The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-16 00:00:00

Volunteer Review at Manchester,

respect they excelled the rest of the volunteers.

The review over, Col. Erskine addressed the officers and
mon. He said he could not allow the force he had had
the honour of reviewing that day to bo dismissed without
expressing his thanks for the opportunity which had been
afiorded him of testing the ability of the Lancashire volun-
teers to move in the field. A gathering of that description
could not be effected without entailing the sacrifice of many
valuable hours on the part of those who had been engaged
in it, and therefore he felt that he was only doing them jus-
tice by acknowledging that sacrifice. At the same time, ho
ventured to think that such a gathering did not take place
without some attendant advantage to the corps which took
part in it, for it ought to be remembered that when several
battalions met together for the purpose of moving in con-
cert, the lessons taught on the parade ground and in the
drill field became much more intelligible than if individual
training was confined to battalions and companies. Yet
this did not imply that attendance at reviews superseded
the necessity of attending to ordinary drills and parades.
If these were neglected, it would be impossible to pre-
serve that efficiency which the Lancashire volunteers had
already acquired. He would, therefore, remind them of
the desirableness of continuing stedfast in their attention
to ordinary drills and parades. He would not detain the
force by commenting upon any of the movements that had
taken place. Suffice it to say that generally he had been
very well pleased with what he had witnessed. There
were some little faults in the marching past, attributable tc
the officers commanding companies not observing their
covering ; but with that and some other exceptions, he
had to express his entire_ approbation of everything that
had been done upon the field that day.—This finished the
review.

Later in the evening Col. Erskine and several officers of
the line were entertained at dinner at the Queen's4Hotel.
Col. Egerton presided. He proposed the health of Major-
General Sir Sidney Cotton and other officers of the regular
force present. The toast was cordially acknowledged by
Major Gen. Cotton, who gave the health of Col. Egerton
and his brother officers. In responding, Col. Egerton said
that the Lancashire volunteer officers still felt the strongest
interest in the movement. Considering the nature of the
organisations of their companies, the money they spent
in the cause generally, those officers had in their conduct
done honour to the country. (Applause.) The interest
in the movement would not diminish among the officers
who belonged to the volunteer service in Lancashire, nor
did he believe it would diminish among officers in any other
part of England. Speaking for his own regiment, ho had
now a batter class of men than ho could command at the
commencement of the movement. There was now a greater
facility in getting troops, a good class of men came to drill,
the volunteer cause was doing very well, and he hoped it
would continue to do so. (Applause.) The review that
day had been honoured by the presence and command of
the Inspector-General of Volunteers. (Applause.) For
that honour, voluntsrily conferred, the Lancashire volun-
teers owed a great debt of gratitude to Col. Erskine,whose
health he would now propose. Col. Erskine, who was
heartily greeted, said that although the review had taken
place under somewhat adverse circumstances, he congra-
tulated those who had taken part in it upon the result of
his inspection. He was exceedingly pleased with what he
had seen in the field. A few mistakes were made, but that
was the case with all volunteers. The movements gene-
rally were very well performed, the appearance of the
troops left nothing to be desired, and all the battalions
turned out lira smart and soldierliko way. What was the
moral to be extracted from what ho bad witnessed ? It
was just this :—That a convincing proof hailbrn afforded
of the falsity of what for many years prevailed
among the nations of Europe. Napoleon had
said that we
were a nation of shopkeepers, and clearly meant when ho.
said so, that owing to the English people being devoted in
a great measure to the pursuits of commerce and manufac-
tures, the military spirit was either extinguished or had
never existed. It was really very strange that Napoleon
should ever have given utterance to such an opinion as
that, because it would be impossible for him to efface from
his memory the recollections of the gallant achievements
of the English army and navy. Had Napoleon lived
until the present time, he would never have ventured to
reproach with apathy in military pursuits the nationwhich
had come forward voluntarily to defend its shores ; he
never would have branded with a want of military spirit
the English people, who had acquired a permanent and
solid military organisation, and were now in a very for-
ward state of efficiency. This populous county, more than
any other county in England, furnished a clear proof that
devotion to mercantile pursuits was not at all incompatible
with the existence of an ardent military spirit. (Hear.)
That day's review, for instance, had taken place upon
ground surrounded in every direction by a forest of chim-
neys and other unmistakable evidences of a district which
supplied the whole habitable world with manufactures ;
and the large military force inspected there, composed
principally of men engaged in those manufactures, or in
kindred pursuits, had turned out in a most soldierlike and
efficient way, and had executed a series of manoeuvres in
the most creditable style. This was not all; many would
recollect that, at the great review at Hyde-park in 1864,
in the presence of the Heir Apparent of the Throne, some
of the finest battalions paraded there were sent from Man-
chester. (Applause.) Thus, it had been clearly shown
that the volunteers of this county were able to stand the
test of a comparison with the elite of the citizen army of
which they formed a part. With all his heart he wished
that success might attend the Lancashire volunteers in all
time to come. (Applause.)
The health of Colonel Bruce, assistant inspector of vo-
lunteers, was next given and acknowledged. Other toas!s
followed. k

The United States Pacific Railroad Telegraph
line will be completed from Chicago to San Francisco in
one year from the present time. Twelve hundred miles are
already under contract, to be completed in 1865. This wilt
make the second telegraph Hue to the Pacific, one being
already in operation.
Mr. Lumley Savile has been detained at Brighton
from serious illness. YesterdAy Mr. Savile was better,
and there were hopes of his recovery, but it will require
care and attention to secure his ultimate restoration to
health.