The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-27 00:00:00

.EARL GREY ON TTIE RIFLE VOL UN-

TEER MOVEMENT.

The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Volunteer Rifles, now
numbering 500 men, were assembled on Friday. last
with a view to their being enrolled. Great inte-
rest was felt in the matter, and the afternoon was
observed as a holiday by great numbers of the
townsfolk. The bells of St. Nicholas rang at inter-
vals, and the fine brass bands of the Northumber-
land Militia Artillery perambulated the streets.
The rifle corps mustered about 2 o'clock in the after-
noon, at the Yeomanry Cavalry riding-school
(where the volunteers have been drilled.) There
were six companies present—the three originally
formed, of 60 rank and file each ; the Highland
company, mustering nearly 100 men and officers ;
Sir William Armstrong's company, which is to be
an artillery corps ; and a company from Messrs.
R. Stephenson and Co.'s factory. After having
been put through a variety of evolutions, the men
left the riding school in " twos," and then, headed
by the band of the Third West York Militia, play-
ing a quick step, fell into four deep, marching
thence to the Guildhall. The houses on the line of
route were filled with ladies, who thronged the
windows, and the streets' were quite as ranch
thrOnged with the lady admirers of our volunteers.
At various points on hose route the spectators
cheered the volunteers, w steadiness of march
was the theme of general commendation. The
majority of the men have been under drill thrice
a-week since September. At the Guildhall, Sir
John Fife. who commands the regiment, drew up
his men, who marched into the building in compa-
nies and were served with attestation papers, but
the process of swearing them in was deferred, owing
to certain preliminaries with the War-office not
having been completed. The Mayor, accompanied
by the mace and sword-bearer, together with Earl
Grey, Mr. G. Ridley, M.P., and a number of the
magistrates, received the men at the Guildhall.
The proceedings at the Guildhall terminated, the
men and officers marched to the
,new Town-hall,
where a banquet was served up, under the presi-
dency of Earl Grey. About 600 sat down to din-
ner, at the close of which the lady of Sir J. Fife,
accompanied by a great many ladies, entered the
hall amid the plaudits of the men.
The usual loyal toasts having been observed,
Sir J. FIFE proposed " The Health of the Lord-
Lieutenant of the County, Earl Grey." (Cheers.)
The noble CHAIRMAN, who rose amid protracted
cheers, said,—Gentlemen, I beg to thank you most
sincerely for the kind manner in which you have
received the toast which has been proposed, in
terms' which I am sensible are most unduly
complimentary, by my friend on the right, Sir
John Fife. (No, no.) I have had, I can as-
sure you, the greatest pleasure in meeting you
this' day. lam always glad, when the occasion
arises, to meet the inhabitants of my native
county ; and lam more particularly happy to do
so upon this occasion, because from the position
which I have the honour to hold it has been my
duty to co-operate with you in the pretminary
arrangements which were necessary to be made in
the formation of the volunteer rifle corps of this
town. (Applause.) Let me congratulate you upon
the energy which you have all displayed in carry-
ing this scheme—this proposal into effect. lam
sure that the country is indebted to you and to all
those who have taken a leading part in this busi-
ness ; let me mention especially Sir John Fife,
whose efforts have been so conspicuous in encourag-
ing you in the course which you have determined
to take. (Cheers.) I must say that I think the
patriotism and energy which you have been dis-
playing in the town of Newcastle is worthy of the
highest commendation. (Cheers.) lam informed
that fully 500 men, if not more, have enrolled them-
selves upon the books of your corps; and although
your services have not yet been formally accepted
by the Queen, because certain preliminary forms
have not been completed, and that then you will be
enrolled and officers appointed: (Hear, hear.) Gen-
tlemen, I have said that I am happy to find that
Sir John Fife has taken the lead in this matter;
and I cannot help, gentlemen, referring; to
what has been the conduct of your distinguished
townsman, Sir William Armstrong, in this matter
—(cheers)—who, although he has gained so high
a reputation in the invention of his famous
gun—(cheers)—has, I am informed, now taken
upon himself the whole expenie of equipping and
arming one company of the Newcastle Volunteer
Rifles.. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I heartily rejoice
at the success which has thus far attended your
measures, and I hope that in the course of a few
months, when you have had one fine season for
practice, the Newcastle Volunteer Rifles will be
able to appear in review before military officers of
the highest reputation with the greatest credit to
themselves, and show that they are an efficient well-
drilled corps of brave and gallant men.
cheering.) Gentlemen, I say that I rejoice in the
success which has thus far attended your efforts;
and let me add that I rejoice in the manner in
