The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-22 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE 22, 1861.

ALLEN'S PATINT PORTIILkNTKAIIB and
TRAVELLING RAGS with square oper
M d*P-
LARUE WARDROBI TRUNKS, WIJOISLNG BAGS, with
yer arm.
DWIPATCII BOXES. 'nuns° and MIMING CASZt, and
ellew 'Aisles ler bone or routtneatal travelling. llbestralled
eatokipeee poet tree.
Aho Allea's Barrack Furniture Catalogue of Portable Bell.
abode. Drawer*. Ilay Chairs. Washhand stands, Canteens, Ac.,
pest tee.
7W. ALLEN, Maaulargarer sad Patentee, IS sad 111. West
Ueda% N.C.

HARMONIUMS-NSW MODIL. -
CiAlili. MLA sod Co., IN. Itogoolotreol

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PLSCOLATOIL —I le 100,0e0 cops. strong sagit=ren
Asian& Omit sellog• g 3,000 sold. has ie.
Priapssesseist tees.—J. COLLIS, agent, 92, Camicwitrommt. Z.C.

gfte erprews.

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HAT ILUMIT.

Zwsmas TR 1717i111.• ND ibt7Tß.. Mr. aad Mrs. C.
Mathews—TlAN ADVIIIIIIALIM OF A LOS'S =TILL Mr.
sad Mrs. C. Mathews—And ilia OALICIAX MIL Mr.
charism Leclerc., sod Mireltms, Wrighl—Ooramass aa T.

raurcurm.

TRU Rvryrren, wURNtt Messrs Phelps, Ryder, Edmund
Phelps, sad Meadows : Meer R. Letlervi and Atkinson. —A
HOMENIRAD STORY. Naar.. Ryder sad Slung : this Merl.
warns.—Aud AA.B.—Cammesce

R. JANNIS.

Nis ItTinimo, MA Pill/ I TTILOITBLEL —And LES
PATIO De moucan. N. Pull Derail sad MM.:. Alice
Theric.—Cumammi M • igimMer•put A

be liberated from a condition of political sub-
serviency, to give the world a majestic symbol of
liberty and religion in the unity of the spirit and
the true bond of peace.

Ir is doubtless too late to prevent the despatch
of the three regiments to Canada. Certainly a more
injudicious step, or one more opposed to the
wishes of the Canadians, never was taken by any
Government. Nor is it to be denied that, under
the circumstances, the citizens of the United States
must find it impossible to explain the act in
any manner satisfactory to themselves. It is to
be hoped, however, that the people of the United
States will understand the difficulty which the
people of this country experience in controlling
the military authorities at the Horse Guards; and
that the despatch of these troops is only a clumsy
pretext for keeping the number of troops
in excess of the real requirements of
the country. Any man of impartial observation
who knows aught of the opinions of those on
the other side of the Atlantic—whether British or
American subjects—is well aware that there is no
reasonable probability of any occurrence to disturb
the good feeling which now prevails on the banks
of the St. Lawrence ; nor is there any fear lest
•the Canadians should be unable and unwilling to
defend themselves in any emergency. The in-
crease of the Canadian garrison, however, is only
an illustration of the dangerous absurdity of our
present Colonial military policy. The war in
New Zealand, which has just been concluded, is
another. But it is clear that if such cases
as these are not perpetually to recur, the general
system of military defences in the Colonies
must be discussed, and readjusted upon some
intelligible principle. It is to be hoped that the
Report upon the subject by the Select Committee
will see the light before the conclusion of the ses-
sion, and that it will prepare the way for those
changes which the unprecedented quasi-indepen-
dence of our Colonies has rendered necessary,
although the necessity is recognised by scarcely
any politicians except Mr. ADDZRLZY and Mr. A.
Mina.

