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

SIR JOHN PAKINGTON ON THE

NATIONAL _DEFENCES.

DROITWTICH, MONDAY.

A public meeting was held here this afternoon to
establish a rifle corps for Droitwich ; the Mayor,
Mr. Holyoake, presided, and the Right Hon. Sir
John Pakington, member for the borough, was also
present.

The MAYOR having read letters from Lord South-
well and others, expressing regret at inability to
attend the meeting, and having announced sub-
scriptions to the amount of £286 towards the ob-
ject, called upon Sir J. Pakington to move the first
resolution.

Sir J. PAKINGTON then moved, "That this meet-
ing is of opinion that it is expedi3nt to establish a
rifle corps in this town and neighbourhood, and
that all classes be invited to become members." He
heartily desired to promote the movement now
going on throughout the country for the establish-
ment of volunteer corps, and therefore he was glad
to see a meeting for that object held at Droitwich,
They would remember that this movement was
sanctioned and encouraged by the late Government,
and it was also sanctioned and encouraged by the
present, and there was therefore no possibility of
anything like party feeling marring it. The pa-
triotic movement now being made throughout the
country was most encouraging, and reminded him
of the great volunteer movement of 1803. Happily
he could add that the circumstances which marked
the movement in 1803 were different from the cir-
cumstances which distinguished that of 1859. In
the year 1803 they were in the very midst of that
great European war which only ended finally in
1815, and the First Napoleon, the Great Napoleon,
had then assembled an army on the opposite coast
of France, with the avowed intention of invading
/this country, and the general expectation was that
the time was at hand when we should have to fight
a French army on English ground, and to defend
our hearths and homes from foreign invaders.
With regard to the probabilities of a French inva-
sion, if there was anything like a panic in Eng-
land on the subject, which, he must confess, he
could hardly believe ; if there was a feeling of
alarm in the minds of the people of England gene-
rally, he would say that he, for one, would not
share in it. In the first place, they must recollect
that, of ;all the modes of warfare, one of the most
difficult, one of the most arduous, one of the most
dangerous was the attempt to invade the territory
of a great Power. (Hear, hear.) They would re-
member, in the history of the Great Napoleon, that
it was perfectly true that he subdued the German
Powers by his vast and highly-disciplined army,
and that he overran Italy; and at that period of
his history he acquired a degree of power which he
might truly say no other European monarch pos•
sessed. But when lie extended his attempts to
Spain and Russia he signally failed, and the attempt
to invade a great territorial Power only recoiled on
himself and entailed ruin upon him. (Hear,hear.)
Then, to invade England, troops would have to be
conveyed across the ChannnVand the naval force of
Great Britain must be. defeated before this country
could be invaded by a foe. (Hear, hear.) The
mayor in his opening remarks, bad speculated on
the possibility of our navy being defeated.
The MAYOR-Or evaded.

Sir J. PAKINOTON was aware that the introduc-
tion of steam into the navy had made a great
change, and perhaps had increased the possibility of
invasion, but he, for one, did not contemplate, un-
less an overwhelming force was brought to bear
upon this country, the possibility of our sustaining
a defeat in the ChanneL (Cheers.) He confessed,
therefore, that he was not one who contemplated
invasion as a probability. But although we were
still on friendly terms with France, and although
he for one did not feel distrust in the personal in-
tention of the Emperor towards this country,
nevertheless he thought that the state of public
affairs on the :Continent was such as to make it de-
sirable to foster this movement (Hear.) There
could be no doubt that we had fallen into a state of
false security during the long peace that we had en-
joyed. During the 40 years of peace Englishmen
seemed to have adopted the idea that the days of war
had passed away, and that the days of peace were
to last for ever. He wished he could contemplate
such a state of things ; but it was not to be so ; and
although that long peace had had no effect in dimi-
nishing the national spirit, it had the effect of re-
ducing the national defences. Successive Adminis-
trations had been vieing with each other in order to
show which should call upon Parliament to vote the
lowest estimates for the national service, and the
lowest amount of national taxation ; and no doubt
it was due to every government to carry on the affairs
of the country with as little pressure as, possible.
But one result of this feeling had been that the
national defences had been reduced to a point which
was not consistent with the national safety, the
national dignity, or the maintenance of that power
in Europe, and :that influence among the nations
of the world which England was bound to support.
(Hear.) There was no country in the world—no
great empire in the world, in which it was so essen-
tial that the means of national defence, and the
means of carrying on war should be greater than in
oars, on account of the extent of our empire, it being
spread over the four quarters of the world, and on
account of the geographical smallness of the great
centre of the empire—England. (Hear, hear.) In
addition to all these considerations, it was impos-
sible to deny that the present state of Europe warned
us that we could not with prudence allow the state
of things which had prevailed to continue. It was
true we were at peace with France, and we had no
reason to distrust the good intentions of the French
Government. On the other hand, the mayor had
just called their attention to, the startling events
which had taken place this year in France, and the
immense naval and warlike preparations that were
making in that country. And although our alliance
with France might be close, and we had fought side
by side with the French both in the Crimea and
in China, and although he earnestly hoped that
the good feeling might long continue, still there
had been occasions within the last two or three
years, on which our friendly relation's with France
had been in danger, and in the present extremely
complicated state of European affairs it was impos-
sible to say how soon again our alliance might be
endangered, and therefore they were bound to be
prepared for all contingencies. He wanted Europe
to see that we were prepared for all contingencies
—that our navy was strong, and our people loyal
and united; and on that ground he was very anxious
for the success of this movement. While such a
feeling was stirred up throughout the country, and
while every town in Worcestershire was joining in
it, he had fall hope that Droitwich would not be
behind in a manifestation of national spirit.
The resolution, and others which followed, were
carried unanimously.

