The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-06 00:00:00

, .
T IiCoNOURABEE A.nTILLERY
COMPANY.
" Arma Paci3 Fulcra."

TD THE EDITOR OF THE UNITED SERVICE GAZETTE.
Sir,—Very many schemes for the effective military
defence of this :country, have appeared b.tring the last
three mouths, l'n the public press.
On the othe.7 hand, the eloquence of Messrs.
Cobden, Bright, and others, has been zealously
applied to mean terise the " British lion," and to
persuade us that, even with reduced means of de-
fence, it will prove a safe game to continue the
exhibition of the vast and increasing wealth of London
within 100 miles only of an observant, envious, and
warlike neighbcur.
With regard to-the necessity of a defensive national
organisation, I assume it at once; and now that with
steam many things have become possible, I hope we
shall all cease to depend wholly on the " Egis" of
" our wooden walls,' and that every loyal subject
will, ere long, be so armed and trained, as to feel
himself able to contemplate, without apprehension of
the result, the eventuality of 100,000 Frenchmen
sefely landed on the coasts of Sussex, Essex, and
Kent. No calculation can be wise that does not in-
elude " preparation for the worst ;" and in reference
to such " preparation," I here beg to remind my
fellow-citizene of' the existence in London of a volun-
teer corps, possessing a spacious armoury-house and
fine exereise-ground, and well adapted to become the
" nucleus" of an eflicient military organisation. I
allude to the " Honourable Artillery Company," of
which Prince Albert is Captain-General and Colonel,
and I have placed at the head of my letter, the very
apposite motto of this loyal corps, which furnishes, in
my opinion, the very best answer to the " Anti de-
fensive party," for "arms," and nothing but arms, are
the true " supports of peace."
The history of this military association dates from
a remote antiquity, and those who are desirous to
learn more on this head may refer to Mr. Anthony
Highmore's book, published in 1804, and dedicated to
the Prince of Wales, then Captain-General of the
Artillery Company.
Although my intention is to treat chiefly of its
modern history, and to show its adaptability to the
present circumstances of our country, I venture to
offer a few extracts from some old and curious works,
in order to show its former scope and operation.
In " The Compleat Body of the Art Military," by
Lieutenant. Colonel Elton, published in 1668, and
dedicated to " the President, Vice-President, and
Court of Assistanta of the Ancient and Honourable
Artillery Company of London," the author (page 67)
thus quaintly expresses himself :—" The great delight
in handling of arms in military exercises makes the
city of London and the suburbs thereof famous
through the whole world, by reason, as I con-
ceive, of those two great nurserie, or academies
of military discipline, the Artillery and Military
Garden,' from whom, gs out of pure fountains, all
our other private meetings (as of Tower-ditch,
Cripplegate, &c.) are derived. The ' Artillery Garden
deserves the first place in respect, it is the greatest
meeting, from whence, as out of a nursery, have been
transplanted many. able knowing soldiers, both at
home and in foreign countries, to the great honour of
our nation."
Clarendon alludes to " Sergeant-Major-General"
Shippon, Captain of the Artillery Garden, who mus-
tered in Finsbury-fields " with all the train bands of
London, about 8,000 soldiers in six regiments."
In a scarce book, of still earlier date, entitled,
" England's Worthies," published by J. Bothwell, in
1647, Philip Skippon is thus oddly mentioned in
connexion with the corps—" The martial-spirited
sparkes, of the famous Artillery-garden, of the most
renowned city of London, to his no little honour,
chose him their pious an : most expert gitnnaiiar
chus, or captain of the said Artillery-garden, to exer-
cise and instruct them in the exactest rules of mar-
tial discipline, where he thus continued with much
honour and love for many years."
Their choice appears to have been a wise one, for
he led the City contingent at the battle of Newbery,
and Clare:l(l6n thus describes their conduct on that
day—" The London trained bands and auxiliary
regiments (of whose inexperience of danger, or of
any kind of service, beyond the easy postures in the
Artillery Garden, men had till then too cheap an
estimation) behaved themselves to wonder, were, in
truth, the preservation of that Army that day."
After describing the failure of Prince Rupert's
" choir horse" against that gallant band of citizens,
he concludes with this remark—" Of so sovereign
benefit and use is that stea iinesa, order, and dexterity,
in the use of their arms which had been so much
neglected."

