The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-03 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

From intelligence which has been received at
Chatham from the surveying and exploring expe-
dition of the Royal Engineers despatched some time
since to British Columbia, to be employed in sur-
veying and engineering operations in that colony,
the whole of the officers and men are in excellent
health, and busily employed in the object for which
the expedition left England. The working parties
are occupied chiefly in opening up roads in the best
parts of the country, erecting houses and buildings,
and felling and preparing timber. Considering the
large body of men composing the expedition, the
party behaves exceedingly well, and complaints are
almost unknown. At the date of the last despatch
a numerous party were employed in the erection of
a theatre at their head-quarters, Queensborough,
for the amusement of the officers and men, all of
whom exhibit a great taste for theatrical represen-
tations. The officers and men forming the survey-
ing portion of the, expedition have pushed forward
into the interior; where they have to undergo
numerous hardships,. and enjoy a rough life. Each
man is armed with a six-barrelled revolver in case
of being attacked. They have completed the survey
of a considerable portion of the. Oregon boundary.
The. climate, Is• described- as (pcodedinglyleahliy
tvery tt"'Of 17.figlad'4,without its draw-
'4'rhe See ery thioaghsYnt. nearly' 'the entire.
district is spoken, of as being of the most romantic
character. The men subsist chiefly on game, which
is very abundant. Notwithstanding that every-
thing is exceedingly dear,:tnost of the men have
contrived to salve some money, many of them lay-
ing by £BO or £lOO per annum, considerable sums
having been made by them purchasing parcels of
ground and reselling them at large profits.
Information has been received at the invalid
depot, Chatham, that several ships are now on their
passage home from India with sick and wounded
and discharged troops.
The Durham Militia Artillery are under orders
to remove on the 10th inst. from Fort Gomer to the
isle of Wight. On the 11th inst. one wing will
proceed on duty to detached forts. The head-quar-
ters to be at Parkhurst.
The Waterfcrrd Militia Artillery will remove from
Haslar and oecvpy quarters vacated by the Durham.
The Tipperary- Militia Artillery will remove from
detached forts in the Isle of Night, and occupy
quarters vacated by the quarters.

CALV)WE E AND Ills CON-
S TITUEX TS.

Last night the Ancient Order of Druids of Ox-
ford held their -usual animal festival in the Town
Hall of that city-. It is the custom for the members
for the city to attend these dinners, and embrace
the opportunity they afford of addressing their con-
stituents on the state of public affairs apropos of the
opening year. The present occasion-was no excep-
tion to de established rule. The Right Hon. E
Cardwell came from Ireland to be present at the
festival, and Mr. Langston, M.P., his colleague, as
well as Mr. Neate and Mr. Sergeant Gaselee, both
of whom have stood as candidates for the represen-
tation of OxfoiTd. The company, which was up-
wards of 300 in. number, also included the Mayor
and many othez members of the local magistraz.y
and corporation.. Mr. Henry Carter, the head of
the Oxford or 59th Lodge of Druids, presided.
The usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been
duly honoured,
The CHAIRM-AN, in eulogistic terms, gave the
health of " The Members for the City." The toast
was drunk with cordiality.
Mr. LANGSTOZT, as the senior member for the city,
had the precaenee in responding. Having ex-
pressed his thanks for the compliment which had
been paid to hi at and to his hon. colleague, the hon
gentleman remarked that, whether the projected
continental Congress took place or not—and the
Times seemed to suggest the possibility that it might
never come off after all—he was sure it was the de-
sire of every Englishman that Italy should be free.
He congratulated the country on the fact that in
the present year it would experience a relief from
its burdens to the extent of nearly £4,000,000 ster-
ling. Indeed, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had
once led them to expect that they might see the
end of the incomue-tax altogether this year. For his
own part, however, he had no confident anticipa-
tion that he would ever live to witness the total
abolition of that impost. (A laugh.) Still he would
be glad to see even a part of it remitted. Referring
to the Volunteer movement, which he regarded as
one of the most important events in the year that
had just closed, he traced its origin to the feeling
which had recently been brought home to English-
men, that if they wished to be secure in their free-
dom they must not refuse to help themselves. We
had seen in the late Italian campaign what gigan-
tic efforts a neighbouring potentate, at the head of
a great military nation, was able to make at any
moment. And although from the conversation
which had recently been reported in the Times as
having passed between a very distinguished per-
sonage in France and an Englishman, who were
supposed to be the French Emperor and Mr. Cob-
den, that great potentate might not have any pre-
sent cause of quarrel with England, yet it would not
do for us to male sure that a ground of difference
would not any day arise. (Cheers.) Passing to the
subjects likely to engage the attention of the legis-
lature during the ensuing session, the hon. gentle-
man adverted to Parliamentary reform, observing
that all parties were now agreed on the necessity
of settling this question. The country had been
scandalised by the recent electioneering disclosures,
and it was manifest from the accounts which had
reached the public that the corruption was pretty
equally practised on both sides. The existing law
for the prevention of these evils had clearly failed,
and ought to be effectually amended. We had a
talented Ministry now in power, which would do a
great public service if it turned its earnest atten-
tion to the removal of this plague spot upon our
representative system, and succeeded in achieving
a task which had hitherto baffled the skill of pre-
ceding Governments. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. CARDWEI,L, on rising to respond, was re-
ceived with loud cheers. He said,—Gentlemen, I
return to your chairmaikmy sincere thanks for the
kind (gainer in whichTne was pleased to speak of
me, and to all of you to: the kind reception you
were pleased to give to the mention of my name.
The chairman has alluded to the inconvenience to
which he supposed your members might be pit in
attending this festival. Gentlemen, I agree with
my hon. friend and colleague that with the free in-
stitutions under which it is our happiness to live
there is no place where the representative of a free
constituency should more rejoice to be present than
at these large assemblages of those who return him
to Parliament, and enable him to render any ser-
vice in his power to his. country. My hon. friend
and colleague has entered upon that review of the
past, and those anticipations of the opening year in
which it is our custom to indulge on these occasions.
In most of his remarks I cordially concur. The great
event bf last year, no doubt, was that conflict of two
great Powers on the plains of Italy which has left
behind it for solution questions of unparalleled im-
portance. In the first place, that conflict was sig-
nalised by events which will ever render it memor-
able in history. Like things modern as contrasted
with things of ancient date, it was gigantic in its
scale and brief in its duration. The slaughter was
counted by tens of thousands, although the succes-
sive stages of the struggle were measured but by
weeks. It has left behind it two great questions,
the one political, the other practical, and having
a more immediate bearing on our own interests.
In that great political question, the future of Italy,
we have, perhaps, no direct and individual concern.
But, gentlemen, we have this feeling wherever the
human intellect is quickened by exertion and,
stimulated by industry—wherever there is com-
merce, wherever there is liberty, there we know
there will be sympathy with England. (Cheers.)
And accordingly we cannot be indifferent to the
future fate of Italy. We cannot but feel our pulses
throb with sympathy for the land of Dante and
Galileo ; we cannot but desire to see her material
prosperity advance, her social progress facilitated,
and Italy herself resuming an honourable place in
the great confederation of European nations.
(Cheers.) Gentlemen, the other question at which
I have hinted is more practical, because it has a
closer relation to ourselves. I allude to the great
subject of our national defence. My hon. colleague
has indicated the dangers which may possibly as-
sail us. For my part, I feel no apprehension of any
present danger from any quarter whatsoever. (Loud
cheers.) I believe that we enjoy a good under-
standing with all the nations of the world, and
that our Position is one not only of peace, but of