The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-12 00:00:00

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

ON VOLUNTEERS.

The ceremony of presenting the prizes to success-
ful competitors of the 13th and 14th Companies of
the Queen's Westminster Rifle Volunteers (St.
Martin's lYkvision) took place last night, at the
Freemas'jn's Tavern, by the Rev. G. W. Humphry,
the Vi'car of St. Martin's.

Saabsequently a supper was given in the great
hail, at which the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone,
Chancellor of the Exchequer, presided.
After the usual toasts were drunk,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose and
said—Gentlemen, the reception you have given to
the toasts which it has already been my good for-
tune to propose to you, convinces me that you will
require 'out a few words, and not much persuasion,
in order that you may give the toast I have now to
propose the reception it merits. I have to ask you,
gentlemen, to drink to " The Navy, the Army, and
the Volunteers." (Applause.) The first of these
three services I fear is not personally and actually
represented at this board. The others are repre-
sented by distinguished members of the respective
services. Now, gentlemen, it is impossible to pro-
pose this 'oast--although, as I have said, it would
not be necessary in order to insure its reception,
that anything should be said on the subject
conaistently with the feelings which we, as Eng-
lishmen, entertain, without saying at any rate
ore word on its nature and character. We
propose to drink, gentlemen, to the " Army,
Navy, and Volunteers." Two of these services
are very ancient, the other is a service not so an-
cient, and, yet, though not so ancient under the
name it bears, in reality, perhaps, it is as old as
either of them, because, after all, the periods of real
crisis and danger, the main reliance of Old Eng-
land has not been merely on professional services,
however distinguished, but on the patriotism, spirit,
courage, and self-devotion of its people. (Loud
cheers.) If we go back as far, at any rate, to the
time of Queen Elizabeth, it was not then in regular
and well-organised services that that extraordinary
Sovereign, whose name, I hope, will always retain
a high place in the estimation and gratitude of
Englishmen—(cheers)—it was not in particular and
highly organ;sed services, however meritorious, that
the main reliance of this country under Providence
was Pla'aed. It was in the deep attachment of every
ngl;..shman—an attachment founded and rooted
alike in his heart and understanding to the laws
and institutions of his country. It was in that lay
The greatest of all our resources, and our surest
hope, that whatever amount of trial might be put
on the country, yet the demands made on the peo-
ple of that country would be fairly and fully met.
(Cheers.) Since that time, gentlemen, we have seen
both the navy and the army of this country assume
a permanent form, and in compliance with the re-
quisitions and exigencies of modern society, become
portions of our fixed institutions. As portions of
the fixed institutions of the country they have at
all times held a high place in our esteem, regard,
and admiration. We have always found them
thoroughly efficient for the purpose for which they
were appointed, namely, the purpose of maintain-
ing the honour, the security, and the safety of
our country. We have never found them, on
the other hand, exposing us to dangers which
sometimes are associated with those insti-
tutions—l mean the dangers to those liber-
ties which we prize more dearly than even our
own lives. (Cheers.) Unhappily, gentlemen, there
are in Europe armies who have never seen and
never faced any adversary in the field except their
fellow-subjects and fellow-citizens. (Hear, hear.)
Such is not the case in the army of England, and
whenever an Englishman becomes a soldier, from
having been a citizen he becomes something else he
`was not before. He has the same attachment as if
he still remained a civilian to the laws and institu-
tions of the country, and he pays the same respect
to its magistrates and its constituted authorities as
if he had never put a red coat on his back. (Cheers)
He knows, gentlemen—a soldier knows and a sailor
knows—that he is not the hired instrument of des-
potism for the purpose of supporting laws and go-
vernments that are odious to the people amongst
he exists, but that he is truly appointed for a pur-
pose to which his attention ought to be devoted--
namely, that of defending against foreign foes the
shores, the hearths, the altars, and the homes of
England. (Loud cheers.) lam afraid, gentlemen,
there are countries—aye, that at this day there are
portions of Europe—where, if they could gather to-
gether such an assemblage of their citizens as Inow
see before me, the toast of the navy, or at an rate
the toast of the army, of those countries would not
meet with a very enthusiastic reception. (Cheers.)
But such is not the case within these walls, and
such is not the case in any assemblage of English-
men that may, perchance, on whatever occasion, be
gathered together from one end of the country to
the other. Under whatever circumstances it may
occur, never can the toast of the army and navy of
England be proposed without a perfect certainty on
the part of him who proposes that it will meet
with a reception not merely formal and decorous,
but as hearty and enthusiastic as that given to the
name of the Sovereign herself. (Cheers.) Well,
gentlemen, such being the case with those distin-
guished services, so well tried in other Crass
and in our own, and never found wanting on
trial—(oh)—we have now to direct our attention
for one moment to that special occasion which brings
us here to-night. We meet to celebrate—in some
sense to enjoy, but we meet to celebrate—the in-
stitution of that volunteer force which is not less
characteristic, I will venture to say, of this country,
and perhaps not less conducive to its permanent
security than even the more.regular, or at any rate
more maturely or more liberally organised services
of the army and navy. I won't pretend to say that
I am able to form an opinion that a reason for the
existence of the volunteer force is to be found in
the special dangers besetting the country. I may,
perhaps, be too sanguine. lam certainly not one
of those who believe that the curse of war has dis-
appeared from the face of the earth. If there be any
among us who have cherished such fond delusions,
unhappily we have but to look to the land inherited
by our kith and kin in order to see that the horrors
of war, unmitigated in their character, and almost
unexampled in their extent, still affect branches of
the human family, with which in blood and feeling
we are most nearly associated : but yet I do venture
to believe that some progress is being made by the
mutual intercourse, by the kindly offices which
commerce begets, by the facilities of communication,
by the increase of national education, and by the
free circulation of the knowledge of public affairs
which has become to us almost a portion of the
atmosphere which we breathe. Without indulging
in any over-sanguine cireams,lcannot but hope that
at any rate on this side of the Atlantic—and God
grant that it may also prove so on the other—
there is gradually spreading through the minds of
Tell Fume clearer conviction, or, at all events, some
ller glimpse of the great truth that the interests
of mennn a: another
union and concord, and not in tear-
ingt icr to pieces like the wild beasts of
the forest
(Cheers.) But stile we must not pre-
sume to statiej__
it is to
arrive
at ail,
the time—God knows whether
soot:11,1111d we cannot hope that it will
arrive very
and convert the spear men wilt lay aside arms
pior,a into the pruning-hook and
the sword into the
Ighh.she.re. I think it is the
universal conviction in
that
theoeuntr) to which I give
utterance when I say
last
in which the
call has baen met during the
few years for an
effort on the part of English citizens
personal exertions, and also no
s2_ by their own
all
personal sacrifice, to supply the countr amount of
y with
arm of defence, of all others the most constituttl.rFld:
of all others the least likely to create alarm at,
because of the most essentially defensive manner in
Ns !licit the call has been met, has given rts a new
SSUrarlCe, if any assurance were wanted, that
P.,
whatever ninS runs 0,I' peace
he the effects and f •
smong ourselves—the ancient spirit of Englishmen
still continues to atiEmat,ethestriecats;,
aorfdcwvsirllyiren
tahne,
in whatever class 0f l
n fish society,
hour of need be found equal to whatever emergency
may arise. Gentlemen, accts of tis notthfeerN.aloleuntote,er
forcek.
you in detail on the prosp
There is no doubt that it is no easy
matter to main-
tain a permanent force of this description. This is
not a case where we can
proceed as in the regular