The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-14 00:00:00

GUILDFORD AGRICULTURAL

A S'S 0 CIA

GUILDFORD, Dec. 13.—The annual meeting of this
association took place to-day at Guildford, and was
largely attended by the gentry and the farmers of the
district. The show of stock was extremely good.
_

In the evening about 150 gentlemen dined together at
the Angel Hotel, the chair• being occupied by Mr. H.
Drummend, M.P. far West Surrey. The hon. gentleman
was sepported by Ler.' Lovaine, M.P , Mr. Mangles,
M.P., Mr. It tikes Currie, the Rev. G. Melyneux, &c.
The cloth having been drawn,
The CHAIRMAN gave " The Queen," which was drunk
with much enthusiasm.
The next toast was " Pr'nce Albert," in giving which
the CHAIRMAN observed that his Royal Highness had
upon all occasions shown himself the blend and patron of
agriculture—not that kind of patron implied by a rich
man giving what he did not value or feel the want of, but
in the intelligent patronage es hich a welbiefortned man
and master of his subject gave when ho encouraged any
particular science or art. He ;;hought, then, they did
well always to drink the health of his Royal Highness
after that of the Queen ; and when they reflected upon
his many virtues they ought at least to do him the jus-
tice not rashly to censure him, or to believe the anony-
mous slanders which some persons scrupled not to spread
abroad concerning h:in, but to ascertain for themselves
the truth of the matter before they concurred in any-
thing of the kind. (Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN then said, the next toast that I have
in the performance of my duty to propose is, " The
Health of the ...Arley and Navy, and that of our brave
Allies." I confess that I feel somewhat ashamed, in
proposing this toast, that there should be in England
commercial speculations the proprietors of which find it
profitable to traduce the army and navy. I hope the
people of England will not allow these things to be pro-
fitable speculations any longer. Stand by your army
and navy, for you may rest assured that those men who
write so confidently, and take upon themselves to censure
them, know no more about the army or about what the
Commanderen-Chief has been doing than any one of you.
When I see these anonymous writers urging on the war
in this way, I remember an anecdote of an old French
bishop, who, being asked why he went himself to attend
an old woman, said, " It is much easier to say to another
go and do such a thing than to do it oneself ; ' and when
I see all these editors and rowspaper writers—the whole
kit of them go—then I will say to them, "You are fine
fellows," but not before. I beg to give you " The
Health of the Army and Navy." (Cheers.)
This speech was followed by a comic sung, after which
Col. SUMNER returned thanks for the honour done the
service, observing that dating the past year no less than
500 cf the Surrey Militia had voleoiteered into the line,
end the reg,bnent was now 700 strong.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed the "Bishop and clergy,"
was.isiAacknowledged
dbyt
ht he e
‘, Rev.o r G.
eluo
tlye,nn
ae
nu
whx.
michr.
and
magistrates of the eount.y.
Lord LOVAINE returned thanks.
Mr. R. AUSTEN proposed " the Health of the County
Nlembere." He thought that iu the present circumstances
of the country, when meinhsre of Parliament had more
serious duties imposed upon them, and greaterimpoi tai ce
.vas attached to their votes than had ever been attached

