The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-22 00:00:00

A TIMELY .RET.REAT.

The first thing that a soldier or Volunteer s bould
learn is how to take up ground. and hold it reso-
lutely ; the next, how and when to give it up. We
are not sure that the latter acquirement is net by
far the most difficult for Englishmen and Secitch-
men. At any rate, the quality which enables men
to see that they have taken up a false position—
or, at least, one that is liable to be misunderstood
—and to confess that they have done so, is rare,
and one of which the value cannot easily be over-
estimated. It was our duty last week—and a most
distasteful one it was—to criticise the method which
a very influential committee of Volunteer officers in
Glasgow had adopted for bringing the wants of the
Volunteer force generally under the attention of
Parliament and Government. With their general
object we were, and are, entirely in agreement. It
is most desirable that the question of what help the
nation should give to the Volunteers should be can-
vassed and looked at from all possible sides, and
that prompt action should be taken upon it, that
we mayknow exactly where we stand, and what we
may reckon upon in the future. This was the ob-
ject of the committee in question, and they were, to
some extent, justified by precedent in the method.
they proposed to adopt for the furtherance of their
object. There was, as they very fairly say, a meet-
ing in London last year of a similar character, and
to that meeting at that time no objections were
taken. This year they intended to hold another
meeting, to which they desire that corps from all
parts of the country should send representatives.
They sent out circulars to sound the commanding
officers, and received upwards of 200 replies,aleaost
all of which were favourable to the proposed plan.
Then, and not till then, they summoned the moet-
ing. The meeting of last year did no ;Irani,
though we do not think it was even then
a wise measure, or that it did anything towards
furthering the end we all have in view. But in a
movement like ours, vast in proportions, and still
in its infancy, things which may be harmless or
even beneficial in one year are by no means sure
not to be dangerous in the next. And the more we
weigh the matter the more sure we are that these
meetings would have become so. The Glasgow
Committee themselves acknowledge that in their
own body the idea of a " league agitation" was pro-
pounded by an officer. It was at once and dee
cidedly put down ; but the simple fact of its enun-
ciation in such a place is enough to startle all well-
wishers to the Volunteers. And though put down
in the Glasgow Committee, who had definite ideas
of what they wanted and how they were going
about it, we have reason to know that it was mooted
in many other quarters with considerable applause,
where no such definite ideas existed, and there was
only some purblind notion that it was high time to
put the screw on Government. Therefore, we rarest
heartily congratulate the force that the Glasgow
Committee have withdrawn their proposal for this
meeting, and at the same time must thank the com-
mittee for the gentlemanly and sensible manner
in which they have retired from a false position.
We believe that by this conduct they have done far
more towards gaining their point than could have
been done by any number of meetings such as th ey
had called. They have strengthened the hands of
the Volunteer officers in both the Houses of Parlia-
ment, who are already consulting as to what they
can reasonably ask, and who, are not at all likely to
aless than they think there is
chancebk for
d of anything
etety
i g
They have taken from the Go-
vernment argument, which, however
friendly
y they g to the force, and anxious to
e Bia vmrings. ht
strong
bn
e
support it, they would have been more than a Go-
vernment if they had neglected to use; and they
have shown those military men who are still not
reconciled to the Volunteers—and who would have
pointed to such a meeting as the proposed one at
Willis's-rooms as an absolute confirmation of all
the worst things they have ever predicted about
us—that we are not. going to institute any crusade
against the constituted authorities. With respect
to the question of aid, we are not sanguine that
we shall get much more this year than adju•
tants and drill-instructors, ammunition, and good
cloth at cost price. Sooner or later we believe that
the principle will be recognised that all which can
be fairly asked of Volunteers by the country is that
they should find their uniforms, give their time, and
find their own bands and prizes. If the great
body of young Englishmen are to be brought
into the Volunteer ranks, it must come to this ;
and nothing short of bringing them all in will
satisfy any friend to the movement. But we must
arrive at this much to be desired goal by slow
steps; and many things will have to be altered and.
recast before we shall get there. Meantime, let
us go over the ground steadily and carefully, and
keep every part of the nation in as good humour
with us as is happily the ease at present.— Volun-
teer Service Gazette.

ACCLIMATISATION OF ANIMALS IN

AUSTRALIA.

Several of the camels introduced into Anstral,Fa,
and employed in Burke's recent expedition, are
breeding. The acclimatisation of the alpaca hag
also been a great success. Its wool is fine and.
valuable, its carcase is good for food, and the con-
stitution of the animal seems to be improved by the
Australian climate. The Victorian Society have
sent from the Botanical Gardens to Tasmania,
under the care of the distinguished botanist,
Dr. Mueller, several native bears, improperly
so called, being a perfectly innocent and harm-
less creature living upon nothing but gum
leaves. It is an animal .very amusing in
its habits, and although its flesh is not very valuable,
yet for a man on an exploring expedition, or lost in
the bush, it is sufficiently good to eat, and may fre-
quently afford a meal to some unfortunate wretch
who might otherwise perish amongst the ranges.
The Victorian Society aro already possessed of a
sufficiency of young bucks of the Angora goat, and
these, by crossing with the common white goat,
tp2nsr.e6rda.mpebrela:
br
about 71b.
ovfefirynefiwne imooain,
woarlth about
and in the opinion of Australian naturalists there
will soon be nothing to prevent every Australian
cottager having, instead of the common goat, a
bd loios beautiful,rh.edir hine
English
Victoria,graceful,
thrushw andherei
svaluable
permanentlyre ae
breed animal
fia tis
eeashiti
and it would seem frequently,d • during the long sum-
mer season. Mr. Wilson, of Melbourne, who has
done so much to enrich the colony by importations
of animals not indigenous, is introducing the glow-
worm and fire-fly. The experiment of stocking the
Yarra with Murray cod has been perfectly success-
ful, and these fish are now caught in the Yarra of
eatable size. But whether the colonists arettobo
congratulated on this fact is a point et!
wahir h havenoeuys
begin to entertain doubts, as the cod is
fish, and they have been hoping to stock their rivers
with more valuable kinds, and are expecting the
arrival of salmon.