The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-17 00:00:00

'MB. F. PEEL, M.P., ON THE WAR. f

13n Friday evening a densely•crowded meeting of the laj
ilefcters and inhabitants of Bury was held in the Town tl
E 14.11, for the purpose of affording to Mr. F. Peel, the 0
-etresentative of the borough, an opportunity of express- b
ng his political opinions,. R. Asbt .n, Esq., occupied b
hls chair, and in a brief speech introduced

Nr. F. PEEL, M.P., who on rising was greeted with
hearty round of applause. He said that no year which
rd passed had been more full of events of the greatest
nerest----of occurrences of deep signification, and having
;he closest bearing upon the honour, the interests, and
position of this country. Seldom had a member of
la e years had occasion to take a retrospect of so inter-
,ting a period as this. What, he asked them, had been
.he valour of our troops ? What were their endurance
Mid fortitude under trials of every description ? What
the skill of our generals, their genius for command, their
resources, their capacity to turn to the best account the
powerful instruments that bad been placed in their hands ?
What had been the patriotism and the sagacity of their
public men ; and what, again, the steadfastniss, the
clear-sightedness, with which the people of this country
had kept in view before them the objects, necessity,
and policy of the war ? And what had been the li-
berality with which the wealth and power of this
country had been placed at the di-posal of those by
whom its affairs were ruled, and by whom the adminis-
tration of the war was conduCted ? Those, indeed, were
questions of the greatest interest, and it was no waste
of any man's time to devote himself to give a reply to
them. They had great and just reason to feel proud of
the army that had been fighting their battles in the
Crimea. In its hands the lamp of the ancient military
glory of this couniry had burned with its accustomed
brilliancy. The patience of that army, and the forti-
tude with which: it endured the severity of last winter,
and the courage which it had invariably displayed
bef ,re the enemy, bad enlisted the sympathy andsupport
of every class in this country, in every quarter of the
land. (Cheers.) It had been the same with our fellow-
countrymen beyond the sea, and distant-colonies had
sent liberal contributions towards the support of those
who had suffered by this war, and had undertaken, in

many instances, their own defence, in order to set free
the troops for engaging actively in the war. The hon.

gentleman congratulated his Constituents on the cordial
alliance which still c intinued between this country and
France, and also upon the unanimity of feeling which
had throughout subsisted between the generals in com-
mand of the troops of the respective countries, remark-
ing that it was a thing unheard of before, that there were
on the eastern side of the Crimea French troops entrusted

to the command of an English officer, and at Eupatoria,
English forces obeying the orders of a French com-
mander. They ought not to forget their noble ally, the
King of Sardinia. The Sovereign of that country had but
lately received a cordial welcome from the free people of
this, given on account of the noble stand he had made in
defence of religious liberty against the interference of the
Papal power, and because in the midst of the despotisms
of Italy he had founded a Government on the principles
of constitutional liberty, no less than on account of the
bold manner in which he had ranged himself on the aide
of the Western powers to put down the aggressive spirit
of the Emperor of Russia. They might congratulate
themselves also on the improved state of the Turkish
forces. They would remember last year the honourable
reputation that was acquired by the army of the
Porte in defending the passage of the Danube against
the Russian forces. They then acquired great credit,
and contributed much to our cause at that period.
Afterwards, in consequence of the conduct of some
of the Turkish soldiers on the day of the battle of
Balaklava, they lost reputation and fell into great dis-

credit. He rejoiced to say that again the Turkish army
in Georgia, under their distinguished leader, Omar Pa-
cha, who now himself directed their operations, had re-
newed their ancient reputation, and showed that, whether
it were in resisting the passage of a river, or in forcing
one in the face of the enemy, they had equally proved
themselves superior to the foe with whom they were en-
gaged. (Cheers.) Looking to the Asiatic army of the
Porte, they might most favourably contrast its condition
with that of last year. Without pay, without provisions,
without arms, without transport, they were last year re-
duced to the condition of a mere rabble ; but when placed
under the orders of the brave General Williams, who
had acquired such a noble reputation for his defence of
Kars, they bad proved themselves fully equal to the cir-
cumstances in which they were placed, and though Kars
was now reported to have surrendered, it had fallen, not
from any success which the Russian troops had gained
against it, but solely on account of famine within the
town and the absence of relief from without which they
might have expected. The speaker expressed the satis-
faction with which he had read the spirited speech of
Mr. Fox, the hon. member for Oldham, to his constitu-
ents recently, remarking that, for himself, as a member
of the Government, he could not be expected to criticise

