The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-30 00:00:00

the subject—as, for instance, in fancying that only
25,000 of our troops would be disposable for the defence
of the metropolis. He believed this to be a great mis-
take, and would undertake to prove that there were far
more available for the purpose.
Mr. WALPOLE—In this country?
Sir DE LACY EVANS—Yes, in this country.
Another mistake the Right Honourable Gentleman
had committed was in imagining that the position of
this country, in the event of invasion, would be worse
on account of its being defensive. If that were so, the
weaker force would not always choose the defensive
position. - Ile was persuaded that in case of invasion
this country would be found to have by far the
most favourable position, and would make any invaders
rue the attempt.—(Hear, hear.) The measure of the
Government, with its mixture of the voluntary and com-
pulsive, reminded him of the officer who, having invited
his regiment to volunteer for a dangerous service, not a
man stepping from the ranks, exclaimed in a rage, " You
rascals, as you won't volunteer, you shall go neverthe-
less."—(A laugh.) He would wish the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman to consider two questions—How many men he
could get to volunteer for his bounty; and how many
could be relied on to come up at the time of emergency?
_(Hear, hear.) The fact was, the people considered
the distribution of the regular forces of the country most
unsatisfactory. The Right Hon. Gentlemen's threat, that
if they did not accept the militia, foreign troops must he
engaged for their defence, was an insult to the nation—
utterly unnecessary; for they were never in a better or
more powerful condition for the resistance of invasion.
.• —(Hear, hear.) What there was need to provide against
was some rash and unforeseen attemps, with a force of
from thirty to fifty thousand men—not a great armament,
which could not be prepared without our having full
notice of it and time to provide against it.—(Hear.)
Now for such a sudden emergency he doubted if this
measure would effectually provide—(Hear)—and for
any other purpose it was useless and unnecessary.—
(Hear.) He agreed that a consolidation and amend-
ment of the militia laws was necessary, for at present
the force could not be embodied under twenty weeks.
So that it would, of course, be quite useless for the re-
pelling of a sudden invasion; for which, likewise, he
believed that the present measure would be practically
inefficient. And he believed it would be far better to
resort rather to volunteer corps than to a general militia.
The Home Secretary had not stated whether the militia
under this measure were to be clothed?
• Mr. WALPOLE—Yes.
Sir DE LACY EVANS—And is that included in the
estimate of 400,0001.?
Mr. WALPOLE—Yes.
Sir DE LACY EVANS thought that it would be well
for the Government tr. see, Lea seeeieeu
a. use onicers of the volunteer corps.
• Mr. GIBSON suggested that the Government should
• defer the settlement of the subject until after that ap-
t peal to the country which was to take place before long.
—(Hear, and a laugh.) The Right Hon. Gentleman
had declared that he did not propose the measure in
consequence of any peculiar urgency at the present mo-
ment, nor as a temporary measure, but rather as part
of a permanent policy. That, therefore, was a subject
which should be most maturely considered; and it was
' one on which it was reasonable to await the verdict of
the constituencies—(Hear, hear)—especially as that was
the course the Government themselves proposed to
pursue upon other subjects.—(Hear.) The measure
did not extend either to Ireland or Scotland,
and could scarcely, therefore, satisfy the Noble
Lord (Palmerston), who had objected to a local
militia, and who would probably ask now, as he had
before, were Scotchmen traitors and Irishmen not to
• be trusted ?—(Hear.) The Noble Lord had already
2, turned put one Government upon this question, and the
best amends he could make would be by turning out
, • another.—(Hear, and a laugh.) Certainly the present
measure was as defective as that of the late Govern-
, runt. What security was there, for instance, that the
substitutes would be forthcoming at the hour of service?
—(Hear, hear.) An enormous expense was to be in-
curred in procuring them, when at the critical hour,
time would be consumed in running about after them
• and trying to catch them.—(A laugh.) It was obvious
that the militia would be of no use unless always em-
: •, bodied, and then what would be the effect of assembling
80,000 young men together for nearly a month?—(Hear,
hear.) What was to be done then? Were they to be
billeted about in public-houses and beer-shops?—(Hear,
• hear.) Would that bo likely to b© acceptable to the
moral and religious feelings of the country?—(Hear,
hear.) The fact was that the militia system, however
L.. applicable it might have been to the time of George 111.,
was not suited to the present age.—(Hear.) It was far
better in a country in which arts and industry had made
such great progress rather to increase the standing army
than to interrupt the avocations of the people by calling
them to follow the occupation of a soldier,—(llear.)
Paley said, "The profession of a soldier almost always
• unfits a man for the following of other occupations. Of
'three inhabitants of a village, it is better that one should
addict himself entirely to arms and the other two stay
• constantly at home to cultivate the ground, than that all
• three should mix the avocations of the camp with the
badness of husbandry. By the former arrangement the
'country gains one complete soldier and two industrious
• • husbandmen; from the latter it receives three raw militia-
men and three idle and profligate peasants"—(Hear,
hear.) He agreed in that opinion entirely; and although
. quite concurring with the Right Honourable the Home
. Secretary, that a Minister who shrunk from proposing
such an augmentation of our force as ho believed to be
necessary did not deserve the position he occupied, he
could not admit that our forces were now inadequate to
the, defence of the country. The people were not indif-
ferent to our national defences, and would be uneasy if
they thought there was any danger. But they did not
believe that there was any danger; and ho was persuaded
they would deem that no case had been made out for
such a measure as the present. There had been many
attempts to re-introduce the militia system. The Noble
Lord (Palmerston) had avowed that for years he had
• been trying to induce the late Administration to adopt it.
