The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-18 00:00:00

ousted that noble member from office on this very question
of national defences. (Continued laughter.) It seemed to
be different now. All the Ministers were perfectly agreed,
and, in fact, at the present moment we were under the
provisions of the 44th George 111., cap. 54. He hoped
the committee would allow him to read—he would not,
using the language of the hon. member for Birmingham,
say the "rubbishing trash,"—but the extravagant talk
uttered throughout the country on the subject of the
rifle corps movement. One gentleman, called in the news-
paper report Mr. D. Seymour—he hoped not his hon.
friend the member for Poole—addressing a meeting some-
where in the country, expressed the opinion that the volun •
teer movement was a sort of millennium. Mr. Seymour
delivered his oration at the beginning of December, and he
calculated that at that time there were 400,000 volunteers
in the country, and that in a few days the number would
reach 1,000,000. Surely the Minister for War did not
mean to spend £lO upon each man in so vast a host. (A
laugh.) Upon the same day there was a meeting of the
Pimlico Fencibles. (Laughter.) The chairman, more
moderate than the millennium gentleman—(a laugh)—
thought the enrollee volunteers then numbered 150,000,
while the Times of the same date bad no doubt that in the
aggregate they were more than double what they had been
three months before, when the number was calculated at
22,000. An hon. friend of his towards the close of the year
made a most amusing speech at a plane called Eye. The
poet had well said—
" Where ignorance is bliss 'tie folly to be wise ;"
for the enthusiastic rifleman, addressing the Suffolk bump-
kins—(a laugh)—made their hair stand on end by stating
that there were hundreds of thousands of troops on the
other side of the Channel waiting to come across. (Laugh-
ter.) Really, when such extravagant language was need
to excite a national zeal for volunteer corps, the sooner a
stop was put to it the better. Schools were turned to
strange purposes nowadays, and he was not surprised that
a rifle meeting had been held in St. Peter's School, Pim-
lico. One of the speakers, waxing very eloquent, indeed,
declared that he hoped to see the day when every man in.
England, like the Swiss, would have a rifle hung behind
his door. (Cheers.) No doubt, there were a great many
riflemen in Switzerland, but.those who cheered should re-
collect that we paid upwards of £30,000,000 for our army
and navy. For his own part, he should like to see the stal-
wart youth of England turning their attention to some legi-
timate and useful pursuit, instead of hankering after firearms
and knickerbockers. (Laughter.) But the climax was still
to come. At the same meeting in Pimlico a Mr. Denman
informed his auditors that in 1797 a body of 1,400 French
troops landed in Pembrokeshire, but were immediately die-
persed by the red petticoats of the Welsh women seen on a
distant hill. (A laugh.) He must say that Mr. Denman
did not offer a very flattering suggestion to the gallant Pim-
lico Fencibles. (A laugh.) " But," continued the orator,
" Mr. Fox declared that England did not recover from the
effects of that descent for 20 years." (Laughter.) It was
certainly high time to "show up" meetings at which such
speeches were made. Perhaps the Committee would derive
a little amusement from the names of some of the rifle corps.
The leaders of the movement, judging from their absurd
nomenclature, seemed to have gone mad. (A laugh.) It
was a fact. Certain gentlemen, who had evidently been
reading Carlyle's Life of Frederick the Great, were adver-
tising in the Times on behalf of a corps, to be called the
Six Foot Guards, (A laugh.) There were corps composed.
of the stokers and pokers of the railways. He had already
mentioned the Pimlico Fencibles, but what did the Commit-
tee think of the Westminster Volunteers of St. John the
Evangelist? (Laughter.) What St. John the Evangelist
had to do with rifle corps he could not for the life of him
understand. It was really too bad that so venerable a name
should be associated with a band of idle striplings playing
at soldiers. (A laugh.) There was the Volunteer Corp*
of the Aldermen and Corporation of London, and last, but
not least, there was the Rifle Corps of the Inns of Court.
He admired the patriotism of lawyers, but nothing could
well be more absurd than the idea of a lot of barristers from
the Inns of Court meeting the cuirassiers of the Imperial
Guard in deadly conflict. (Laughter.) Sergeant Parry
seemed to be an active member of the corps. No doubt that
distinguished legal luminary would earn a grade, and be-
come Sergeant-Major Parry. (A laugh.) The Sergeant was
kept in countenance by Dr. Balls—a capital soldier's name—
(a laugh)—Counsellor Butt, and his old friend of the time
of the French Conspiracy Bill, Lawyer Bodkin. (Laugh-
ter.) These gentlemen, and many more of the same kidney,
leaving the study of Coke and Blackstone, were devoting
their days and nights to Plutarch's _Lives, Caesar's
Commentaries, and The Rifle, How to use it. (Con.
tinned laughter.) How heavy lawyers expected to be able
to crawl along hedges upon their bellies and climb up trees
he could not comprehend—(a laugh)—and he hoped they
would not be very much offended if he applied to them the
somewhat apt quotation "/n medio tutissnnus ibis," which,
being literally translated, meant "You are a deal safer in
the Middle Temple." (Great laughter.) It appeared that
some of the riflemen had attained great proficiency in shoot-
ing. At Hythe the first prize was carried off by a genuine
Cockney. (A laugh.) Upon being asked how he had ac-
quired his extraordinary skill and precision, "Oh I" said
he, " I live in London, and have had considerable practice
in shooting at the cats of my Brompton neighbours."
(Laughter.) It was not, perhaps, of much consequence in
the depth of winter, but no man could tell what a scene
London would present at the height of the season. Every-
body would be shooting at his neighbour's cat—(great
laughter)—and there would be no end to the inhuman mac•
/mere of the feline tribe. (Prolonged laughter.) He trusted,
however, that before that time a stop would be put to the
volunteer movement. If the country was really in danger
let the Government, instead of subscribing £lO to a rile
corps—as the Minister for War had done—give up their
official salaries in aid of the necessary measures of aefence.
Were there real danger, all classes of men would combine
to defend the institutions of the country. As it was, two
dukes of great territorial influence had had the courage to
decline to contribute to this movement because they con•
ceived it to be absolutely unnecessary, and it had received
' no encouragement from the Royal family—who in case of
danger would be the- first to put themselves forward—be-
yond the patronage of a volunteer ball. He was as natty
as any man to maintain the necessary strength and efae
ciency of the legitimate defences of the country, but he en-
tered his protest against what he believed to be a most
ex-
travagant expenditure of the national resources. (Cheers.)
Colonel P. HERBERT said he differed from the hen-
baronet as to the value of the volunteer movement, whisk
he considered most valuable. With regard to the esti-
mate he thought a regiment of twelve companies most ob-
jectionable, and they were found most inefficient during the
late war.

