The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-15 00:00:00

away from their hews end their business, and compel-
hug theist to put en a ir,d coat tied submit to drill o hen
they ought to be at their looms and in their working
lackets.—(lliar, hear, end laughter.) Then, when vo-
ltriteer service as, prop....sed, they raised their ejection
that the Government wrre not petformiug their duty fur
not haviog-rec:mrse to the ballot. These contradictory
objections came. from the party who they all knew wished
the country to be conquered. The first -obj,ction to the
measure wag, that they were dragging by force men in
vast numbers into .a po•ition in which their morals
would be contaminated, so that they would rot be fir,
'Whew they- rrturned, to keep company with their lesr
vitiared euuntryuen. Bur no soon( r did the S,:cret,ry
of Stlt.9.intimire that if a large proportion of the neut-
er of
non—" Toted of
, though short of the whole number
tarn, should be, raired b'y volunteer etihst-
lnent--that Ras, bhnuld be
rai.if 40 000 men (..sy)
Government weak' be contented rot to have
recourse to the ballot—immediately the Rig ht Hort,
Gentleman tumid relied end complained of :the
SuillineSs of the number—(Cbecr.)—end stigmatised
and ridiculea.the militia force, because it would not be
large enough._(Chrers.) S i that. hit high or hit low
H. n. Gentlemen complained of the it fliction—that in-
being neither more nor.l/es than a material step
towards the defence of the country. Lie :(Lord Palm; r-
at n) had shown to the Howe on a farmer occasion what
the opinions or or" arty, at least, were upon that Tips.
tion. Some called him en anonymous idiot, others card
he might be looked for in Colney Hatch or Hanwill.
—(Laughter.) Ile (Lord Pelmerator) now asked 'the

two Hon. Umbers tor Manchester whether they con-
curred in regardieg the writer of that pamphlet as an
idiot, or fit to be an inmate of Hauwell or O.,lney Hatch.
If they said so he acquitted them of any participation
in the opinions of that pamphlet. But if there was any
equivocation in the it answer--if they refusal to disavow
all the stwements, ell the arguments. and all the asser-
tions of that pamphlet—(Laughter)—then he Ehould
be compelled to think that the object ,of their
opposition to the present measure was not the
relieving of the country from any temporary pres-
sure, but the working out that "pious fraud "
(Laughter)—by which it was herd that this
country might be exposed both to the calamity of inva-
sion and coequeste G 3 an atonement for offences com-
mitted in those offensive wars by-which the independence
of the country was mainteined and its liberty secured;
which liberty now enabled the Hon. Gentlemen to make'
their opposition to the present measure.—(Lattghter.)
Mr. BRIGHT said, the Noble Lord came to the as-
sistance of the Government on all occasions, with
speeches which, though not argumentative, 'were calcu-
lated to raise a laugh on the other aide of the House. He
(Mr. Bright) desired, however, to see the question
treated seriously, and not as an extravaganza. in which
the Noble Lord performed nightly. He (Mr. Bright)
started with the fact, that fifteen millions had already
• been voted for the defence of the country. No one on
the benches on which he sat had opposed that vote.
The Noble Lord, however, thought fit to assume that
they had voted against it. That was the fouedation of
his argument for an addition a 350,0001. more to thri.
estimates. In 1843 the Noble Lord and his ctlleagues
Plapesed a militia of 150,000 men. This session they
proposed one of 120,000 men. The Home Secretary
'now proposed 80,000, to bo raised by a compulsory
process.
Mr. WALPOLE—Nn.
Mr. BRIGHT—The Right Hon. Gentleman said that
if 30 000 or 40000—which meant 35 000—were raised,
be should not apply the compulsory process for the de-
ficiency of 10,000. This was a very considerable teethe.-
tioo. In feet, the entire force had been frittered away
until it uctually locked quite ridiculous in the ee es of
its supporters. The Noble Lord wanted Lim (Mr.
Bright) to bind himself to the principles of the pamphlet
he had quoted; this, however he (M.r. Bright) should
decline to do.' Extreme opinions were likely to be
held cn both sides; but be certainly did think that if
there was to be any enthusiasm ar all on the subject it
should be in favour of that which stimulated to peace
and not to the atrocities of war. The I.nguage and
conduct of the Noble Lord in respect to this Bill re-
flected very little credit upon him;_ but it was quite con-
sistent with the course of the Noble Lord on the sth
of December to sand up and ridicule those who atom-
. cattd peace in welCrence to war. The question at issue
was in this position; on the second trailing of the Bill
it was opposed by the representatives of every large
town in Great. Britain. The Noble. Lord sometimes met
his constituents at Tiverton- he (Mr. Bright) should like
to know how he would justify his conduct on this occa
gee. The Bill was supparted, on the other hand, by
the county Member: and he (Mr. Bright) had beard
that the distribution of the bounty among the egricul-
tural labourers was considered an object that might be
important. He (Mr. Bright) believed that it the Bill
passed it would not only be inoperative, but injurious
like another Bill that bad pass-d last year by a majority
of 490, and which was not only carried into execution,
but which. threatened to dismember the empire.
Mr. S. HERBERT wished to calm the apprehensions

of the Hon. Member for the West Riding of Yorkshire
respecting the sack of Devizes which he had narrated to
the House. He had left it only within the last few days,
and it was a perfectly peaceful, orderly, and wsll-regu•
lated town. The proposal was to rake .50,000 men this
year, and 30,000 next. He thought that the Govern-
ment would have done much better not to fix in the
clause the number of men to be taken in any 3ear, bat
to leave it to her Mt+ sty is Cout,cil. The Govern-
ment, however, bad, in his opinion, exercised a wise dis•
cretion in not having recourse to compulsory enlistment,
if the number dsfleient did not exceied 10,000 men.