• THIS DAY'S SHIPPING.

LONDON, Dec. 20.—Wind this day at noon, Light
breeze from S. to S.E. The frost continues.
PLVIOUTH,INC. 19. Wind, E.—Arrived—El Mun-
deas, from Cuba to Bremen, with damage from collision in
the Start; H.M.S. Nile, from Queenstown; H.M.S. Eme-
rald, from Deal; Triton, from Sunderland for Hong Kong,
to stop a leak. Sailed—Elizabeth, for Gambia.
PORTSMOUTH, Dec. 19. Wind, S.S.W. to S.W.—
Sailed—H.M.S. Prometheus, for Portland.

• (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPILd
PLYMOUTH, Tuesday Morning.
A large paddle-wheel steamship has just anchored in the
Sound. She is painted black, with white topgallant bul-
warks, has two funnels, and a white bird figurehead. The
ship shows a white flag, with diagonal red cross, and a coat
of arms in the centre, and is supposed to belong to the
Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company.
SOUTHAMPTON, Tuesday Morning.
Arrived.—Oak, from Montrose • Gazelle, from Plymouth;
Ceylon, steamer, from Alexandria ' • Three Sisters, from
Guernsey; Wonder, steamer, from Jersey; Valelia, from
Shields • Transit, United, and David Legg, from Sunder-
land ; Calumet, and Water Witch, from Seaham ;. Char-
lotte, from Guernsey.
Sailed.—Havre, steamer, for Havre ; Courier and Ata-
lanta, steamers, for Jersey.
LIVERPOOL, Tuesday Morning.

Wind S.
Arrived, Dec. 19—Scotland, from Buenos Ayres • Lena,
from Newfoundland ; Turia, screw steamer, from'Barce-
lona.
Sailed—Lady Havelock, for Savannah ; Salopean, for
Barbados • Olinda, for Gibraltar.
Arrived,' Dec. 20—Bald Eagle, from Shanghai ; Hardy,
from Demerara ; Niagara and Delfthaven, from New Or-
leans • Noemie, from Charleston; Montreal, from Quebec ;
Sea King, from New Orleans.
Sailed—Sandusky, for Savannah ; British Queen, screw
steamer, for Havre ; Pelican, screw steamer, for Dunkirk ;
Hamburg, screw steamer, for Bordeaux.

(BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Tuesday Morning.
Wind S. ; tide, last hour's flood ; weather clear and
frosty.
Arrived, Dec. 19—Rubin, from Moulmein ; Providence,
from Gravelines.
Arrived, Dec. 20—Sophia, from Wendersborg.
DEAL, Tuesday Morning.
Wind W.S.W. ; moderate.
Passed—R. C. Dyer, schooner. from South Carolina, for
London.

Anchored—Brothers, for Cardiff ; Dominica, for Domini-
ca—both from London ; Providence, from Lisbon, for Domi-
nica ; Eugenia, from Sheerness, fur Naples.
Put back—City of Delhi, with the rest of the outward
bound that sailed yesterday.

DISABILITY OF WITNESSES.—The Massachusetts
Senate has adopted an amendment to the laws which re-
moves the disability to receive the testimony of atheists in
its courts of law. The amendment provides that " every
person not a believer in a religion shall be required to testify
truly under pains and penalties of perjury." To this an
amendment was adopted as follows :—" And the evidence of
such person's disbelief in the existence of God may be re-
ceived to affect their credibility as witnesses." The latter
clause of the amendment was adopted by a vote of 10 to 7.
The vote upon the amendment, as amended, was 13 to 13,
and it was adopted by the casting veto bf the president