkoupt to tone
a reserve of 25.000 men froin the coasting trade, and
5.000 from the foreign trade. The men selected were to
nmeive a small payment for their services, and if the
sum fixed upon were hereafter found insufficient it mint
• be increased, for it was a matter of vital bewesity that
there should be a reserve, and no consideration of
economy should be peruiitted to operate against the
formation of one. (" Hear," and cheers.) He believed
that the men whose services were required would be
called upon to enter the Royal Navy for a given time in
order to receive instructions Is gunnery and in the other
duties discharged by seamen on board • man-of-war.
The experiment Wl4 a most iniportant one, and lie
heartily wished it success, for the formation of a naval
reserve hat long been a matter of almost absolute neces-
sity. (" Hear, and cheers.) He fully agreed with his
lion. friend in the chair that it was not creditable to
this country that we should have ehese ceLejeeid wee-
sion panics, though no doubt they were to • certain
extent well founded, inasmuch as they proceeded from
the belief that the deface** and military and naval
forces of the country were not in the condition in which
they might to be. He believed that the country was
now fully alive to the necessity of doing 'something to
prevent the repetition of such panics, and that no
Government could remain in power which was not deter.

mined to keep both the army and nary of the country
in a hoot efficient state. (Chino.)
The CaatumAS 'text gate "hosperity to tho Bear
Cleh Charity."
Mr. S. Er iN-EsCor, irr, M.P., as the steward of the
re:C.64IIIIC I. dieferritig to the rimeai which had
betU mode by Captain liheistone awl Mr. Long in oder-
slice to the ii.tioiial Mem e‘, he said lie had that 1111 l ru-
ing received a letter. written to l,iiui under the diniction
of the Msrouis of Lansdowne, the Lord-Lieutenant iif
the COMO% calling attention to the rely diminished
mothers of the Wiltshire Regieni tit of Militia. c ini•
maieled be Lord Methuen. He Lolievol it was allowed
on all bends, 14 thou: who hail an opeortunity of know-
ing :4.01 log of the matter, that the Wiltshire regiment
stood am high, if nut higher, than any in the service for
the effeet.ve condition in which it bail been placed.
tierely, then. they were nut gide.. to :11111W NO admirable
• regiment to full off for want ornumbersl They were
not going to sit quietly at home and ray. " Olt, this is
the business of other people ; I dare say that as 110011 as
the winter sets in and work falls short some of our
young fellows will join the Militia." It was the busi-
ness of every one of them to its all in his power to keep
up the atrengdi of the regiment. (Cheers.) Year after
year be heard people talking about the defences of the
country. Yet, what had he. or what had any of then,
dune to keep up those defenoes? He certainly thought
that the best defence for England was the navy. (Hear,
hear.) If ever we were to be attacked lie believed the
fight would take place off the shores of France. He
hoped that the navy would be so kept up that we should
be enabled to fight the battle at a distance from our
shores; but, at the same time, we must run no unneces-
sary risk, Anil all must do something to provide for the
internal defence of the country. (Cheers.) Now that
the harvert was over surely the farmers ought to do
something to stimulate and encourage the young men in
their employment to serve for a limited tile. in the
Militia. (Hear, hear.) Coining dialer home, as a Yeti-
, inanry officer he would ask them why they did nut in
Devizes join that excellent regiment commanded by
Lord Aileshury. It was not enough for them to make ,
fine afterolimier speeches unless they followed them up
by something like practice. (Hear, 10g.r.1 They ought '
to try by eticourirging others to join the Yeomanry mil
Militia, to do something to keep up these defences, which
he trusted would never be put to the proof, but which
we should feel horribly ashamed id mir,e'aci to find
deficient if ever there was a prospect of attack; and it
must he remembered that we had a strong power across
the Channel whieli, though not a threat, should always
be regarded its a warning. It was our duty to keep our
neighbours as well as we could within their own terri-
tories, but in doing an we alionlit t•its e- :f titer 1
they emus ..15.-c Ilk: were fully prvv.aol ti Sae,'
(Cheers.) 1 . . _

The 111.11RMAN briefly proposed, "The Health of
the Members fur Devizes."

