The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-04 00:00:00

forcibly, and that in December last, when a French vessel
waswrecked seine distance down the coast, that gentleman
most promptly sent the authorities to the spot, had the
mariners rescued from the violence of the nu; Nes, and sent
them to the French admiral and consul at Gibraltar. These
were facts which he believed to be authentic, and he had felt
it his duty not to withhold them from the house—(hear)—
-
when the character of an absent official ap d p
VIP' ,
eare to be im
ed—at least when it had been made the object outside
that house of malignant aspersions.
FRENCH ARMAMENTS.
Mr. IUNGLA.KE—I have studied how to frame the
question which I am about to put in a way which shall not
be consider ,"1 as "Pressing distrust, but rather, so far as is
capable of beirig accomplished in a matter of this kind,
something like confidence in the present Adminicallestrationd on
On Monday next the Houce of Commons is to be
to give its sanction to a ties.: is to bring us into
t? which
ire of France—(hear,
more intimate relations with the Et;:'l3
hear)—and we are to be asked at the sat:.‘e time to consider
those arrangements which the Chancellor of il.le Exchequer
will produce to us with a view of meeting the vast Menses
which we have been obliged to incur in consequence of 'he
present state of Europe. (Hear, hear.) The cause which
makes it necessary to incur this outlay is no secret to any
man; everybody is aware that it has arisen from the fact
that in the present phase of the French revolution, a vast
concentration of power has taken place, and that the Em-
peror of the'', French wields • the resources of France, not
through statesmen or Ministers, but in a way which makes
it impossible to know what his intentions are, except in so
far as one is able to divine them from the probable use of
the great armaments which he is preparing. I sincerely be-
lieve that almost the entire of Europe, including the great
country of France, fervently desires the continuance of
peace—(hear)—but I cannot forget that last year Europe,
including then as well as now the great country of France,
desired the continuance of peace with an intensity equal to
that by which it is at present animated. That wish was
frustrated by circumstances which are so recent that it is
needless further to allude to them ; but what occurred may
be stated in ono short sentence—Austria madly and fool-
ishly began the war, but it was the Emperor of the French
who began the quarrel. (Hear.) It is not for me to say
whether Europe has been taught or misled by the expe-
rience of last year, but to every gentleman holding corre-
spondence with the Continent it must be known that a
general idea is prevalent that the peace of Europe is again
about to be disturbed, and that schemes are on foot
for altering territorial arrangements, independent of those
modifications which may have to be carried out in Italy.
Although there may be other grounds for these apprehen-
sions, the anxiety that is felt is mainly due to the arma-
ments existing throughout Europe, and it may be readily
believed that the uneasiness which prevails on the Conti-
nent speedily makes itself felt in this country. It is, of
course, to be observed that there may have been exaggera-
tion as to many points which we have heard ; for those who
busy themselves'in communicating intelligence to England
are, for the most part, unfriendly to the present Government
of France. (Hear, hear.) But it does appear to me that it
must rest in the power of her Majesty's Foreign-office to
dispel this anxiety in a great measure, or, if not to dispel it,
at all events to convert what is now a vague sentiment of
fear into a rational, wise, and persistent-vigilance. (Hear,
hear.) My observation of the military preparations of France
enables me to make one remark, which may exercise in one
respect a reassuring tendency. Many persons entertain the
opinion that wild incursions, descents, and small expedi-
tions of a marauding character may be
_attempted on our
coast, and that in this manner, without any serious conse-
quences to either country, great mischief might be effected.
Now, sir, to do justice to the present ruler of France, I do
not believe that it is consistent with his.policy to do any-
thing in a small way; and, therefore, if I could be convinced
that no largo armaments were in preparation, I should rest
assured that the peace of Europe was not about to be dis-
turbed. Great preparations cannot be made in an hour, and
cannot go on in corners, so that if I should succeed in ob-
taining from the noble lord anything like an assurance that
no vast preparations are at present going on in France, it
follows that we have established a great ground of security.
Unfortunately, the information which reaches me as a pri-
vate individual is not of such a reassuring kind as I should
hope to receive from the noble lord. It is the practice of
the French Government to make known their intention
some time beforehand to the prefects of the departments ;
and I am informed that they received notice that a
levy of 140,000 men is to take place for the
purpose of what is called remplacement. I am also told that
the Emperor of the French has for the present refused to
give the conge to some 40,000 men who, under ordinary cir-
cumstances, would have been sent to their homes some
weeks since. The consequence is that by this new levy, and
by the retention of this large body of trained soldiers, the
military forces of France will be next spring on a most for-
midable footing. I am assured—though this in like manner
is perhaps an exaggeration—that the Emperor of the French
will then be prepared to take the field with a force of no
less than 600,000 men. In addition, I have been informed
that great preparations are being urged forward for the sup-
ply of horse transports on the north coast of France. (Hear,
hear.) Then, if I turn from the military to the naval arma-
ments, I find that this unfortunate battle of the dockyards,
if I may so call it, is being carried on with unceasing perti-
nacity; and that at the very moment when the member for
Rochdale was carrying on what was supposed to be a very
friendly intercourse with-the Emperor of the French his
Majesty was devoting his mind with great earnestness to a
pursuit which would indicate that he was preparing for a
species of conflict which would have to be decided by armed
vessels. When such are the reports which reach the ears of
private individuals, I think I am not doing wrong in giving
the noble lord an opportunity of correcting what I hope may
turn out to bo false and exaggerated statements ; thereby
enabling us to enter upon the discussion on Monday with
that knowledge which it is most important for us to possess
of the preparations which the Emperor of the French is
really making. Ido not make anything like a complaint
against the Emperor of the French ; I merely desire the in-
formation as a dry piece of statistics' which will enable me to
arrive at the conclusion that I shallnext week be called upon
to form more satisfactorily than any other information could
possibly do ; and it will be to my mind more cogent than
any speech withwhich the matchless eloquence of the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer may lead him ;to favour us. The
hon. member concluded by asking the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether it would be consistent with the
interests of the public service to communicate to the house
any of the information which had reached the Foreign-office
in respect to the military and naval preparations of the Em-
peror of the French ; and if so, whether such information
could be communicated before the financial statement which
it was proposed to deliver on Monday.
