The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-12 00:00:00

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! that of the noble lord (Lord Adolphus Van.
Tempest) relative to Kota!), viz., whether her
Majesty's Government had received any official
communication from India on the subject of th•
taking rf Kotah ; anti if so, whether they had any objeo.
tion ~o the production of such papers 7 The official de.
snatches referred to by the n0,,1e lord were being pub.
fished in to-night's Gazette. (Hear, hear.)
SANITARY STATE OF THE METROPOLITAN
CHURCHES.
Mr. LAURIE called the attention of the house ta
Dr. Lethehy's repert of the sanitary state of the ehurchtei
especially those in the metropolis.
Mr. HARDY said the suliret li:ol been for some
time under the con,idr:.ration of her Maj,ty's Govern.
thooe l
mt, who were rigidly carrying out the pr,.viei,ns of
aw against interwer t, w;thu. cities arid f owtm. 14
would be iniuo,rible to remove the 15,000 bodies in the
different churches in the metropolis, but means were
taken to prevent injury to healtti from their remaining
there,

THE NATIONAL DEFENCES.
Sir C. NAPIER rose to ask the Chanceller of the
Exchequer whether it was his intention to ask for an
additional vote for seamen and marines, in consequenes
nf ;he last preparations making iu some parts of Europa
I y sea and land; and whether, when the additional troop.
were to be sent to India, it was the intention ftf the Go.
vernrnerit to call out au equal *aimless. of militia to re.
plate them. It was not long since the right Lon. gen,le.
luau teld his constituents at Slough that we had been
within a few hours of war with France, and from the
present state of that couple), it was very probable the
some thing might occur again. After the very alarming
article which appeared the other day in the leading joure
nal of Europe—which had created a considerable degree
of alarm tilt ongbout the ceuntry. ("No, no.") Parlia-
wont and the country ought to be made aware what our
defences were. He had not the slightest idea that the
Emperor of the French de-ired a war with us—but there
was an immense army kept up in France, and, after the
re cent manifestation of the predominant position which
it had assumed, nobody could tell whether it might not
drive the Emperor to an attack on this country. The
French Government had lately been making immense
ex:rtions in all their ports. Cherbourg was now open,
and it was connected by a railway with Paris, as were
the other ports. Railroads had totally changed the
w hole face of European warfare. ity means of thews els•
French Government would be able to move troops with
the greatest ease from one end of the empire to the
other, and they also gave every facility for bringing sea.
man from Toulon and the Mediterranean ports to the
channel ports France had, of course, a right to get as
large a fleet as she thought proper, but this extraordi•
nary activity most create a suspicion in the minds of the
people of this country. She was on good terms wit
America, and the increase in the navy could not be di-
rected against Austria, which was not a maritime power ;
aid there could be no other power but this country
with which Franco could wish to compete. What
the people wished to know was, whether they were
safe from invasion or not in case a quarrel should occur
with Franc..., and it was impossible to be quite sure that
one eni.elet not at some time or other occur; nor was the
Emperor a man to tell us beforehand what he was
going to do. By her rystein of conscription and inscrip-
tion France could call together at any time 60,000 or
70,000 seamen; and besides these, a large number of
men who had served in the navy for several years, and
had gone back to their homes, were liable to be clotted
out also. Wriest had we to oppose these? We had plenty
of ship,. He believed that at the present moment we
had 20 screw line-of-battle-ships of one sort or other
ready for Pea ; but within the last few mouths we had
had a lamentable specimen of the time that it required
to man a line-of-battle-ship in the cases of the Renown
and the riler.borcueh. He was happy to say that owing
to the groat exertiun, el the present Board of Admiralty,
nil these vessels were now perfectly ready for sea. He
wonid read to the house the actual ,talc of these ships,
because he believed that the information would prove
at'sfactory to them. We had at Portsmouth the Duke
of Wellington, a vsiy fine threc-Jecked ship, and the
Hannibal—both in commission, but only half manned,
or not quite half manned—and the Ce. ar, also ready for
tea, but not manned. At Plymouth the Exmouth and
Orion, just commissioned, but not manned—the Orion
he was happy to say was manning very rapidly. At
Sheet rit ss the Royal George and the Cressy were in cons-
mission, and were half manned, but the greater part of
the man wire not able seamen. At Cork was the Nile,
half manned. On the home station there were three sail
a the line—and three only. Now, in the event of any
disturbance occurring between this country and Fiance,
we should have, to consider, not only the ships and lea-
won that France possessed, but her large army, stated to
amount to not less than 500,000 men, and we know with
what ease men could no be transported from one spot
to another by means cf steam. Supposing that we had
an army of 400,000 ur 500,000, and the same number of
ships only that we had at pre,ent, nothing in the world
would be easier than for us to make an attack upon
France if we thought fit so to do. A telegram would
be despatched to the different ports, ordering our steam-
vessels to collect at Spithead, where they would all
probably arrive within three or four hours of one
another. So, if France equalled us in men-of-war—as
perhaps she did—althouga she could not compete with
ua hi the matter of steam-vessel., she could order by
telegraph any number of men to collect at Cherbourg,
where they could be taken on board with the utmost
despatch. The great works at Cherbourg were now com-
pleted, and the tremendous decks and basins afforded
mans for embarking any number of men in a wonder.
