The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-07 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THITRSDA

Members of it, especially Lord G. BENTINCK and
Mr. G. BERKELEY have pursued a course of systematic
insult to the witnesses against the game-laws; and this
being so, it is not difficult to conceive why these gen-
tlemen should have been anxious to keep back the
evidence. No sooner did Mr. BRIGHT announce his
intention of calling a witness, than inquiries were sent
to his locality, with a view t' find out everything which
by any possibility could be made a means of annoyance
to him, and he was subjected to a cross-examination by
Lord G. BENTINCK with which no Old Bailey practice
would compete. A respectable solicitor, who furnished
the Committee with his experience of game. law con-
victions, was harassed with innumerable irrelevant
questions about his professional practice, and then
taunted with being a gaol-bird. Another witness was
in plain terms told by Lord G. BENTINCK that his
morality was very lax, because he could not view
poaching with the full degree of horror which it
kindles in Lord GEORGR'S most innocent mind. A'
tenant of Lord FORESTER'S was subjected to a rigorous
cross examination under the eye and with the constant
promptings of Lord FORESTER'S brother. Such pro-
ceedings as these are surely never contemplated in
Committees of the House of Commons. If information
is to be elicited by Committees, witnesses must be pro-
tected from insult.

No wan can have read the statement which was made
a few nights ago, by Lord PALMERSTON, on the state
of the capacity fur defence of this country, in the event
-of any hostile descent upcn-any part of its coasts, with-
out acknowledging that the Noble Viscount made out an
undeniable case for the adoption of some precautionary
arrangements and preparations—by no means incompa-
tible with the maintenance of our amicable relations
with all the Powers of Europe—but not to be longer
delayed, in the face of certain aspecth presented by the
attitude of a neighbouring State. When Sir ROBERT
PEEL ventured to read the Noble Lord a lectare on the
ill-considered timing of this speech, and put on one of
the long faces of his official prudery, in order to rebuke
his Lordship's imprudence at mooting a matter which
might be deemed so disagreeable in the French Cabinet,
the Right Hon. Baronet must have forgotten that it had
been already much insisted upon at the close of last
session, and recurred to at the commencement of the
present one, by his own leader—the Noble and Gallant
Duke, the Commander-in-Chief. It was quite consistent
with the usual Parliamentary tactics of the Premier, to
endeavour to turn off the attack on the policy of his
Government, implied by the animadversions of Lord
PALMERSTON on the neglect of such precautionary pro-
visions as he directed the Right Hon. Baronet's atten-
tion to, by declaiming on the constitutional aversion of the
people- of England for a large standing army. But
Lord PALMERSTON did not ask for its increase. It was
all in the way of the Premier's manner, to call off the
House's attention from that which it should be directed
to, by taking credit for the fact, that at no time
had our navy been in a 'more efficient condition than
it was at present. It formed ao part of Lord
PALMERSTON'S statement to declare that it had been.
But Sir. ROBERT PEEL gave no tangible assurances—
advanced no counter statements, either to meet the sug-
gestions or to disprove the averments of Lord PALMER-
STON. What was the nature of these averments ? That
France now maintained a standing army of 340,000 men,
fully equipped, with a large cavalry and artillery ; that
in addition to these she had, in Paris, " nearly 1,000,000
of National Guards trained, disciplined, reviewed,
equipped, clothed, and accustomed to all the fatigues and
duties attendant upon a time of war." He reminded
the House that the English Channel could now be
crossed in a few hours, and that the navy of France
was, (in the Noble Lords opinion—we trust and believe
an erroneous one,) `• in every respect superior to ours ;
that she had a steam Davy capable of transporting
2d0,000 men ; harbours inaccessible to any foreign
powers for the safeguard and refuge of this fleet ;" and
" immense bodies of disciplined men around these har-
bours regularly and always stationed." These are very
grave facts undoubtedly ; facts to excite the most serious
reflection. But we do not see that because they are such,
therefore, the Noble Lord is justly amenable to the cen-
sure of Sir ROBERT PEEL, or the silly, sarcasms of cer-
tain French journals, for alluding to them. It is one
thing to create a danger, it is another boldly to look it
in the face when created. Lord PALMERSTON can no
more be justly taxed with a desire to excite, or keep up,
feelings of hostility between this country and France, by
reason of merely touching on these notorious statistics of
foreign forces, than with being the father of the childish
boast in the journals in question, that a French com-
mander would not require more than 40,000 men, after
making a successful descent, to move with upon London
itself. The facts and the foolery are equally beyond his
control.

