The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-12 00:00:00

TAM coNszavArrms AND THZ DATA
11BANCI4L &MATZ.

A conservative demonstration took place at Mal-
don on Tuesday night, on the occasion of the anniversary
of the Maldon Conservative Club. The proceedings took
die form of • dinner, to which about 120 gentlemen sat
down. Mr. W. M. Tortram, (in the absence through is-
dalmatian of Mr. J. W. Perry-Wallington, M.P. for South
FANO presiding. The chairman was supported by Mr. G.
M. W. Peacocks, M.P., Major Jervis, M.P., Mr. C. Du
Cane, M.P., Mr. H. J. Ballwin, Sir Claude de Ctespigny,
Captain Cribb,
The usual loyal toasts having been disposed of with the
oiled enthusiasm,
Mr. Du Ci.u, M.P., who was received with loud cheers,
after some preliminary remarks, said— We are met today
to do honour to conservative principles, to do honour to your
mint conservative member, and if • rumour that • little
birdwhispered in my ear be correct, to drink success to your
future conservative repressotetive. (Cheers.) I hope that the
combined attractions of the charms of the present and the
bootee of the future have not altogether obliterated the
*mine memories of the past. lam glad to find that there
exists in your breasts, as there does in mine, • lively reoollec-
ties of pest days of conservative triumph, and I hail that re-
, eadeetiao as • happy augury of days of omeereative triumph
again to come. But, gentlemen, Ido not rise, however
rming the temptation mar be, to detain you with say
pleasing reminiacences of the past. I rise more;mmediatel,
far the purples
_of repaving loyctu that 'highball' Mold's:2-
ways esesideted to be emesiMally a eaeservative toast—l
mean the "Army, Navy, sad Volunteers" of this country.
When I say it is • conservative Meat, I don't mean 'maser-
ratios in the sense in which that term would probably be
understood by Mr. Bright and Mr. Cobden, viz., to the effect
that conservatives are always in raptures with
every-
thing and everybody that east money sad .
is say way to the Balboa expenditure—(laughter)—bat
I mean conservative essentially in this sense, that it ap-
pears to me that it is to the energy, courage. sod patriotism
displayed at all ts by oar ve army, navy, arid
volunteers, that wee owe in these ticklish days of wars and
rumours of wars in other parts of the world the maintenance
and preservation of oar own dogmatic peace and traaquillity.
(Hear, hear.) It is very true—and I regret the fart in
common no doubt with you all—that the expooditore of
this country upon the head of our national defences him
reached • point hitherto unknown in times of peace
—a circumstance which, combined with the reckless
financial policy of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, tends
to make the weight of our taxation peculiarly oppressive at
the present moment ; but, gentlemen, we mart remember
that, although this is • period certainly of profound
pesos, it may also in other respects be termed •
period of an exceptional character. I think it is quite
impossible for any one who considers at the pre-
sent moment the generally unsettled aspect of the
European continent, and for any one who looks at the un-
certainty—l am sure when we remember what occurred lace
winter in the affair of the Trent I am amply justified in
using the term—which clouds both our present sad future
relations with America, to remain unconvinced that this is
not the exact moment to be talking about wholesale reduc-
tions in our army and navy estimates, and a diminution in
our military and naval expenditure. (Hear, hear.) There
is also another reason which tends to make this entirely an
exceptional period. We can but remember, I think, at the
present time, that if the last ten years have been singularly
ocespicuous for the gradual development of the arta of
peace, they have been no is conspicuous for the develop-
ment of inventions of • warlike and destructive
character. It was only elevea years sines that
most of us met within the walls of an exhi-
bition of the industry of all nations, which soma
! more sanguine enthusiast' declared was only the prelude
to the reign of everlasting Naos. (Lanka.) We shall
most of us doubtless meet this year within the walls of •
similar, and I wish I could only add in an architectural
sense equally plessing structure, sad there side by side
with the choicest specimens of arta aod manufactures
of peace we see whole warts dedicated to Warrior
vessels and Armstrong gene--Warrior vends war-
ranted shot-proof, and Armatroog guns warranted to
deal with those Warrior vessels very much as a bull would
deal with • china shop. (Laughter.) One day we read an
aloount of the wonderful encounter between the Monitor
and the Merrimac, and straightway we think that the
question is all settled will shot, and that there is nothing
in the world like iroe-plated vessels. The next week we
read an amount of • little experiment which comes
Off in the picturesque regions of Shoeburyness, and
find
at which we the tables ibmplotele turned noon
the iron-plated ships, and straightway we throw up our hats
for rifled cannon. (Laughter.) So it appears that day
after day, and year after year, this game of invention and
discovery may go on, iron-plated ships succeeding Arm-
' strong guns, and Armstrong guns succeeding von-plated
ships, until at last, happily for us, the day of reaction may
set in, and nations may discover what perhaps we have
known too long, that this pule of " beggar my neighbour"
in warlike armaments is, after all, flat, stale, and unprofit-