Colonel W. S. KNOX wished to ask, before the noble
lord answered the question, whether the treaty of commerce
with France had been ratified by any responsible officer of
the Government, and whether it would be laid on the table
before Monday ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said—With respect to the first ques-
tion put by the hon. member forDungarvan (Mr. Maguire),
I can state that Mr. Drummond Hay is a gentleman of the
highest honour and character. He, with other members of
his family, have been long in the service of the Crown. He
has, therefore, had much experience of publio life, and
knows too well his duty to the Crown to take any course
inconsistent with the general policy of her Majesty's Go-
vernment. (Hear.) From his long residence in Morocco, and
his kindness to all who hold any intercourse with him, he
has gained to a great degree the respect of the people of that
country, not only of the Foreign Minister of the Emperor of
Morocco, who was formerly a merchant, but of the wild
tribes of natives who so frequently made incursions into the
Spanish settlements. Having this influence, I believe that
he, according to instructions from her Majesty's Government,
endeavoured to prevent the breaking out of war between
Spain and Morocco. He endeavoured to prevent this war,
till he was told by the Moorish Minister that, whatever
advice might be given, Morocco could make no further
concessions. Mr. Drummond Hay did exert himself to
the utmost, and ;used the influence he had so justly ac-
quired to prevent the outbreak of hostilities. Since that
time, it being ;the policy of her Majesty's Government
to be neutral in the war, his conduct had been in strict
conformity with his instructions. The hon. member
has read a report from the correspondent of the Times
newspaper—a very respectable gentleman, I believe; but
he is in the Spanish camp, and can hear nothing but what
he is told by Spaniards. They have stated various matters
which the correspondent repeats, but he says that he knows
nothing of them and has no proof of them whatever. I have
not heard from Mr. Drummond Hay since he had an oppor-
tunity of seeing these statements in the newspaper, but I
have not a doubt they are one and all entirely false. I do
not believe that Mr. Drummond Hay has felt it his duty to
take any part in the war. The Spanish Minister did on one
occasion state to Mr. Buchanan that complaints had been
made of the partiality of Mr. Drummond Hay; but he gave
no
e 'nstance of such partiality, nor any proof of it whatever.
are aware that the Spanish Government in this war has
obtained the aid of British merchants, and that the Spanish
cjoume
tpllya ibnot s, t
madeh er ebfyo r
thee, o f
Ga
ovatmi oenn et fonfe ut ra
Moroccoli t y mtihgehnt
army has been supplied with British stores and provisions.
mAnorye
by the Government of Spain. (Hear.) I believe that the
whichhasb peenartyin this entirely free
war from
blame.conduc t olf
wish3•dlor.not
Drummondto }sit La;
right; but I cannot sympathise with the enthusiasm is
the
hon. gentleman in regard to it. Ido not think becauseof
party is Christian and the other Mahorsetan we ouehtontoe
give the former all the sympathy, without knowing the
causes of the quarrel. (Hear.) I will now refer to the
questions of ray hon. friend the member for Bridgwater
(Mr. Kinglake). He has stated much with regard to the
late war in Italy, which this is not the proper occasion to
discuss, but which may hereafter come under consideration.
All I can say with regard to the other part of this subject ie,
that we have in Paris a very able ambassador, and a mili-
tary attache to the-embassy, possessing great knowledge
and experonce
• of the French army, From neither one nor
the other has her Majesty's Government received any. ac•
count of any extraordinary military preparations in France.
As for the statement of 600,000 men to be in readiness for
tho field by the spring, there is nothing to corroborate
it. A great number of men way be called on to serve
in the French army by conscription, and a general
conscription takes place In the course of every year. The
hon. gentleman must recollect that the Peace of Zurich has
not long been signed, and the Congress that was summoned
for the purpose of rendering the pacification of Italy solid
and durable has not been held. It is therefore desirable,
while pease is so recent and the affairs of Italy have not yet
settled down, to use every means to prevent a renewal of
the war,• or any collision in Italy that might excite it. Her
Majesty's Government has recently been engaged in efforts
to secure the permanence of that peace ; and I can state that
everything that has been done has proved most satisfactory.
We have represented to the Government of Sardinia the
danger of any collision with Austria on the territory of
or
Venetia elsewhere ; and I have to-day received an assur-
a nee from the Sardi • man Government that it will do nothing
tending to eau
from desirous tsea renewal of hostilities. France also is far
the Government that
of there should be any renewal of the war ;
and the Emperor is. exerting itself earnestly
unremittingly to secure the • •
the peace- -On the other hand solidity and permanence of
acquiesce in the present Austria, though unwilling to
state of Italy, is by no means
disposed to renew the war
Powers in possession of the Y making any attack on the
country. (Hear, hear.) With.