fully short time. The troops could walk on board ; ca-
valry, mounted on their heir es, could rile on board ;
and artillery could be easily shipped, for 20 sail of the
line could lie alongside of the wharfs alone. While these
great works had been in preparatien in France we on
our side had not been altogether idle. We had lately
very properly established the Coastguard on a much more
efficient footing than it had ever been before—(hear)--
and we had now, he believed, between 4,000 and 5,000
Coastguard-men, who were seamen, besides 1,000 or
2,000 mors who were not seamen. We had a large force
of Coast Volunteers, This force was one which he had
himself recommended 40 yeas ago, and he was satisfied
that, as a naval militia, they would prove a most valu-
able auxiliary, provided that we had a navy to receive
them. It was impossible to consider the country in her
present state to be safe front an attack from France. He
did not say that France had any intention to attack tie,
but thi great country ought not to be left at the mercy
of ahy nation with which it was possible we might come
in conflict. (Hear, hear.) Why had we 20,000 men at
t: is in intent at Aldershet ? They were costing moneys
and he prezuneed that they were kept there in erdi r to
defend the country in case of attack ; but the best moons
of defending the country was to meet the enemy before
he could land upon our shores. (Hear, hear.) 11*
wained the house and the people, therefore, that if
they wished to keep the country in a state of
safety they must be prepared to put their hand; in to
their pockets ; and the Government ought to tell the
people that they would not be responsible for the
safety of the country unless it were pr
properly defended. W hat
we ought
atvoa
gd
nWiaYs—at"t once to man 10 sail of the line
completely. ([leer.) The men should be kept constantly
ready f sea, and if once the Government and the nation
consented to that, we should have our ships perfectly
ready at all times, and should be equal to any emer-
gency, because we shoal I be enabled, by means of the
C>ast Volunteers, to double the navy without the
slightest difficulty. No one could deny that therm mew.
sures were necee-ary. How did we know at this moment
that France and Russia were not on very good terms ;
and what would be the feeling of this country if we heard
that the Russian fleet had quitted the Baltic and was
coming up the Channel ? (A laugh.) The confusion that
it would create would be tremendous, and what would
become oft the funds God only knew. He saw acme
gentlemen opposite laugh, but he must be permitted to
tell them that it was no laughing business. (Hear.) It
was not sufficient merely to put men on board ship; it
was well trained arid well disCiplined men that were re-
qt.tred. If two ships of equal capacity and power, and
having the same number of men on board—one being a
discipliuee and the other an undisciplined crew—ere to
be opposed to each other in action, the ship with thet
disciplined crew would beat the other in half an hour.
dbemi
Suppose, for instance, the Royal Albert juststrieotnuerdnetod
from service and the Marlborough just co
be put in competition,
impossible for
y(H chance of success
ear.) He under.
athguaiNnlsatrhlberormoungrehptroanctoisn:tdehoyodppiwtoinwteenuatl.n
10,000 more
sr ei tursotospos
machto he
weakersent
slndia.tco d that
If
o there
th
that
•
ewre oul4 leave
than we were at present, and afford all the more reason
for manning our ships as rapidly as possible. Ha was in.
formed that the number
eaeorotflyso ;but
men to be h
voowt etdh
ebyFtihr house First
o ra
was now complete, or
of the Admire ty was to man 10 sail of the line, if that
were the case, he did not know. It was true that ships
might be expected home from different stations ; but they
did not always arrive when they were expected, and, even
if they did, men must have leave, and so on, and he feared
that it would be impossible to man 10 sail of the line be-
fere the end of the summer. The gallant admiral con-
cluded by asking the question of which he had given no.
tics.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—Sir, I
was somewhat alarmed by the question which the hon.
and gallant admiral placed upon the paper to-day, b..
causa I supposed that he was in possession of some recent
inf,.rmation which authorised him to make the startling
inviry he has ; but I am in some degree relieved by hi.
informing the house that in fact he has no further infer.
mation than that which has been the basis of the three
speeches he has made this section upon the same subject.
Ican assure the gallant admiral that her Majesty's Millis-
ters are truly and deeply sensible of the great responsibi-
lity which devolves upon them both to defend our cam-
tnon country and to vindicate, if necessary, the honour
of our flag—(hear)—but I am sure the house will feel it
extremely inconvenient to the public interests to ask in
this house whether our means cf defence are equal to the
means which those who are our allies, or any other
Powers, may by any possible combination of circum-
stances have at their disposal for our annoyance. Th*
hon, and gallant admiral assumes that it is the interest
and the desire of all the Powers of Europe, especially of
those with whom we are at this moment in cordial
alli-
ance, not only to go to war with this country, but to go
to war suddenly, without the slightest regard to the law.
and cj: toms of civilised nations, and without any tippa.
rent cause, for the invasion of our territory and the .dital.