The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-03 00:00:00

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AG RICUL TURA L MEETING S.
The ninth annual exhibition of the Bridgwater
Agricultural Association was held on Wednesday.
In the afternoon the society's dinner was weld at
the Clarence Hotel. Sir Alexander Acland Hood,
M.P., the president of the society, occupied the
chair, and was supported by the Mayor of Bridg-
water, Colonel Tyntc, M.P., Mr. A. W. Kinglako,
M.P., Sir P. P. F. P. Acland, and Messrs. G. S.
Poole, G. Reed, and R. G. Evered. There were
about 140 guests present. After the usual
.loyal
toasts, 1

Sir ALEXANDER IfooD proposed "The Army
and Navy." lie said that a few years back this
toast was received with the slightest enthusiasm
and as a matter of course ; but at the present time
it was hailed at every festive board all over Eng-
land with the heartiest acclamations. (Cheers.)
Why had this change taken place ? A short time
back the people of this country fondly hoped that
wars would not break forth again in their time at
least, and believed that our army and navy might
well repose on the laurels they had nobly won and
the prestige they had acquired by deeds of chivalry
and courageous battlings with mighty foes. This
dream was soon dispelled, and the spell of peace too
hastily broken by the ambition of Russia. Eng-
land could not then refuse succour to the oppressed,
and senfforth s,er gallant—Solis to staythe progress
of the spoiler.. Our hearts were wrung by the
accounts of the 'sufferings of our gallant warriors
and soldiers in the East, and at one time fears were
entertained that our regiments might yield. No-
thing, however, could overcome the courage of the
British , soldier, and, with .the assistance of our
allies, the campaign was terminated gloriously.
History recounted.no more brilliantdeeds Of bravery
than were performed at the charge of Balaklava,
and no struggle was more manfully sustained than
the unequal contest our soldiers victoriously main-
tained at Inkermann. Those things proved that in
the soldiers of England in the present day the bull-
dog courage of England still existed. (Hear, hear.)
Perhaps it was well for us that we were drawn into
that war, inasmuch as it made us look to the state

of our army and of our navy. Great attention was
consequently paid to the arms and organisation of
our troops, and shortly after the termination of
that war this attention was proved to be of the
utmost use in slit cluing one' of the most awful muti-
nies the world had ever witnessed. Sir Alexander
graphically dwelt upon the splendid achievements
of our Indian warriors, and remarked that when
Providence blessed our arms with success in that
fearful crisis the people of England again hoped
for peace. The will of one man had again dispelled
the dream. France for au idea commenced war with
Austria, and thereupon the fertile plains of Italy
were overrun with armed masses of men, crops were
destroyed, tens of thousands of brave men were
slain, and tens of thousands of families mourned
the loss occasioned by fierce hostilities. What the
. _

idea was that the war was waged for Englishmen
knew not, but trusted that it might be worked out
so that the liberties of Italy might be assured.
(Cheers.) Ali Europe was now disquieted; in all
directions they heard rumours and fears of war,
and the Continent was bristling with bayonets.
Why was this ? What country wished for war ?
Did England wish for war ? The people of this
country earnestly prat ed for peace. In peace we
flourished, and war, however it might terminate,
must be damaging to all classes of the English
people. However gloriously they might fight, a
war would still add to the burdens of the middle
and poorer classes, as well as to the burdens of the
aristocracy of this country. Everything we could
do to maintain peace we were desirous of doing,
but he believed that if they did maintain peace it
would only be by showing that they must be re-
spected. (Hear, hear.) Unless they kept up an
efficient army and navy, peace could not be pre-
served for this country. (Hear, hear.) The. late
Government and the present Government had
looked well into the state of the national defences.
One of the members of the present Ministry, in
returning thanks for the Ministers at the Lord
Mayor's banquet the other day, said, " In the pre-
sent disturbed state of Europe it becomes us to look
to our national defences, and not to trust to the
sufferance of any othor nation in the world."
(Checni.) He believed that that was the universal
feeling throughout England—he .believed they all
felt in their hearts that it did not become this
cluntry to trust to the forbearance of any power
whatever, but that we ought to trust to our own
right arms. (Great cheering.) Foreign nations in
times of danger and difficulty, when they expected
to be attacked, prepared themselves by recourse to
conscription. It was for Englishmen to show that
wealth and liberty had not unnerved their aetns or
deadened their spirit ; but that they were ready
without conscription to volunteer to defend their
fatherland. (Cheers.) It was well for them to con-
sider the, question whether their apprehensions
were excited without reason. He thought that
when they looked into facts they would find that
they were not excited without reason. Ten years
ago a commission sat in France for two years, and
had 200 meetings, to consult upon what steps
should be taken with regard to the increase of the
French navy. The answer of the commission was

CO3IMUNICATIONS FROM VESTRIES.-THE RECENT
CHANGE IN THE CHIEF CLERK'S DUTIES.

