The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-24 00:00:00

THE DEFENCE OF ENGLAND.

The annual distribution of prizes to the First War-
wickshire Rifle Volunteers, took place on Thursday night

in the Town Hall, Birmingham. Mr. P. H. Muntz,
M.P., presided. Among the prizes was the Elkington
challenge shield, which has now been won three successive
years by the battalion. In the course of his speech Air.
Muntz said he was a man of peace. He detested war,
and looked upon it as one of the greatest
curses that could fall upon any country. ge
quite agreed • with those honourable men who de-
nounced war, and would have us in no case increase our
defences. He agreed with them, except in the last few
words. The day might come—but it would not come in
our time—when there would be a real Christianity instead
of a sham Christianity; and when we should feel the
horrors of murdering one another, and should live in
peace and enjoy all the blessings that God has given us.
But in the meantime we had to take care of ourselves.
He thought those who had watched the state of our forces
and had paid attention to the horrible calamities on the
Continent within the past few months; would feel that it
was necessary that Ave should take some means that
would prevent the possibility of our happy little island
being overrun by any foreign enemy. Of all the armed
forces he could imagine there was no force he knew of
more constitutional or more economical than the English
Rifle Volunteers. They were economical, because they
paid their own expenses, and that was what he should
have to find fault with, because he believed that volun-
teers had not only a right to moral support, but also to
pecuniary support. There was no reason to suppose that
out of the 180,000 volunteers in the country there would
not be 150,000 forthcoming ready to defend their coun-
try, but while they were ready to do so, they could not
be made use of for despotic or revolutionary pur
poses. Therefore, he said, we had that which was
according to the constitution of England the only consti-
tutional force. He did not know whether all his friends
were aware that, according to the Bill of Rights, the
Crown had no power to keep more than 10,000 men as a
standing army in time of peace, and every year in Parlia-
ment there had to be told a great falsehood ; for it had to
be declared that her Majesty was at war, and required
so many troops. The sooner that humbug was done
away with the better. Supposing there were
an attempt at an invasion now, and that yesterday
notice had come that London, Devonport, Cornwall, or
Cork, if they liked, was to be attacked. Supposing, he
said, such a thing to happen, he should like to know
whether it would be right to have all these young men
drilling, marching out, and out all night, bivouaced with-
out knapsacks, without blankets, with no proper place for
their arms, and with no commissariat ; so that in the
course of 24 hours, they would only be fit for the hospital.
That was the practical question that he wanted to
bring before the public. He had treated of it
before, both on that platform and in Parliament, and
he should not forget to bring it forward again.
He had a horror of shams, and Volunteers were
either something or nothing ; if they were something,
then let them be fairly treated ; and if they
were nothing, then let them be disbanded. Let them
be prepared for bivouac, or if not, let the whole
thing be done away with. At the outbreak
of the present war he had prophesied that within six
months the Prussians would be within ten miles of Paris,
and there were many mon who would bear him out that
he had made that statement. He knew that there was
system amongst the Prussians, and that there was organi-
sation ; but still the system would be unsuited to this
country, although it was thought by many that we should
adopt their system. He did not believe it would be
practicable if possible. Lord Elcho wanted us in this
country to have the ballot and a conscription, and
thought that every • man should be called out, but the
ballot was actually in operation now, because the Crown
had power to call out 200,000 men, and if that was not
sufficient 200,000 more, and so on, until the whole
nation was under arms. In case of an invasion,
there would be plenty of men, and all we wanted
was discipline and proper trainin , so that they could all
work together. He believed, however, that there was
less chance of an invasion now than there had been for
the last twenty years.

Why is a newspaper like an army ? Because it
has leaders, columns, and reviews.

