The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-17 00:00:00

our own descendants in America.

The learned judge, with the true old Conservative
spirit, jealous of substantial liberty, objects to a
large standing army ; he bestowed his approbation
on the system of the United States—an army nume-
rically exceedingly small, yet so exceedingly well
trained and officered as to be ready at any moment
to become the nucleus of a considerable force. And
how do Americans lay a foundation for the larger
army ? They have abandoned their old plan of an
immense militia, and some time ago resolved to
train their male population to the use of the rifle.
By this means—by a highly disciplined nucleus,
and by a nation trained to the principal qualifica-
tion required, marksmanship, they could at the
shortest notice turn out an army of half a million
of men ; of course not all assembled in one place,
but all of them accustomed to the use of the rifle.
The learned Judge (for so we may term him
still) adverted to another important point—
most appropriately noticed by one who has
passed the age of ambition, and who can now only
look with the wisdom and kindly feeling of a green
old age on the interests of his country. " This," he
observed, " is a force which cannot be used by an
ambitious Minister, or by a warlike party for the
purpose of aggression or of foreign conquest ;
while no kind of force would do more to make the
country formidable to an invader. It is a reserve
force, not unfriendly to liberty at home, and not
tempting us to interfere in neighbours' quarrels
abroad."
The thing must, however, be done in the spirit of
the Honiton meeting. Our peasantry must be
taught the use of the rifle as their forefathers were
the use of the bow. By all means let gentlemen
form as many corps as they please ; but our " bold
peasantry" must be the defence as well as the
" pride of its country," in case of an invasion.
Our higher class young men are not numerous
enough for what is now required. Steam has made
invasion of England—say by France—almost, if not
quite, as easy as invasion of Germany. It is something
portentous to see the ease with which at least
120,000 men have been conveyed, since the 28th of
April, nearly all by sea, two hundred and fifty
miles to Genoa, with all their commissariat, cavalry,
and artillery, and how they have, in so short a
space of time, fought several battles, the last per-
haps a decisive one. Surely, in such a state of things,
our rulers arc bound to encourage and facilitate in
every way a universal training of the people to the
use of firearms. Drill, at least its elements, might
be added where convenient, and in due time ; but
there is no pretext for delay in commencing the
most important part of the process, that of inducing
all who will and can to learn the art of hitting a
man at the long range of his rifle. Why, even in
this war, the Tyrolese riflemen and the Jager Corps
have been the most fatal part, to the French, of the
enemy's army. No Ministry ought to palter with
this subject for a week. The circulars issued already
in regard to it are all very well as far as they
go ,but we need something more. The three lines
of defence should be-Ist, our wooden (or iron)
walls ; 2dly, a thoroughly trained army, with
highly educated officers, not of too large an
amount ; and, idly, a people, millions of whom
could hit an enemy at 500 yards, and thousands of
them at even a thousand yards. ARMSTRONG'S
guns would complete the armament.