It, measures with the freedom which one not so con-
nected might indulge in. As a member of the Govern-
ment his individuality was in great part merged in
that membership, and on no other principle could any
Government stand, because if it did not receive the cor-
dial support of those of whom it was coestituted, it
could not expect the support of those outside, who had
not held the allegiance of those who were actually of it-
self. When he joined the Government, having their
support in doing so, ho took it he should receive their
f ,redone conclusion in giving it his unhesitating sup-
port so long as its measures kept in community with
the principles on which the Government was first
founded. The hon. gentleman then briefly remarked
upon the reluctance which was manifested by the Go-
vernment of this country, in the first instance, to enter
upon the war, and went on to say—They knew as well
as he did what was the particular occasion and the cause
that oecasiored the war. The Government of Russia
artfully and studiously concealed from the English G,-
vernment the existence of certain demands which it was
making with the Porte, to a right of interference with
the subjects of the Ottoman Government which were in-
' consis ent with the dignity of that Power. The Govern-
ment of the Sultan deliberately declined to concede these
demands ; and then, in time of peace, the Government
of Russia marched its troops into the territory of its
neighbour. There was provocation enough ; but it was
not without an attempt to procure from Russia the re-
traction of the injustice and wrong that had been done
—it was not till after many repeated, though fruitless
attempts that this country thought it its duty, without
longer deferring, to enter into contest, with the assist-
ance of France, to defend the people and Government
of the Porte from the encroachments of the Government
of Russia. Such was the cause which commenced this
war ; but they must not suppose that was the first or
only act of usurpation on the part of Russial. It was
but one of a series of acts all tending to the same object.
Its aggressive policy lay in two directions—one route
towards Constantinople, and the other towards the Cas-
pian Sea and there acquiring territory abutting on Per-
sia, with the view of gaining a great preponderance
among the Governments of the East. They felt that such
usurpation should be resisted before that power had ac-
quired a still more dangerous preponderance—a Power
which has shown itself so defiant of the observances and
usages of civilised nations. He thought there should be
entire unanimity as to the justice of the war. Differences
of opinion there had been, but more as to the manner in
which the war should be conducted than as to whether
it was right or wrong. When he spoke of the conduct
of the war, he did not include the operations by the
fleet. He alluded to those by land only—operations which
resolved themselves into one great enterprise against the
town and port of Sebastopol. His own belief was that,
in taking that direction, we assailed our enemy in her
most vulnerable point. He regarded Sebastopol as the
symbol and visible sign of the aggressive policy of Rus-
sia, for it was reared that it might afford the means, in
time, of destroying the power of the Turkish Govern-
ment at Constantinople, and of transferring it to Russia.
Therefore, he said, when we struck there, we took the
shortest and straightest direction, for we struck at the
very heart itself of that which was at once the symbol
and instrument of Russia's aggressive policy. He knew
it had been asked, why did they not strike at the heart
of Russia itself ? He said they would do well to keep
away from therel; for the army would perish and waste
away amid the wastes and snows of central Russia. Her
vital parts lay in the extremities of her towns, and when
we assailed Sebastopol we had assailed Russia in a point
where she was most vulnerable and most likely to feel
the force of the blow. The siege of Sebastopol had been
indeed memorable ; it would live in history as the siege
of Troy had done ; for never was there a defence more
obstinate, or he might say more glorious to the defenders,
but not more so than was the attack of the besieging

party. Never was a more numerous army or more
powerful engines of destruction employed on either side.
He had heard it asked, what had we gained ? In one
respect we had not 'got our fleet in the enemy's har-
bours ; we were net refitting our vessels in its doe s,
nor quartering our troops in its barracks ; but was it no
advantage, just as the winter was coming on, that we
had saved our troops from the work in the trenches,
which last year caused such havoc among them ? If
we had not gained much, had not Russia lost a great
deal ? They would know the difference between
the south and north side cf the harbour during
the forthcoming winter, for they were now in a posi-
tion more exposed and less able to afford them protec-
tion than the one which we occupied last winter. (Cheers.)
It had been said it was a proof that the war was
not very popular, that we had not been able to bring up
our army to its establishment. Had that been a fact
he should dispute the inference ; but he knew not that
the fact was so easily to be admitted, because, though it
was proved that the number was short of that they had
the power to enlist, it must be borne in mind that in
1854 they enlisted more soldiers than had ever been en-
listed in the course of any previous year. In the present
year they had raised for the army, not only as many as
were raised last year, which was more fruitful than any
of its predecessors, but they had raised half as many again
as in 1854 ; and therefore, as far as any argument or in-
ference could be deduced from the state of recruitment,
he should conclude that the war was popular rather than
otherwise. (Hear.) With respect to the army now fight
ing our battles in the Crimea, be said wo never had so
numerous or so well-appointed an army before. Of actual
English soldiers; 18,000 was the full force with which
the Duke of Wellington won Waterloo; and in the whole
of the Peninsular campaigns, even when he invaded the
I French territory, excludiog the Portugum and Spanish