Mr. R. N. Philips, M.P., presided on Thursday
night at the annual distribution of prizes to the students
attending the Manchester School of Arts. He referred to
the large grant of public money given to South Kensing-
ton Museum, and maintained that a portion of it ought
to be allotted to the encouragement of the art of design-
ing in the manufacturing districts.
DEMAND FOR AN INCREASE OF WAGES BY THF•
COLLIERS IN THE WIGAN DISTRICT. —The colliers in the
Wigan district have now decided to go in for another
increase in their wages, as they do not consider that they
have risen in proportion to the advance that has taken
place in the price of coal ;. and at a meeting of delegates
it has been resolved to direct the executive committee of
the Amalgamated Society to solicit the masters for an
mice of 10 per cent. as early as possible.

WILLS AND BEQUESTS.—The will of Lady S. E.
Lawrence was proved in the London Court under V,000;
the will of Sir H. Berney under 28,000; the will of
Christopher Wilson, Esq., under £250,000 ; the will of
Mrs. Caroline Lucas Rennie, of Southwick-crescent,
Hyde Park, and Wateringbury, Kent, dated December 1,
1864, was proved, on November 8 last, under £30,000.
She has bequeathed to the Royal Naval School, New-
cross, a legacy of £soo.—lllustrated London News.
THE IRISH ACADEMY OF MUSIC.—The Trish
Academy of Music had its annual meeting on ThursdaY,
the Duke of Leinster presiding. Mr. Hercules Macdon-
nell read the report of the committee, which expressed
satisfaction that at length the Government had consented
to give a grant of £l5O. a year to the society. Its contina
ance would depend upon the progress made by the
Academy. The committee had entered into an agree-
ment for the purchase of a house in Westland-row for
£2,000.. and expected to be more liberally supported by
the public.
TOLERATION IN IRELAND. Lord Desalt has
written to the Times to say that there is at present LI
parish in the most civilised part of Ireland where all edn:
cation'has been ruthlessly put down with the strong hallo-
lEs lordship writes : My national school, which bn
existed and done inestimable good for upwards of fifty
years, has suddenly been closed by the bishop and priests
of the Roman Catholic faith, and some sixty srnall
children are thus cut off from all means of education-
Like all schools under the National Board, no religion was
taught except at stated times, and the schoolmaster WA
always been a Roman Catholic. The only cause of offence
I can discover is that I, the patron (my grandfather builb,
the school-house, and we have always kept it in repair and
paid half the master's salary), am a Protestant.
THE CRISIS IN AUSTRIA.—News from Vienna
states that the Emperor has gone to join the Empress at
Meran, and the appointment of a new Ministry has COIL"
sequently been indefinitely postponed. A report was 131
circulation that the clerical party in the Tyrol would talc°
advantage of the Emperor's presence at Meran to make
another attack on the Constitution, but this is clerde°-
A. semi-Official organ ' declares all such alarOgs
to be unfounded, and maintains that an anti.
Liberal conspiracy of the' kind would have no chance
of success. Count Beust, who has been very reserved on
the Ministerial question, professes to be willing to suPPert
any practicable combination which the Constitutionalists
may propose. His own position has been greatly ire-
proved by the recent reply to the manifestation of the
Czech leaders which has found universal favour with th
press, both in Vienna and the provinces.
EMIGRATION TO CANADA.—A pamphlet has ben
published by the Government of Quebec, giving inforraw
tion to intending emigrants to that province. It fur-
nishes interesting particulars concerning the climate, the
roil, and its productions education, commerce, manufac-
tures, &c. In the opening pages 'Mr. Archarnbault, the
of
Commissioner, calls attention to the various resources
the country, to the solidity of its political institutions, ar?,
the material prosperity of the people, adding that the lint,-
that binds the colony to the British Crown, far Emil
being a. burden, is a warrant of protection and seouritY?
The pamphlet further sets forth that great progress le,
being made in opening up the country for settlerne!,l%
eight rail Way lines being in course of construction,. whitee,
in a short time, the great Intercolonial Railway will "„
completed, when Canada will have communication 1.10
the sea-board all the year round, without necessitating, „,,,
at present, the passing of goods in bond through t'.
iTnited States. The manufacturing industries of the Poo
vince, more especially those connected with the Ua
mines, together with the timber trade, are stated to
making rapid progress, and, altogether, the condition.lei,
the British American province is represented as. be'
exceedingly prosperous.