Mr. H. BERKELEY begged to return his thanks to
the Minister for War (Mr. Sidney Herbert) for the into-
rest he had taken in the volunteer movemet. The yeomanry
of the country formed an equally valuable force. He
thought the volunteer movement a most conatitutional
movement. It had been productive of most beneficial
effects in teaching the use of arms to the population, with-
out which they never could reduce their standing army.
The hon. baronet said the Royal family did not encourage
the movement, but look at the levee. That was a proof
the Queen looked with favourable eyes on this force. He
again returned his thanks to the military authorities fir
the encouragement and aid they had given to the volun-
teer system. (Hear, kear.)
The vote was then agreed to.
On the vote of £4,495,496 for the pay and allowances of
the land forces,
Colonel NORTH called attention to the efficiency of
the staff officers of the army, and hoped that, in his state.
ment, the right hon. gentleman did:not intend to cast any
slur upon that staff.
After a few words from Sir IL Verney, Col. Dickson,
Col. Knox, and Col. Dunne,
Mr. WILLIAMS moved that the Chairman report pro •
gross, and ask leave to sit again.
The motion was agreed to without a division, and the
house resumed.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION MORTGAGES, dce.,
BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
PACKET SERVICE (TRANSFER OF CONTRACTS)

BILL.
This bll was read a second time.
ROMAN CATIIOLIC CHARITIES BILL.

This bill was-read a second time.
Mr. PAULL obtained leave to bring in a' bill 'to facili-
tate the erection of piers and harboursi* Great Britain and
Ireland.
Mr. WHITESIDE obtained leave to bring in a bill to
amend the Settled Estates Act, 1855.
Several unopposed returns were ordered, and the holm
adjourned at a few minutes to one o'clock.

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