The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-11 00:00:00

HUME had waited with great anxiety to know
ghat reason the Right Hon. Baronet could assign for
ntinuing the number of men fur the navy at the pre-
teut
tenotent, and the only reason he coule understand
him to assign was, that he could not be indifferent to
itec` was passing across the Channel; but it was sin•
srthough, perhaps, the Right Hon. Baronet
Asa not aware of it—that lately, in the French Cham
°II a reduction in the number of men for the navy
du'llg proposed, it was held that they ought not to Tr-
eece them too much, because the English navy was kept
Dat so large a number.—(Hear, hear.) Thus the
rench kept up a large number because the English did
e-e'lltici we made the namber kept up by the Freech an
erellse for our keeping up a largo force as well. It. was
beard in a circle. He had, however, cep:me:el to hate
et from the Chancellor of the Exchequer some ex-
roftlation before they were called on to vote the numb, r
eerier of what the country was to expect from the
get• It did not apiwar, from what had passe 1,
eerieoetlkh7hthe present Government meant to propose
jedelef
~Budget, but of this he was quite sure—that,
trom general opinion, both in end out of that
De, use, the Budget already before the House could net
Vet Re wished his Hon. Friend (Mr. Williams)
th looked to other quarters, and hal told them what
thee trnited States were about. If there was any part ej
01: torld
President to which t
in he
his y shmero had saiduld look, when
th ere they knew
whe,sege were
0,000 tons of commercial shipping capable of being
jelteverted to warlike purposes if required, that existed
1,4110 other part of the world. it was the United States.
th tehirotillips were svread over-the world nearly as much
the ee of the United Kingdom. When war was over
10 eta down their navy, and he would jest state to the
li'llse what they had been doing in comparison with
tee,' we in our madness had been doing. The Seen-
eel ,°f the Admiralty in America said they had
4 brit line-of-battle ships, 12 frigates, 21 sloops,
iteekgs• 7 steamers, and 5 store-ships, and upen the
eei there were only 4 line-of-battle ships and 2 large
11153te°. But we bad lying idle 74 men-of-war which
the W 3,
er b en to se • had aunched a number equahole navy since the termination of the wog; all
ioged
vessels to rot in ordinary, and went on buntline
14;:e Without employing those that were already built.
tle,"Pended no less than 2,000,0001. a-year in pulling
. to Pieces, in building ships, and in letting then,
ti It
cet was to that point he wished to call the atten-
de:3°l the House. In America the President had re-
* ended a reduction of the active list, finding that
th
eve its commercial Davy, almost as large as our own,
Nod , its Present navy was too onerous to be kept up
toe,'" could ask the Government what political rea-
tee could induce them to keep up a fleet of eight or
tieeS4,ll-of-the-line in the Mediterranean? All the ser-
tatameeet that large fleet had performed hal been te
liens Greece. But was it fit, with so many peti-
tent" c'n their table for retrenchment, that the pre-
, thel selount of the navy should be kept up without
Quit° Strong reasons being assigned for it ? He sew
1,14,°11 the 3d of March of this year no less than
lee,' Petitions, signed by 136,696 persons, had been
eetrtted for the repeal of taxes, and Hon. Member:,
bear in mind this vote of' the number of men
le; ee the principal expenditure, as everything must be
urer°Portion. The Right Hon. Baronet had referred to
eon which was made in the naval expenditure
Pteelen the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Ripon
'etheii‘ed over the Admiralty; but the Right Hon. Baronet
held have told the House that that reduction was
thaPOOL out of 5,000,0001,, while the reduction
I,ocl`lght Hon. Baronet himself had effected was only
feeevu'2,ool. out of 8,000,0001. Earl Grey's Government,
Nee" moment it came into office, went on reducing
tele Year, and at the same time improving, for they
keepit in evidence that, after reducing the expenditure
thti? 1,000,000 L, the navy was in a better condition
tree euefere the Right Hon. Gentleman began his re-
Lemeelcent; and Mr. Douglas, who was at one time ti
doe °f the Admiralty, on being asked by the Commis-
theirs what check there was over the expenditure, said
likee_eleeees check urn check until there was no cheek at
44-et-leer.) The Right Hon. Gentleman the Member
delP°ns and the Government to which he belonged,
leavedi credit for great, economy. He had no quarrel
hip:" Government on account of the navy until the
44'837-1838, when the charges became extravagant and
the ieessary. What, too bed been the consequence since
181411eonee-tax had been proposed? In the years 1843,
the 11845,1846, and 1847,after that tax had been imposed,
itterrimates increased no less than 27.000,0001.; the tax
tots Produced only 26,894,0001. during the same period;
treepat if the income-tax had been given expend never
e" have had all that increase in theiture.
