The Press.
London, England, 1855-05-19 00:00:00

VOLUNTEERS FROM THE MILITIA.

IN a war like the present, with no danger of
hostile invasion, the Militia is chiefly useful as
a means of recruiting for the regular army.
During the last eight years of the war with
France, from 1807 to 1815, it was found in this
respect of the greatest service. Whenever an
expedition was in preparation, or the losses of
a campaign had reduced to a dangerous extent
the strength of the Line, an appeal was made
to the Militia. The number of volunteers was
extraordinary The establishment of the re-
gular Militia did not exceed 90,000 men, yet
in one or two years their contributions to the
army were 25,000 and even 30,000 men.
That the present emergencies are less urgent
than those of the Peninsular war,none will deny.
Never was England in greater want of men, or
more ready to welcome recruits who had un-
dergone previous training in arms. How far
the Government foresaw the want, and to what
extent during the past year they have deve-
loped this branch of the resources of the
country, may be seen from a return which
has just been laid before Parliament, and of
which we copy the conclusion.

Summary of Return of Militiamen who have entered the
Regular Forces between lst January and 31st Decem•
ber, 1854 .

England and Wales BO,OOO
Scotland
Ireland 30,(X)0

Total who have
K. entered the
Regular Forces.
.. .. 11,809
196
. ..
260
.. ..

Total 120,000

It will be said, and with truth, that on the
31st of December, 1854, the Scotch and Irish
Militia were only just beginning to be en-
rolled. But whose fault was that? The acts
for their enrolment were passed in the begin-
ning of August. They ought to have been
passed in the beginning of February. They
were delayed, as Lord PALMERSTON informed
the House of Commons, in order to save the
expense.
But with respect to the Militia of England
and Wales, with an establishment of 80,000
men, how is it that only 11,807 have joined
the regular forces, of whom no less than 1,483
enlisted clandestinely and against the orders
of the War-office? We are told by Mr. PEEL
that at no time have more than 50,000 been
actually enrolled. But whose fault was that?
The Government must have been aware of the
deficiency. Why did they take no steps for
its remedy? Again, we shall be told that the
Militia would have volunteered in greater
numbers if they had been sooner embodied.
But whose fault was it that they were embo-
died so late ? One-fourth was the proportion
allowed to volunteer, and the return will show
that it was very nearly obtained from the
50,000 militiamen of England and Wales.
Now, one-fourth of the complete establishment
of 120,000 would have been 30,000 men. The
difference between 30,000 and 12,265 is the
loss which the regular army has sustained by
the negligence of the Government, in not
completing the complements. and in deferring
the organisation and embodiment of the whole
Militia of the United Kingdom.

MR. LAIARD'S POSITION.

463

IT is easy to "pooh pooh" a man like Mr.
LAYARD who has fallen into errors. We are
not disposed to underrate the damaging effect
on a politician's career, when he prefers per-
sonal charges which he declines to retract
after their refutation. Some years since Mr.
COBDEN made a censorious statement about a
former speech of Lord DERBY, founded on a
mistaken version of the Noble Lord's senti-
ments on the Ballot. The correction was of
an important character, and the Member for
the West Riding immediately adopted it. We
are sorry that on a recent occasion that prece-
dent was not followed by Mr. LAYARD ; but
while censuring him so far, we are disposed to
think that the manifest attempts in Ministerial
quarters to crush the Honourable Member
somewhat blunted the ordinary soundness of
his perceptions. But enough has been said
on that point. In the terms in which Lord
DERBY on Monday alluded to " the imprudence
" of language, expression, and imputation"
resulting from Mr. LATARD'S " impulsiveness
" of temperament," most reasonable persons
will concur.
Nevertheless, in spite of these trippings
from too much impetuosity, it is plain that
Mr. LAYARD continues to be a source of serious
trouble to the Ministry. The race of " tribunes
"of the people " seems to have vanished fur
the present under the influence of favours
from Downing-street. Philosophical Radicals
have become placemen and Privy Councillors.
Arithmetical exaggerators of the aggravating
kind have died out with the worthy and
almost forgotten JOSEPH HUME. The Gracchi
of Finsbury, Marylebone, and Southwark have
become merely historical characters. The
virtuous OSBORNE still enjoys his place,
though Middlesex does not enjoy him. Mr.
WHITTLE HARVEY is Commander-in-Chief of
City Police, and Mr. CHARLES PEARSON has
ceased his tempestuous talk. Demagogues
pro hoc vice are defunct. Mr. HATTER knows
the use of " Mint sauce " for composing the
stomachs of hungry agitators. An O'Connell
redivivus, like Othello, would find his occupa-
tion as " gone " as an Irish estate under the
hammer of an Encumbered Court Commis-
sioner. The Cabinet has mesmerised baooss's
Club, and subsidised its " Reform" rival in
Pall-mall. The true Liberal creed of the day
is that no man can graduate as a patriot unless
first he be registered as a placeman. To keep
fast in office is the object of the Ministerial
campaign.
What adds to the peculiarity of the crisis is,
that the chiefs of Opposition have on the
worthiest motives refrained from embarrassing
an overtaxed and effete Cabinet. Indepen-
dent Conservatives, also, for the same reasons,
have hesitated to assail Ministers, oven when
their blunders are most visible. Patriotic
responsibilities, and a foresight of impending
conjunctures, have modified or silenced the
expression of Conservatism in many most
influential and independent quarters through
the country at large.
It is at such a time, therefore, that a poli-
tician "unattached," like Mr. LAYARD, might
exercise considerable influence by concen-
trating attention on the continued vacillations
of authority. But without distinct purposes
no English public man can obtain influence.
This is one of those periods when " the
practical" and "the right" are identical.
Flashes in the pan are of no use in besieging
the blunderers in office.
In the meanwhile, it cannot be denied that
Mr. LAYARD has done good service iu the
Committee on Sebastopol. In many instances
the examination fell entirely into his hands,
and he extracted important evidence from
reluctant lips. He foiled the ingenious efforts
of some of his colleagues who tried to lead
the witnesses into blaming " nothing but the
" system." At au early period he pointed out
the flagrant blunders in the conduct of the
war, and before the expedition had gone to
Sebastopol he had given
information as to the pre
looking to their transport

*

leuimio /Bata
Government valuable
ressing necessity for
)rt service. But Mr.