Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-01 00:00:00

pathfin the volunteer movement

- -
Mr. THOMAS CitivroN said every Englishman must
feel the•importance of this movement, and be rejoiced to
see it so fully and enthusiastically taken up and carried
out. (Cheers.) If they asked themselves, what had
been the situation and the position of England for the
last twenty years, with regard to its foreign relations,
he feared they could not add a very satisfactory answer:
At all events, at the best, it had been but a doubtful

and a debateable position ; and by the side of those who
had asserted that its _position had not been so satisfactory
and secure as it should be, they had had the names of
those in whom Englishmen had most wisely placed
the greatest confidence. He might mention the name of
a nobleman who had now departed from our midst, but
was well known in this country—the late Lord Elles-
and he did not hesitate to declare, only a few
go, what the consequence would have been to

the troops in London, bad the French thrown a large
body of troops on. our shores. At,tbat time it required
a greater amount of moral courage to make suell. a
statement as that than to boast boldly of the invincibility
of England. (Cheers.) Again, the Duke of Wellington,
in a letter to Sir John Burgoyne, thirteen years ago, did
not hesitate to say that it had pleased God to keep him
for seventy-seven years in honour, and he prayed God
that he might never live to see that catastrophe
which he had in vain urged his contemporaries to take
means to avert. That opinion declared thirteen years ago,
must speak to the great prescience of that eminent man,
(Cheers.) Now, however, we were alive to our position.
We found that we had been too much like a man doubt-
ful of his position, until at last by his conscious fears he
brought upon himself theyery troubles that he most feared.
Now, we were determined that these disgraceful panics
which had so often stopped us in our national progress
and in the extension of our commerce, should no longer
continue. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) They were told that
the movement was unnecessary ; that we need not
fear invasion from ,the Emperor of the French; but we,
as Englishmen, ought to declare that we, were not pre-
pared to trust tothe forbearance,of any,one.man,, and
especially, having regard to his antecedents, to the Em-
peror of the French. (Loud cheers.) England must
take her own honour, her own safety, and her own in-
terests, into her own hands, and trust to herself and none
else. To accomplish this the present volunteer move-
ment appeared to be the best means, and it should receive
his most hearty support. (Loud cheers.)
[During Mr. Chilton's remarks -the- Victoria Rifle
Corps entered the hall, ani was loudly cheered.]

The resolution was earritc
The MAYOR said ::the'. next resolution wa
been moved by Mr. J• C.Ewart, M.P., who
ever, unavoidab, he believed, deta
Mr. ADAM HODGSON moved

committee to collect subscriptions, &c.
that more allusion had not before be(

warnin,
Duke c

given this country thirteen years

lat warning was given in

been stated, and it was also .given .over and ov
by the Duke in his
.plaee in the IlouSe of Lo:

was the warning of the most courageous, of the bravest,
of the boldest, and of the most military plan of his
age. (Cheers.) That warning was disregarded; and
why ? Because gentlemen were in those days afraid
of being thought afraid, and there were no greater
cowards in the world than those who were afraid of
being thought afraid. There was hardly,

mina, a more encouraging feature connected with
the circumstances of .the present day, and the present
movement, .than that that feeling of cowardice had been
dispelled. (Cheers.) He thought invasion.would have
been probable had no preparation been made to meet it,
but that the present movement had greatly checked the
tendency to invasion. Mr. Hodgson concluded by °ail-
ing on the young men of the district to enrol themselves
in defence of the country, which was 'the great deposi-
tory of everlasting. truth.
Mr. FOSBERY, in seconding the resolution, said, for

years past it had been to his-mind a wonder that each
successive Government had displayed so much apathy in
providing the means of defence for the country ; and it
was the more remarkable when he bore in mind that
probably no other Government in the world so well
knew the value of volunteers in defending their country
against the assaults of an army of regular troops as our
own Government did. (Hear, hear.) And in proof of
this, he cited the various defeats of the flower of the
English army in the United States by the volunteer
riflemen of that country.