feet rti3llld not conceive how it was that, with the present
lisee•••g of the country on the subject of reduction in ex-
te• !tette, the Government had taken upon themselves
*hat n 4 forward these estimates until they had explained
eeet. the new Budget was to be.—(Hear, hear.) The
illeCe number of men borne on the books of the navy
had 1; Years 1835, 6,7, 8, was 29,638, and that number
sleet °en over and over again stated to be amply suffi-
get for the service of the country. Unless he had
ereelePolitical reason clearly made out why that number
bete: Tlot be equally sufficient now, he should certainly
Kee that evening that the number of men voted for the
ltrt:nt Year should not exceed 30,000. He protested
emphatically against the longer maintenance of the
ttierfl squadron, an experiment which, after 20 years'
he een4 proved wholly ineffectual for any purpose other
elm "Le very mischievous one of injuring our commer-
lethe°nnexion and endangering our national friendship
.ieet well-disposed powers. There was now an excel-
nee °PPortunity for handsomely getting clear of
litet . costly absurdity. The French Government
lithe United Sates Government had both
toeseeehe eeeotiations with Great Britain with a view
!e being relieved from their engagements in the
ethe're so that the grand difficulty in the way of reme-
tete t,he squadron, insisted aspen by our Foreign Secre-
eke iLest years was at an end.—(Hear, hear.) He
e" teat the opinen of the Committee upon the point
"enina, and hoe hoped he should find it disposed to
itere , .
teret not only with the African squadron, but also
lett Materially to reduce the squadron, or rather fleet,
thanwe. kept in the Mediterranean, with no other result
tee items
and danger.—(:Year, hear.) Upon thew
heeetems alone there might be at once a moat important
Ithei effected, and he called upon the 270 gentlemen
ilea other day demanded relief for agricultural dis-
Ve", he called upon them—(There was here a laugh at
hea'rnest entirely empty condition of the Protectionist
thoYim")—well, he called upon the 14 of them who had
11,10 ht et to be in their places on this occasion—(Hear,
Bet he called upon them, if they desired honestly to
Pteree,;lef, to join with him in obtaining that which must
Deed°.ee relief from taxation—relief, namely, from ex-
Ithe tltre'—(lleler, hear.) Perhaps a few more of these
'eteee'elen would come down and help him with their
Leate;l;titer dinner.—(A laugh.) In 1835 we had under
i'lree--"lien 167 ships of all classes, with 36,500 men, a
hk-deelared amply sufficient for every purpose. In
404 0" the number was increases to 234 :,hips and
alt;; and in 1848 !hero were voted 256
te with 43,000 men, the number really b erne
%idea books being 44,500. Now, this sort of thing
tette e'llteot be allowed to continue. It was very
lttee•et just now the manufacturing and artisan clesses
te°lerably well off, and provisions cheap, but he had
three or four reversals of such prosperity in his
'nee.% hod it was not at all imporieible that he might live
another—such, for example, as that of 1843; and
thUld like to know what would the country then say
fiend,4. rePresent7tives whe had permitted the present ex-
letiee'lare to proceed?—(Hear, hear.) As to represen-
llolke,• indeed, there could not be a greater reflection
etteD„ cur representation than the manner in which the
had allowed the country to go on for several
'eft, Pest without a Government, letting the people of
°Lie eeliti be bandied about between three sets of men, no
tOpe;) Which could foem a decent Administration. It
%tee er,e to him that Lord Stanley paid but a very poor
imeat to the Protectionist party in that House
et er; 'Le stated that there was only one man among them
*he t',„°lfice. Surely of the 270 gentlemen or thereabout,
kioe;hte other night voted for protection, there must be
ilike%"„telent to fill up the Treasury bench, the more
ltetit'e"Y when it was borne in mind that all the real
4r4 .14 each department was done by the clerks, who
need stationary.—(A laugh.) It was not merely Mr.