which the formation of the volunteer rifle corps has
been taken un, not only in this town but through-
out the country, because I confess that it appears
to me to be of great importance for the nation's
safety thet there should be efficient bodies of volun-
teers formed upon a very large scale indeed.
(Cheers.) I hope that we shall soon be able to
reckon upon the services of 50,000 men—l should
be glad if it were even double that number—but,
at all events, noon the services of :50,000 men, well
drilled, and well taught in the use of that formida-
ble weapon, the rifle, ready at a moment's notice to
come forward in the defence of our common coun-
try. (Cheering.) I know there are some persons
who- throw cold water, if not absolute ridicule,
upon the present movement in favour of the for-
mation of volunteer rifle corps. (Hear, hear.) I
have heard it said " What is the necessity for doing
so ? We have no near neighbour who can possibly
attack us, except France, which by its geographi-
cal position is the only European PosVer from which
it is possible to apprehend any attack, and with
France we are on the very best terms. (Hear,
hear.) The Emperor is oar faithful ally ; we
have no reason whatever to be distrustful ; there-
fore all this labour in the formation of volunteer
corps is totally useless—it has only caused a panic
to seize upon the nation." (Hear, hear.) Gentle-
men; I cannot regard it in that light„ (Cheers.)
Far be it from me to impute to the Eaiperor of the
French, or to the gallant nation which he governs,
that he or they cherish hostile designs against this
country. I am willing to give him credit for
those assurances of a friendly disposition towards
England which we are told are constantly reite-
tated by the Emperor, but still I say that within
the last few years circumstances have arisen which
make it expedient that this country should increase
its means of defence: (Cheering.) Gentlemen,
France has always had a much larger force than
England. In France itself, and within a few days'
call, in Algeria, she has had a land force three or
four times as large as our own. (Hear, hear.) Con-
sidering, then, her position as a continental nation
—considering the unsettled state of her internal
affhirs, I do not think that we have any right to be
surprised, however much we may doubt the wisdom
of the course, at her thinking it proper to keep up
so large an army. But, gentlemen, having this
great superiority of force on land, and considering
that France has within the last few years been
making gigantic efforts to be as strong as we our-
selves at sea—(hear, hear)—seeing that she has '
greatly increased her naval power—more than this,
seeing that it has been announced in the French
newspapers (which possess almost a semi-official
character), that while increasing her naval power,
• she is, as part of that great measure, providing a
fleet of steam transports of the largest class—(hear,
hear)—that she has also lately finished the construc-
tion of a magnificent naval station where these
steam transports and a formidable steam fleet of
the line may be assembled under the protection of
almost impregnable fortresses, where there are ar-
rangements of the most complete and elaborate cha-
racter for embarking in the shortest possible time
a very large army—(hear, hear)—l say that while
we know all this, and know moreover that within
the last few years the system of railroads in France
has been completed (at all events is nearly com-
pleted), so that now in a. few days a very large and
gallant army may be assembled—l say that, seeing
all this, what is our duty ? (Hear,
hear.) Remem-
ber, gentlemen, that we have had very recently the
strongest proof of how very great and sudden an
effort France can make ; for, at a moment when we
were told that she could not disarm, because she
had never armed, in an incredibly short space of
time she was able to assemble beyond the Alps an
army of 200,000 or 300,000 men. (Hear.) Now,
gentlemen, I say that when we see all these mea-
sures, we are bound also to loOk to our own meanso,t
of protection. (Cheers.) I have no floubtl don't
menu to throw any doubt upon the declarations of
the Emperor that these preparations imply any hos-
ti!ity to us, but when I consider the nature of these
measures., 'hat they are not all of them of a defen-
sive character, I think it must be admitted that their
object is this—namely, that if Fran eAlionld. be un-
expectedly engaged in war with any Power she.
may he enabled promptly to strike a severe if not a
fatal blow upon her antagonist. (Hear.) Now,
gentlemen, it is possible that eve may be that anta-
gonist; and if France is ready to strike, I say we
ought to be ready to defend. (Prolonged cheers.)
We must not, gentlemen, owe the safety, we must
not owe the security of this land, which has been for
centuries unpolluted by the foot of an invader—
(applause)—l say we must not owe our safety tb the
forbearance or to the good faith of any other nation
—(cheers)---but, under God's providence, we must
rely upon ourselves. Gentlemen, among nations as
among citizens quarrels may arise very suddenly,
and_grom very slight causes. We eannot forget that