The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-27 00:00:00

Lord Malmesbury on Public Affairs.

At the an anal dinner of the South Avon Agricul-
tural Society., held at Christchurch, Hant, on Tues•
day evening, Lord Malmesbury presided. The
noble earl spoke at some length upon the condi•
tion of the army and navy, on the necessity of
farmers depending less on wheat as a staple trade,
and upon the foreign policy of Earl Russell. In
proposing the " Army and Navy,"
Lord AIALMESBURY said—Gentlemen, I proceed
to propose to you a toast which I am sure you will
drink with that enthusiasm which you always mas
nifeet at such meetings—that is the Army and Navy.
IVith respect to the army of this country this bo-
rough has been long acquainted with its discipline
and food conduct. For many years we were fa.
voured with the presence of very distinguished corps
of the army that were residing at the barracks be-
longing to this town. lam sure we all regret that
the circumstances which have lately taken place
with respect to the army generally have deprived us
of their company, and of all the advantages which
in many ways their company and society have given
113. Gentlemen, lam one of those who, with all
respect to these at the head of the army, and be-
lieving that their scheme may be a good and a right
one, and that a concentration of troops is the right
thing to establish—that by so concentrating them
on certain points they learn more of their duty,
being in luxe bodies of men ; yet I am still, for
every reason (I mean political reasons) inclined to
regret that the army is not so much distributed over
this country as it formerly was. I regret it for this
reason : 1 think that, ready and content as Eng-
li•Arrae.n are to pay taxes for the honour and preser-
vation, and safety of their native land, there is still
a natural liking among them to see now and then
what they pay for. (Hear, hear.) Feeling that
they have a glorious army, a well-disciplined army,
commended by officers who are gentlemen, and who
are obeyed by brave men, I say that they were
proud to see that army quartered among them, and
pleased to enjoy what they might fairly wish to
enjoy, namely, the pecuniary advantages, for such
they were, of such an establishment. It now makes
a very great difference to many towns in this
country, owing to the withdrawal of a portion of the
army from those particular neighbourhood. It seems
to me that the army might just as well be quartered
in winter in country towns, where they would have
every advantage as in portable camps where they
can do very little. It appears to me that the country
towns would thus reap the advantages to which I
have referred, and that the country generally would
be more satisfied with seeing the army for which
they pay. Now, I can exemplify this by what takes
place in France. In France, as you all know, the
whole of its enormous army of 300,000 men is quar-
tered in that country, with the exception of 60,000
men in Algiers; and as there are no colonies the
great bulk of the army is in France itself. With re-
spect to cur army that is not the case. Our army is
quartered over the face of the globe, and very few
regiments are quartered in England. Consequently
the money end wealth of this country goes forth to
the colonies for the maintenance of that army, and is
not spent in the country from which it is derived.
Niw, in France, the money spent for the army is
principally spent in France itself, and so well is this
fact anpreciated by the Government that if the Em-
peror wishes to show his displeasure towards a town
on account of its being mutinous, or acting illegally,
or is hostility to the Government, he does not fill
the town with soldiers in order to keep it in subjec-
tion, but withdraws the army and make the towns•
people's pockets feel the less. There can be no doubt,
therefore, that to a certain degree the old plan was
more agreeable to the people of this country, and it
would prove more advantageous to the officers and
men comprising the army if, for a certain neriod of
the year, like the French army, after being in camp,
they were returned to country quarters. Ido not,
ii saying this, intenl to cast anything like a rificc-
tion on the discipline of the army, which, I believe,
vie must all admit to grow day by day
more Efficient than it has hitherto been. (Hear,
hear.) With respect to the navy I sincerely hope
it will prove the foremost and most valuable insti-
tution of this country. You may depend upon it
that it is upon the navy our security, prosperity,
and importance in Europe depend. Ido not feel at
all satisfied at present that cur navy is in that state
of comparative strength :as regards other maritime
countries that it ought to be. Ido not blame the
Government, I do not blame the Admiralty ; I can
only blame crcum.-itances, which have obliged us to
lose the whole of the advantages, which for cen-
turies we possessed, of building greater and better
ships than other countries. What has happened ?
Firet of all, the invention of steam, and then the
invention of ironclad ships, have changed the state
of affeirs. Everybody had to begin again— we had
all to start afresh—and therefore England lost a

the start which she had gained at least a century
before, and all the advantages of a great war. We
had to begin to build a new navy, and that navy is
now in course of reproduction. But other countries
—Frarce, Spain, and Italy—are all building ves-
sels of a similar character, and if you will lock into
the matter you will find that the French, in point

of a now class of ships, are equal to ourselves. Many
years and a vast expenditure will be required to
place us in the same position with regard to other
countries which we occupied 20 years ago, when,
if wa were at war with two or three maritime coun-
tries, we migh' meet them on equal terms. There-

fore, whoever may be at the head of affairs, and
whatever party may place their favourite leaders
in that position, I hope they will always consider
the maritime power of this country as paramount

to everything else, although,for 801113 time to come
it will not prove a perfect guarantee of our safety.
(Deers.)
In reply to the toast of the Houses of Parliament,
Lord MALMESBUIY rose and said—Gentlemen,
the health you have just drank so very kindly,
with full glasses and loud cheering, I thank you
for, and sincerely. It is certainly not the first time,
and I hope it will not be the last that I shall be re•

ceived in this " house' in that flattering manner.
I may say lam almost wearied year after year,
and more than once or twice a year, in thanking
you for your friendly disposition and kindness
evinced towards me and my family. My friend
who proposed my health in such kind terms, very
properly said this was not a political but an agri-
cultural meeting, Yet, gentlemen, it is very diffi-
cult to separate the two subjects, politics from agri-
culture and agriculture from politics. It is impose
siblo that agriculture can prosper, except under
Government, except our political institutions are

free and our governors act with prudence and judg-
ment. Therefore politics are as indispensable a
part Of the consideration of every farmer of this

country as the sowing of his wheat or of his turnips;
and not only that, but tho state of Europe is of

ese,ential consequence to the farmer. There is no

man, perhaps, in the country who feels more im.
mediately and more deeply the effects of the diffe-
rence between a state of peace and war than the
farmer. In a state of peace in which, thank God,
we are now, and are likely to remain, we have the

advantages which we enjoy this moment of meeting
calmly, quietly, and cheerfully to investigate the
subject upon which our whole lives are principally
employed—that of agriculture—of quietly arguing
and experimentalising upon new inventions and new
theories, all of which could not be done in the same

spirit and with the same usefulness in times of

turmoil and war. Therefore, I say, gentlemen, that
politics aro an essential part of our trade as lands
lords and farmers, and of our general condition as
agriculturists. Although wo are far from London,
and spend our lives far from the Houses of Parlia-
mcnt, as regards material distances, we ought to be
most active is our minds in observing what is
essential to our prosperity, and to the general pros-
perity of the country. Gentlemen, there is ro class
of per: on' in this great empire that is so useful, so
grandly useful, 1 may say, to their fellow,,cc.uitry.
men, as the farmers. It is a grr.stion of food, and
they produ3o fo3d. Food is the first necessary, not
only of course for animal life, but plenty
of food is
the first essential necessary to the prosperity of this
empire. And thi3 lea& me, gentlemen, to a sub-
ject which I think is well worthy of your consi-
deration. You arc producers of food. you natu.
rally, in entering into the trades and employments
which yeti follow, Lire c,..ii-10:i.lered how that em-