The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-27 00:00:00

LONDON, 77IURSDAY, DEC. 27, 1866.

Mr. NEWDEGATE made au interesting speech on
the occasion of the presentation of prizes to the
Birmingham Volunteers. He said that the Volun-
teers had been of great service to the country in
the matter of effecting a saving, if it were only in
preventing the income tax being twopence more in
the pound. Referring to the very unsatisfactory
state of things just now in Europe, the hon. mem-
ber declared that the Treaty of Vienna had been
torn up, and every State was arming, like England
was armed, for defence. He said he had a piece of
plate which had been presented to him by the arms
trade as a memento of his services on the occasion of
the militia being re-established by Parliament, which
he should hand down as an heir-loom in his family.
As for the subject of breech-loaders, which now de-
servedly enjoys so much attention, Mr. NEWDEGATE
had a great deal to say about them. Ile paid a just
tribute to General PEEL for the promptitude which
he had displayed in breaking through the pipeclay
of the War Department, and thus the Govern-
ment is rapidly supplying the troops of England
with breech-loaders, which, to use a sporting
phrase, " would handsomely cut down the needle-
gun." The moral which he drew from this was
that those whom he addressed were volunteers,
were citizen soldiers, and that they should not rest
satisfied until they possessed breech-loaders for
themselves. There was a good deal of sound sense
in Mr. NEWDEGATE'S observations on this point,
more especially when he said that it was a piece of
" departmental coxcombry" to insist upon the inter-
changeability of every part of every rifle. Such is,
indeed, affectation of propriety, aud, as was well
explained in this discourse, the plan adopted by
the Americans proves its absurdity. They hare
seven patterns of rifles, most of them breech-loaders,
in their service, and as they have got on, why is it
necessary for every part of the gun to be inter-
changeable, in order that it may be fitted for the
English service? The fact is that in all the arrange-
ments of our service there is too much red-tapism
displayed, and hence valuable time is lost and im-
portant duties neglected ; and while our officials
are haggling about trifles, other nations, more wise
and energetic, step in and out-distance us in their
preparations, without spending half the money
that we waste so unnecessarily.
We hope for better things at headquarters now,
however, and General PEEL has displayed so much
foresight already that there seems every reason for
us to have confidence in his management. Mr.
NEWDEGATE is quite right in expressing such a dis-
like to being guided so exclusively by departmental
opinion. As he pretty plainly put it, "What was he
to think of departmental opinion when he had heard
it said that the arms trade could not produce more
than 30,000 stand of arms a year ? But in the years
1850 and 1855, and three months besides, he saw
the arms trade produce 272,000 stand." We think
that taking all things into consideration the Govern-
ment would do well to follow the advice here ten-
dered to them by the hon. member for Warwick-
shire when he urges the desirability of obtaining a
class of arms such as the Americans found good
enough for themselves—breech-loaders ready to
hand, so as to avoid the awkwardness of being
placed at a disadvantage, as the Austrians were in
presence of the Prussians.
We cannot shut our eyes to the fact that times
have changed, and war is now carried on in a style
that was undreamt of by our forefathers, and which
we ourselves a few years back did not imagine to
see carried on in our days. Mr. NEWDEGATE said,
with great force, that, as Englishmen, we must
look to these appliances of modern science and art,
so as to be prepared for all the emergencies that
may arise. He urged upon his hearers the impor-
tance of strengthening the second line of defence,
the Militia, so that we might not be so far
behind those nations of the Continent now employ-
ing so much skill and savoir-faire in the work of
augmentation. The army of England could be
recruited from the ranks of this trained force, while
the " Volunteers held the fortifications in the de-
fence of the hearths, of the homes, of the altars of
England." We are not surprised that this speech
should have been well received, for it contains much
that is deserving of attention, more especially at
this junction of affairs. It is always desirable to
look things boldly in the face, and not to
be led astray by the specious pretext of
those who argue from what they consider infallible
rule, but who lack the energy that is so much re-
quired in momentous occasions thattest the strength
of a nation, and put the people on their mettle.
Mr. NEWDEGATE seems to rely with justice upon
the old English spirit of endurance, and his speech
is animated with a zeal and heartiness that we should
wish to see infused into others who attempt to direct
public matters, but who too often forget the main
chance in their anxiety to keep up with the require-
ments of mediocrity.

The residents in the northern counties have been
prompt to express their sympathy with the sufferers
by the recent terrible colliery explosions. At the
close of last week a meeting was held in the Town
Hall, Pontefract, for the purpose of organising a
subscription for the relief of the distressed families
in both districts. Lord HOUGHTON, who was pre-
sent, made a very appropriate and impressive address,
and though there was not much new to be said on
the painful subject, yet he was able to express the
general sentiment in fitting terms. There was, he
observed, something national about the cala-
mity, though he felt that the main sympathy
and interest connected with the disaster must belong
to those parts of the county where all were familiar
with the process of mining to know something of
the circumstances and lives of the colliers. It was
not very many years, he reminded his hearers, since
the working of such pits as. those which they were
then considering was thought so dangerous on ac-
count of the fiery character of the coal as to be
scarcely possible with anything like security to life.
But almost simultaneously came the discoveries of
Mr. STEPIIENSON and Sir HUMPHREY DAVY, by
which light could be obtained in the mina with
almost perfect security—security at least dependent
on the prudence of the workmen. Lord HOUGHTON
paused a moment to consider how marvellous
small events and great were linked together, since
it was quite possible that an inadvertent blow of
one of the hundreds of picks at work against the
wire of a single lamp may have been the immediate
cause of this tremendous calamity. At the same
time it is likely, as Lord lIOUGIITON suggested the
other evening, that, in the progress of their work,
the valuers had come upon some particularly dan-
figeeerlnouesd spot
l eindo tuhbet rtehcaets stehse mof itnhee mine.engaged " There
seemed
pit had come upon a large accumulation of noxious
vapour, probably secreted in some chamber under-
ground for unknown ages of time. The effect
of this vapour coming in contact with the