able. But, gentlemen, at the same time I say moat em-
phatically that while we know that these discoveries are
made, and while we know that other nations are availing
themselves of them, it i not for England to refuse to do so
also. This is not • question—however much we may regret
the expenditure which our refusal entails—in which we
can afford to take the initiative, unless we would voluntarily
sacrifice our position and our influence among the willow
'of the civilised world. I estimate as highly as
any member of the conservative party, or any
member of the House of Commas, the importance of esta-
blishing • cordial alliance and good understanding with
France ; but I must confess that before, in implicit reliance
upon that good understanding, we coasent to reduce our
armaments, I would lather see our neighbouis across the
water set us the example, or I would rather have some
stronger guarantee that our example would be implicitly
followed the moment we set it, than we are likely to derive
from the solemn assurance of Mr. Cobden, that the exist-
ence of the French•iromplated navy is simply a bug-bear of
the English imagination, or from the liberal offer of his diplo-
nuitic services to induce the Emperor of the French to con-
sent to a disarmament. (Laughter.) I must not detain you,
gentlemen, much longer, but perhaps you will allow me to
offer you • very few observations upon a subject not altogether
foreign to the matter in hand ;I mean what occurred last week
in the House of Commons in reference to Mr. Stanifeld's
motion for a reduction of the expenditure. Speaking as a
private and as a thoroughly independent member of the
conservative party, I must confess that I don't think the
conservative party can regard that little episode of the ses-
sion altogether with complete satisfactioo. U I may
venture in these days of Moot and the Derby to use for •
moment the language of the turf, I would say that in my
humble opinion the trainers of our comiervative stable
committed a slight mistake in entering • horse at
all for the " amendment mos," and that they
committed another and far more serious error in
the choice of the jockey they selected to ride him.
We all of us know that according to the laws of the
turf if you have entered • hone for • race and you have
reason to doubt the quality of his four legs, you may always
scratch him up to the moment of starting; but when the
sterling flag has been lowered and the nee is fairly com-
menced, if your jockey deliberately throws him-
self off, it is somewhat apt to shake public
amfidence in the honesty of the stablemen. Now
I thiuk it was a mistake in the present position and num-
bers of the conservative party in the House of Commons to
place on the notice paper of the house an amendment which
censorial the past financial policy of the government, and
hod down certain very wholesome but at the same time
very etringent regulations as regards the nouns to be pm,
sued by them in their future budgets. Lord Palmerston
was only too happy to seize upon the challenge as • vote of
confidence, and thereby attempted at once to burke all
preliminary discussion whatever ; and! think the conserve-
tive party committed a mistake because if they bad been
defeated on the amendment the result could only have been
to strengthen the hands of the present government, and if,
on the other hand, the conservative party had been vic-
torious, the result—lifter the manlier in which the amend-
ment was received by Lord Palmerston—could only
have been to bring about that which for many
mesons I think all parties in the country have
agreed in deprecating during the present year, viz.,
a ministerial crisis sod a dissolution of parliament. I say,
then, gentlemen, that to bring forward that amendment was
a alight mistake; and what I think the conservative
ought to have done on that occasion was to have in a
body against the amendment of Mr. Bielefeld, as being ill-
timed and inexpedient, and then to have left the govern-
ment to battle out among its own supporters whatever
might have followed from the other miscellaneous amend-
meets. Bat when the leaders of our party had resolved upon
placing Mr. Walpole's amendment on the notice paper of
the house. sad when Mr. Walpole had deliberately taken
charge of that amendment, he would have followed a more
statesmanlike course if, instead of abandoning the field
before a shot was fired, he had said, " Our object
is bringing forward this amendment is, without • vestige of
party feeling, to raise • free and open discussion upon • sub-
feet of great sod paramount national importance. We have
no wish, in bringing forward such an amendment, to chal.
home a vote of confidence in the government. If you insist on
receiving our amendment in that spirit, epos your ewe bomb
must lie the respousibility of so doing ; but we will not
suffer in the interests of the country that a free and fair
damming upon • subject of greet and national importance
shall be buried b 3 a specie. of dictatorial map d'eat. But,
gentlemen, there are two very old and trite proverbs which
are not inapplicable to the little episode of last week. The
first of them is that it is of no me shedding tears over
spilt milk," and the next of them is that "it is ea ill
wind which blows nobody say good." I cannot
help thinking that, however disintiaged we may
feel with the momentary malt, the event of last
week will not be altogether without its effect se regards the
future. I cannot help thinking that when the excitement
at his great victory has passed away, Load Plamilellia• will