A Parliamentary Paper which has lately been
published seta forth some curious facts con-
nected with this subject. It seems that on the
31st of March, 1859, there were 28 places at
which there were stationed British troops
to the gross number of 39,698. This gives
an average of less than 1,500 men at each station,
but in point of fact the numbers range from 37
men and officers in the Falklands to 6,351 at the
Cape of Good Hope. Now, the total cost of these
39,698 troops amounts to 3,177,2311., of which
the whole is defrayed by the Imperial exchequer,
except 324,9671. ; so that tho people of this
country are taxed to the extent of nearly three
millions a year for the benefit of other people.
If it were the fact that our Colonial empire
could not be retained without this vast expendi-
ture something might be said in its defence. But
this is not so. There is not the shadow of
evidence to prove that if every soldier not paid
by the Colonial exchequer were withdrawn from
every British colony except Gibraltar, Malta, and
the lonian Islands, anyone of those dependencies
would be less secure than it is at present. There
is no reason to believe that if the people of the
Cape or the Canadas were informed that the
number of the garrison deemed necessary would
be left to their discretion, but that whatever
number was required must be paid for out
of the Colonial funds, the slightest difficulty
would arise. But so long as the mother-
country refuses to make such a proposal. to the
Colonies—so long as the Home Government
declines to take the initiative, and acts
upon the idea that the Colonies set little
value upon the connexion with the parent
state—so long as the Colonies find that
practically they can obtain the protection of the
British Army and Navy at the expense of the Im-
perial exchequer, so long the present system will
continue. Why should the Colonies take measures
to relieve the mother-country from those onerous
obligations which she delights to discharge 1 If the
mother-country will insist upon maintaining a
number of troops where they are of no possible
benefit to any except those who receive the military
pay and allowances, it is not for the Colonies to in-
terfere. On the contrary, the readiness of the mother-
country to provide military defences for the Colo-
nies has practically annihilated that spirit of self-
defence which is an essential element of national
independence. It has been said upon the best
authority that for every British soldier sent out to
• oolong one hundred volunteers have been lost to
the local force. Unless the British Government
propose to supply all the troops which may be re-
quired in the event of a war, it is of the utmost
importance that the Colonies themselves should
possess an organized system of local defence. But
the present policy of the Colonial•office has the
effect of preventing the development of local efforts
in the Colonies, lest by exerting themselves they
should prove themselves capable of providing for
their own defence.

Nor is this all. It is impossible to believe that
in the event of any war the garrisons now sta-
tioned in the Colonies would be of any material
value. As was pointed out some time ago, if an
enemy had permanent command of the sea, or had
• sufficient number of troops to land and conquer
the colonial territory, the present garrisons would
be utterly useless, whilst for the purpose of repel-
ling what aro called insults those garrisons are
ruinously expensive and quite unnecessary. The
real truth is, as the most cursory perusal of the
Parliamentary Return to which allusion has been
made conclusively shows, that with one or two
exceptions, the garrisons at the various stations con-
sist of a mere staff', and the 3,000,0001. spent upon
the so-called Colonial defences are spent for the
benefit of the British officers and protjgis of the
Horse Guards. Thus, in Canada, out of the
3,118 officers and men of every sort costing this
country 233,0001. for pay and allowances, the 95
staff officers cost about 36,0001.—a sum larger
than the Canadians contribute to their own de.
fence. And yet what would 3,000 men do to
defend a population of three millions against
the power of thirty! In the whole of the vast
territory of Australia, distributed in five different
stations, there are not more than 1,800 men and
officers, but of these there are no fewer than
47 staff officers, costing in pay allowances more
than 23,0001. Unlike the Canada', there is no
possible enemy whose attack is to be feared,
and even if there were, it is obvious that without
some local system of defence, 1,800 men would
be perfectly useless. One more illustration must
suffice. At Gibraltar there are 50 staff officers
for a force of 5,000 officers and men ; whereas
in Canada there are 95 staff officers for 3,118
officers and men ; in Malta there are 68 staff
officers for 5,275 officers and men, and in the
lonian Islands there are 51 staff officers for 3,159
officers and men. These anomalies are perplexing
enough, but they are, if possible, exceeded by the
fact that the 50 staff officers at Gibraltar cost
23,2181., whilst the 51 at the lonian Islands cost
only 16,5441.

To cleanse what Mr. BIANAL Oman; in his

ante-official days, used to call the Augean stable of
the florae Guards, has hitherto proved an impos-
sible task. The main building is too firmly fixed
to be overthrown. But perhaps some of the Colo-
nial outhouses, with all their wasteful extrava-
gance, may yield to the cleansing flood.