The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-30 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 30, 1852.

to one knows better than the gallant gentleman himself that
something mete than spirit and enthusiasm is needed for
defence—(sier, hear)—that unless you have the drill, the
patience, and 'the disciplise of the seldienyou cannot qg-
any eat to be stied, Wet arl liner, held.) Bid,
en, it Idea% ". Look til. the nos ;Lava you not
siteugh.lii OM the coast r I thin was sail by a .
admiral in'this louse thattou had freamgh to
.the whole of the south coast. Om that you ha=
ships, his have you men in theui ? ear.) Awl if you hove
ships enoggh, will you vote money entire% to the go-
vernment to put them all in commission and man them ? Your
ships in eommisidon on the home station at Oil moment are
0 mewls of war, 5 frigates, I sloop, V steamer. preluded by
screw, and 8 propelled by paddle. I ant net disparaging
that fame, nor du I my that it would not be anply outfit-It*
to prevent • sudden incursion. What I say is this. The
assailing party always has an advantage over aye defending
party, inasmuch as tho assailing party can select his Own
mesas of attack and defense ; whereas the defending party
is scattered over too wide • surface to have these advan-
tages ; and if your ship. are withdrawn from their stations
for a moment, or if an opposing squadron elide the vigi-
lance of your cruisers, then, unless you halo a covering
force by land you cannot be in the position in which a great
and wealthy country like this ought to be. (Hear, hear.)
So much, then, for the present state of your troops.
Now I say that is not sufficient. I now proceed
to the second class of objectors. They say that
there is no immediate necessity for ths because
there is no immediate danger. Now, whatever
argument is to prevail in this house, I trust that argument
will not be the one which will do so. The postpeneme of of
your preparations is always open to two great dimilven-
sages. First of all, if you have to make your preparations
in a time of panic, that necessarily provokes and increases
the panic, and probably hastens the rupture whirl, you in-
teed to avoid. In the second piece, prepnratioas which
are made in sudden haute are always sure to be leas per-
fect and more expensive than if they were not node in •
time of panic. (Cheers.) In short, the time for (reparation
and the time for action ought never to be simultaneous. Sir,
the third class of objectors to the observations which I have
been making to the house are those who think that you
ought to increase your army and nevy. Now, there are two
answers to that class of objectors, one of which is applicable to
the increase of both those forces, while the other is
applicable to the increase of either taken separately. The
Gast objection to the increase of the amiy and nary, taken
together, bthat it must necessarily add a great permanent
additional expense, and then, if your revenue should be
doubtful hereafter, the House of Commons might not sue:-
tins thesentianance of that expense. The second objection
is, that both_ year army and navy are instruments of attack
es well es defence, and that if you increased your army
sad navy you would raise suspicions, and provoke jests:my
other powers, even at the moment when you least
reimntell to do so. (Hear, hear.) Now both those objec-
' tions 1 should conceive to be fatal. With reference to the
navy, if lam right in the observations which I have ad-
dressed to the house, no force can be adequate unites
you have also a covering force by lend, to pro-
tect you in case of foreign egueseinn eludiug your ships.
and with regard to the army, the objections to a large in-
crease were put so forcibly by the noble lord the member
for Tiverton the other night, that I hardly need repeat
them. I refer especially to the objection that, such are the
feelings and habits of the people of this couetry, that if a
large increase were made, depending, as it would do, on a
parliamentary grant, it would probably not continue many
years. lam thus led immediately to consider whether you
ought not to have recourse to your national militia. There
arc many reasons which make that force far preferable to
any other. In the first place, it is a force that is familiar
to the country. It has existed in this country for 200
years, sod though happily through the long peace which
ha. prevailed we had fee • considerable j3Clioll no ne-
cessity for calling it out, yet its name, its character, and its
organisation, are familiar to all. (Cheers.) In the second
place, by your law you have actually a militia at this mo-
ment. You only suspend the law fu: calling it out, and if
you did not suspend it by an annual act of parliament
the ballot would be resorted to the very neat year. In the
third place, your militia has dune good service to the coun-
try. it is a force from which you have been able to re-
cruit for your regular army. It ought not to be forgotten
that it has taken • prominent and a glorious part in many-
of our engagements. Again, a soldier's life is so
inconsistent with the feelings and habits of the
civil portion of the community, that au increase of
the army would necessarily be unpopular; but a militia
have, in tact, a double character. In the first place,
they are defenders of the country ; in the second, they are
promoters of its prosperity ; they mix with all other classes
of citizens, and as soon as their military occupatious are
over, they are seen living under the same laws, and pursu•
hag the same millings as their fellow-subjects. Well, then,
it may be said—" What, are we to have a militia, with all
the evils and hardships which attend it? Are we to drew
away people frees their industrious trades, whether they
will or no ? Arc we to give en advantage to
the rich, who escape from this service with com-
parative ease, by paying a sum of money to
procure a substitute; and are we to take the poor
man from his home, or else drive him to the necessity of
selling his goods, his furniture, possibly even his tools, in
order to escape from this force ?" No, sir, I say you ought
not, except in case of eztremest neeesuity. le ell, then, if
you ought not to have recourse to that, in what mode—
mace you ought not to add to your army and navy—in
what mode should you provide for your defences? Now,
perhaps, the house will pardon me if, for • few moments,
before answeriag that question, I refer to the law as it has
been, and as it ie, in reference to this constitutional force.
