The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-09 00:00:00

Last Wednesday, at the Birmingham Town Hall,
an interesting ceremony took place on the occasion
of prizes being presented to the successful mem-
bers of the Birmingham Rifle Volunteers. The
most notable event of the evening was the pre-
sentation to Col. M'Mußpo of his swords which
were injured by the fire at his residence some time
ago. They have been restored at the expense of
the battalion, and were then offered as a grateful
tribute of esteem and regard to the gallant Colo-
nel. Col. MAsoN, on presenting these trophies, re-
marked that many incidents of his distinguished
career were connected with these swords. Since
the unfortunate event of the fire deprived Colonel
M'Alua no of many mementoes of his Indian life,
it is the more satisfactory to find that some
at least have been preserved. The Colonel
thanked the battalion for the " beautiful
act of friendship to an old soldier." He
declared that he rejoiced to meet with such proofs
of kindness, and his children would appreciate them.
Such a circumstance is, indeed, creditable alike to
the givers and receiver, and it is interesting and im-
pressive that the hero of a hundred fights should
thus be reminded in the evening of his days of the
memorable events of long past times, perhaps over-
looked and forgotten by the busy generation spring-
ing up around him, but written in lasting characters
in the chronicle of Anglo-Indian renown.
Colonel 111‘Munno presented the prizes to the
successful candidates. This was an appropriate
arrangement, and the gallant Colonel took care to
improve the occasion by bestowing some advice
upon those around him. Coming from one of his
experience and proficiency this counsel must have
been valuable. He said to the officers " Don't get '
tired of your work." There was no excuse for their
getting weary, because they have not the discipline
of the army to keep up, and their men came to them
voluntarily impressed with the necessity that exists
for their striving to defend their country. The
Colonel declared that the Volunteers wel e brave
men, who behaved as " gloriously" as
the regular soldiers, when in action. "A
glorious captain and his glorious men were
hardly cold in their graves, who died the other day
biting their last cartridges in defence of the civil
authorities in Jamaica ;" and, continued he, " our
volunteers in Canada are enrolling and preparing
to meet the Fenians, ay, even America herself, it
she should dare to attack them." The Colonel
gave a very good hint to the Peace Society, by
stating that the Volunteer Force was a Peace
Society itself, with this exception, that whereas the
original institution had not been successful, the
Volunteer Movement had been most fortunate.
Referring to the work achieved by Mr. BRIGHT and
his friends, the gallant Colonel declared that
the Peace Congress had not produced any of the
results at which they aimed. They said they could
not expect to affect the course of events in the far
East. "But what good have they done near home?"
asked the earnest and eloquent old soldier. " Had
the Peace Society prevented in one single instance
•
any of the most outrageous robberies that was ever
committed on a small state by her big brother—
there never was a greater robbery than that
committed by Prussia and Austria in the spoliation
of Denmark." As for the prizes, the Colonel said
that they showed the Volunteers that they were ap-
preciated by their friends and society outside.
The Right Hon. C. ADDERLEY, M.P., proposed
a vote of thanks to the donors of prizes. The right
hon. gentleman declared that there was one danger
connected with the Volunteer force, and that arose
from its success, for in time they might flag. Those
who address from time to time large assemblies of
Volunteers do well to remind them of this fact, for
it is indeed a reality and not a theory, Happily,
however, for the present at any rate, we may
affirm that there seems no likelihood of this misfor-
tune befalling the noble band who have sacrificed
so much to serve their country and protect the
rights of nations. Their energy has equalled their
enthusiasm, and thus they have carried out their
designs more successfully and completely than their
best friends and most sanguine supporters dared to
hope at the outset. Of course, all this could not
have been done without the sympathy they met with
from all ranks and classes of their countrymen, but
still the chief meed of praise is due to themselves.
It was truly said by the great poet that—

" In native swords and native ranks
The only hope of freedom dwells."

And the spirit that sustains such a force as our
Volunteers xnust be innate, and can never be
infused by any outward influence or ad-
ventitious aid. Mr. ADDERLrY very truly
declared that it was right and fitting for a nation
like England to partake of the interest of the
people and in its pastimes; " and thus in the same
way that in old times the bow, which won for Eng-
land the victories of Cressy and Agincourt, was the
weapon of the nation, the rifle' should be the
weapon of the nation in these days ; and not least
among the great national holidays should be the
assembling of Volunteers on such occasions as the
present."

Mr. NEWDEGATE, in seconding the motion, ob-
served that it would be strange if the Volunteers of
Birmingham, who made arms, did not know how to
use them. The hon. member remarked upon the
advantages that accrued to them from hearing the
speech of Col. M‘MunDo, who was such an able and
efficient guide, and so unquestionable an authority.
He was a pupil of Sir CHARLES NAPIER, no narrow
politician; a genuine Radical, and a genuine
Englishman also, from whom he was proud, as
a Tory, to borrow the spirit of nationality. Mr.
NEWDEGATE also referred to Denmark, and expressed
indignation on the subject. It was, as he said, a
warning to wealthy England, and he was sorry that
England did not say to France and other mar-
tial Powers, " You have declared ' what
you conceive to be right, and you should
join with us in enforcing it." The English nation,
observed the hon. member, has a regular army of
140,000 men, and with these it has to guard an
empire on which the sun never sets, and if they
are to be at the extremities of that how will it be
with those at home. The " old spirit" of England
cannot be too much cherished in those days when
commercial enterprise is
apt to entail injurious
effects, and deaden the independent feelings and
self-sacrificing impulses which characterised the
days that are gone by, and in some measure com-
pensated for many deficiencies. The lion. member
declared that he rejoiced in every manifestation of
the old spirit, and trusting that the children of the
present generation should not have reason to
lament any defalcation in their fathers, he rejoiced
in " witnessing in that hall the spirit that when
the Bulldog was on a reef . fought her to the
last, and when the hull was useless blew her up."
This is a correct interpretration of the meaning
of the Volunteer Movement, and describes the
feeling which will bestow on it a permanent and
honoured existence.

Considering the excitement which a certain sec-
tion of persons have got up in different parts of the
country respecting the recent outbreak in Jamaica
and the means adopted for suppressing it, it is cer-
tamly not surprising that the Committee of the Peace
Society f•iheuld have cQuao pron.-limey-forward.
The memorial which they have pre,:ntecl to Earl