The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-20 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.

SIR,-10hen the late Sir Robert Peel addressed
the House of Commons he was listened to 'with at-
tention and admiration, and his name will be
handed down to posterity with those of England's
greatest statesmen. Sir William Peel gained dis-
tinction is arms, and his fame will long live in
the recollection of the public and in that of the
service which venerates his name. It is therefore
but natural that the present Sir Robert should
feel anxious to attract attention in the House, and
if he cannot command the respect of the represen-
tatives for statesmanship, he can at least excite their
risibility by his facetiousness. But wit, however
clever, is not argument, and when a man brings in
wit to his assistance in a grave debate, and tries to
ridicule that which he cannot controvert by reason,
he strengthens the cause which he has thus
striven to weaken. Such was the case with the
hon. member for Tamworth last Friday night,
when he attempted to bring the volunteer
movement into contempt by relating stories of
his fat friend,_ and inferring from the fact that the
aforesaid friend was going to join his comrades at
a dinner, and afterwards recreate at a bill, that
it was impossible for men who revelled in such
luxuries to be able to face an enemy. We
would ask the hon. baronet if he has never
eaten a good dinner at a regimental mess, and, ac-
cording to our forefathers, beauty's fond glances
rather tended to impart courage to the soldier than
to render him a dastard. Sir Robert dwells strongly,
and perhaps personal vanity may excuse it, on his
expedition with a certain body of Swiss volunteers,
who had to crawl for miles on their bellies under
hedges, and tells us that once a corps with which he
was hall -to-pass one night in the trees. This must be
very terrible, but what King Charles the Second
and Sir Robert Peel were able to endure we think
both other Er.glish gentlemen and English bump-
kins too could stand without great detriment. The
bumpkin whom he held in such contempt is the
raw material of the soldier, and although drill an d
pipeclay may make him look smart and so please
the eyes of the hon. baronet, all the polish in the
world cannot impart an ounce more courage and
determination to the man. Soldiers can fight with-
out stiff stocks, although some inartinets could not,
and to this day cannot, believe it. Of course the
hon. baronet is correct in his information, when lie
states that the .Rifle Volunteers have received no
encouragement from royalty, but how can this be
when her Majesty is to receive the officers of the
Volunteer Regiments on the 7th of March, and his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge will pre-
side at a dinner given the same evening by those
gentlemen. Sir Robert Peel has on previous occa-
sions spoken up for the honour of England and
showed himself to be a tiuc Briton, despite his ab-
surd distaste for the only really effective mode of
rendering this country.secure from foreign invasion,
which he does not deem near; but, according to the
old Covenanter's advice, while trusting that
our eccentric and grasping neighbour on the other
side of the herring-pond may be wise and abstain,
bearing in mind the pro verb—fitetles decensus averni
sed revocare gradem—we will, nevertheless, keep
our powder dry.
K. WALLOUGHBY.