The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-20 00:00:00

VOLUNTEER CORPS.

THE QUEEN'S.
On Saturday evening a crowded public meeting
of inhabitants of Belgravia and Knightsbridge was
held in the school-room attached to St. Paul's
Church, Wilton-place, Knightsbridge, for the pur-
r pose of promoting the formation of additional com-
panies in connection with the Queens Volunteer
Rifle Corps.
Earl GROSVENOR, M.P., who was called to the
chair, adverted to a meeting recently held fqr the
formation of. a rifle corps for the districts of Bel-
gravia and Knightsbridge, to be eventually incor-
porated with the South Middlesex under Lord
Ranelagh. His first feeling, he said, on hearing of
the intention to hold that meeting was one of sur-
prise that a rifle corps should be in contemplation
for a district whieh he had regarded as already oc-
cupied by the Queen's Volunteers. He still thought,
considering how extensive a district South Middle-
sex was, it was hardly fair in Lord Ranelagh to
encroach on a much smaller one, previously occupied.
by the Queen's Volunteers. (Hear.) He wished
to impute no motives, personal or political, but he
thought Lord Ranelagh and CoL Vereker had acted
in the matter a little too precipitately. (Hear.) He
did not know how many volunteers on the whole
had enrolled themselves throughout the country ;
but he was quite sure before long—putting it at a
very moderate figure—we should have 150,000
trained and skilled riflemen—(cheers)—and that, he
felt sure, would be one of the best guarantees we
could have for the peace, not only of this country,
but of Europe. (Cheers.) He did not anticipate
that an occasion would arise calling for the services of
the volmateers in repelling an enemy; but, should
it unfortunately arise, he had that confidence in the
manliness and pluck of Englishmen that the coun-
try would be perfectly unassailable. (Cheers.)
Colonel KNoX, M.P., said there was no rivalry
on the part of Lord Ranelagh. Lord Ranelagh's
prospectus, comprising the whole of that district,
was issued in August last, before any other step
had been taken for the formation of a corps. (A
Queen's Volunteer—" We began in July, and a
laugh.) If gentlemen thought that by isolated
maasures they would further the volunteer move-
ment, he would say, as an old soldier, they would
fail. (Hear.) He wished to see large corps formed,
because he held, in theory and in practice, that
small isolated bodies of riflemen would be even-
tually extremely difficult to control. He wanted
to make this a permanent movement; and he
warned them not to let themselves dwindle into
small isolated bodies, but to associate together in
large masses, trained and disciplined, and they
would make this the greatest national movement
that had ever been started in this country, and one
of its greatest safeguards. (Cheers.)
Further emplanations were entered into by Col.
VEREICER and Mr. CURZON on the part of Lord
Ranelagh and themselves.
The Hon: and Rev. R. •LIDDELL, incumbent of
St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, moved a resolution to the
effect that it was desirable to strengthen the Queen's
Volunteer Rifles as far as possible, and with that
view to form a company for the district of St.

Sir HAMILTON SEYMOUR, who was loudly
cheered, seconded the resolution. Regretting that
the habits and pursuits of his public life had in a
measure incapacitated him from public speaking,
he threw himself upon their indulgence while he
endeavoured to acquit himself of the duty that had
devolved upon him. He considered himself a sort
of intruder in that particular district. He was hardly
at liberty to come there as a recruit. (A laugh.)
He had already plighted his faith to St. George of
Cappadocia, and he did not know that it was com-
peten t for him to enlist unner the banner of St Paul.
(Laughter and cheers.) He had listened with great
pleasure to the speeches that had been made, and
the more so as, although there appeared at first a
certain amount of ill-feeling and consciousness of
being huffed, those little asperities had now been
smoothed down. For himself he could truly say—
and that must be his apology for engaging their at-
tention—he believed that if there was any one man
in this country more than another who had long
been aware of the necessity for this great national
movement it was the humble individual who had
now the honour to address them. (Cheers.) He
could say that for months and months past his de-
claration to his most intimate friends and to mem-
bers of his family had been this, " I see an enormous
danger impendince; I see one, and one only, safe-
guard against that danger, and that safeguard is
that we all of us, yeung and old, should enrol our-
selves as volunteers, should exercise ourselves in
arms, and should be ready, if occasion offer, to come
forward in defence of our country." (Cheers.) At
first that sentiment was rather laughed at, particu-
larly by members of his own family. (A laugh.) He
was at that time eager to come forward ; he was not
afraid of ridicule, but he was apprehensive of injur-
ing a cause which he had so much at heart. He felt
he was too insignificant a man to presume to take
the initiative; he therefore kept quiet, but he said,
at the same time, as soon as any man moved in the
matter he (Sir H. Seymour), if it pleased God, would
be second. (Cheers.) And that, too, he would have
done if the movement, instead of originating in the
great and wealthy parish of St. George, had pro-
ceeded from Bethnal-green, and had been set on foot
by the Blind Fiddler of Bethnal-green. (Laughter.)
It happened, however, that a gallant friend of his,
for whom he had' great respect—Sir De Lacy Evans
—assembled a meeting in Hanover-square: He (Sir
H. Seymour) wrote to him, offering to come for-
ward to take part in the proceedings. What was
said was done, for be (Sir H. Seymour) had the
pleasure of attending the meeting—the first that
was held on the subject. He en tirey agreed with what
had been said on this occasion by preceding speakers,
and, among others, by his right hon. friend in the
chair (Lord Grosvenor) as to the necessity of being
allowed to attend to our own business, and of ab-
staining from everything that could in the remotest
degree be supposed to give offence to any foreign
nation. For his own part, he utterly detested the
meddling with other people's affairs, and all he
asked was that we should be allowed to transact
our own business in our own way. (Cheers.) There
had been warlike men on the throne of France, and
we had seen a man on that throne• quite as peace-
able as they were otherwise—he meant- the late
Luis
Philippo. What, he would ask, was one of
the most remarkable features in Louis Philippe's
reign ? If his memory did not fail him, it was the
measures he took for securing the.
protection of his
(Sir H.
own capital. He Seymour), was not aware
that we Were going to fortify London or to erect a
Malakhoff tower in Belgrave•square—(laughter)—
but we were
going to take a measure, and
, a
Nonevery
mild one, for the protection of our. wholeare isle.
but the most unreasonable man in the world could
find fault with that. To whom could it give offence?
Ile threw such an idea to the winds. In Heaven's
name let us abstain from giving offence to every one;
but let us take every measure to protect ourshores.
If he thought there was anything in this movement
calculated to wound the sensibilities of any foreign
nation he should be the last man to identify himself
with it, or if any English Minister were to come
forward with a measure so designed he should be for
impeaching him ; but when we knew that the move-
meat had only for its object the security of our own