that it was necessary to increase the navy to a
large extent, and that the amount of increase was
certain, as it must be such as on the first announce-
ment of war to be equal to the navy of any Power
they might attack. The answer wont on to state
what Power that would be, and said, " Our only
enemy can be England." That was the report of
the commission which sat in 1849. If they west
a little further, they would find some noteworthy
words from a French Admiral. One of the great
Admirals of France stated, before the National
Assembly of France, that there was no warrior
spirit in England, that we could not repel such a
land host as the French could bring against us, and
that if a war was to be made upon us they had
only ono thing to do, and that was to land.
(Laughter.) Now, he (Sir Alexander Hood)
thought there was a warrior spirit in England, and
he should like to see it once more aroused, not for
the sake of war, but in order that we might main-
tain peace. (Applause.) He noticed that some
gentlemen laughed when he mentioned the French
Admiral's opinion. For the benefit of those gen-
tlemen he would allude to the Duke of Wellington's
celebrated letter to Sir John Burgoyne, in which
his grace said :—" If it be really true that our navy
is not able to be a sufficient defence to our shores,
we are not safe for one week after war is an-
nounced." Those were the Duke's warning
words, and he added :—" I am bordering on 77
years passed in honour ; I pray God to protect
me from being a witness of the tragedy I cannot
persuade my contemporaries to take proper mea-
sures to avert." These were not the utterances of
an alarmist, nor of a man unacquainted with the
forces of this and foreign countries, but they pro-
ceeded from the greatest General that ever existed
in Europe. (Cheers.) That opinion does not stand
alone; but it is likewise the opinion, and the writ-
ten and acknowledged opinion, of the highest
authorities in England, both military and naval.
Therefore he wished to call their attention to a
subject of the utmost importance to Great Britain
—to the state of our national defences. They were
all over England agreed that it was necessary to
keep up such a navy as should not only be equal to
any other single Power, but equal to any othertwo
Powers that might combine against them. (Cheers.)
At the present moment our screw line-of-battle
ships scarcely exceeded the number of screw line-of-
battle ships owned by France, and in screw frigates
they wore superior to this country, having nearly
double the number. Of corvettes, despatc-boats,
and gunboats wo had certainly a larger number
than the French, but they had one immense advan-
tage over us in the splendid organisation by which
they could in ten days man every ship they had,
besides leaving a large reserve. English line-of-
battle ships not unfrequently took six months to
ma4i, Was that a state the navy of England should
be in ? The meeting would agree with him that it
was the duty of Parliament in the next session to
make such arrangements that the navy of England
might be able, whenever wanted and whenever
called upon, to vanquish the mightiest foe. (Cheers.)
Impressment in these days was impossible. Nobody
wished to \rebur to impressment ; but they must
take such measures that their gallant sailors should
be proud and delighted to serve their Queen and
country at any and every juncture. (Hear.) They
must recollect that the very worst economy they
could pursue was to discharge as useless those
sailors who had become efficient as soon as the panic
might have subsided. (Hear, hear.) If they wanted
good servants, they must treat them well. Having
said thus much with regard to the navy, he would
next consider what they should do with regard to
the army, because it was possible by a combination
of forces or by adverse circumstancesthat they might
for a short time lose the command of the Channel for
one week even, and a shorter time than that would
give an enemy a dangerous opportunity. This was
possible, he did not say probable ; and it had
been stated to be poSsible by one of our own
Admirals, that an army of 200,000 men might be