Captain CLAD:47O:CE 31 .I'., in responding, congratu-
lated the meeting on die great change which had talon
place in the aspect of our foreign relations since he
t had the plt•asure of addressing a meeting of his
constituents. When lie Was last in Devizes they were
under the greatest apprehension that the we then
riming in Italy mi,,,ebt extend much further, and that
Englond might be drawn into it; hut the united and
firin determination of every man in the count 7 hal
fortunately, prevented such a result, and he had now
the pleasure of congratulating then, upon the resto-
ration of peace. (Cheers.) lie confessed that, for his
own part, he placed credence in the statement which
had appeared in the newspapers of that day and the day
previous as to the possibility of the future peace of Italy
being preserved, because he believed that the Emperor
of the French was sincere in his intsoition not t, force
upon the Duchies of Tuscany, Modena, and Parma
Sovereigns whom the people there were most unwilling
to receive. (Hear, hear.) Ile tight that the peopre
of Italy ought to be left to manage their own affairs in
their own way; and lie believed, that at last thy were
likely to be allowed to do SG. (Hear, hear.) In Eng-
land there could be but one hope,—naniely that sound
constitutional Governments might be established in
Italy, which would tend to promote the happiness and
prosperity of the country. (('heers.) As Imglislimen,
we enjoy ati:h institutions ourselves, Said could wish no
better to Italy than that she should be allowed to
participate in sniffler beiiefiue (Cheers.) With reg.ird
to the course of legislation in the neat session of Parlia-
ment lie believed that there was no doubt we should
have something in the shape of a Reform Bill. Ile felt
the (greatest confidence that no violent measure would
be paseesl, and that the feeling of the country was very
much opposed to anything list a moderate measure.
Certainly that was the leneral feelimg •if the House
Cunalionia, though, no diautt, there ii. It lie else or
two exceptions. (Illear, hear.) lie sincerely trusted
the year MU might paeo over without any interruption
of the public peace, and that after a new measure of
Reform had been paoeil they might look forward to an.
absence of anything like a desire to tamper with the
constitution of the country for many years to Conn.
(Cheers.)

Mr. DARBT GRIFFITH, M.P., aloi resfeinded. Ile said
that, looking back to the session which had recently ter-
initiated, he regretted to find how much valuable time
had been wasted. It was tint, however, the fault of
individual members, for they were rather the victims
than the conspirators. They found themselves carried
away by a current, which noise of them, individnelly,
were strong enough to withstand. Like • set of very
unruly schoolboys, they liad been quarreling among one
another during the earlier lieriod if the session, and
they only thought of doing a little work towards the
end. The IeSSIOII bad been carried into in very incon-
venient period of the year, and hon. members had been
kept in Londe.' for at least a month after everybody hail
left it. Of course, their stay involved great persons!
dim-sanded, bait they were obliged to remain because, so
was well known, anything could be ',muggiest through
the House of Commons at the end of the oession unless
a trich watch were kept. Ali the termination of their
labours Parlininent had hail the rather unpopular duty
to perform of laying an additional income-tax upon the
country. When it was first proposed to them they tried
by every reagonable meting either to postpone or miti-
gate the infliction. for they were taken by surprise
when they found that not only was an increased income-
tax necessary, but that a large portion of it was to be
paid a whole year in advance. Nevertheless, when the
state of the finances was place! before them, and the
urgent neiresity of providing further means for the pro-
tection of the country against inviaiou ua le matofeet,
they felt that they had no alternative. No doubt the
tax would occasion severe pressure ; but the coeetry at
large hail displayed great patriotism in enduriug
and manes:tat an indiction with each cluann.iity A!.
fortitu.le. (theel-A.) During the se,iuti he !slice :4
the House had exhibited a strong de--ire to exere: o a
rigid eamomy in the expenditure of the public thie.ey.
The whole of the estimates had been g..:10 thrinVi with
the greatest possible care, and there had been thy ut-
most anxiety displayed to reiluee them in every pw:..ible
way. l'pon on, occasion, in rderence to the pairehase
of the picture of the " Reformed House of Commons,"
the division was so close that it Was only decided by the
casting vote of the chairman of thecommittee. He must
say that he had thought the period to Which the paint-
ing related very remote, and that the portraits were not
the representation of very brilliant specimens of huma-
nity. When the expenses of the country were accu-
mulating so rapidly lie certainly did not think that no
large • sum as £2,000 should be voted for such a paint-
ing. (Hear, hear.) The lon. gentlemen theta referred
to a Liii which he had introduced, but failed to carry,
for reducing the expenses of high sheriffs, and concluded
by expressing his thanks for the compliment which
had been paid to bins as one of the members for the
borough.
Several other toasts having been given and responded
to, the proceedings were brought to a close.