The Rev. Mr. LOMA'S was called upon by the chair-
man to support the resolution. He was received with
loud applause, and said—Mr. Mayor and gentlemen, I
cams into this room only a few minutes ago, without
any idea whatever that I should be called upon to
address. you. I came after being engaged in duties
which some may consider more consistent with my pro-
fession. But, still I must confess that I see nothing in-
compatible with -the duties of that profession
in supporting a movement such as that in which
you are engaged to-night. (Hear, hear, and
applause.) We are called the ministers of the Gospel
of peace ; but I hold that we shall best promote peace
by encouraging all our fellow-countrymen to be prepared
to defend themselves from attacks from without. (Ap-
plause.) For there can be no question that there will
be a great deal more hesitation on the part of intending
enemies to attack those( who are well armed than those
who are defenceless. And, therefore, I think we pro-
mote peace by being prepared for war. (Hear, hear,)
I certainly could not advocate such an aggressive atti-
tude as that which some of onr mercurial brethren in
the sister country are often accused of encouraging. We
hear of a pugnacious Irishman at :Donnybrook Fair,
suggesting that some one should tread on the tail, of his
coat. (Laughter.) I would rather encourage an atti-
tue like that of which I read the other day in the
newspaper, respecting a member •of the respectable
Society of Friends. He . received a blow on one
side of his, face, and, according to scriptural injune-
. tion, he turned the other. He received a blow upon that,
and then he, quietly addressed his assailant—" Friend,
having complied with.the scriptural injunction, I piocced
to-. administer to thee a little wholesome castigation."
(Loud laughter, and 'applause.) We should be ready to
put up with something that might.appear to sensitive
'persons like an insult, sooner than provoke a sanguinary
war.; but there are lengths beyond which. we cannot
go in forbearance.
It behoves us to defend our country
by • showing a bold -front to our assailants ; and I
believe the Ruler, of- the universe, who has implanted
in.our breasts naturally a spirit of patriotism, will .not.
look upon it as unwarrantable. (Applause:) If I may
-
be permitted, I would thank those gentlemen I now
see around me, who have shown their willingness to
engage in so good a cause ; and I would say fin mYself,,
and I might, perhaps, say it for all my brethren; that
we 'will do all we can, if the- necessity should, arise, to
encourage them in the defence of their country.
(Applause.) •
Lieutenant RENVGILL, late of the Royal Artillery,
also supported the resolution, expressing his readiness to
serve shoulder to shoulder with any man, whatever his
position might be. 0 • ,

The resolution was put, and carried by acclamation.
The. Rev. S. MAcruvoßT, in moving a vote of thanks
to the Mayor, said he Was not an alarmist, and he did
hot believe that the wisdom of the Emperor of the
French would ,allow him, to invade England, and
especially so, knowing as he did the character of
the British people. (Hear, hear.) But although he
did not anticipate either, from Frenchmen, Bassiank
Dutchmen, or anybody else
ever they did invade ui, God f

an invasion
)rbid they, should eve

(Laughter, aw.

Mud Queers

armingt and especially in that part of it which .ias con-

tiguous to our shores were armaments progressing at a
prodigious pace ;..and it, therefore, became them, as pru-
dent men, tostrengthen themselves so as to make the mere
ttempt at an invasion the• greatest absurdity and the
(Loud applause.) He had great
a vote-of thanks to the Mayor—the
and esteemed friend

merest impossibility

pleasure in mov
personally well-known, ion
of many of them. (Loud applaus
Mr. EATON, in seconding the motion, said there was
talk of a disarm.m.niri,.

never truckle to any such measures;
if they did, the English people would reprove
them for doing so. (Tremendous. cheering.)
Three hearty cheers were then given for the Mayor.
His WORSIIIP briefly acknowledged the compliment.
Three cheers. were given for Mr. Ronan; and a
similar compliment having been paid to Mr. J. B.
Cooper, the proceedings terminated.

vernment woulc
and

XCHANGE COMPANY.-ADMINISTRATION
OF THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE. -

The ceip.-
...le oath of allegiance by the
members of this company, took place yesterday, at the
Town-hall, in. presence ,of the. Mayor T. D; Anderson,
Esq., and several influential gentlemen. The Ex-

molly of takir

Nr. E. B. Bright,
ph
_Company, and is

sage Company was originated by

secretary to ti

Magnetic Teleg

composed to a consitierable extent of the clerks„ attached
to that establishment, though it comprises also numbers

of members from various• mercantile establishments in
the neighbourhood of the Exchange, and is open to all.
Upwards of seventy members have already joined, and
it is expected that in a very few days their numbers will
be largely increased. They assembled at the tele-
graph office, and from thence marched in; excellent
order to the Town-hall, where the oath was administered,
Mr. Herbert officiating in place of the Town-clerk.
The Mayor, addressing the corps, complimented them
upon their numbers, and upon their manly appearance,
observing that he had no doubt, should their services be
called into active and serious requisition, they would
fully. bear out the opinion he had formed of them. The
requisition to the Lord-Lieutenant, praying for the en-
rolment of the corps, also recommended for the approval
of her Majesty, Mr. Edward B. Bright, for appoint-
mutt as captain,, and Mr. Lawrence H. Parr, for appoint-
' • The requisition has been signed

ment at lieutenan

by every member of the company. The compan—y, is.
intended to be a self-supporting• one, and will, we
understand, have the advantages of being inexpensive, and
having a place of drill close to the Exchange. A store-
room as a depot for arms and accoutrements has been
engaged in the same locality. The drills will be so
arranged. that the members can attend at seven o'clock,
so that gentlemen detained at their offices late in the
evening will have plenty of time for drill at that hour.