The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-31 00:00:00

Mr. HILWRY ASNWORSIII seconded the motion, and it was
carried unanimously.
-

The Right Hon. T. MILNER °mow, M.P , was enthu-
siattieally cheered on preeentiog himself. He said—l am
afraid, sir, that it will be in m,y uwer to sad but little to
the excellent speeches which I we seen reported in the
papers of to day, and which were delivered at the peace cow
brews of yesterday ; hat, sir, as you have been pleased Se
all upon me to make a few observations, I am waft Se
give an amount of the faith that is in me on this stims.
(Cheers.) This is not an ordinary political meeting, and
therefore, in the capacity of one of the members for this
important constituency, it would not perhaps be considered
Si a matter of absolute duty that I should be here ; but, sir ,1
I have felt it to be a matter of duty to be here,—and why tl
It was at some inconvenience, having intended to be is
Manchester in the ensuing week ; but it was because I was
cautioned not to mix myself with the Peace Society, that
I made it a matter of duty to come amongst you to-night.
(Loud cheers.) I was cautioned not to mix myself
with the supporters of free trade, when that ilmenliga
was not in fashion, but I have lived to see the time When
those who gave the caution make it their great merit that
they are the defenders of free trade. (Hear, hear.) And
we shall live to see the time when those who are now de-
fending large war establishments in times of peace will go
back to the safe constitutional maxim of England, to watch
with a jealous eye the growth of our military and defen-
sive armaments, and to take care that the military power of
this country, instead of being the servant of the state, does
not become its master. (Hear, hear.) Sir, when I look
round at the faces of those present to-night, and recollect
that they are men whom I have seen engaged in the cause
of liberty, the cause of knowledge, and of every object that
can promote the happiness and civilisation of this country,
I confess that, although I am co-operating with the Peace
Society, lam not ashamed of my company. Now, it may
be said that a man who is not an advocate for non-reeistanee
and for the abolition of all military and naval armaments,
has no business here. I deny that proposition. lam here
to co-operate with others, OA a friend of peace, and with
a view to promote those principles of national po-
licy that I believe will tend to peace. I am
not indifferent to the independence, to the safety,
or to the honour of my country, but I believe
that those will be best promoted and secured by advo-
cating such a national policy as will tend to friendly rela-
tionship with foreign countries, instead of that adverse
policy which some recommend, and which is founded upon
• constant suspicion of the professions, however friendly, of
foreign countries ; a suspicion which is founded on the no-
tion that we must, of necessity, be an object of hatred and
of envy to foreign nations, notwithstanding the friendliness
of their professions and the obvious interests which they
have in maintaining peace with us. But there is one mom
I thhilt,why every true friend to the interests of his country,
delis crisis, should endeavour to promote the cause of
posse, and also should endeavour to assist the efforts of dime
Ike have formed themselves into a peace society. The right
Ism. gentleman, after entering into some general arguments,
eeueluded in the following terms: Sir, I believe, upon my
leaseienee, that there never woe • time when the prospects
ef lame were so encouraging as now. (Loud acclaim.)
They talk of Cherbourg. Well, what of Cherbourg? People
fancy, I suppose, that Cherbourg is something that may come
here. Why, I say that the guns of Cherbourg cannot reach
to England ; and however many guns or batteries may be
erected at Cherbourg, unless you go there, they will not
interfere with you. (Cheers,) But there is a great weak
at Cherbourg, and which, in point of fact, has formed a
great item of French expenditure for many years, in refer-
'nee to the port; and that is, the breakwater of Cherbourg.
That is a great work, for the purpose of preventing the
sea in gales of wind from rendering the anchorage insecure.
I know Cherbourg well. I have seen the English union
jack and the American stars all glad to take shelter from
the inclemency of the weather under this breakwater of
Cherbourg and I, for one, instead of viewing all these
works with jealousy, or with a feeling that it is something
done to Injure us, I view that great work as one in whisk
the world has an interest : and I say the commerce of all
mankind which may pus through (the channel ought to
thank that great country for having, at enormous coat, SOW
strutted a work which enables merchant ships to find a seem"
anchorage when they might otherwise be stranded upon
rocky and dangerous shore. That really is the truth with
regard to the works at Cherbourg. But now it is a fashion
I that, everything that is done, some unworthy construction
is put upon it. I wonder that they do not say that every
fishing boat, although the French are very fond of fish,
must have been meant to bring men over to invade Eng-
land. (Laughter.) Why, they say that the line of packets
to communicate between France and America can really
have no commercial object in view ; that it is merely the
mask in order to build an additional wisher of war
steamers, for the purpose of landing soldiers in this country.
