The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-27 00:00:00

enable them to iricreese ir ,urcos. flu, hew too d the
facts.? So fear was there trona tieing any just greeted to
apprehend hostility. that the Pte,ideitt of the French
Republic had written to the different powers of Europe
giving expression to the most patafio intentions, which
Were seconded by a reduction of the National Guard.
That did not look like purposing to use a large military
force of regular troop; abroad; at in the French navy
there was n beyond ordinary acthity. There was
nothing, then, to snore there was any danger to this
country from abroad, and whenever such a danger
should appear imminent the people would readi;y giie
the Axecuttve the means of defence.—(Hear, hear.) But
there was a danger from letting the executive of this
onUntry have a larger disposable military f.-,rce than the
eircUmstances of the country required. Give the exe-
cutive the power of garrisoning the 'Misted litegdem
With a militia, wbila they had 30,000 or 40,000
regular troops to spare, and they might then adopt
tone with foreign powers which would. about
very war they now affected- to deplore. Facts and theh
OPerience of history showed that it was dangerous to
eentrust the Executive of Etsglend with too large a mill
sary power; but there were no facts to show that with,
out any cause or dispute :England had been subjected to
sudden invasion from a friendly power. Talking of
di ifiT
vision, he (Mr, Gib-on) had, in 1848,1
thean greatestthat
Eoglaud
salty in persuading a Freneh g
was not likely to interfere with -thHetfo'mrm of government
Which France bad then adopted, by landing troops on'
the continent. That gentleman bald, there were two •
things Eugland would never do—she would not repeal
the navigation-laws, nor ever cease .to interfere with the
fort* of government on the continent; and he added •
that all, the fuss which was then made in this country
Was for the purpose of putting the people in a fighting
spirit, to further the old policy of, all Governments of
this country. He (Mr. Gibson) mentioned this tu
show that not only Englishmen. but also Frenchmen,
might • suspect invasion, and indulge in unfunded
fear .on the subject of international interference.
But the House was told that it was necessary to do
ioniething to waken up the martial spirit of the people,
enervated by a long peace; and that the only means ot
effecting this object was to call out the militia. Oa
that point he would read an extract from Sir James
Mackintosh, respecting the martial spirit of the country.
[The Hon. Gentleman then read the passage in ques-
tion, which was to the eft' et that a free nation like Eng-
land, full of power and full of order, contained in itself
all the essential elements of an army. That the people
of England had accordingly proved that in time of need
they could be a nation of warriors, ehougb they were not
a people of soldiers, and that freemen were brave I:fr-
ustum they retied on themselves 3 With regard to the
panic which had been asluded to, la- (Mr, Gibson) would
add to the valuable quotation made by the Hen. baronet
the Member for Tamwortheanother from the same
authority—that if the late Sir R. Peel in r- ference to the
Pattie of 1848. On the 26th ot February , 1848. Sir R. I. eel
said that after the panic which bad prevol.d, he was
Old to find the alarm of invasion had .b sted—thae he
Was.relieved when be heard it was not the intention
tars
the Government to make any increase in the milt,
Member
and naval force of the country. The Noble Lord the
ineniber for London also said, when the panic was over,
that though he had heard much of the insufficiency ot
the force of the country, the contrary was the case
▪ that the country was in a state of as great strength
Ita it required to he, and that it had nothing to tear from •
4127 sudden outbreak ot hostilities in any quarter. He
(Mr. Gibson) was told that he ought to bow to tre
authority of ditoieguiehed men on this point, and he
Wee willing to do so; but when tine pointed out one
coarse, and another porn ed out another, he c old not
decide which to bow in. In 'act. no two of them were
consistent on the setj.ct. A. la e Lord of the Admi-
ralty, for itoesece, had said that et,ning that an in-
crease in the mitt cry 'tree ot the ci.uniry was not
the• nay) he would uedertske to make all sate. The
41). and Gallant General who niter« d the amet.dment
dp_otlb,ed the necessity of any increaseits 'he tuiiitara
tome of the country.- Theretore, though it atigt,t be
Presumptuous, as the Noble Lord the Fret Commis-
sioner of Works sta-ed, in a private member to en
te rtain an opinion on the autsj.ct of the eatiensal
defenses, when all the autboti tea dtsagrted with
one another on the point. ha was coinpeliess
to judge fur himself. A late Secretary at War
.hedsaid that the House and the country
knew no-
thing about the national defer cgs, at d that a prelimi-
nary inquiry was, theref re, tit cessary. lased mess—in ofeots aA enures con-
dition-.. •
inure utisstidenory cob-
don, for the war party --one more melets-
°holy,' one more humiliatieg, one Were oilut,„_
dictory, it was difficult to conceive. R.ertin to th._,
%elite of the ques•ion, what was supposed to be dots.? •
A bounty of 61. was to be given, and the Noble M
for :Tiverton avid that such was his confidence in the
.LPete of England that those men who should receive*Hie bounty. would come when they were wanted. lie ,
(Mr. - G.) admired the gt nerous. confi4trig spirit
of the Noble Lord, but he could not coincide with
bast in his conclusions—more esp. chilly as the Hon.
