The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-08 00:00:00

ON THE DEFENCES OF THE

NATION.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—The letters which have been, and are still
daily published on the subject of our national de-
fences, by men whose judgment, experience, and ear-
nest appeal to Government to place the country in a
more secure and better state of defence, must deeply
impress on all classes of her Majesty's subjects
throughout the kingdom. that the time has already
arrived in which not an hour should be lost "in
setting our house in order," or in other words, re-
calling and collecting together every ship, steamer,
&c., now on foreign service, which, together with
every boat capable of carrying a single gun, up to a
line-of-battle ship carrrying 120, should be immedi-
ately formed into a powerful and efficient channel
fleet, in order that the salvation of our country may
be no longer perilled ; and when this is
done, let our coast defences under such protec-
tion be carried on with every possible dispatch
even by night as well as by day. In the meantime
let the Government at once increase our army, &e.,
to the full extent proposed by the Noble Duke. The
expense, it is true, may be formidable, and difficult
to accomplish, but far more formidable—aye, -and
expensive too—would it be to get rid of a merciless
and cruel foe, were they once to get a footing on the
unprotected shores of our then unhappy country; the
consequences of which have been so forcibly pointed
out in the letters alluded to that further comment is
unnecessary. It is true that our colonies might be
left for a time in a comparatively defenceless state ; at
the same time, we must take care not 'to be led into
the fatal error that while the nation is guarding (as
it were) its tail, it may not incur the fearful risk of
losing its head!
The Noble Duke has said, if I recollect rightly,
that in order to place our country in a proper state of
security, and to keep it so, it will require a force of
about 65,000 men, at an annual expense of about
400,0001. Now the difficulty would be, how to raise
so large a sum out of an already decreasing revenue.
I would propose, therefore, in a case of such dire and
vital necessity (which, perhaps, nothing else would
justify) as a nation's existence, in the first place, an
increased property-tax ; and next, to reduce and cut
doWn, in due proportions, all the enormous and vast
expenses of the Church and Statelestablishments, be-
ginning with a great reduction in the heavy sums
paid to our Bishops, &c. ; then with the judges, and
all other departments in the State, so far as may be
compatible with the nation's safety. It is true, that
the Bishops are most worthy, good, and pious men,
disposed to do every possible good, so far as in them lies,
for the spiritual welfare of our christian country, and
for which they merit the highest praise of all classes
of her. Majesty's: well-disposed subjects ; at the same
time it must be borne in mind that although the
prayers of pious men are said to be of great avail,
it is far more probable that an army of 65,000 well-
disciplined armed men would be of more real service
in opposing our dangerous foes than all the prayers
of all the pious men in Christendom; If, therefore,
the country under such peculiar circumstances cannot
afford to pay the present heavy salaries either in
Church or State, lot them at once be placed on the
same footing with the army and navy, when circum-
stances require them to be placed on halfpay, so that
if we have not so much to:pay for praying, &c., we can
afford to pay more for fighting ; and until the world
gets wiser and wicked men get better, we must adopt
those plans best calculated to save us as a nation from
utter destruction.—l have the honour to remain, Sir,
your obedient servant, J. C.
Southsea.