With what success would not such men have en-
countered and defeated a foreign invader ?
From the time of the Commonwealth up to the
close of the eighteenth century, on every exigency
whether of civil commotion or of foreign menace, the
Artillery Company has always promptly responded to
the call of the authorities, while their loyel efficient
services have been by Ministers of the Crown, the
Commander-in-Chief and the Corporation of London
gratefully and repeatedly acknowledged.
My limits allow of 113 more than a passing glance
at matters of detail, such as how the " Hanover
Grenadiers" (formed in 1745) marched in blue uni-
form at the head of the Artillery Company (with
whom they were incorporated) in a " lead, on the
swearing-in of a Lord Mayor before the " Constable
of the Tower" in 1753. But I must trespass on the
patience of the reader whilst I notice the important
services of the Company (in conjunction with the
London Association) rendered at the No Popery
Riots of 1780. On this momentous occasion,
although deserted by a panic-struck Mayor, these
armed citizens bravely confronted a successful mob
(influenced by drink and emboldened by numbers and
apparent impunity) defeated them, saved the Bank
from plunder, and the inhabitants from violence and
massacre. From this period dates the establishment
of the Matrose (or Artillery) division, which took
place when the city in acknowledgment of the ser-
vices just mentioned, voted "two brass field pieces "
to be presented to the corps.
I now conclude my first letter by signalising the
noble attitude of the Artillery Company, at the grand
review in Hyde-park, on the 4th June, 1799. No
longer connected with the now obsolete train bands of
London, or with the City Militia, created by the Act
of Parliament, in 1790, it stood on its own merits,
equipped at its sole expense, as a body of well armed
and disciplined citizen:, pre-eminent among the nu
merous military associations, which the threats of the-
foreigner had evoked from the never-failing resource
of Britimh patriotism.
Already p6ssessed of field guns and an effective
artilhry division, the adjunction of a rifle company
was felt to be necessary to render the corps equal to
all the military requirements of that day, and the
Court of Assistants provided for its establishment to
the extent of seventy men by drafts from the Light
Infantry (then 150 stroeg), and other companies.
This measure, accomplished on the 7th Nov., 1803,
enabled the corps in 1804 to show an effective force,
consisting of a battalion of 800 men, in heavy march-
ing order, with a strong artillery and rifle division
attached, ready for any and every emergency.
I reserve for my succeeding letters the subject of
the internal economy of the Artillery Company, its
progress, and the means of adapting its scope and
organisation to the exigencies of the present time,
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
VOLUNTEER.

THE WINDOW-TAX v. PLATE GLASS.—The long-
wished-for repeal of duties upon plate glass has given an
impetus to this branch of manufacture, and brought
into the field new and enterprising capitalists who ap
pear to have started with the full determination of bene-
fiting the public and realising for themselves a return
of profit, alone contributed to by an economy of
production allied to an increase of consumption. A re
peal of the window-tax is only now wanting to dis--
enthral these beneficial efforts. This spirited company
have purchased an extinct, but most extensive manu-
factory, at Sutton, near St. Helen's; and under the title
of "The London and Manchester Glass Company,"
are bringing into the market plate glass with the supe-
rior advantages of several scientific improvements. By
these means this company is furnishing plate glass at
less than half the prices of 18461 During a recent op-
portunity we had of seeing somewhat into the mysteries
of the plate glass manufacture at their works, we were
pleased at observing the curious and beautiful machinery
for the completion of this now no longer scarce, although
very necessary article. The practical
mapnraogeeer, elnitrs.
Blitikhorn, kindly pointed out a variety of improvements
for economising time, obtaining the highest
and all tending to a superiority of " metal" at less cost.
This wholesome reduction appears to be inducing the
publi • to avail themselves of so sanitary and decorative
a product; indeed, rough plate gla.is is now being exten-
sively adopted for roofing buildings. Through the cour-
tesy of Mr. Grundy, the company's representative, of 12,
Rathbone-place, London, we have been enabled thus to
acquire information of so much interest at the present
period.
SUICIDE AT MALTA.—On the morning of the 231
of February the Rev. Robert Irvine, M.A., Incumbent
of St. John's, Waterloo-road. Lambeth, who occupied
apartments at Barker's (Princess Royal) Hotel, was
found in his bedroom with his throat cut and dead, evi-
dently having committed suicide. The deceased had
recently arrived at Malta from Tunis, and no cause has
as yet been discovered for his commi•ting the act,
though it is rumoured that some of the hev. Gentle-
man a friends and acquaintance had witnessed in him for
several weeks previous a change in his manner. II is
papers and effects have been taken possession of (as is
usual in such cases) by the Crown Advocate, who lodges
t he same in the Crown Court until claimed for the de -
o eased's lawful representatives.
MODERN ART IN THE NEW REPUBLIC.—It Will
be observed, with curiosity, that nearly the first act of
the new Provisional Government of France was to place
the direction of all matters connected with the fine arts
under the Minister of the Interior, and to arrange for
the annual exhibition of works of modern art at the
Louvre! The jury to examine the pictures are to be
named by election, and the exhibition will open on the
15th inst.—Builder.