member for We,t Kent bat Oat, d that in his regiment"
alone there were no fewer than 800 desertions, and as it
to p In; a proved fact that not% ithatstiding the terrible
rise
had awarded to desertion. not less than 53.000
had a
period of te-ni•:ert.d from the regular army in the short
those men )ears. To rely, s he, etore, on seeing again
tery di, who had once und« None the severity ut =h-
at- gePt, line Was, to say the least of it, net wise. He
u' soti) doubted, however, whether bounty men
,tt(3ifdte; be ohtainahle at all in the tmosufecturing dis
r the wages were targar than the bounty. In
that wise the ballot would be had recourse to. But the
ballot ewes a pure conscription, which would take men
sir proper employ ment, and leave their families
eons• 0 thparish; and it there was a justification for teat
isted for
cription in military cases, the same justification e x-
n_ Pressing men to serve in the navy. Such a
,72" e, however, if it was at any time justifiable, was
en now, wf en, according to the statements of Mi.
Past and present, the country w es in the meat
ti.eeful possible relation• with all foreign states. Tne
61. before the_ House would. ts ke people back to the time
eorge.lll., though the feelings of the country-ontohito 1
subject had entirt ly changed- since then. He (Mr.
for inseam-. doubted it maims of strung red-
u k
"`""elitigs would eerve even if drawn, seeing that the
—W
eot Wellington had stated that a man with nice
te▪ liPlea of religion had no busine se in the army. • Wtsat,
tn Lis would he done, with them? Would they be sent
i-,,eo°L? -Then, twain, supposing men with such fe,l-
,00' to be Willing to tsetse, were they to be brought•into
"aot with 'the uotiety -men, ;peewee fur the must -
Pll3'. Who. had lost th hr chattier. re, 'and ail,'
were too idle or too viciene to weak ? Were young
and: morally t ducseed to be
411thie_111;'terd,elit."Ypuesel,oe-houaes g •with thrall men, and
herd together its beer-ankles and such pl,cts ?
U•
einewOuld it not be a wrong sub an injustice to
r"4lolAti-ep,rs and publicans to billet upon th:m
•Okei
80 ,000 m n, whom they would have to supply with
Illienahce at is vet redeced ;rate ? Iu every light,
ther.f„
re. under which flu. quAstion was viewer', thciugh
!_fe, Bill h- fete the 11, ti,em,gr4 be fitted tor the times of
Orgß 111 ,•i. was 1,4 suitabh for the ativaneed inteth-
tette° of the nig, ot Vic one, Tee R•g t Hou. Seems
Ire tor the ("Murder' had retorted I tn.. mania no the
United Stet« st in support of the n essute; but tie, f •tgot
state the «xuct nature tit -it'll if lf Uttl,ll. It Was • lily
tnueter.of the it,haboants capirde of bearing arms three
tWee a year, at which they was no compulsion to rep-
awr, lurther that, a trifling fiee of 75 imbue Io the six
E tulend S a es, toseev r the militia had beets ac-
littellY laughed out of To E gland th,t
The- army. 4,,fx
this was vt, ea i • mP tat 1.110. e as, therefore, ridiculoua.