Now, what were the suggestions that followed upon
( the statements of the Noble Lord ? He assumed that,
notwithstanding the present amicable condition of our
relations with France, questions of extreme delicacy and
difficulty might, at any time, arise, in reference to which
it was highly expedient that we should not be wholly
'unprepared for whatever emergency might arise. On
the contrary, for the more unembarrassed discussion of
these questions we ought to be in a state of efficient pre-
paration. We ought to have harbours. of refuge ; we
ought to have our naval arsenals put in the best condi-
tion of defence. It was said those- several works are in
progress. If it was so, it was matter of just congratula-
tion ; and it was to be' hoped that those preparations
would be vigorously carried out to their full and efficient
completion. But here were the discouraging truths to
be most seriously taken to heart by our Government,
and to be dealt with as they required to be :—First, That
tour own steam navy was still in a very deficient state ;
we had no disciplined bodies of men, stationed near to
the coast, as in France ; and, in case of an invasion
being attempted, it would take at least three months to
get our st9tmtleet intosuch a condition as to be available
torepel the enemy. Secondly, That we had no disposable
military force at hand, independent of that portion of our
limited standing army which was at home, to cope with
any military force that any enemy might once succeed in
landing on our shore. Now, to remedy this deficiency,
the Noble Lord proposed that we should have recour.e
to the most constitutional of all the means of military
armament in this country at all times—namely, the re-
embodiment of our militia. What adequate objection
there can exist to this course we cannot imagine ? The
expense of embodying one-half of that force, and of
giving them the necessary training and equipment,
Would apply only to the soldiers and non-commissioned
officers. There would be no lack of volunteers among
the officers, and officers commanding, to provide
their own equipments, if due encouragement were
extended by the Government to gratuitous
offers of that kind. The country we are sa-
tisfied would, on the one hand, be well content to
bear the necessary charge of such a proceeding ; and on
the other, be fully prepared to require that all existing
branches of the public expenditure not indispensable to
its service, should be required to contribute to, defray
the charge of this, which undoubtedly is of that nature.
As for Sir Robert PEEL'S 50,000 able-bodied pensioners,
so many of them as could be really assembled and orga-
nized for such a purpose would form the best possible
nucleus for a militia force, which they would so essen-
tially assist in bringing rapidly into good discipline and
efficiency. Without some such a militia force—without
seine better guarantee for the immediate construction of
harbours of refuge, and the renovation of our batteries,
arsenals, &c., that we can accept Sir RominVivague pro-
mises for, we shall still conclude with Lord PALMERSTON
that we are utterly short of that condition of prepara-
tion and defence which the extraordinary attitude both
of military and naval organization that is now assumed by
France at once justifies us in adopting, and most as-
suredly precludes her from complaining of.

Madrid papers to the 30th ult. have arrived. According
to the Po.stdata, several persons were arrested at Madrid
on the night of the 29th. Among others an officer
named LUIS SEGASTI is mentioned. The Espectador
states that the Government had given orders to liberate
Messrs. CORRADI and CALVO, the editors of the Clamor
Publico, who were confined in the chateau of St.
Catherine, at Cadiz. The journals vary in the accounts
they give of the objects of the Alalaga conspiracy.
According to some of them it was organised to. General
NOGUERAS, who is at Gibraltar, and its (AIWA 'WSW
to. secure the return of ESPARTERO to power.
According to others, it was merely a c,-,m-
hination for smuggling on a large scale. The
plot had extensivu ramifications throughout Arida-
and courier 3 had been diqatclicd to Jaen, Gre•
nada, and ;.3eville, by the conspirators, to announce the
insurrection. It is stated that some of the leaders of the
plot, including LAItA, a ilelltutiant, and the advocate
CARDERO, brother of CAYEIANO CARDER°, Ihilo pro_
muted the insurrection at Madrid in 1835, have escaped
to Gibraltar. Many persons connected with it have been
arrested, and a letter from Grenada of the 26th states
that the news of the execution of thirteen of them was
hourly expected in that city.

'A telegraphic diEpateh from Bayonne announces that
the Queen of SPAIN and the Court had arrived, on the
2d instant, at St. Sebastian. She only stopped a few
hours at Tolosa.
Since the above was written, we have received the
Madrid journals of the 31st ult., but their contents are
unimportant.

We have received the Paris papers of Tuesday. On
Monday morning Lome Pfzuarrz and the Queen of