Mi:.
rect.
it befc

Mr.
not to

N EWS PA PE R
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004,7
,landed in this country in one day. ISilhat'ainic§
had been given by Admiral Dacres, who superin-
tended the landing in the Crimea of the ,British
army, and who succeeded in landing 60,000 men in
one day under great disadvantages. If that could
be done under great disadvantages, it was within
the bounds of possibility that what the Admiral
alleged could be done in England. What force
had we to bring against such an army ? This
should be answered, because on a question of such
moment we should trust to no advantages what-
ever, but make it a certainty that our country
could be effectually defended in- time -of need.
(Hear, hear.) It was against the spirit and con-
stitution of this country that we should keep up a
large standing army, for 'anything like a standing
army competent to meet such an emergency as the
one under consideration would necessitate the in-
crease of our army by 100,000 men. Did they think
it possible to get that number of recruits ? He
was certain it would be utterly impossible, and if
it were possible, it would not be adVisable,Vor great
' difficulties were even now experienced;Th.getting
labourers, in 'Wiltshire and other places £1 and
255. per acre having been paid during the past
season for harvesting. They must themselves
manifest that England was desirous of peace, and
must prove to foreigners that, although they were
bees anxious to perform their work undisturbed,
they were bees carrying stings. (Applause.) They
must teach foreign nations also that the great,
wealthy, intelligent middle classes of England
were not content to leave the defence of their
country to the humbler classes alone, but were
ready to rise at any moment to plaCe.themsglves in
a `position. to repel any invader dating enough to
pollute their soil by his tread, and ready to come
ferward, too, with the aristocracy of all England to
lead them. (Cheers.) He believed that if that
step were taken, there would be no fear whatever
of any foreign invasion. Ile was happy to say—and
it did great credit to Bridgwater—that a consider-
able body of volunteers from the townsmen had
already been enrolled. The same step had been
taken at Bath, Taunton, Wellington, Burnham,
Clevedon, and other towns and villages of the
county ; and it was still more gratifying to him to
see the farmers stirring. In his own neighbour- -
hoed, at Williton, a number of spirited volunteers
had come forward, and the previous day it iv, as his
pleasing duty to despatch to the Lord-Liehtenant
39 names of persons resident in the small Village of
"Williton, who had. offered their services to their
Queen. (Hear, hear.) In the still smaller parish
of Stogursey another corps would be . formed in a
short time; and if this went on all over England,
from Cornwall to 'Caithness, we should have as fine
a body of volunteers as ever stepped. (Loud
cheers.) Some gentlemen said the volunteers would
not be fit for anything. What did General Hay
say on the subject ? General Hay, the commander
at Hythe, was the best authority on this Matter,
and after inspecting the rifle volunteers in London,
he told them that if they went on as they had be-
gun, in three months they would be equal to any
troops in the world. (Applauder) That showed
what the volunteers might •be if they pleased. If
the volunteers in London could do that, surely the
bold, stalwart farmers, of Somerset could do the
same. (Cheers.) Perhaps they might entertain the
notion that no discipline was wanted. The Duke
of Wellington, Sir John Burgoyne, and others, in-
sisted that, unless volunteers were properly trained
and disciplined, they could do nothing against an
enemy. It was also evident that they could do
nothing with smooth-bore guns. Colonel Wilford,
who lectured upon the subject in London lately,
said any gentleman would be perfectly safe who
sat in an armchair at 20 yards distant to be shot at
with a Brown Bess, if 'only the gentleman who
shot at him would promise to aim at him. As a
sample of what the Enfield rifle could do, it had
been related that at the siege of Cawnpore an
.ofli-
cer and his company were charged by a body of
Irregular Cavalry, sowars ; he drew his regiment
up in square, and at the first fire 69 out of 70 of the
sowars fell dead, one man alone escaping, and a pri-
vate who stepped from the ranks shot him dead
when 1,300 yards distant. That was what the
Enfield rifle could do when wielded by skilful men,
and that was what they might do if they volun-
teered and properly used the intelligence God had
given them in the defence of their country.
(Cheers.)
.But he would again remind them that
discipline was necessary, or their efforts would be
fruitless. They had been told that discipline might
be easily acquired, and in proof of this the example
of Garibaldi's troops had been cited, who had
fought as well as veteran soldiers. Garibaldi him-
self knew the value of discipline, as he testified in
his recent proclamation, in which he said, Go on
with your drill—cultivate discipline--it is the only
thing that will ever make a soldier." Go on with
your drill, he (Sir Alexander) likewise said to those
who had commenced, and those who had not cora-
he advised to begin as soon as possible. They
would then be a credit to their county, and would
be encouraging peace instead of war, and would.be
members of the true peace league. (Prolonged
cheering.) He gave, with hearty sincerity, "the
Army and Navy," including the Militia, the Yeo-
manry, and the Rifle Volunteers. (Immense ap-
plause.)

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

A 'meeting of this board was held yesterday, in
the Council Chamber, Guildhall. The President,
J. Thwaites, Esq.. took the chair at 12 o'clock.
The cash account for the current week showed a
total general balance of £400,551 17s. 4d.

Mr. DIFFANGER begged leave to ask Mr. Deputy
Harrison whether the report which appeared in the
South London Chronicle of Saturday last, of a megt-
ing held at Lambeth in reference to this subject,
was correct. The deputy was represented to hive
made a statement to the effect that nothing could
be brought before the committees of this board
without the sanction of the chairman, and that it
was entirely optional with him what course the
committee should pursue in any matter.of business
brought before them.

Deputy HARRISON—That report is not cor-
My attention has been called to the terms of
ire.

DOULTON said he thought tLe deputy ought
ans*er evasively.

Mr. Deputy HARRISON, with some enfphasis,
denied that his answer was evasive. He had done
all that he considered the matter called for, lie
had denied the accuracy of the report.
The PRESIDENT said he had the report called to
his attention, but he thought it too ridiculous to
require any notice on his part.
Protests were then handed in from the vestries
of Marylebone, Kensington, and Lambeth, against
the recent resolution of the board in relation to the
appointment of Air. Woolrych as its standing coun-
sel, at an yearly expenditure of XBOO. A resolution
passed at a meeting of ratepayers last Haight at the
Horns Tavern, Kennington, to the same effect, signed
by Webber, Esq., the chairman, was also
read. They were ordered to be entered on the
minutes.