The Press.
London, England, 1854-12-23 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

the policy of the Government, concluding with the obser-
vation, " all we can deduce from the policy of the English
Ministry is that the recruiting powers of England are ex-
hausted." (Hear, hear.) 1 ask the noble lord, and the
President of the Council, or any gentleman in the house,
is not that a fair inference and the only one to draw?'
(Hear.) Can any one doubt that is the opinion which will
affect the conduct of public men and nations? It will
affect the conduct of these German powers of which we
have heard so much. Do you think that the Austrian
treaty, which we were called upon to congratulate the
Throne for—do you think the results of that are likely to
be more important because of the impression that the re-
cruiting power of the country is exhausted?
Reverting to the allegation of "necessity," Mr.
Disraeli asked :

Is this the policy—is this the conduct that wise, expe-
rienced, and responsible statesmen, the Ministers of a
country like England, should pursue at this moment ? Tell
me, as we have been told to-night, that we can only enlist
bojs, when the experience of every gentleman in this
house convinces him of the fallacy of that observation—
(Hear)—and, if it be not fallacious, the observation is only
more unwise and injurious. But to make statements of
this kind, which are not to be decided by the experience of
any gentleman wherever he sits, but by statistical docu-
meats and that body of information as to the resources of
the country which is in the possession of every well-
informed person, is to me a most extraordinary proceeding.
Why, the returns of the census contradict you—every public
document of your own officers contradicts your assertion.
The state of the population of the country is not such as
that it can only furnish fur recruits those who are mere
boys. It is not the truth in theory—it is not the fact in
practice ; and it is impossible that the noble lord can ris e
and tell us in sober sadness that it is not in his power to-
morrow, if he appeals to Parliament, to raise 100,000 men
who are not boys; it is impossible that he can make that
statement and receive for it the sanction of the house. But,
if that be so, ought the fact to have been revealed, and is nut
the making of such statements as those of the noble lord
and his colleagues calculated at this moment to paralyse
the conduct of the Government, and to palsy the spirit of
the country; and, instead of bringing about a successful
and triumphant issue, rather to—l will not say, consum-
mate the catastrophes that may be impending—but to pre-
pare a future full of anxiety and gloom to this country
(Hear.)

Comparing the performances of the late and present
Administrations, the right hon. member said :
The Secretary-at-War, on this and another occasion, has
dilated with much eagerness on the difficulties of the posi
tion of the Government from the imperfect establishments
which they had at their command, but has never had the
generosity to admit that, weak as our Government was, we in-
creased the force of the army, and also of the navy ; that we
created a Channel fleet and put our artillery in an efficient
state. lam not saying this in any spirit of boastfulness, but
in answer to the charge that has been made against this
house. I say, both at the period of Sir R. Peel's Adminis-
tration, and at the period of the Administration of which
I had the honour to be a member, appeals were made to
the House of Commons, from the nature of affairs, without
any communication of causes—appeals were made to the
confidence and patriotism of this house, and those appeals
were responded to. ( Rear, hear.) If that be true, great
is the responsibility of those Ministers who, suddenly
acceding to office at the beginning of the year 1833--who
before a month had elapsed were aware that the Emperor of
Russia had proposed the partition of Turkey—did not
under these circumstances make the preparations that were
necessary. (Hear, hear.) But, says the Secretary of State,
" Make preparations in time of peace—make preparations,
when negotiations were going on—the Minister must be mad
who would propose such a thing!" Why, when is a Govern-
ment to make preparations but under such circumstances
and in such a position? All the preparations made by your
predecessors for the last fifty years, preliminary to war or
in confirmation of peace, were preparations made in this
same manner. You had your militia called out, and there
was no declaration of war. It was no impediment to your
negotiations if you had increased your forces very largely,
instead of very slightly. This occurred in the year .1853 ;
but what did you do in lti:.4—(Hear, hear.)—when you
must have been conscious for a year that war was inevit-
able ? When you were on the point, under certain con-
tingencies, of even declaring war, which ultimately you
did declare—when even in the previous autumn the nation
was absolutely calling on you to take decided measures,
and you did even order your fleet to cuter the Black Sea--
what was your ,unduct then ? Why, when you declared
war, did you not take those measures which would have
placed you in a very different position—which would have
prevented great national calamities, and the necessity of
calling Parliament together to pass this bill? (Hear,
hear.)
Mr. Disraeli concluded :