ST ATE OF WINDSOR.—It would appear that the
royal town of Windsor is iu a dreadful state of destitu-
tion, when out pf a population of only 10,000 (including
the military) not less than 800 families were so poor
and distressed as gladly and gratfully to avail themselves
of the Queen's bounty on New Year's-day. The whole
amount given away in meat, bread, blankets, &c., being
2501., the average value of the gift to each family would
not be more than 6s. 6d. The average number of per-
sons, we understand, in each of these 800 families, was
about five, thus making 4,000 persons, out of a popula-
tion of only 10,000, in a state of absolute want, if all
who partook of the royal bounty were really needy per-
sons and deserving of it. There can be no doubt that
the selection was very; properly made, since. it was
under the superintendence of the Hon. and Rev. C. L.
Courtenay (her Majesty's domestic chaplain), assisted
by the clergy of Windsor and Clewer. There is, per-
haps no town in England, of its size and "population,
where so much money is annually distributed in charity
to the poor, and no town where more real distress pre-
vails amongst the working, classes.
CHARGE OF ALLEGED MEDICAL NE*LECT AT
CROYDON—A great deal of excitement has prevailed in
Croydon and its immediate neighbourhood during the
past few days, owing to the death of a poor woman,
under circumstances of a very painful nature, involving
a charge of gross neglect on the part of one of the me-
dical officers of the union, The deceased was the
ostensible wife of a journeyman tanner, named John
Howard, by whom she has had a family of five children.
An inquest on the body was commenced by Mr. Carter
on Tuesday last. The evidence adduced on that occa-
sion may be thus briefly described:—The man Howard
proved having on Tuesday afternoon, the 28th ult., his
wife being at that time in hourly expectation of her
confinement, applied to Mr. Berncastle (who, in con-
junction with his partner, Mr. Bottomley, holds the
office of parochial medical officer to the Croydon Union),
to come and see the decased. Mr. Berncastle asked him
if he had as order for his attendance from the relieving
officer. The witness replied that he had not, that he
had always employed his own doctor before, but he was
not then at home. Mr. Berncastle did not attend as,
requested, and the deceased was subsequently delivered!
of a dead child by Mr. Dale, who was assistant to
' Messrs. Fletcher and Neville, surgeons, of Croydon.
The case was adjourned till yesterday, when several
witnesses were examined; but a further adjournment
took place that a more complete medical examination of
the body might be made.
IMPORTANCE OF POST-MORTEM EXAMINATIONS.—
At the adjourned inquest held yesterday morning at the
Bedford Head, Maiden-Wae, before Mr. Bedford, on the
body of William Hancock, tailor, ;in Maiden-lane, who
was supposed to have died from the effects of a wound
made by himself in his throat, on Wednesday, the 22d
ult., Mr. Thompson, surgeon, of Tavistock-street, at-
tended to give his evidence as to the result of the post-
mortem examination, and the result was—that he found
the deceased had died of serous apoplexy, and not from
the effects of the wound in his throat, as had at
first been supposed. It also appeared that the wound,
so far from accelerating death, afforded relief from the
attack of apoplexy for the time, but it returned and
cased death. The deceased had been similarly attacked
about seven years ago; and so late as last summer at-
tempted to destroy himself by jumping off the pad.dle-
box of a Gravesend steamer.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT ROTHERHITIIE.
before one o'clock yesterday morning a lamentSabhloerttlley-
struction of property occurred in Swan's-lane, Rother-
hithe. It originated in ranges of carpenter's shops,
and showed a light for miles round the metropolis. In
a short time several of the brigade engines, West of
England, and others,:had been brought to the fire, and
as soon as a sufficiency of water could be procured, the
inhabitants and police, as also numerous assistants,
worked the engines most vigorously on the extending
flames, but it was nearly half an hoar before the danger
to surrounding dwellings had ceased, by which time the
loss of property was to a fearful extent, as also the tools
belonging to the workmen, who, when their labours of
Thursday had terminated, left everything apparently
quite safe. The proprietor only is believed to be in-
sured.
LICENSED VICTUALLERS' ALYLUM.—Yesterday the
annual meeting of the supporters of this institution wit;
held in the London-bridge Tavern. From the report;
the financial and domestic concerns of the asylum
ae_
(3.
past year, it appeared that the gross receipts re bec,_
2,2841 9s. lid., and the expenditure left a balance
200
01.1
31. 13s. 9d. The funded property, including
with Messrs. Reid and Co. and Messrs. Calvert and Cos,
at five per cent., was 9,2001.
meeting was held last evening; J.
E.dGonraation fig were BOTANICAL, SOCIETY or Lorroorr.—yTEhes orpdi.nß.asry
an.:
president, in the chair. Varioas
ielected.n
the
genus Dr. P 1
ulnas,"an c h o
flounced and several ne
read paper "On thediscussion,which
ECARDy of the members joined.
which led to a long and. animatedcl in
distinctions members
OUTDREAIC AMONGST THE CALEDONIAN NAVVIES.
—Yesterday (Wednesday) considerable alarm was occa-
sioned amongst the police and county authorities of
Edinburghshire, in consequence of the reported outbreak
of the discharged, navvies on the line of the Caledonian
Railway. It appears that Monday last was the con-
tractors' pay-day; and that on that day the Irish navvies
were paid off. One of the police-constables belonging
to the Lanarkshire police force rushed into the county
police-station at West Calder in the course of the day,
and reported having been attacked by an assemblage of
navvies, one of whom was armed with, and presented at
him, a gun; another being armed with a scythe. The
police immediately mustered in such strength as they
could command, and succeeded in capturing the man
armed with the gun, who, along with three others, has
been since brought into Edinburgh, and committed
the to
custody on the charge of assaulting the police. In
meantime the acting-sheriff of the county, accompanied
by Mr. List, the superintendent of police, from iers and two
_ -
squadrons of the 3d Light Dragoon Guards .
hill barracks, have repaired to the scene action, for
of
the purpose, it is understood, of burning or otherwise
destroying the huts of the navvies, and thereby dislodg-
ing them, ,—North British Mail.

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