The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-10 00:00:00

remember that when he returned from the Crimea
he thought it his duty to write a letter to the lord-
lieutenant of the county, strongly urging the im-
portance of some sort of military organisation.
That letter met with approval, but the system
which he recommended had not been exactly car-
ried out. Volunteers had, however, sprung up in
every direction, and he had much pleasure
in expressing his conviction that they were a
noble body of men, and that the movement was
altogether one of the finest things which he had
witnessed during the whole course of his life.
(Cheers.) Some men would say, " But do you be-
lieve that if a large body of foreign troops were to
land in this country an equal body of volunteers
would be of any use to meet them ?" Well, he had
seen enough of fighting to know that it was, to say
the least of it, a very uncertain trade ; and, there-
fore he would give no answer to the question. Of
one thing, however, he was quite certain, viz., that
the volunteers would make a much better fight of
it after the drill and the military associations which
they had than if they had been taken direct from
the plough at the moment they were wanted.
(Cheers.) From the militia, too, the army had re-
ceived some of its very best soldiers, and as regards
the navy, it was needless to add that without that
valuable service nothing could be done
Mr. C. BUXTON, M.P., responded for the volun-
teers, and said he had listened with much pleasure to
the flattering terms in which his comrades had
spoken of so distinguished a member of the regular
service as Gen. Windham. It was moreover, plea-
sant to respond to the toast at North Walsham, be-
cause he understood there was a corps in course of
formation in the town. He was sure they were
not actuated by the same motives as the people of
a certain town in Staffordshire, who agreed to esta-
blish a corps, but who put in the proviso that they
were not to be called out in the case of invasion.
(Laughter.) Gen. Windham had expressed an
opinion that the volunteers would be found useful
should an enemy attack us; and he (Mr. Buxton)
was glad to be able to corroborate that opinion
from the lips of such an eminent officer as Lord
Clyde. A very distinguished gentleman who was
present at the battles of the Alma and Inkerman
was with Lord Clyde at the Brighton review, and
asked his lordship what he thought of the volun-
teers. Lord Clyde gave the significant an-
swer, " There have been thirty-five battalions
on the ground, and full thirty of them were as good
as anything could be." (Cheers.) While looking
at the show in the course of the day he could not
help feeling that were an enemy to land agricul-
turists would not only have to fight for their hearths
and homes, but also for their beasts and pigs.
(Laughter.) He was particularly struck with the
latter, and he only wished farmers could go to Italy
and Greece and see the creatures that were there
called pigs, and which were something like a cross
between a panther and an antelope. (Laughter.)
These pigs were looked upon by the human race as
enemies, but here they were treated as dear friends
—(laughter)--and he was afraid they were even
looked upon with more respect than members of Par-
liament. (Loud laughter.) He thought the meet-
ing ought to have some discussion upon agricultural
subjects, and even upon the preservation of game.
(Hear.) Upon one question he should certainly like
to hear opinions expressed. Last session a bill
was introduced into Parliament by the Poor-
Law Board by which parish authorities were to be
enabled to establish friendly societies in a parish,
and to afford a contribution to such societies of 2i
per cent. on the deposits made, and also to guaran-
tee the ultimate payments in case of age or sickness.
The bill was not carried, bat it would very pro-
bably be brought in again next session. It appeared

to him that serious evils would result from such a
measure, for nothing was more probable than that
if a parish were made responsible for the proceed-
ings of an independent friendly society, it would
entail heavy burdens upon the ratepayers. Still it
would be a great advantage to the poor themselves
and to ratepayers if they could be induced to lay
by against "a rainy day ;" but instead of parishes
contributing out of the rates to independent societies
he would suggest whether the object would not be
better gained by adopting some such principle as
that of the Post-office Saving Banks, the parishes
appointing one of their own officers to collect
deposits and to pay out, in case of age or sickness,
a due amount on a properly calculated basis. By
this means pauperism would probably be gradually
diminished, and parishes would incur no risk except
perhaps from the occasional defalcations of some of
their officers. This plan, moreover, would lead to
no expense, as the cost of working it might be ar-
ranged for in the calculations ; it would afford the
poor man an opportunity of placing his savings in
perfect security instead of being as now
frequently
defrauded of them, and what was perhaps better
than all it would prevent the waste of a large por-
tion of the deposits in beer drinking. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN gave " The County Members."
(Cheers.)
Mr. E. HowEs, l'vl.P., in acknowledging the com-
pliment, said it must have been observed of late that
at agricultural meetings, members of Parliament
had not only taken upon themselves to give an ac-
count of their own individual stewardships, but also
to make excuses for the House of Commons itself
because of its so-called inactivity. Now, it must be
seen readily enough that the House of Commons
was not a mere workshop for the manufacture of