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

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Led in this country in ontilOW-t. . 'e-1 '\IA
!been given by Admiral L -.11:.-Arrr-,..,A-114
..ended the landinelti the C Tr. • .'--. ' -: `•:',V • -,7,:e
iitarmy, and who succeeded in la :di it,. eti? -1 ';... .:,:•
one day under great disadtantaact, . '.... ~
be done under great disadvantages,& wa. -it
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 ep 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, for great
difficulties were even now experienced in 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 themselves in
a position to repel any invader daring enough to
pollute their soil by his tread, and ready to come
forward, 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 was his
pleasing duty to despatch to the Lord-Lieutenant
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 Stognrsey 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. (Applause.) , 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. Thb Duke
of Wellington, Sir John Burgoyne, and others, in-
sisted that, unless volunteers were properly trained
and disciplined, they could do nothini, 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 offi-
cer and his company were charged by a body of
Irregular Cavalry, sowers ; he drew his regiment
up in square, and at the first fire 69 out of 70 of the
sowers 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 bad 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 corn-
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 Navv, including the Militia, the Yeo-
manry, and the Ritle 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.

COMMUNICATIONS FROM VESTRIES.--THE RECENT

CHANGE IN THE CHIEF CLERK'S DLTIEST

Mr. DIFFANGER begged leave to ask Mr. Deputy
Harrison whether the report which appeared in the
South London Chronicle of Saturday last, of a meet-
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.
Mr. Deputy HARRISON—That report is not cor-
rect. My attention has been called to the terms of
it before.

Mr. DOULTON said he thought the deputy ought
not to answer evasively.
Mr; Deputy HARRISON, with some emphasis,
denied that his answer was evasive. He had done
all that he considered the matter called for. He
had denied the accuracy of the report.
The PRESIDENT said he had the report called to
his attention, but ho 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 Mr. Woolrych as its standincr'coun-
sel, at an yearly expenditure of £BOO. A resolution
passed at a meeting of ratepayers last Eight at the
Horns Tavern, Kennington, to the same effect, signed
by Webber, Et•-q., the chairman, was also
read. They were ordered to be entered on the
minutes.