The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-21 00:00:00

The Easter Volunteer Review.

Yesterday a meeting of the commanding officers
of the metropolitan volunteer regiments was held at
the offices of the National Rifle Association, Pall-
mall, to consider the question of the annual review
of metropolitan volunteers at Easter, and for other
important business connected with the volunteer
force, Lord Elcho, M.P., presided, and among
these present were Lieutenant-Colonels the Marquis
of Donegal (London Irish), Viscount Bury (Civil
Service), Viscount Ranelagh (South Middlesex),
Earl Grosvenor (Queen's Westminster), lord G.
Fitzgerald (Queen's), Lord Truro (West Loudon),
Hon. Charles Lindsay (St. George's), Hon. H. G.
Campbell, Sir Powell Buxton, M.P. (Ist Adminis-
trative Battalion of the Tosver Hamlets), Charles
Buxton, M.P., Davis, Matthews (Finsbury), Money
(6th Tower Hamlets), R. P. Lewes, Sargent, C. 8.,
Labrow, Ross, J. Wilkinson, Stedall, Cole, C. 8.,
G. Cruikshank, Cochrane, Murray, Whitehead (29th
Middlesex), Duruford (Ist Surrey Artillery) So-
merset (West Middlesex), M'Leod :of M'Leod
(Ist Middlesex Engineers), Grey (Customs), Ward
(London Brigade), Loyd Lindsay (Hon. Artillery
Company), and Bigge and Majors Clinch, Oxley,
11. T. Smith, and Captain Phillips. It was carried
unanimously that a review of the metropolitan Volun-
teers should take place this year at Easter, and the
meeting then proceeded to discuss the details. A
letter was read from a commanding officer recom-
mending that the site of the review should be changed
this year to some other place than Brighton. A
communication from the authorities of Dover, in-
viting the Volunteers to Dover, and urging the
advantages which that town offered, among which
were the facts that the two lines of railway were at
the disposal of the War-office and extensive shed-
room might be had if the day should be wet.
Letters from Mr. Eborall, of the South-Eastern
Railway, and from Mr. Forbes, of the London,
Chatham, and Dover, offering facilities for convey-
ing the troops to and from Dover, were also read,
After some discussion, Lord Ranelagh moved and
Colonel Cole seconded a motion that the review at
Easter should this year take place at Brighton.
Upon this Colonel Charles Buxton, M.P., moved
that the review should be held at Dover. This was
seconded, and found many supporters, an objection
to Brighton being urged in consequence of the de-
fective railway arrangements of last year, when
many volunteer corps were kept for many hours on
the return journey. After a very long discussion
both motion and amendment were withdrawn, and
a resolution moved by Lord Ranelagh, seconded by
Colonel Charles Buxton, that a committee be ap-
pointed to inquire and report to a future meeting of
Volunteer commanding officers as to the site they
consider most eligible for the Easter Review, having
reference particularly to the facilities given by the
railway authorities for the transport of the forces to
au from the place where the review shall be held. It
was also carried unanimously that it should be an
instruction to the committee to consider and report
especially upon the expediency of accepting the in-
vitation made on behalf of Dover. It was finally
agreed that in consequence of the serious inconveni-
ences suffered by the volunteers last year on their re-
turn journey from Brighton the committee should
be instructed to make such arrangements with the
railway authorities as shall insure a better transmis-
sion in future. The following officers were appointed
as the committee :--Lord Ranelagh, Colonel Bux-
ton, Lord Bury, Colonel M‘Lood, Captain Phillips,
Colonel Loyd Lindsay, Colonel Creed, Colonel
Sargent, Major Lav,-es, and Colonel Money. The
meeting being concluded so far as the review was
concerned, a discussion ensued relative to other im-
portant matters. On the motion of Lord Elcho,
seconded by Lord Truro, it was considered advisable
that a deputation should wait upon the Secretary of
State for War to draw his attention to the fact that
the necessary expenses of Volunteer corps are not
covered by the Parliamentary grant, which has to
be largely supplemented by the subscriptions of
officers and men ; and to state that a strong feeling
was believed to pervade the force that those who
freely and without may give their services to the
State should be relieved from the necessity cf such
personal expenditure. A committee was appointed
to. consider some questions of importance to the
Volunteer service, among which were the security
of arms held by Volunteer corps, and the position
of Volunteers called upon in aid of the civil power.
Some conversation took place upon the last ques-
tion, and one commanding officer freely stated that
had he been in command of the Volunteers at
Chester he would not have taken the responsibility,
in the present state of the law, of ordering his men
to fire had an attack been made, as he might have
been had up at Bow-street after. A vote of thanks
to Lord Elcho for presiding terminated the pro-
ceedings.

The Reform Question.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.

A crowded public meeting, composed mostly of
workmen, and convened by the Northern Reform
League, was held in the Lecture-room of this town
on Monday night; Mr. Joseph Cowen, jun., occu-
pied the chair. The Rev. J. H. Rutherford, Mr.
Councillor Manson, Mr. W. Miekle, the representa-
tive of the old freemen, the Rev. J. C. Street, and
others spoke. The resolution submitted by the
League was unanimously agreed to. It was as
follows :

44 That this meeting, having considered the state-
ments of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the
Government Resolutions, is of opinion that the pro-
positions of her Majesty's Government are an insult
to the country, and a deception attempted on the
people ; that the Government have neither the
honesty nor the will to pass any satisfactory measure
of Parliamentary Reform ; and that the leaders of
the Liberal party be respectfully requested to invite
the House of Commons forthwith to declare its
want of confidence in her Majesty's Ministers."