The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-05 00:00:00

HALIFAX.

The corps at this place is rapidly increasing. An
influential meeting of the gentlemen at Brighouse, a
thriving manufacturing district, about four miles
from Halifax, has just been held, and it has been
decided to establish a corps in connection with the
Halifax Volunteer Rifles, being under the same
`captains, &c. At the meeting about £lOO was sub-
scribed towards the cost of equipment.

MR. DRUMMOND, M.P., ON RIFLE
CORPS.

At a meeting at Guildford, for tho purpose of
forming a rifle corps, Mr. DRUMMOND, after a few
preliminary observations, said—l do not think
it fair to say about any place where there is an
unwillingness to come forward, that it arises
from any cause but one—by the blessing of
God the people know nothing about wars. You
have never seen war, or, in your wildest thoughts,
realised any of its horrors. (Hear, hear.) Ask the
military man what he has to say about it. You know
how the Duke of Wellington spoke on this point.
He declared that the most horrid thing that could
be witnessed in the world was a field of battle when
the battle had been lost ; and the next most horrid
thing was the same scene where the battle had been
won. Now, Ido not think that anybody in this
country doubts that we are in very great peril.
Since I had the pleasure of meeting you here six
months ago, I have been abroad, and I have taken
the trouble to buy up and read a great many pam-
phlets published by the French ; and you must re-
member that not a single word is printed without
the Emperor's express sanction. These pamphlets
make no bones about the matter. They declare
that you are the curse of the earth and must be ex-
punged. (Laughter.) Nothing will satisfy them
but bringing you to shame. They say the reason
of all this is Waterloo—not because they were
licked in a pitched battle, but because foreign
armies marched into France and, they declare,
pillaged the inhabitants. Now this pillaging sim-
ply means that those poor people took back from
the French what had ken pillaged from themselves.
This is an insult they will not stand. (Laughter.)
Again, they talk about the Prussian troops insult-
ing men and women in Paris. Now I remember
perfectly well that the guards who wore on guard
in one of the fauburgs did certainly see the
Prussian soldiers insult many women and kick a
large number of men. (Laughter.) They took the
Prussians up, and asked them how they dared to
do such things, and they said they vowed they
would do to the French what, in Berlin, they had
seen them do. Now, how are you to meet this ?
Our population is not equal to that of France.
The Emperor has 560,000 bayonets, whilst we have
only 150,000, and 90,000 of them are in India.
The militia is not half full. I know one regiment
in which a relative of mine is an officer, which is
800 strong nominally, but it has only 200 capable
of being brought into the field. Ido not think the
militia is well organised. I consider that all men
capable of doing so ought to be made to bear arms,
without any exemption whatever; and my reason
is this, that at present the army is raised almost
entirely from the lower classes, but I want a body
for the national defence to be composed of the
middle and upper classes. (Hear, hear.) However,
we are not Cabinet Ministers, and cannot have
that ; but I can encourage you to arm yourselves
somehow. Ido not believe that the rifle move-
ment is the best way of doing so, but I do not wish
to quarrel with you about that. There are many
means of defending the country. You cannot have
artillery, because you are not on the sea-coast.
Cavalry you cannot well have in towns, because of
the want of accommodation for horses, but in coun-
try places you might have them. But in towns
you can only have infantry, and they can be rifle-
men, if you like. Remember, however, that the
rifle is very different from a common gun. It is a
clumsy customer to manage, and unless you take
great care, and attend to your drill, you will
never become efficient riflemen as long as you
live. I have a friend in the Highlands of Scot-
land, who is a famous deer-stalker and a
good shot. He has formed a corps of rifle-
men, and come down to Hythe to learn rifle prac;
tice ; and he has never been able to get out of the
second class. There are a large number of men
who, from physical constitution, connot be riflemen.
I cannot, from age; and there are a great many
gentlemen who cannot, because they have made
more flesh on their bones than I have. (Laughter.)
To be a rifleman, you must be young and active.
However, begin; and we shall see how you get on.
I remember that, when there was an invasion threa-
tened from Boulogne, and Mr. Pitt led. the move-
ment, 370,000 volunteers were raised. (Cheers.)
How many you have in this movement I do not
know ' • but, six months ago, there were only 35,000,
which is a very small allowance. The French Em-
peror is at present causing 20 fiat-bottomed boats
to be constructed, which will draw 13 feet of water
and carry 2,000 men each, and can thus bring 40,000
men. Now, there is not a single river in Europe in
which they can be moved, except the Thames. I
do hope that some of my friends will make you
realise what the enormous destruction of property
would be if a landing were effected anywhere in
this country, although the enemy could not get the
plunder which they think is to be obtained. Well,
I say, go on. Ido not consider that the riflemen
form the very best means of defence, but it will be
very easy afterwards to form another body as auxi-
liaries to them ; and, at all events, I shall be happy
to help you in any way I can. (Applause.) I
move, " That in the preser.t unsettled state of Eu-
rope, it is of vital importance that the armaments
of the United Kingdom should be increased and
strengthened, with the special view of repelling any
attempt at invasion. (Cheers.)
The resolution was seconded by General TWEN•
Low, who believed that the rifle movement, which
had been aptly designated the peace league, if car-
ried out generally, would be effective in preventing
invasion. ,(Cheers.)

PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER.--It has been deter-
mined by Government to erect an extensive fort on the
centre of the breakwater at Plymouth, sufficient with the
land batteries on either shore to effectually protect the en-
trance to the Sound, The work is to be commenced with
all possible speed.