Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-24 00:00:00

PUBLIC - MEN ON THE NATIONAL
• DEFENCES.

SIR JOAN PAICINGTON.
A putdic meeting was held at Droitwich on Monday,
to establish a rifle corps.
Sir John Pakingtoh, •in moving a resolution, said—
With regard to the probabilities of a French invasion,
if there was anything like a panic in England on the
subject, which he must confess he could hardly believe.
—if there was a feeling of alarm in the minds of the
people of England generally—he would say that he for
one did not share in it. In the first place, they must
recollect that of all the modes of warfare, one of the most
difficult, one of thnmost arduous, one of the most dan-
gerous, was the attempt to invade the territory of a great
Power.* (Hear.) They would remember in the history
of the Great Napoleon, that it was perfectly true that he
Subdued the German Powers by his vast and highly-
disciplined army, and that he overran Italy, and at that
period of his history he acquired a degree of power
which he might truly .lay no other European monarch
ever possessed. But when he extended his attempts to
Spain and Russia he signally failed, and the attempt to
invade.a great territorial power recoiled upon himself,-
and entailed- ruin upon him. (Hear, hear.) Now, to
invade England troops would have to be conveyed
across the Channel, and the naval force of Great
Britain must be defeated before the country could be
invaded by a foe. (Hear, hear,) He was aware that
the introduction of steam into the navy had made a
great change, and perhaps had increased the possibility
of inrasion, but he for one did not contemplate,
unless an overwhelming force was brong,ht td bear
upon this country,' the possibility of our sustaining
a defeat in the Channel. (Cheers.) He confessed,
therefore, that he was not one who contemplated in-
vasion as a probability. But although we were still on
friendly terms with France, and although he for one did
not feel distrust in the personal intentions of the Em-
peror•towards this country, nevertheless he thought that
the state of public affairs on the Continent was such as
to make it desirable to foster this movement. (Hear,
hear.) Aere could be no doubt that we had fallen into
a state of false security daring the long 'peace we had
enjoyed. There was no country in the world, tad great I
empire in the world, in which it was so essential
that the means of national defence, and the means
of carrying' on war, should be greater than in ours
on account of the extent of- our empire, it being
spread over the four quarters of the world; and
on account' of the geographical smallness of the great
centre of the .empire—England. (Loud applause.)
In addition to all these considerations, it was impossible
to deny that the present state of Europe warned us that
we could not with prudence allow the state of things
which had prevailed' to continue, It was true- that
there had been occasions within the /est two or three
years in, Which' our friendly relations with France had
been in danger, and in the present extremely complicated
state of European affairs, it was impossible to say how
soon again our-alliance might be endangered, and there-
fore they were bound to be prepared for all contin-
gencies. He wanted "Europe -to see that we were pre-
pared for
,all contingencies—that our navy wan strong,'
and our, people loyal and united; and on that ground
he was very !inxiois fOr the success of'thin movement.

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