Maine, centeaiedh onllLiit.d . Sates, from Calitortia to
were resident th, re ut.9 000 Well, Wtole-persons who
the .uniform .; of a ar4,11(17.71.) Years had never seen
States mtlitta es
eu;' T -4:Flute the United
(Mr. -Gib. op) a title deer'
to &seised gave him
intormsion.
,conveyed :CI a hula chore to the
to the highest
tinnit.e.. ''tulateesbPaadrsadadinrt.eesentdi% S'ciistec`u'lltile4trY 1-ajt(m War ~et"tiae:
Watery uffice-re in 'he- Slates
ads, on the' subjro
list and
their
replies were uniformly It...v,rse to th,3
these officers, General Cadwallader, ~ttat Otte ef
maid the effect of the musters on the esurut thYbsanitt.
t .1 ut the people
eras most-injurious, for that rio Elton eti,„.BB
teorality were the order ot the day at ale _
ettneitu its
end vice Tile set
fat strain resiifinaariy;
Othersaid the militia, in ft Military Point°r_t,tbvi.;
worse An-
than useless, inasmuch as the,t "`
sehoolr of insubordination
Was borne by the oth,rs. He (Mr. Gibson
41,1 the subj stud he wished to express himself stroagle.
,the Rouse should bear in mind that they were gemic
alta,w up some -13,000 or 14.000. young men from Lanes.
TTiretied Yorkshire alone—the seat she priecipat ma.
"i'leetures of this countrye-aad that thcs w. uld -be no
hlt1:11 interruption to the productive industry of the
u-i,"°ws-and. no• light injustice to the men themselves,
ii,"°lvotild be compelled then eby to forego large earn.
ge, and perhaps lose - al.og.,tber their employments.
ebe tie_wruestly hoped, therefore, that the measure would
u",eated. •
S. HERBERT said the Right Hon. Gentleman
et;,,./t".the miiiti% as ate aggressive force conducive
o to
foreign warfare; he (Mr. S. Herber ),
-011thir
c The
Eti h Y. viewed it as s' measure purely of pee e•
t O Hon. Gentleman spoke of the two M. ilttia as
oft been pissed during a period of foreign war; if his
were " nerberes) recollection served him right th y
tit thh°lll palmed in periods of peace—the Bill of 1786,
the • e certmenceenent of the peace. which toilowed the
514 e of th A h G e 111
e. mermanon
t e 421 eorg .9
dor
.4 1802, after the conclusion of the war, •which
foie, 11l the year preceding. The faces were not, there-
40e. ple conformity with the •statrments of the Right
said,
.7 ell-man. The Hon. Member for Tainworth had
ko,,,l4l.Friday, that there we-re three ways by which
4fevriiti a 'private stall,, could judg.. of the bee:meaty ot
measures. The firs, was the sensitive rarrofi-'
at tr_a I commerce, which vibra ed all over the country.
Ae pe at- access of Ottuger. The We. M..cohor said
or:a0 the press,- which wade overwhelming efforts to
ke„„the- Public: more rapid information than the Govern-
NoZ!here was commerce, and there was diplomacy.
aeethe'lli respect 0,133111. rtes he very much doubted
r cow :hem, would tie sr), initiate the mute of
Noth..g, as to peace or wt's. Capital hop d to the last
ecni, 't"--it wool I not leave its usual channels unit
cet„,,,Pe.edee-ittid experience proved that in all wars which
saff.er.eZatersiyetei tiatien, cominerce the first. to
TOr 6 e'Cla44rgo.e IMO z.tres ot vetinek in 1)080 •
Satete 00, the re fore, he ted think commerce was a
at. Theo he I take the pros-, wham the 11.44 p,...4""Qat Said w nle • '
ere
Gillian?te- give its .a,bing. But to what
here a
t Hat we not had warning enough to
science-sheNiarQe°,ll-u. . thought even too much—tor it lip-
tier, him that the hustelecriticiams, and the as• p-
vies •I notinitty -which had ii_flasticed -those warnuss,
t4teereft.ysubude.d and extremely injudicious, • For be h« Id
etiue was the best judge of Its .own internal
yon::gxl press. either on putties .
for_ ry motion naturally reseeted the criticisms of
givicnt„ xvery or on systems ot
go-
NO Idea considered that it was their
"441"haSULIkeiiiinicitagloYeautea•