to them before, the conduct of the hon. chairman was
such that his constituents had every mason to be satis-
fied. His ability was undoubted, asst they could all gua-
rantee perfect independence. (Hear.)
Mr. DRIIIIIIOND, in reply, said-1 am neither a maker
nor a lover of long speechee, but, having often observed
how few the occasions are upon which I can meet my
constituente, I think that when I have the advantage
upon the present occasion, and when you have separated
my name as the representative of the county, and have
drunk my health in that form, instead of the obvious and
natural toast of "the President of this Society," you do
expect to hear from me something upon that sub-
ject which after, all is uppermost in the heads and hearts
of you all. (Cheers.) Now, gentlemen, I must be can
did and open with you. I confess to you that at the
outset of this war I thought it most dignified to the
country to stand aloof from foreign interference, and for
this reason—l could not sympathise with tyrannical Go-
vernments which had ground down their people from
one end of Europe to the other, neither could I sympa-
thise with those madmen who said that the only means
of regaining their liberty was by waging a war of uni-
versal destruction against every arowued head and Sove-
reign of Europe. But here had arisen a peculiar case.
Here was a great Emperor determined to possess himself
of the lands of his neighbour. Well, gentlemen, all the
people of this country seemed to be taken aback. It
wee the most wonderful thing ever heard of in the world.
Dear me I remember ever since I was a child that it
was nothing but the uniform policy of Russia to possess
itself of Constantinople. I remember it was said and
generally believed that the Empress Catherine christened
her eldest seri Constantine, with the sole view of making
hire Emperor of Constantinople and Turkey, and thus
carrying out the tradition of the Russian empire, and
epinione which had been received for 100 years. But,
apart from this, I don't find that the love of having a
little more laud is such a very uncommon or remarkale
thing. I remember, and my hon. friends can remember,
perhaps, better than I can, bow we have gone on filch-
ing a little more land in India, until at last we havegot
a very fair-sized estate there. (Laughter.) I hardly
know a landed proprietor who does not want another
little farm lying near his estate. (Continued
laughter.) Nay, snore, I hardly ever knew a farmer
who did not say he should do better if he could have
atincnoed merriment.)uplefieldebelTonifili;ggentotleihniesn,neisigrheablolyur.the(Cen
Em-
peror of Russia on a small scale, that is all. Well, but
were we to stand by and see this poor Turk robbed ? Cer-
tainly not. In point of justice, is point of policy, and in
consideration of the laws of humanity, we won't see a
little man knocked down by a big bully. Well, then, I
say we had a right to go to war t ) protect the little man.
But now your great guides and instructors change their
tone, and say you are going to WE r for the sake of civili-
sation, What on earth ha's- civilisation to do with it !
Are we to go on till we extend civilisation through the
world 1 Peace at any price may be a fallacious cry ;
but war at all price is equally fallacious. When aro we
to have common sense ? We are in the middle of a
battle, and the reason why I always object to go into a
battle is because I won't come out till I have conquered.
(Cheers.) That is the reason why I did not like to
enter into war, but I don't at all shirk the war. You
are in the midst- of a great and terrible struggle, and I
wish you were well out of it. I must confess the more
I see the more difficulty I see, and I believe that at the
present moment you are totally 'misinformed as to the
real difficulties of the question. I, for one, doubt very
much whether the Emperor of the French is inclined to
go on with the war, and if not, I ask you, are you in-