In former times this country was defended by commissions
of array. 'rho militia dame, in its parliamentary provi-
sions, from the reign of Chas. 11. At that time the lord-
lieutenants of counties were to select, in proportion to the
people's means of contributing towards tho force, either a
horseman with arms, or a foot-soldier with arms, or a pro-
portionate sum of money, where the means of parties were
so small that they could not thus contribute towards the
defence of the country. By the act of parliament the
militia was musts red and trained in regiments once • year
for four days together, and in companies four times a year
for two days together. So the law continued till the reign
of George 11. When danger was over it was thought that
this force might be dispensed with, and it was dispensed
with. Danger came again upon the nation in 1736, and
what did parliament do then? You cannot have forgotten
the appeal made to you by the noble lord, the member fur
Tiverton, and I think he might have referred to this can-
firmation of his argument. What, if you will not protect
yourselves, if neither the Scotch, nor the Irish, nor the
English have courage enough to protect themselves, will
they go to Russia, or to Austria, or to some foreign power for
mercenary aid to defend their shores ? The noble lord might
have referred to the fact that, in 1756, Hanoverian Mops
were brought to Unglue!, and that in greet did the people
of this country feel the dis trace to be that the very next year
saw the passing of the Militia Bill. (Rear, hear.) So the
law continued till 1802, when the various alterations which
had been made were consolidated together by the celebrated
act of parliament, (leo. 111., c. 90. The ballot still re-
mained ; but there was a clause in the act enabling parishes
is vestry to provide their quota by means of • bounty to be
paid to volunteers, and I beg the house to attend to this fact,
that in neonanee of that provision, from 1809 to
1814, Jae bars than 65,600 men were drawn
into tie log SS tin trained volunteers. (Rear, hear.)
Thallium, t to those who are in layette of
the mks Oiller .1 Well, after the piece it was no
longer mmigelswy to 411 out the militia, though it was called
outdone, bur times befem-she peace. But since 1831
there lea bees no ballot. But though there has been no
' Ws; de net let the bum run away with the notion that
ea en lapis Duthiey for that force. The annual expense
(o in eitood eke sight has. gemtleman), was 83,M01.,
which sum ought sot be be diem away. (Rear, hear.)
i bays wind to Ole Wilsey et the militia act for two
emeito and I desire to drew tie lassies from it. The
bog
_is, that it Is as lopievameat on the old hill, by
Idea people were sat anapetlel to pay for this force in
Noe enipset amending to Itteir ateem. I have referred to
Ilia *Om also to show, that oder you provide a military
ffiMi enilleient to protect youndos from any danger that
my mien,
_yea must have rename to foreign aid, and the
setuan) will feel the elapses at such a proceeding so
deeply, that it will at ones hays remeurse to the militia. My
third reason for referring to it is to tubs° that the ballot is
tonopeaded by great moesities, great hardships, and
mat idatesnatences, whisk may all be got rid of by
voluntary gelimments. (Hew, hear.) Having stated this
much, it ergi at owe be clear to the house, in which di-
rection taw pasty's government are inclined to look for
the purpose' raising a military force teethe protection of
the wawa* In other words, we propose to do it by rais-
ing, thitsgoll the means of volunteers, • sufficient force
for dee moo of defence. (Chan.) But I think, at
the NM doe, that the great principle of the act of 41 GOD.
111., c. 91, ought to be maintained, vise that this fierce
should be rendered effective by drilling and training, eo as
to be in readiness, at a short notice, for the internal deft nos
of the country. (Hear, bear) These are the two great
principles on which the measure is founded, which I shall
now take the liberty of explaining to the house, and which
her Majesty's government submit to your consideration.
Ihe measure may be considered in these live
points of view : First, with regard to the mode
of raising the men ; secondly, with regard to
the officer. ; thirdly, with regard to their pay and the con.
sequent expense; fourthly, with regard to the term of train-
ing awl discipline ; and fifthly, with regard to the period
fur which they shell be enle.ted. As to the first of these
five points, an the beet fOOPiiiiration we have given to the
subject, we think that the additional fence which will be
terinenently required fir the eendorses of defence is 80,000
men. (near, hear.) We think that to note that force in
on: year will he difficult by means of bounties, and there-
for • we propose to limit the number in the first year to
30,000, taking 30,000 on the following year. Another ad-
vantage
whch will be derived thereby is that, instead of
leering all the teriede of service terminating at the same
time, they *vial terminate et different prick, and cum-
epiewly the n• will eilweys ho some trained men in tie force.
(liter, !Kau) We pro,esse to raise these men, if
we can, by Illfallf of bounties—(hen, hear)—wldels
soy be paid either ill one 6/1111 at the time
of milistine nt, or, which may he a great convenience to a ,
vie variety of loathe portents's:ly to the agricultural ,
tali Aimee, by meet's ~f lesuler monthly fees. Iwi I suite
this point more clearly by-and-bye. (War, hear) We
0.. ense that this shoutirhe regut diet by the Secretegeit-
War. Hasty men might wish to have the whole paid down
to them—say 31. Of 'lL—others might wish to bete es. or
le. tkl. aes inth. The 1 atter, thous*, it would aino.at to
more than the sum paid doer, it -greed over a period of
live 'move would be a mat advantage to the country, and
a imeat einveuieuee to the persona who would have to reeeive
it. With regard to the ufficen, there are bite qualifications
memined by the set of 41 Mee. 111. Wo think that the se
qualifications may be dispensed with for all officers below
the rank of major. (Cheers.) We further think that it