Captain TOWNSEND was opposed to any Militia
Bill, whether of the present or of the late Government,
because he thought they would be in, fficient to meet the
force that might be sent egain4 thtre. The measure
would not be popular, and it would be useless. The
"wooden walla" were the national defence of England.
By employing a Itiffizent number of ships and having
an adequate reserve all proSpect of danger %solid be
aver ed. At the came time, to prevent the possibility of
the slightest surprise, he ihould have no objection to a
small increase of the army.—(Hear.) Her Majesty's
Government asked forbearance and confidence; he eon-
sidered they had bed forbeerance enough, but they
should not have his cenfi.feece. He had heard the budget
of the Right Hon. Gentleman, and he judged it to be a
free-trade speech; but a night or two after the Right
Ron, Gentleman denied he, had said anything of the
kind. Therefore, he (Captain Townsend) could not
give the Government his confidence when the Chancel-
lor of the Exchr quer came down to mystify and stultify
the House, and set the part of a political Mawworm.—
(Oh.) It was all very well when the Right Honourable
Gentleman was at that side of the House, but it was
unworthy his character and his high position. The
Right Hon. Gentleman had hunted down his (Captain
Townsend'e) late colleague, who would have the bles-
siege of sees yet unborn; therefore, he should not have
his (Captain Townsend's) confidence.
Mr. WAKLEY said the House was told the force to
be established was a new force; but though the ground
for its establishment had been asked, it had never been
told Parliament. At this moment the rental of the four
metropolitan countess was absorbed by the defences of
the country. If a was not in a state of adrquat de-
fence, then the blame rested upon the managers of the
state, and upon the NAle Lod the M-mber for Tiver-
ton among the rest. He (Mr. Wakeey) had hoped that
the Noble Lord would he en econozelet—tay, he had
hoped to see him at the head of a R Ldical eteministra-
urea; but that hope was now flea, and the Nadia Lord
would, from his course on this 11.11, b c me one of the.
most unpopular men in the country. Why did the
Noble Lerd rem an a member of a Governintat which
bad so coin; letely uegleettel the d&enees of the coun-
try ?- Be warned the Government that this measure
would annoy, most of all, their friends the farmers, by
making farm labourers scarce, and farm labour conee-
coeutly more costly. After thirty-8, yen years' peace
he regarded the propo,al as one of the most wanton
ever made to Parliereent, and he should give it every
opposition in his power. The ground of fear of the
Empire in France was gone; so were all the other
grounds.
Lord PALMERS. TON begged to say one word on the
charge that he had only opened his ea Vs to the necessity
for this force, and to the danger of the country, within
the last few weeks. The contrary was the cage. During
the Administration of the late Sir Robert Peel, he had
earnestly urged upon the Government to take into their
most serious consideration the then defancele,s state of
the country; and be believed that his representations
had the effect of inducing that Government to act with
greater promptitude in the matter. During the whole
period in which he (Lord Palmerston) was a meacber of
the late Government he bad strongly urged on his, col-
leagues the necessity for strengthening the defences of
the country, and though the measure for that purpose
was not proposed until he bad left office, other precau-
tions had been taken to that effect, end he was happy to
say that the defeeces of the country were now in a dif-
ferent state from that in which they had been when he
first called attention to the subject.
Mr. HUME referred to a speech of the Noble Lord
which stated that there had been a decrease in the army
:,froth 1839 to 1848. What was the Noble Lord and his
''''lllswgnes about to reduce the defences of the country?
ren4htet_was the advocates of the measure. shifted, their
thee--.._emrpe!ually. It appeared to him ( •
reason: to
He Hume) that
weaa Jeering to vote this force without any adequa
tion—the'T2 however, would keep to his original °Dice-
then the to pt, and he would not vote a shilling more
of the absolute necessity 0/. already voted until be was satisfied
prevent the weetect.:filitY of the measure. He wished to
of the Exchequer w the surplus which the. Chancellor
the public relief efro
tild b© enabled to appropriate to
country was against thP4e aes,
The feeling of the
maent would be, the most Militia Bill, and that Govern-
Effectually relieve the.
paecrs.. He considered
that the present Governed;
guilty parties with respect to ta we" new the only
w_nuMilitia Bill, for the
todgebthaeolved blazes If from
Noble Lord (Lotudp.T.ihß,:usßat:llll)
guilt by givit.g
(Hear.) He
could not think the present Governmeolt.-
- doings of the last Government. They wwcuilai copy the
was satisfied, ;we Ecclesiastical Ticb-8 I-m(lT, 11,ot, ho
. become the laughing stook of the country f„ atn'
then
to carry out the provisions--a(Elear ). He considsta 15-ng
the Militia Bill was pasted, it would never be Crell,ll
out; and he therefore implored the Government to lrri‘
before they went further with it. It they persever;pausedit
would produce unpopularity; and tbe.Right Title. Gee-
ti the Chancellor of the Ezell= quer must lock to
become an unpopular Minister.
The House was cleared for a division, when there up.
peered—

Por the alteration ..• ... *:: 4184
Against .
y.T. Majority
Sir A. VERNEY neat moved to omit the pr..vision
i:r
.moved
... —43
offering a bounty to recruits on enlisting. Flec""idtred'
if there was any real dsnger of attach, that it was im-
portant the whole able-bcdied population should ,be put
under training, for he Vas satisfied, if hostilities were
actually threatiied, the potpie
.vrQuid readily Ysiuutter