Irk 1831 the Government had endeavoured to revive it,
and had been frightened into the abandonment of it. In
1846 a measure was proposed, but the Ministers were
frightened out of it; and in 1848 another attempt was
made with a similar result, and the present measure
would meet the same fate.
Lord PALMERSTON—Sir, I am not going to re-
spond to the call of my Right Honourable Friend, for,
- so far from opposing the measure, it is my intention to
give to the Government my support in favour of it.—
(Hear, hear.) And I must compliment the Right Hon.
• Gentleman the Home Secretary on the very able and
forcible manner in which he made his statement.—
• <Cheers from all sides of the House.) Sir, it is impos-
sible, I think, to overstate the necessity of some perma-
nent arrangement of this kind.—(Hear, hear.) It is all
Very well for Gentlemen to talk of the amount of the
army, including in their estimates the forces in India,
or Canada, or other distant colonies—and then to tell us
we have an army available for cur defence; but, Sir, it
is absurd to make use of such an argument—(Loud cries
of " Hear, bear")—for every one knows that a large
portion of our army is cot available for our defence at
home. Sir, my Gallant Friend (Sir De Lacy Evans)
spoke of the number of troops that could be assembled
for the defence of the capital. I have seen calculations
on that subject., and I am convinced that the statement
of the Right Hon. Gentleman as to the amount of
force which could so be made available is by no means
understated.—(Hear, hear.) I should doubt whether
that amount of force could be got together within the space
of a few days if it was required. It is true, we have a
large amount of ships; but, as was stated by the Right
Hon. Gentleman, these ships cannot be put to sea at a
moment's notice, because you have not the men by whom
they are to be worked.—(Elear, hear.) I will go further,
and say, that if these ships were manned and tit to go to
sea, it is physically impossible that a naval force could
effectually prevent the arrival of a very largo invading
force, if opportunities are taken advantage of and pro-
perly seized.—(Hear,
hear.) My Hon. and Gallant
Friend has stated that in order to collect a large force
for the purpose of crossing the Channel and coming to
this country preparations must be made, and ample
notice would bo had of its intended approach to this
country. I think my Hon. and Gallant Friend is much
mistaken as to the facilities of foreign countries for col-
lecting a formidable force and bringing it to this country.
—(Hear.) The very watching ships
bearing
and,
naval means at oiunrdidsipsepiolssaal.
information
that an expedition had sailed
tse would not reach this coast
much before the expeditioncon-
tendl
at home
available to meet the enemy
that, in addition to the
for preventing invasion, it is absolutely and
should have a force
• bly necessary that we
if he should succeed
in landing on our coast. I do not Lost this
opinion upon any danger existing at tho present rno_
" Hear, hear," from the Opposition.) I am will_
nleat.—(
,rig to admit to any extent that in our relations with the
'
-different nations of the world there is no present ground
for danger. If there were present danger the measure
of the Government would bo insufficient to meet it, as it
does not provide for an immediate augmentation of force,
but simply lays the foundation of a prospective and per-
, manent arrangement, applicable for the time to come as
a measure of defence. Now, Sir, it is said that if we
want to defend this country we must increase our army
and navy. I think the Right Hon Gentleman has fully
explained, and I think also chat I had an opportunity on
a former occasion of explaining, that you could not
maintain any permanent addition to your regular army
that would answer the purpose for which you require
this augmentation of force. This force of 80,000 men,
which the Government propose to organize, could bo
periodically drilled at the same expense that would be
incurred for the 8,000 men added to the regular army.
And does any man mean to tell me that it is not
better to be able to organize, drill, and equip such a
force in a fortnight, than to have a force of 8,000 men,
however good may be their discipline and their equip-
Silent? You have also this advantage, as was sated
by the Right Honourable Gentleman. Any change in
Public opinion—any alteration in the finances of the
country—might at the end of two years deprive you ot
the addition you had made to the regular army, and
then you would find you had derived no benefit from the
expense incurred. When the men were disbanded, you
would be in the same position as when you commenced
the augmentation; whereas if, at the end of two years,
from motives of economy or financial embarrassment, it
Was resolved to discontinue this training army, sr army
of militia, you would still have them enrolled and liable
e -to serve in the moment of danger.—(Hear, hear.) In
• the one case, therefore, you would have an opportunity
of adding 80,000 men to the effective force of the coun-
try, but in the other you could only resort to the ordi-
nary means of common enlistment.—(Hear, hear.) I
must say, speaking generally, that the plan the Govern-
ment have proposed appears to me to be a very good one.
--(Hear. bear.) I have always thoug t
h that, to a great
degree, voluntary enlistment might be taken advantage
of as a substitute for the ballot. I think it might be worth
consideration whether the ingenious arrangement of
" dividing the bounty into monthly payments should be
adopted as the only mode. Perhaps if it were left to the
°Pilch efmert whether they %mid ;eoviaYe a largeloalil
- •