The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-07 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1865.

After the lengthened debate on the question of
the Canadian defences, the other evening, in which
the opinion of the majority was so unmistakeably
expressed, it is almost a pity that the subject should
have been reopened. Lord ELCHO had undoubtedly
some ground for his motion in the reported dissatis-
faction of the Canadians with the amount of the
vcte proposed by the Home Government; but,
under the circumstances, it would have been as well
if the noble lord had accepted Mr. lIALIBURTON'S
suggestion, and deferred his motion. It was brought
forward, it was true, rather with the view of elicit-
ing the opinion of the Government than with any
vexatious object, since, at the conclusion of the dis-
cussion, Lord ELCUO withdrew his motion. At the
same time there are some gentlemen who hold such
extraordinary opinions on this and similar questions
that it is not desirable at the present crisis to give
them any unnecessary opportunity of ventilating
them. The Canadians do not want to be told that
their country is indefensible, and assuredly the
Americans do not need any such expressions of
English feeling. Though the general good sense of
the House always predominates when the question
is raised, but the discussion of last night served
little purpose. We have before remarked that it
was very much to be regretted that the Government

did not take the whole vote of £300,000 at once,

It would have been an earnest to the Canadians
of the spirit in which the mother country
is ready to come to her assistance, and
would have been readily agreed to by the
House. In fact, more than one of the speakers in

the debate expressed surprise and regret that the
vote taken should be so small. All the arguments
by which the Government support the principle of
the vote point to a very much larger sum.
£50,000 laid out on national defences can go but a
very little way, and as this is a case above all
others in which the old motto, Bis dat qui cito dat,
is applicable, it would have been much wiser and
*more gracious to have taken the whole vote, and to
have laid out as much as possible this very season.
We ali know how much may done by the employ-
ment of extra hands and a. little extra pressure on
the contractors, so that it is difficult to believe that
it would not have been possible even with only a
few months' summer to have laid out treble the
vote of the Commons. The penny-wise-and-pound-
foolish policy of the Whigs, who are anxious to
appear before the taxpayers as rigid economists, has
been very unwise in this instance ; still as the Cana-
dians cannot be under any doubt of the real feeling
of the mother country, it would have been well to
have avoided the further debate. This would have
been the more desirable, as the anticipated arrival of
the Canadian Delegates in this country will afford a
ready opportunity of effecting an amicable arrange-
ment between the two Governments on all matters
of detail, and will enable the Canadians to report
to their own countrymen on their return the
hearty interest which Englishmen take in the wel-
fare of the British American provinces, and their
resolution to assist them to the utmost of their
power if need be.

Sir JOHN PAKINGTON complained, with some
justice, of the conduct of the Government in having
so long delayed the discussion of this question, and
in having proposed so small a vote when they came
to it. "If Government had taken a wise course
they would have seen the possibilities hanging over
us, and during the last four years would have, in
coneert with Canada, gradually prepared us for
events, and have placed us in a position in which,
if the worst should happen, we should have been
better prepared than we are to face the exigencies
of war." As for the opinion so confidently ex-
pressed by some military men, as to the indefen-
sibility of :. -Canada, we need not be under

much uneasiness, since these gentlemen ap-
pe'p.i to forget that Canada has been held

against an opposing force in the long-ago war
between England and America, g we are to Ao.