I am not going, in spite of the boastful speech of the
Secretary-at-War, and in spite of the assertions of the
noble lord the Lord President of the council—l am not
going to be drawn into a discussion as to the conduct of the
war as planned and schemed by the Government. I feel
persuaded that the time will come when this house will
expect that upon the policy of the Government there should
be a full and a complete discussion. ("Rear, hear," and
cheers.) The country knows now that one of the greatest
expeditions ever sent out by the energies of this nation
was ordered by her Majesty's Government to invade the
Crimea and to besiege Sebastopol. Since the expedition
against Sicily by the Athenians, l do not know that there
ever was an expedition from which so much was expected,
or upon which so much was at stake. ( Hear, hear.) There
is unhappily in the commencement of both these expe•
ditions too much similarity. The schemers were arrogant,
boastful, and eversaaguine. There were too many gene

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rids in the Sicilian expedition ; there was too little cavalry ;
there was a winter campaign, and there was no reserve.
( Hear.) When hon. gentlemen go into the country in a few
days-1 understand they are to be absent a month—there
may be moments when the battue is exhausted, and when
there may be a frost. 1 reoomniend hon. gentlemen at
such a time to refresh their memories by turning to the
pages of" Thucydides," and reading the despatch of Nicias
to the Athenians, especially where he says, " Men of
Athens, 1 know you do not like to hear the truth; but
understand this—you sent me out to be a besieger ; but, lo !
lam besieged." (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) We know
what was the end of the Sicilian expedition. May Divine
Providence, guarding over the expedition in which we have
embarked, save us from a similar conclusion, but at least let
us do now what the Athenians did even i u their proud despair.
They sacrificed to the gods and appealed to the energies
of their countrymen. We, at a moment not, I believe, of
equal danger, are in a situation which 1 pray may end in
triumph, but still a situation of doubt, of peril, and of
anxiety, if unwisely we bring in a bill in order to enlist
foreign mercenaries to vindicate the fortunes of England.
(Loud Cheers.)
Mr. MUNTZ opposed the bill, lamenting that the
Government had committed themselves to so weak
and discreditable a proposition. Designing to give
an independent vote on the question, he expressed
his conviction that if every member who conscien-
tiously disapproved of the bill was equally honest,
the Ministry would have no majority ou the division.

He was quite certain from what hon. members had said
to him by scores, that they were as much opposed to the
bill as he was, but they must swallow the nauseous dose.
(Loud cheers from the Opposition benches.) With the
Ministers it was the old story, " If you don't carry the bill
we must resign." Then he would let them resign.
(Laughter and cheers.) From what he knew of the feeling
out of doors, the country said " Resign." It was quite
clear somebody was iu fault, and he would ask if it
was possible, looking at the last six months, to find any
Government which had ever committed a greater number
of blunders? (Opposition cheers.) The noble lord (Lord
Palmerston) said, " We are asked why we went to Sebas-
topol ?" He did not ask the noble lord that, for he knew
they went there because they were afraid of saying
they had done nothing. (Hear.) lint why did they go
at such a season and with such an inferior force ? (Load
cheers from the Opposition.) There was oue thing more
important than any other, and he should like to know how
the treaty was effected with Austria by which that power
was allowed to take possession of the provinces. The
Russians were by this enabled to send their reinforce-
ments to Sebastopol, while the allies would have been
bettersituated without thisinterposition on the part of the
Austrians. He doubted whether any good would come
from the present Austrian treaty. He was anxious to give
encouragement to this, or any Government that would
carry on the war with that rigour and efficiency due to the
honour of the country, but lie could not vote fur the pre-
sent measure. (Cheers.)

Mr. DEEDES spoke briefly also in opposition to the
bill, after which
Lord J. RUSSELL replied. The present situation
was this—Parliament had voted 170,000 men, but
the actual number raised fell short of that number
by more than 20,000, and many of those who enlisted
were too young for service. It might bt3 true that
the country was unanimous in supporting the war,
yet the supply of the nerve and sinew by which the
war must be carried on fell far short of the imme-
diate necessity. The measure was confessedly an
expedient., but none better had been suggested to
meet the pending exigency. Throughout Germany,
they were assured on good authority, that much en-
thusiasm prevailed against 'Russia, and this enthu-
siasm the Government hoped to render available to
furnish a force for employment when it was so much
required. Adverting to the general conduct of the
war, the noble lord submitted that the results of the
campaign were far from insignificant. Looking at
the pretensions of Russia at the commencement of
the year, and her situation at its close, the efforts of
the allies must be acknowledged to have proved suc-
cessful in baffling the aggressions and humbling the
pride of their enemy at almost every point.
Colonel SIBTHORP and the Marquis of BrAwnronn
interposed a few remarks amidst imperative calls for
a division, which then took place, the result being to
pass the bill through the second reading, by a majo-
rity of 211 votes to 202-39.
The motion for going into committee on the bill
was brought forward on Wednesday, at the noon
sitting of the house, and led to a somewhat dis-
cursive debate, in which a great number of nietnbers
took part, and which was still unfinished when he
hour for adjournment arrived. In the course of the
discussion strong objections to the measure were ex-
pressed by many hon. representatives on both sides
of the house, and others, among whom was Mr.
Cobden, accepted the proposition merely on the plea
of necessity ; our troops having been rashly sent to
the Crimea and inefficiently supported when there,
whom it was now indispensably requisite to save
from destruction by aid obtained wherever it could
he got. In defending the bill Lord JOHN Itt'i 1.
repeated the assurance that it formed but one out
of a series of measures which Ministers intended to
introduce for the more vigorous prosecution of the
were

