The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-06 00:00:00

declaration of the Emperor that he made no preparations—.
it is on that account I entertain the greatest alarm. If,
without any previous preparation, the Emperor of France
can in six or eight weeks place 200,000 men perfectly
equipped for military operations in the centre of Northern
Italy—if he can send 80,000 men by sea most rapidly with
most perfect arrangements, with all that is required of mu-
nitions of war, and provisions carefully packed as if there
had been forethought, and, as if intended for transmission

by sea—if, in addition to that, in a small space of time, he
can place from 30,000 to 40,000 men ina powerful fleetin the
Adriatic, and there effect a descent and a rehearsal of the
invasion of this country—when I see these these things
done, when I see the diminished force of this country,
as detailed by my noble and learned friend, in
comparison with the force of France, I do feel
apprehensive, and I do feel that it is the bounden
duty of Govornment and of Parliament to place
this country in a state of unattackable security. (Cheers.)
lam not satisfied with the expressions, of the noble earl.
I am not satisfied that merely ordinary means should be
adopted. What I desire is that the country shall be placed.
in that degree of unattackable security, that strength shall
be restored to our diplomacy, that we may be able really to
interfere with effect in putting an end to this war and pre-
venting the commencement of any other. (Cheers.) Until
we do that all our diplomacy is valueless. I have often
heard of moral influence. Moral influence varies exactly
as the amount of physical force behind it. No one, I think,
unless inspired with a feeling hardly English, can speak of
EFuranropcee
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Etuoreoxpeerhcisase
mthocrpalresinfientuerruLiceer in
more moral influence, because no man commands greater
force. (Hear, hear.) And noble lords opposite may depend
upon it that, until they place this country in a degree of se-
curity -which renders it hopeless for France or any other
Power to attempt to attack our shores, all efforts to termi-
nate the war by intervention and negotiation will be entirely
without avail. (Cheers.) During the last 11 years, since
1848, all the Powers of Europe have been endeavouring,
partly from distrust of each other, and partly from distrust
of their own subjects, to increase their military force. They
have effected that object; they have effected it by great
financial sacrifices. I dread both their financial weakness

and their military strength, because I now that against
the burdens to which they have been submiting their only
hope of remedy and relief is by ra combined war on this
country. (Hear, hear.) It is not safe for this country to
remain unarmed in the midst of armed nations, always
rivals, and often engaged in hostility to each other. When
one nation determines to apply all her energies to making
money, and another to making preparations for war, it is
obvious enough with which of the two nations all the
money will ultimately be. I trust the Government will'
adhere precisely to the expressions which first fell from
them ; but I confess I am not perfectly satisfied with what
fell from the noble earl to-night. (Hear, hear.) I feel there
is a slight variation from the decided course which in the
first instance they said they were fully determined to
pursue. I trust they will adhere absolutely to that course,
as I believeit is by that only they will secure the confidence
of Parliament and the safety of the country. (Cheers.)
The Duke of ARGYLL could assure the noble earl that
his suspicions were entirely unfounded. The Government
had not altered their mind, but night after night noble
lords were raising their demands, and if the speech of the
noble and learned lord indicated his opinion of what was
necessary for the defence of the country the Government
would at once have to bring in a war budget and make the
navy equal to the combined navies of the whole world. If,
at a moment of excitement like the present, the Govern-
ment were to propose such estimates, it might stop clamour
for a time, but when the alarm was over there would be a
complete reaction, and the Government having to retrace
all their steps would leave the country in a worse position
than they found it. There was ahother point with respect
to which he wished to say a few words before he resumed
his seat. The present war had been described as an ini-
quitous war on the part of France and Sardinia, and he
could assure the house that it was with the utmost reluct-
ance that the Government had deemed it to be their duty
to sit silent during the recent discussions which had taken
place on the subject. Now, he did not mean to say that
circumstances of very grave anxiety with respect to the
origin of thewar did not exist, but he begged most decidedly
to dissent from the opinion 'which without argument would
assume that the present war was one of an iniquitous cha-
racter so far as France and Sardinia were concerned. Such
an opinion would be inconsistent with the language held by
the late Government, for it would be found in the papers
which were to be discussed on Friday next that the war
had been denounced by the noble lord the late Secretary
for Foreign Affairs as resting entirely on the head of Aus-
tria, which it certainly did in so far at least as that it was
she who took that last step which had led to the immediate
commencement of hostilities.
The Duke of RUTLAND said he thought their lordships
owed a great debt of gratitude to the noble and learned lord
who had brought the subject under discussion before the
house. It was, he thought, of the utmost importance
that the country should be placed in such a position of
defence as that we need not be under the necessity of rely-
ing for our security on any man or any nation—(hear,
hear)—and he could assure the noble duke who had just
spoken that there was no occasion to be alarmed at any re-
action on the score of expenditure for that purpose taking
place in the minds of the people of England, so long as
great armaments such as at present existed were maintained
on the continent of Europe. (Hear, hear.) When the war
in Italy came to a termination and those armaments were
decreased, it would be time enough to look for that change
of public opinion which the noble duke seemed to appre-
hend. He did not mean to contend that this country would
be invaded by France, but he knew with how little certainty
the most far-seeing statesman could predict the real course
of events, as was evinced by the tact that they could be in-
duced to place no faith in the anticipations to which he and
his friends had given expression during the great free-trade
struggle as to the possibility, after a peace of 30 years, of
war again breaking out. A war had nevertheless been
waged in 1854 of the most sanguinary character, and it was
in the contest which was then carried on that, in his opi-
nion, the seeds of the present hostilities were sown. Who,
with those facts before his eyes, could be so bold as to 'say
that there was no possibility of England being invaded by
France ? (Hear.) For his own part he would hot be so
rash as to arrive at any such conclusion, and he should
therefore earnestly impress upon his noble friend the First
Lord of the Admiralty the necessity of rendering as effi-
cient as possible those " wooden walls" which his noble
• and learned friend who opened the discussion had so justly
designated as the main defence of the country. In order to
secure that object it was expedient, as his noble and learned
friend had suggested, that there should be an ample supply
of efficient seamen, and he therefore trusted the existing
rules in relation to employment in the merchant service
would be so far modified as to attain that end.
The subject then dropped, and their lordships adjourned
at eight o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the• chair at four o'clock.

NEW MEMBERS.

Mr. Bagwell took the oaths and his seat fpr Clonme'
and Colonel Powlet Somerset for Monmouthshire.

PRIVATE BUSINESS

GRIEVE'S DISABILITIES REMOVAL BILL.

----- . _ _
On the motion for the first reading of this bill, which
came down from the Lords,
Mr. STEWART moved that the bill should be read a
first time in ten days.
Sir G. GREY considered it would be advisable to read
the bill a first time, and when printed it could be carefully
analysed by hon. members, many of whom were ignorant
of its character.

After some conversation the amendment was withdrawn
and the bill was read a first time.

TENANT COMPENSATION (IRELAND).
Mr. MAGUIRE presented petitions from Cork and Kit
kenny in favour of the adoption of a measure for compen
sation for improvements by tenants in Ireland.