The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-05 00:00:00

OUR NATIONAL DEFENCES.

About five years ago, just at the close of the
Crimean War, I remember witnessing at Dover the
popular ovation which saluted Sir Fenwick Wil-
liams on his return to England after the glorious
defence of Kars. He then addressed the enthusi-
astic audience eager to do him appropriate honours,
and, after a few words of graceful compliment to
his fellow countrymen, he sought to improve the
occasion—thus :—" I have," he said, " just tra-
velled through Russia ,Prussia, Austria, and France,
all teeming with soldiers, and one feeling has been
daily—nay, hourly, present to my mind—' Woe to
the Nation which neglects the Military Art.'
Coming home to England, and honoured by a
reception more befitting a victorious general than
one who has been compelled by hard fortune to sur-
render the keys of a fortress into the hands of a
foe, I feel bound by the gratitude due to my fellow
countrymen to address to them these words of
solemn warning--to tell them of the perils to which
they are exposed, and to urge on them the prepa-
rations requisite to ward off these perils from their
beloved country and happy firesides." At the
moment the memorable warning of Sir Fenwick
Williams was unheeded—men were too pleased to
have terminated the Russian struggle, to pay much
attention to the words of any Prophet of Evil—
reduction followed reduction in the Estimates,
naval, as well as military, in obedience to the in-
terested clamour of narrow-minded parsimony, and
the unthinking policy of 1856 produced its appro-
priate fruit in the undignified panic of 1858. And
yet the war in which we had just then been en-
gaged, might have taught us, had we been wise
enough to profit by them, many useful lessons. The
ease with which the allied forces effected a landing
on the shores of the Crimea, might have suggested
to us how feeble a defence an exposed sea-board is
to the incursions of an aspiring foe; the success of
the iron-plated batteries against the forts of Kin-
burn, and the splendid equipment of the fleets of our
old rival and temporary allies might well have
alarmed us for the stability of our present supremacy
on the ocean ; while the utter breakdown of our
military and commissariat organization might have
taught a rational public that much reform was needed
in both departments before we should be in a position
confidently to encounter the great military monar-
chies of continental Europe. But the fact is,
that for a series of years, we have been trading on
the triumphs of the past—boasting of the victory
of Waterloo, and the glories of the Peninsular
Campaign ; whilst France—alike under hereditary
sovereigns and elected emperors has been steadily
progressing—trebling her armaments and preparing
such a fleet as may well presume in some coming
time to dispute the pretensions of the ancient mis-
tress of the seas.

Several schemes have already been set on foot

eaupeplyeeorfvimeee.nm.
service-men,
iwncheelBesr2o
we
er cirmevateinrgaitshee neededi n supply
raised
ont
enlisted for a period of ten years instead of being
paid off at the close of each ship's commis
sion, and it has been proposed to reinforce this class
c
by a constant supply of boys. " These might easily
be obtained," says Sir Howard Douglas, " from our
Reformatories and Unions." The most promising
boys should be selected from these places, and dis-
tributed for education amongst training ships lying
at our various ports ; and it is the opinion of our
best informed seamen that youths so trained would
turn out the most efficient and valuable sailors. The
marines now amounting to 6,000 men should im-
mediately be doubled, and these when not afloat,
might in times of peace be usefully employed in
garrisoning our seaports, while in the event of war
their place would be readily supplied from our Volu-
nteer Force, and they couldsbe speedily drafted off
into the various ships required for the emergency.
It was the reasonable suggestion of the late
Sir Charles Napier, that a strong channel fleet
should form part of our peace establishment, so
that when a war should break out half the sailors
might be transferred to other ships, lying as yet tin-
commissi3ned in our harbours, the vacancies being
filled up by marines; and so at comparatively small
outlay and with great rapidity the strength of our
available fleet be doubled. Our coast-guard is com-
posed of tried seamen who have served in the Royal
Navy for 7 or 10 years, and they number like the
marines 6,000 men, and were sea-worthy vessels
placed at their disposal, instead of the present rotten
nut shells provided for them by Government within
24 hours they might in case of anticipated invasion.
be assembled on board their ships, and in three days
be lying at anchor at Spithead. The Naval Coast
Volunteers are drawn from the ranks of boatmen,
fishermen, and longshoremen, who are enrolled for
five years on the reception of a bounty of £6; they
are bound to undergo a drill of eight and twenty
days on board the coast-guard ships, but they can-
not be compelled to serve at a greater distance than
a hundred leagues from shore.