clined to go on with it singly ! (Cries of " No, no.")
I am not saying that this is really the case, but I do
beg you to make up your minds upon the subject, and
tell tile plainly what it is you want with me. Ain I,
as your representative, to say that we will stand against
Russia single-handed, and not snake peace oven if we are
asked to do so! Now screw your courage to the stiek•
ing place. You have spent 100,000,0001. this year.
Those poor chawbaeons outside don't understand what
it is to spend 100,008,000/. ; they may think it some-
thing fine; but the quartern loaf gets up, sugar gets up,
and the fellows get lee to eat. Then they find out
what is the meaning of spending 100,000,000/. Do
you think your manufactories will go on at this rate ?
I am pretty sure they will not ; and then what will your
newspapers—those great lights and great guides—do
Why, they will turn the other way. Depend upon it,
if you are goaded on to war by false represeeta-
tione now, you will be goaded into a dishonourable
peace by false representations hereafter. I think if you
make up your minds like men, say, and stand to it, that
you will not consent to carry on this war single-handed
into the heart of Russia. I have not the smallest objec-
tion to take military possession of Constantinople, and to
say Russia shall not come in there ; but beyond that I
am not disposed to go. That is the object for which we
went to war. We are t )Id now we are to unite with
Austria in the progress of civilisation. What! Austria,
that has now for the first time in the wend given up the
whole of its subjects bound hand and foot, body and
soul, unto the Pope. Is that part of the progress of
civilisation ? Why, Turkey, bad as she is—Russia,ehando
as she is—are infinitely better than Austria. They may.
systematically, for their own advantage, intend
endthteopaonped
do wilfully keep the people in ignorance ; they don't,
notice however,of t
h eexert.m
u ut in themselves
the t
ion ds
toa
nincee they e
Austriay simply
has positively been permitted to say to the people,—
" You shall not learn ; it is true that the Creator has
written you a book, but I, one of his creatures, tell you
that that book will do you no sort of good, and that you
shall not read it." This you may call civilisation, but
who look strictly at things, and not at words, say it is
not civilisation. We will not be blinded and hoodwinked
by words. It may be weak, it• may be ridiculous, but,
translate it as you will, it is despotism in its grcssest
form, and I will cmtend against it. It is stated in the
papers, and I have seen in the papers such expreseions
as, " We can't understand tlse member for Surrey."
don't care a farthing whether they understand me or
not, but I hope you will understand me. It am anxious
that you should do so ; you may see from the past that
I have never deceived you, and I will act as honestly as
I }Mr.e done
W . (Cheers.)
HAROOD having proposed "The health of the
Borough Members,"
Mr. MANGLES returned thanks. He observed that
although he bad not intended to address o
them n the
war, his friend, Mr. Austen, had sounded the trumpet
so loudly that ho felt it might be misonderstood by some
of those " mercantile speculations" to which his hon.
friend had alluded if he refrained from doing so. He had
observed at agricultural gatheringe all over the country,
that members of Parliament present bad almost invari-
ably, either at the request of their constituents or of
tehnecior
amtegrti
eont,
subjectdi tedwthhiec
ha attention
eo np
present
etheir l amuedni
•
to
enlisted, and, in fact, almost engrossed the attention of
the nation—he meant the war. (Hear.) He had given a
silent vote for the inquiry into the state of the army be.
fore Sebastopol, and claimed greater credit for that vote
inasmuch as in giving it he had voted against his party.
His hon. friend, Mr. Drummond, belonged to no party,
and therefore could not vote against his friends. (A.

