The Express.
London, England, 1862-10-01 00:00:00

GENERAL PEEL ON ARMY AND NAVY

EXPENDITURE.

At the annual dinner of the Huntingdonshire
aural Society, yesterday, General Pm., after some
remarks, said :—We are asked when IN the army? I
might avower that question byaskiog, when it is not ? It
is spread over the whole world, and that not for any pur-
poses of aggression, but merely to defend the empire upon
, which it is said the sun never sets, and over which I am
afraid some portion of our visitors during their stay bare be-
hove that it never rises. (Laughter and cheers.) But
although our troops are employed mainly for of de-
foam, they have more foreign duties to perform than any
army in the world. They are subject to greeter vicissitudes
of climate, and more of those changes which •
soldier is subject to than the men in any other
army ; and it is the manner in which they, as
well as the navy, perform their duties which secures to
them the praise and approbation of their fellow-subjects.
(Cheers.) I now approach that part of the subject in which
we are perhaps more deeply interested, and that is the
expense of the army. It is perfectly true, denied by nobody,
acknowledged by everybody, that our naval and military
expenditure, considering that this is • time of peace, has
arrived at an enormous amount. But the necessity for that
bag arisen from its having been indispensable that we should
adapt our armaments to those changes which sciences in-
troducing in everthiog connected with the systems of
attack sod defence. (Hear.) At this moment we have two
great departments io the state, the Admiralty on the one
head, and the War-offioe on the other, the duty of each of
which is to endeavour to destroy the work of the other. It
is the duty of the Admiralty to endeavour to construct
vessels with armour placing which can resist the effect ot any
missiles that can be thrown against it. It is the duty of the'
War-office to produce • gun that can at once destroy the
best vends that can be produced by the Admiralty. This
is all very expensive ; but it is • very necessary and a very '
useful rivalry. (Hear, hear.) I for one have lived long
enough to know that the worst possible deception is decep-
tion of ourselves. There Is nothing so fatal as to believe
that you have either the beet ship, or the best gun, or the
teat horse, if I may be allowed to nee such an expression
until you have proved it to be so. In the moment of trial
you may find your ship riddled like • neve, or that your
gun may be silenced by a superior one. Depend upon it,
whatever may be the cost, England must have the best
gun and the hest ship that science can produce.
(Cheers.) And I have no doubt, looking at the talent
directed to the attainment of these objects, that we
shall be successful. (Cheers.) I believe that, at
the present time, you have the best ship afloat
and the best gun extant ; but there is no knowing that there
may not be something superior. Now, if we have been too
precipitate, adopting to too great an extent inventions which
et the time may not appear, but prove to be the best, with-
out waiting to see whether something better may not be
produced—if we have been too precipitate in that respect,
it is not the fault of any government or of the bead of any
department. It is your fault—l don't say it is a fault—it
is, at all events, you who, through your representatives in
parliament, and through the public press, have always
been calling out for more iron ships and more rifled guns.
(Hear, hear.) It is exceedingly difficult to draw a correct
line between too mach caution on the one part and too
sanguine • view as to the merits of any invention on the
other. Io the first instance, if you are too cautious you
will always be waiting and will never do anything.
You will always be waiting for something better. (Hear.)
You can understand this, for you have seen site= plough
to-day of great merit, but probably you will hang bast and
wait until something better is produced. With respect to
• great department of the state, if you are too sanguine, if
you supply yourselves to too great on extent with some
invention, probably another may be brought forward imme-
diately afterwards which may show that what you have
previously does is comparatively useless. It is to ascertain
which is best that the experiments are going on of which
you are daily reading accounts in the newspapers. I have
no
doubt in my own mind that in the end toe gun will pre-
vail, and will succeed in perforating any iron plating and
any ship that can be put afloat, and that the merit of that
gun will be the greatest merit which can produce the
most powerful effect at the longest distance. (Hear,
hear.) If you were to seed out to-morrow the
best fleet you could have produced three years ago,
armed with the smoothbore gun to meet a smaller force
armed with guns of the present day, you might as well
send out so many boys to catch birds by putting salt on
their tails —(laughter.) —with the difference that the birds
would take care you should asst come near them, and
would take all the salt of you. (Cheers and laughter.)
What I have now said applies to the material, the toast
applies to the men. In them, thank heaven, there can be
no change, and lam sure we want no change. (Cheers.)
They will serve any guns they may be placed at, and
do their duty on boardbaoni ships that the Admiralty may
place afloat (Hear, hear. Seeing no naval officer present,beg to returu thanks for the army and navy.

MEETING AT STALYBRIDGE ON INTRAVEN-

TION IN AMERICA.

A public meeting, called by requisition to the
Mayor, was held last eveniog in the Assembly Room of the
Town-hall, Stalybridge, for the purpces of wondering the
question of intervention in America.
The requisition was as follows :
" We, the undersigned inhabitants of Stalybridge and
neighbourhood, deeply deploring the unostniel war now
raging in the States of North America—the awful destruc-
tion of life and property resulting therefrom—the measly
and destitution thereby inflicted upon the civilised world,
sod particularly upon the ithabitento of this district, and
feeling convinced that thecontanuance of this unhappy strife
will be alike ruinous to the hostile parties and to the vast
population of this district depending upon the cotton trade,
and that the Confederate states of North America have
maintained their independence a sufficient length of tints to
warrant her Majesty moogniaing the existing government
thereof—respectfully request you to call a public meeting
of the inhabitants of Stalybridge, to consider the necessity
of petitioning her Majesty the Queen to take immediate
measures for the recognition of the Confederate states of
North America."

An hour before the time appointed for the meeting to
begin, there were in the roadway outride the hall many
hundreds more than the ball could possibly bold. When
the doors were opened the hall wee quickly filled with
working men, and tolerable quietness prevailed until the
meeting commenced. The Mayor, Mr. ROUST HOrWOoD,
presided, and with him was the town-clerk.
Mr. JoHN BAMFORD moved the first resolution, which
was :—" That, in the opinion of this meeting, the lament-
able distress and pauperism so prevalent in the cotton dis-
tricts of Cheshire and Lancashire are consequent upon the
deplorable conflict now raging in North America, and
that our government would be justified in taking any
steps in accordance with the principles of ifitereational
law, to arrest, if possible, the indigence and pauperism
now closing upon us. He proceeded to deal with the
question of distress and the war in a short speech, and was
followed by Mr. JOHN BILLDBUIT, who seconded the motion.
Both speakers were listened to with atteation.
Mr. J. BILLCLIPTIL in an excellent speech, discussed the
question outlined in the requisition, and throughout wee
loudly cheered. He said he wee opposed to intervention,
and carried nearly the whole meeting with him.
Mr. T. HODSON moved as an amendment, " That, in the
opinion of this meeting, the distress prevailing iu the
manufacturing districts is mainly owing to the rebellion
of the Southern states what the American constitution.'
This was seconded by Mr. S. NIELD, and, after being put,
was declared carried by an immense majority— Boinething
like a hundred to one—amid loud cheers.

A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the pro•
maws.