. -
Some of our naval authorities have undervalued
the services likely to be rendered by these men, but I
think without reason—for at all events they would
be found useful on board our gun-boats, which stud-
ding our creeks and shallow waters, would inflict in-
tolerable annoyance upon an advancing fleet. Each
gun-boat carries one or two 40 pounder Armstrong
guns, and from their diminutive proportions, and
the rapidity of their movements, it would be very
difficult to hit them, while their range is as great
as that of a heavy man-of-war.
a e ti Englishon w fleet
aiss tphoewe rfFrenchl canl 9 2
nwi lelmhnbagevrue gunboats
yadty6s Bft .oh re

The Royal Naval Volunteers are the last class of
seamen to which I shall now allude--they amount
to 30,000--they may claim a pension at the age of
fifty—they receive payment for time spent in prac-
tice—may obtain admission to the Coast Guard—
and are eligible for nomination to Greenwich Hos-
pital in old age. It is to this class—it is hoped that
in times of danger—we shall allure powerful rein-
forcements from the Mercantile Marine, and as that
comprises 227,000 men, it appears that we have a
ample reserve upon which Government may draw
in cases of extremity. For very long indeed, the
expectationr
:oaf
excited, xo c
sooner
Volunteerstoeodn, e
than
h was
a nfrom
our
t Nh is
a v clal ss p
apprehension
Reservesorfowveadr
were augmented to such an amount as could have
lmanned 30 sail of the line—the Volunteers all
lavinr, stepped forward from the ranks of Mercan-
tile Afarine. To Yankee bluster we therefore owe
thus much—the mere prospect of having to put a
men
—toai
nt
dh a
Ws e e a
havel e
ugd
te f
ano
seent
er tro hant
st
:hi spirit of our merchant-
hraefrtiontmhseetphaßorsraeibtliyabhre4snvateiwlmoirneenodf,
NwlvBih6t whose eti shg
the
nose
e reputations pe
wreaths of a Collingwood and a
Nelson.
It has been remarked that, with all this, the
naval service is not popular amongst us—and per-
haps this fact—which is indisputable, may in great
measure be attributed to the low pay awarded to
our sailors. During the American war, in 1812,
the ships of our antagonists were to a very consi-
derable extent manned by renegade English-
men—tempted by the lure of better wages to imbrue
their hands in the blood of their fellow-countrymen.
Ordinary seamen in the American service receive
£3 12s. per month, whilst in ours they get but
£2 95., while gunners who with us are paid only
£2 14s. 3d.—from the United States Exchequer
would claim £4 for each month's service, and we
pay dearly for this niggardly policy by the disas-
ters of a war which tarnished the lustre of
.the
British name. The fatally vicious plan of
anotherpmg
off crews on each ship's return to port
is
srse takes
blot upon our maritime system—it
at
tn our to
these m e
disciplinetime
andac accustom s toni
regularityeven
ar
aorombsiwiseeoar
soon
inhaoaaraferns merchant
experi
ear,ooecousknfe-rswam ent
we take no pains to profit y
it aside. This to
gained, but, on the contrary.;
instru-
ment is nearly perfect wet throw
extreme of folly, and
the uninitiated appears
neeasauchggsCaeristlltoieldas
principal
nnbcei
ttphtaeelr
establishmenthspeolauapsneo drftoartt
otihwtsen removalsafterminationwm he r
ec arne
returned
might be
till they should again be appointed to service.
Much of the known profligacy of our sailors might
thus be prevented, and the trouble and expense
entailed by alternately collecting and dispersing
crews would be voided.—Hertfordshirs News.