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On the following (Thursday) evening the debate
was resumed, and continued for some time, but on
an appeal from Mr. FBESHFIELD the opponents of
the measure consented to its being committed with-
out further delay, reserving their objections for the
debate of the third reading, which was fixed for last
night. The house accordingly went into committee
on the bill, and passed its several clauses without
alteration.
ENLISTMENT OF FOREIGNERS.
Mr. biturrz having inquired whether the Govern-
ment had exerted their influence with the Emperor
of the French to induce him to send out an increased
number of French troops to the East, to be partly or
wholly paid by this country—(Hear, hear),
Lord J. RUSSELL replied:—

I can only say that the Emperor of the French has been
very willing, and, when the occasion arose lately, evinced
the utmost anxiety to send as many troops to the East as
the means of transport would provide. (Hear, hear.)
In fact, the means of transport is the only limit to the
number of troops he is willing to send. (Cheers.) liut
we have never proposed to the Emperor of the French,
nor do we think it advisable to propose to him, that he
should receive any payment for troops which he may send
for service in the war against Russia.

ORDER OF MERIT.
Captain Scoszu, on Tuesday in the Commons
moved an address to her Majesty, praying that she
would institute an "order of merit," to be bestowed
upon persons serving in the army and navy for dis-
tinguished and prominent personal gallantry during
the present war, and to which every grade and indi-
vidual, from the highest to the lowest in the united
services, may be admissible.
Lord J. RUSSELL submitted that any proposition
of this kind should be initiated by the Crown. He
hoped the hon. and gallant member would withdraw
his motion, as the whole subject was under consider-
ation.
Mr. H. HERBERT understood that medals for the
battle of Alma had been already distributed to the
French soldiers, and hoped no unnecessary delay
would take place in conferring similar medals on the
British forces.
Sir J. WALSH asked if it were intended that medals
should also be given to those foreign mercenaries
who were to be taken into our service ?
The motion was then withdrawn.

MILITIA BILL.
This bill passed the third reading in the Commons
on Tuesday, after a brief discussion, and was on the
same evening brought up and read a first time in the
Peers.
On Thursday the Duke of NEWCASTLE moved the
second reading of the bill, and explained its character
and purport. The Government thought it of great
importance that they should be enabled to send for-
ward to the seat of war those regiments which at
the present moment constituted the important gar.
risons of Malta, the lonian Islands, and Gibraltar,
and it was for this purpose that the present bill had
been introduced. It was at the beginning, and not
at the close of a war, that additional powers were
required.
The Earl of DERBY lamented the reduction of the
army in former years, which he ascribed to false
ideas of economy, and believed to have caused our
present embarrassments. The great error of the
Government in their preparations for the present
war was that they had no reserve. He believed this
plan of sending militia regiments to the Mediterra
naan was intended in some measure to remedy that
defect, though he did not see how it would work.
Either the militia in our garrisons would not be
allowed to volunteer into the line, and then their
presence in the Mediterranean would be of no use,
or they would be encouraged to volunteer, and then
the corps would be unduly weakened. Great stress
had been laid upon the purely voluntary nature of
this service ; but he could not doubt that, especially
among the officers, a moral compulsion would operate.
After stating several further objections to the prin-
ciples of the bill, Lord Derby intimated that it was
not his intention to oppose or to offer any amendment
upon it.
Earl GRANVILLE having defended the bill,
Earl GREY contended that it was unjust to ask the
militia, who had none of the advantages of the re-
gular soldiers, to perform all the services usually
assigned to soldiers during peace. He thought the
measure would produce a great discouragement to
enlistment in the militia:
After some remarks in support of the bill from
Lord DENMAN and the Duke of Anorti.,
The Earl of ELLENBOROTTOR expressed his strong
objections to the measure. The militia constituted
the last reserve of the nation, and to use it up at the
commencement of a war was equivalent to the mili-
tary error which a general would commit who ex-
hate.ted his reserve at the beginning of a battle.
It was, in fact, killing the goose that laid the golden
eggs. Men had entered freely at first because they
were told their services would only be required for a
few weeks at a time, and for a short peried of years ;
but now, when it wax proposed to send the regiments