CAP TAIN SCOBELL AND MR. TITE ON

THE WAR.

At the dinner given by the Bath and West of England
Agricultural Society, on Tuesday, on the health of the
members lox the city being given, the hon, members re-
turned thanks, and, amongst other topics, thus alluded to
the war :
Capt. SCOBELL having briefly referred to the subject of
agriculture, said he would now direct their attention to a
question of paramount importance—namely, the war.
With respect to the cause of the war it was hardly worth
looking back upon ; bet be would say that that cause
was sufficient for us to draw this conclusion—that if we
had not gone to war when we did, we should very soon
have had to do it under greater disadvantages. Thera
was no question that the artful proceedings and ambi-
tion of Russia were so fixed, so moulded, and so en-
tangled into every part of Europe whets she could
reach by diplomacy, and she had such a deep laid
scheme to get within her power the territory which
now belonged to Turkey, that, if she had succeeded,
her strength would have been so great that no man
could tell what the consequences would have been to
the liberties of Europe. Iu that sense we were really
contending for liberty—(applause)—we were contend-
ing for freedom ; for so sure as Russia prevailed, so
sure would there be slavery, or attempts, at least, to
enslave the world, and create a great military go-
vernment. (Applause.) We had therefore something
to fight for in the matter ; but we had to thank Pro-
vidence that, if we had to fight, we at least had fought
bravely—that we had done our duty well, and that
our soldiers from the moment they landed at Alma up
to the preseEt day, had fought in a manner that had
not even been exceeded in the Peninsula, great and
glorious as its battles were. Here our soldiers had
ought against misfortunes -- against difficulties and
sickness—against every calamity that could befal an
army—against the want of clothing and provisions ;
and yet nobly had they fought in spirit as well as in
bay. (Applause.) And well had they behaved, ansa
proud should we be of them. All ho wished was that we
could see greater advantages held out to every class of
our army. (Applause.) Many advances had been made
towards improving the condition of the officers, and
rightly so too. They had many advantages now which
they had not before. If they died in battle the money
they gave for their commissions was returned to the
families that they left behind them. Then, again, there
were pensions given to the officers' widows. He only
wished we could see this system in some way extended
to the private soldiers. (Applause.) lie as much laid
down his life as the officer did ; but the difference was
this, that though we gave the private soldier a small
pension as long as he lived, if he died in battle, or from
want after battle, his family did not get a penny from
the country. He did wish that could be remedied. (Ap.
plause.) It would not be so extravagant as some might
suppose ; because a very small assistance would do for
the widow to the close of life. He questioned if it was
not worth osneideration to devise a plan that the fami-
lies of the men who died in behalf of their oountry should
not be forgotten. (applause.) Now, we had heard a
good deal of " the right man in the right place." We
had three con: menders-in-chief of our gallant army in the
Crimea. He would not comment on him who was dead,
Lord Raglan. He believed he was a gallant soldier.
We had now displaced another general who had ruled
that army. He had been recalled, or, as stated, he bad
resigned, but it amounted to this, that somehow or other
there was not full trust placed in him. Now we ha I a
third ; he trusted we should find that third to be " the
right man in the right place." (Applause.) Thaistiownael
of vast consequence to us, not only for cur n
and payers
glory and satisfaction, but as the disi
of immense sums of money to carry
oubtle F,ench army,
fully. Fighting side by side with a
nq
was also of equal
and with a small army of Sardinians,
to establish our
importance that we should to
care.asesris we had not been
military reputation. On some.
d occasions
whenever the day of
so successful, but he trn,teand
would be found to stand
battle came the army
of
Eunr-noble &lies, in belting down
in a high position 2enshere-war sUccess-
., enemy
with respect t• that noble tic-
t
th
ore
s of promoting a peaceful
trusted it would be th Theron
we saw the whole of fuel
issue of the contest.
der the sea and annihilated, and
enemy's fleet ly lug under
f t tt f '
whole of that city was in a per ec s aeo rum. Ile
the rwe once got to the north side, something would
hoped' - • •that harbour of
to annihilate
be done
yeoreaodnyaerbis.ved—the fall of Sebastopol. He
of
he was about to mention an idea that he had never
This o great undertak-
ing here
heard mentioned before ; he trusted that those high hills
which stood on the banks of the harbour of Sebastopol,
would be laid low and the valley filled up with them.
(Applause.) He would fill the harbour up with the hills
be
e n n
the a
harbour
that good abcve it, and pull down the immense houses
that
for the thousands of men we had there. If we only
gave the Russians the opportunity to do it, we should
find
their werei
standing.ne.ofba t t e ships wouldfl eating
Sebastopol once again. Now they bad met to-day to re-
ward merit ; and he did not know a more delightful
l
task. They were about to distribute premiums to those
who had produced the " ox right in the right place."
There was the fairest competition, and no favour. Ss
only wished he could ray the same of the army and navy.
He wished there was the same fair competition between
man and man, officer and officer, as there era; in this
society, and in the awarding of its premiums. But such
was the state of things (and he spoke more rarticular!),
as to the navy) that a great many men were longer in
getting the first step than men of family influence were
men
in getting four steps ; or, in other words, many
others in
were longer in rising to be midshipmen than
was h'
e inching the position of pot captain, w
tanta-
mount to that of colonel. Such was
ty the stataet was con t things
n admiral th-
under a political adrniralty—a
politicalgifts, and
stantly dosing its followers by
Parliamentary, or any other casual
pu-ling on men of
interest, to the exclusion often of men of merit.
Far
be it from bim o say that there might not be men of in-
terest and meritt too ; and he did not care how fast they