The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-06 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 6, 1860.

which were decked out in their complete array of
colours; salutes were also fired from Point Levi,
and the yards of the three vessels of the Royal
squadron remaining in port were manned by the
seamen. Just as the steamer left the wharf his
Royal Highness appeared on the hurricane deck
and bowed a farewell to the assembled thousands.
The steamer then passed around the Royal squad-
ron, going down along the south shore and return-
ing close to the north shore. It was not until the
ensign waving from the stern of the Kingston had
disappeared around the gray fortress-crowned rock,
that the thousands upon the wharves, housetops,
and glacis of the ramparts gradually sought their
homes."

annual races, the troops were put through a variety
of light infantry movements, in which officers and
men have recently been undergoing instructions,
and other manoeuvres, which were accomplished in
a very effective manner.

Yesterday a party of cavalry and infantry troops,
to the number of 140 non-commissioned officers and
men, belonging to the 2d (Queen's) Dragoon Guards,
6th Dragoon Guards (Carabineers), 7th Hussars,
Bth Hussars, 12th Lancers, 17th Lancers, sth Fusi-
liers, 6th, 34th, 37th, 38th, 42d Royal Highlanders,
53d, 54th, 56th, 60th Rifles, 71st and 72d High-
landers, 82d, 88th Connaught Rangers, 90th Light
Infantry, 92d Highlanders, 97th Regiment, and the
Rifle Brigade, the whole of whom have recently
been sent home from India suffering from wounds
or sickness, left St. Mary's invalid establishment,
Chatham, and proceeded to join their respective
depots at Canterbury, Maidstone, York, Chichester,
Perth, Aberdeen, Stirling, Winchester, and Col-
chester, having on inspection been found fit for fur-
ther service. A numerous party of troops, consist-
ing of time-expired men and those suffering from
wounds or sickness rendering them unfit for further
service, will be discharged from St. Mary's bar-
racks this morning.

Several of the most intelligent of the non-commis-
sioned officers and men of the Royal Engineers have
being selected to proceed from head-quarters, Chat-
ham, to the South Kensington Museum, where they
are to be employed in various scientific duties at
that establishment. The first portion of the Royal
Engineers selected for this service have proceeded
to the Museum, and the remainder will leave
Brompton barracks in a few days.

MR. HARDT, lif.P., ON THE PAST SESSION.

