The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-02 00:00:00

DEFENCE OF CANADA.

(From the Montreal Courier.)
An article appeared, in a late number of the United
Service Magazine, relative to the defence of Canada, in
the event of a war with the 'United States, which has
called forth some observations from the New York
Courier and Enquirer. The writer of the article in the
United Service Journal is an officer of our artillery, who
claims to be an authority on this subject, from having
spent a long time in this colony. It is possible that he
may; we suppose he would not say so if he had not ;
and, from his profession, he ought to know more of
these things than we can be supposed to do; but we
must, nevertheless, be permitted to differ from him most
materially upon many points.
This artillery officer assumes that there are three
parties in Canada—" one is staunch to the British rule,
another is favourable to the Americans, and the third
wish for having Canada an independent country"—we
believe in the existence of no such two parties as the two
last-mentioned; we do not believe that a hundred people
in the colony (unless some United States settlers or their
descendants, perhaps), wish to have anything to do with
the United States; neither do we believe that a dozsn
people in the colony are foolish enough to believe that
Canada could be an independent country. The popula-
tion of Canada, taken as a whole, are better informed
than the people of England, and they know very well
that Canada could not at present maintain its indepen-
dence, even if it had, unassisted by any foreign power,
the strength to achieve it.
If the artillery officer or the editor of the Courier and
Enquirer thinks that the mass of the Canadian people,
or even any large portion of them, are disaffected to-
wards the mother country, they are very much mis-
taken. Our local political squabbles are just, on a smaller
scale, the political squabbles of the parties known as
Conservatives and Liberals at home. Any foreign enemy
who should reckon on the aid of disaffected parties at
home, in a war with England, would find himself woe-
fully in error.
Ours are merely family disputes, which would be for-
gotten in an instant were there signs of foreign aggres-
sion. The same is the case in Canada: there may be,
and probably are, a few visionaries who indulge them-
selves in day-dreams of the glories of a Canadian re-
public, and have delightful visions of themselves seated
in the presidential chair, but the mass of the people are
sound to the heart's core; and in this opinion we have
no doubt but that some of our brethren of the press of
opposite politics will be found to coincide with us. Ask
the editors of the Toronto Globe and Examiner, the two
leading ultra-liberal papers, what they think of repub-
licanism? That Canada will at some future day be in-
dependent of the mother country we have no doubt, and
with England's goad-will and consent, but that there is
any party in the colony, worthy the name of a party, that
wish for it now, we utterly deny.
The officer of artillery says the French Canadians
would probably be found " less loyal than could be
wished.' Our opinion, on the contrary, is, that should
we go to war with America, the French Canadians will
be found among the most forward defenders of the pro-
vince. That circumstances occurred in this colony
during years past to which we have no desire to recur,
which had the effect of rendering the French Canadians
dissatisfied, is well known. But we believe that the pre-
sent wise system of government carried out by Lord
Metcalfe, and the evident desire of the British Govern-
ment to do justice, and ample justice, to the French Ca-
nadians, are removing that feeling, if, indeed, it is not
already removed.
The French Canadians, during the war of 1812, &c.,
showed themselves valiant and good soldiers. We con-
ceive that no better material out of which to make good
troops exist on this continent. Besides this, they are
accustomed to the climate, care neither for heat in
summer nor cold in winter. Why, we would ask,
should not Frenchmen in Canada make as good soldiers
as Frenchmen in France ?
As to the employment of Indians in war, it strikes us
that our friends the Americans need not be under much
alarm. All the Indians likely to be employed in war by
the British Government, these terrible Mohawks, Hurons,
&e., are now Christians, pretty nearly as civilised as the
white subjects of their " Great Mother," and have quite
forgotten all their " scalping" and " torturing"—we
don't think a dozen tomahawks could be found in the
colony. The Indians far away in the North West may
still be inclined to indulge in their old cruel practices,
but are not likely to be brought into contact with the
Americans should hostilities occur. ,
When the artillery officer spoke of the pride of the
Americans in being militia men, and their love of train-
ing-day, it was a pity he had not before him two or three
papers that are now lying before us ; two or three of the
most respectable New York journals, in which this
militia training is spoken of in terms of the greatest
contempt, and declared to be the abhorrence of the
people.
We very much doubt the fact of the Americans being
on the whole such good riflemen as they were in the
last war. The rifle is the weapon of the borderer and
the hunter, and these men are not now swarming on our
frontier as they were in 1812. We doubt whether the
rifle is more used now in the civilised and cultivated
States, such as Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts,
than it is in any English counties. There is no game,
or next to none, to afford scope for the use of balls—the
rifle and the game have gone West together. That the
English troops are generally bad shots, we cannot
deny—that is the fault of the captains of companies, who
think target practice a horrid bore, and blaze awe? the
practice ammunition as hard as they can, to get the job
ever, without taking any pains to instruct the men; but
ressne will say that they are not good at the bayonet.
_tilitavy oKekr* in Canada are very apt to form erro-
neous opsnion% of colony, its inhabitants, and its
capabilities. It' sngland had nothing to rely upon for
the defence of this c0:C72,7 bat the regular trocp whiph
she could spare from other ?taco, ;he could not keep
Canada six months, In the actions of the last war a
of fighting fell to the wp of the militia—but
was principally given to the regulars. If
the
eod credit deal of
England wants us again, we, the despised colonists, Will
take good care that while we do our share of the fight-
ing, we will not be deprived of our share of the honour.
There are plenty of men in Canad force paid command
or a larger if necessary.
a battalion in tile field,