tko 14'4 Who made a jest of their proceedings, they were
Who of all Europe, and well they might be.
days " did Lot see, when the " Old Doctor," as Mr. Punch
tte4°l.etecla
well-known personage, was sent for, upon the
rethe'ln"ehlY judicious advice of the Noble Lord, that all
O Doctor" would direct would he "As yea were?"
her
Zith 11`7se not one improve
merit any way connected
ele 'doctor
departments with which he hue to do,
. that the
"ette, 'doctor had not done his best to stop; for such a
ee(elherefore to be called in was utterly prepeeterous.
T,(l,t didn't send for your) No, they didn't send
"lee a but he had been pretty nearly as long in prac-,
ekie-4ethe doctor that was sent for—(A laugh)—had
1" believed, more attention to passing events for
4113'4 twenty years—(Hear, hear)—and very possibly
ttight have prescribed rather better than the other
Raehc)."'c'r had done.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) It
let oeinio that the country looked upon them as a
Lk(44 1 n " had gone
en ta for allowing things to go on as they
gger-et'lag the lest two or three wanks.—(Hear, hear.)
Mine were 658 Hon. Gentlemen, representatives of the
°ere; °i Great Britain and Iceland. utterly incapable of
*tiel- og to u decision upon great national questions one
farad it „ the other.—(Hear, hear.) There was this Wl-
`qtro' Pared Aggression Dill; why, passed as it was
ef 'nee
d, that Bill would involve imminent danger
At eller
ekt war in the sister country, yet 330 or 350
'ell of that House had voted for it in its
tit 4 trusted that the Noble Lord would
a 1 0
tpYt bring in a Bill that would satisfy the coun-
e' leteon the subject or give up legislation upon
net I°Rether.—(Hear, hear.) But, at all evente,
tet't the business of the country be at a stand
Ntiq,"r three other Weeks or more. Rather than this,
"eshe should deprecate anything tending to excite
eettet,tropere" cry, ho should say her Majesty had
4eeeeeeeev,s recourse to a general election. In fact, this
shit
ee, to be the only effectual remedy; for suppose
°tit, 'eta° of 39,000 men refused, the Cabinet would cry
mast ‘•
for,l° cannot go cr.." The House would say, "You
eee'' ors.' The Cabinet would say, "We won't get
;°nle-11° 91i1 Doctor would egrein be called in, then:,
;ha g. 3 tilts prescription as before, of "As you were;
-china Lie farce would, fur the eacone thee, be reel:-
wish `(Laughter, and cries cf "hear, heal.")
tell;" the Protectioteet gentlemen would look precte-
'°euet4`.. Practical questions, instead of gettiere up futile
thee. Y natietines, ceiling names, anti ireputing evil nee-
ether
clte other peeple. At the Norfolk meeting the
ler exeneple, with a Noble Lord in the cheer,
teteee;• of the speakers stigmatized the Perliementery
4tld jrnell as men who wanted to dethrone the Queen
lieetallreourage rebellion, end so or.; a Mr. Ball, in par-
6eNa' using language whioh ought at once to have
teetiorohibited by the chairman. Now, what the Pro-
°ogle 113'3t gentlemen should understated was, that there
° no relief for thal6tem, uny more than for other
11%4,1.111M there was a decided reduction in our ex•
Let By the destruction of agriculturist mono,
"CI millions of money had been trans-
.