The annual meeting of the Leominster Agricul-
tural Association was held on Monday last. The
dinner, held in the afternoon, at the Royal Oak,
was attended by Mr. Hardy and Captain Hanbury,
the members for the borough ; and Mr. King King
and Mr. Mildmay, two of the county members.
After the usual introductory toasts, the health of
the county members was given and responded to,
and was then followed by the health of the mem-
bers for the borough of Leominster, Mr. Hardy, and
Captain Hanbury. (Cheers.)
Mr. HARDY, in reply, said he could not help
thinking that what his hon. friend, Mr. Mildmay,
had said about the farmers and their teams on the
highways might be said with great truth about the
government, of which he (Mr. Mildmay) had been
so strong a supporter during the session which had
just closed. (Laughter and cheers,) Like a carter,
the government had set out with their waggon well
loaded and harnessed, thinking the road was smooth
and free from obstruction, and that they could get
to the end of their journey as easily and as merrily
as they set out, and without so much trouble as even
turning their horses' heads. But, unfortunately,
the road was not so smooth and easy as they had
expected ; on the contrary, it was like some of the
highways which had been spoken of. When they
had advanced but a short distance they found that
the horses begun to flag, and that it was a task of
some difficulty to proceed as rapidly as the pace
with which they had set out. Like a carter, who
knew nothing more than that his horses were made
to go the road irrespective of weight or distance,
they were surprised at the obstruction, and like
him they said, " Why, these horses were made to
go, and if they will not go of their own accord we
shall flog them." Flog them they did, but it
was of no use, and therefore they found, as the
carter would do, that there was nothing for it but
to lighten the waggon; they therefore began to
throw overboard some of the contents with which
it was loaded. Accordingly, bill after bill was
pitched out—(laughter)—among others a bill
which was to improve the representation of the
borough of Leominster. (Laughter and cheers.)
Yes, the Reform Bill was pitched out, along with
another which was to benefit the landed interest
by making them bankrupts. (Laughter.) One by
one the various bills were thrown out, until at
length the cart was cleared of those miserable
abortions which his hon. friend said they had been
pulling along the Government highway for the last
seven months, and done no good after they had
arrived at the end of their joarney. Such language
as that would not become him (Mr. Hardy), be-
cause he had been sometimes acting the part of a
drag while the Government was going down hill—
(renewed laughter)—while his hon. friend had
been one of the horses. (Cheers.) However, the
end of the journey had been reached, and now, or
by-and-bye, they would be having one of those
great political meetings, at which it might be de-
cided whether the drag or the horses had done
most good. (Laughter.) But seriously speaking,
the questions which had been before Parliament
this session were questions of paramount import-
ance; and although many of them had not come
out in the shape of acts of Parliament, there had
been a great deal done which would influence the
destinies of this nation for ages to come. Changes
had been made in the taxation of the country;
changes had likewise been made in the army and
the navy ; and treaties had been made with foreign
countries which would tell upon the prosperity of-
this country hereafter, and the operation of which
would require to be carefully watched by all who
were interested in our commercial successes. He
was certain no one was more anxious than himself
to abstain from saying anything which bore a
semblance to party spirit ; but he was equally
sure that in addressing a body of Englishmen on
such an occasion as the present, there were foreign
topics which offered subjects for remark, which
were interesting to all, and upon which they were
all of one mind in the main. ' He said this with all
the more certainty, because it was clear at the close
of a session during which the present Prime Mini-
ster had been with the greatest activity negotiating
a closer alliance with France—an alliance in which
they were all interested, and, so far as regarded the
entente cordiale, he was sure they all earnestly
prayed that it might long continue ; but Lord Pal-
merston had been obliged shortly before the session
closed, to admit that circumstances had occurred
which rendered our former intimacy with France
no longer possible, and that we should be obliged to
look out for new alliances, because we could no
longer depend upon former friendships. Just let
them recall what had passed, in order to observe
the circumstances which had thrown Europe into a
state of excitement and fear. The present state of
things began upon the Ist of January, 1859, when
the French Emperor addressed the Austrian ambas-
sador in terms of such startling significancy as to
throw the whole of Europe into alarm. He said—
" I am not on such good terms with your master as
formerly," or words to that effect. Before that the
Emperor of France had entered into an engagement
with the Sardinian government, the terms of which
were simply these—that he (the Emperor) would
assist Sardinia in obtaining possession of Lombardy
and Venetia, while France by way of return would
receive Nice and Savoy. The programme which the
Emperor had laid out in proceeding to a war with
Austria was based upon an " idea," that idea being
the freedom of Italy; but this, as was well known,
was a species of dissemblement, the Emperor's idea
being not Italian freedom but his own aggrandise-
ment, which he had succeeded in carrying out by
obtaining the provinces for which he bargained
with Sardinia—even Savoy and Nice. Since the
conclusion of -the war with France and Austria all
confidence in the Emperor Napoleon had been lost.
Europe could not now trust to his promises, for it
was felt, and felt very naturally, that as he had
ventured upon a career of aggrandisement which
obtained him provinces in the south of the Rhine,
he might enter upon a similar career to obtain pro-
vinces in tips north. When they found an Emperor
who began -a war for an " idea, that idea being os-
tensibly Its Tian freedom and ending it by territorial
aggrandise went, it was essential that there should
be distrust among the powers of Europe, and,
therefore, :he (Mr. Hardy) rejoiced that we could
enter into diplomatic relations with other
countries without involving us in any peril
whenever anything should happen with a par-
ticular country. (Hear, hear.) It seemed to him
that this courrtry should be on terms of friendly
alliance with :all powers upon the principle of non -
intervention ; sympathising, for instance, in the
success of aye struggle for liberty in Italy, but
leaving it to the patriots to choose whatever go-
vernment tin ;.af thought proper, and interesting our-
selves, as far as possible, to secure to them, without
prejudice to, other powers, the liberty of settling
their own a4ifairs. (Hear, and applause.) His hon.
friend (Mr..-Mildmay) had spoken of the enormous
expense w hich our establishments now cost us.
Certainly 'Ole expense was enormous, but then they
were engaged in proceedings which demanded, if
they we re to be carried out, an enormous expendi-
ture of money ; and nothing could be clearer than
this, tint the members of the House of Commons
expressed the unanimous feeling of the country
wheel they said it was necessary for the safety of
the country—for the purpose of placing ourselves
ill the best possible condition for any exigency—i o
prepare for whatever should occnr, and even for the
extension of the wars we were now engaged in.
For these and other purposes it was necessary to
vote these large sums of money, and place our navy
on a footing in which every advantage could be
taken of all the appliances of art and science as
lately developed, and generally to increase our
armament ; and therefore it was that our expendi-
ture was enormous. We were now three times as
powerful as we were at the beginning of the cen-

tury ; but so long as it was considered necessary—
indispensable indeed—to increase our armaments to
the extent all parties considered requisite, he was
sure no Englishman would grumble at the expense,
but would willingly bear his share of the burden of
making this country safe against any foreign inva-
der. (Loud cheers.) Time was when the men
of this country defended themselves with the
long bow, but new weapons had been introduced—
weapons of great power, and requiring great skill
in their use ; and he believed that none would
be found to use them more effectually, if ever the
opportunity arrived, which he hoped it would not,
than those who had added so greatly to the secu-
rity of the country within the last twelve months
—even our volunteers. (Cheers.) The volunteer
system had spread remarkably, and he hoped it
would continue to spread—(hear, hear)—for he be-
lieved they would make this country more power-
ful, more prosperous, more secure, by means of our
great peace army of volunteers, than by a large ex-
penditure of money in increasing our regular army.
(Cheers.) This country ought to be as great in
dignity as it was in power; and nothing would
more contribute to that end and save us from a re-
newal of unseemly panics, while it would go a great
way towards maintaining the peace of the world,
than the maintenance of a volunteer army. (Cheers.)