Why, how absurd! Hive not we subsidised great com-
panies, actually called upon them to build vessels suited
for war purposes, to carry the mails to the Wert Indies and
the United States, and so forth? Has not America done
the same? Bet the moment Frames presumes to have a
line, " Oh, it can have no other object but to invade Eng-
land." I believe that Cherbourg, of which I was speak-
ing, if them is to be a line of large steamers, drawing much
water, ,trading between Franco and the United State,
starting from the Channel, is the only place on the French
coast in the Channel from which those steamers can
with safety be made to depart and to come ; for this
simple reason, that it is a roadstead that can be entered in
all weather, during day or night, and its communisation
with Paris is likely woe to be completed ; and I know
Cherbourg well, and it will be just as likely a place for
French steamers to start from, in eemmanisetlon with the
western world, a it is natural for oar slonmers to start from
the inside of the label Wight instead of starting &mums
pier, harbour, or scan intricate river whisk is encumbered
with sands and dawns. (Cheers.) I, thendorsi, do not
enter into all those sinew. I believe the alseerity of this
country rests wear Wag • united people. es Mar being a
who
have some knowledge sad pppeosiation of the
of our hoodtations ; and 'I will esseinde these
observations with the weeds of that mime s% mks, Sir James'
llashinemb, when he said—" Small !rase Meflfehmeats,
ehl Borne likerty, a Howe of Ose mows *bee of the
weed, toessiews of the parse—• people dissmeing=
and la ths altoof day the memo stinkse
—dome ere doe things whisk bees senhorei happiness Imi
mite= upon the British Wash." (Orme ihsilisig
111% COWIN, then rein, and of NUM posliedispy
remarks, said—l have never ben myself a aulmisibse W
member of the Pates thislath eribeay on WM. Ilea, I
don't wish to say that with • view to let it be undesslood
that I want to disparage that misty, only I Sahib it is
best for all partiesthat there should be, moos for
all, a distinct understanding ; bassos that whisk enables
me to eo-operate with the gentlemen who have hitherto
formed the Peace Society, will semide all those who
really wish either to prevent war afteprias. IR to diminish
its cost, or to in any way diminish the sham of war—ft
will enable all to cooperate as I have es-sperated. Then,
what are our objects? Not pesos, at any psles,it will be said,
because there an may who would net meistela mos at
the expense elf esgronidsm unprovoked, sitemmdiend ea them-
selves, when they bed aired every moral sews of seeding
a dispute. What is air principle ? Our principle is this :
we say, all these wedike establishments are an eviL Some
poope may say, they are a necessary evil. We swept
them only as a n evil, and we will diminish them
as math as we can, and would abolish them if we maid.
Now, I say there is no rational being that can deny this
proposition—these is no sound economist that can dispute
this proposition, that if any armaments are kept up by chi-
Used nations for mutualdefence or attack, when both poetise
forofeu to entertain friendship for each other, sad to be-
lieve that pesos is necessary to the preemie; of both,—
that if, in these circumstances, their warmest' mild be
diminished, pro Ws, by a proper system of negotiation or
diplomacy, they might be so duaisisised. pa role, ad
leers both these countries in the same relation, position,
and strength towards each other. Now, I will take the
ease of France. What do we hear alleged against France
now ? That they are increasing their marine. And that is
the argument that is brought home to us to show that we
mustincrease our marine. When the members of this
organisation appear amongst people calling themselves
rational beings, they taunt us with a desire to reduce our
establishments, while France is increasing hers. Well, our
answer is, will you help us to impress first on public opinion
and then on the government, that our executive shall make
• proposition to the French executive to try to stop this evil
which leads to this great expenditure ? Now let it be under-
stood that I draw • distinction between the armaments that
are kept by two great nations like France and England,
professing friendship and desiring peace with each other,
and which can never derive any permanent advantage, but
must both sustain inevitable lea and mischief from war.
I draw a distinction between the annulments kept up by two
such nations, and the forces
kepatearn as a sort of police
to guard against pirates and et savages. I say
a tort of police, but not • police that can call for ships of
war, properly called line of battle ships, because a police
can never require ships of more than two guns to protect
your trade from them pirates who are hardly to be found
anywhere on the face of the earth ; for the steamboats are
doing for the pirates what your toll-bars and railway trains
did for the highwayman, driving him out of every nook and
cranny ; and if you go te Lloyd's, and ransack his register,
I defy you to discover where a single pirate has been ever
seen during the whole of the last twelve months.
(Cheers.) Now I am always for looking the worst in
the face, and that is exactly what we have to encounter.
You have • great concentrated interest allied with
the aristocracy, and allied with other very influential pro-
fessions in this country. Well, now, we must meet this as
all other questions have been met—as you met the slave
owners—as you met the corn monopolists—as everything
else ha been met —appeal to the universal public, whit hays