The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1845-05-09
Extract from Sir Robert Peel's speech at III.
opening of the session.
, eronra-in-ni,=-'sniit

opening Of the session.
:" The army that you possess is very ex-
pensive and complicated machine, and you
may depend upon it you will not consult
true economy if you permit it to be disloca-
Ted and deranged by attempts at reduction
without calculation of facts. Now, in the |
year 1852, which has frequently been re-
ferred TO as the criterion of what our military
establishments ought TO be--in the year
1882 you had % colonial dependencies; in
the year 1920 you had 81 colonial depen-
dencios; and in the present year (ls45) the
colonies (Which were % in 1922 have in
creased to 45. II is the number of your
colonies, and the dispersion of forces en-
ployed in them, that leads to the necessity
of frequent relief, and imposes on you with
reference 10 your army particularly, as dis
tinguished from the armies of the continen-
tai powers, in order to maintain the efficiency
of that force, considerable annual expend- |
ture. 1t may be said that it is injurious to
possess our colonial empire; but deal with
the fact that you have colonies-that YOU
must provide a competent force for each,
and that, having competent force, you
must have some supply for the relief of them.
Sir, should be unwilling, though l know
our colonies are expensive, and know they
will give troublc-I should be unwilling to
give up that policy which led to the founda-
tion in different parts of the globe of depen-
denotes animated by the spirit of Engishmen,
speaking the English language, and laying
the foundation, perhaps, in future time, Of
populous and important commercial states.
Hear, hear] Looking to our own popula-
tion, looking 10 its numbers, looking TO its
enterprise, | cannot say that think it is N
unwise to provide an outlet for that popula-
ton and that enterprise. Hear, and cheers.
And though it may be attended at times
with something of expense, you must re-
member, however that may be, the fact that
you have at the present moment 45 colonies,
for the military defence of which you must
provide. For the service of each of the As Il
colonies you have force, consisting, first,
of three battalions of guards, 6,50O cavalry,
rank and file, and you have one hundred and
twelve battalions of infantry, consisting, rank
and file, of $4,000 men; and that is the
amount of the British army with which YOU
are to garrison all these forty-ive colonies,
with which we are to provide against occa-
sional internal commotion, and the chance
'f foreign attack, and to provide also for the
Internal service Of this country. And this is
o be effected, and is effected, by an infantry
orce of l2 battalions, amounting to 81, 500,
ank and file. Now, what is the rule esta-
,lished with regard 10 relief? The rule is .
his. That regiment shall remain ten
ears abroad and five at home; and will any
me say that is an unreasonable regulation
hat it would be desirable for the efficiency :,
# the army that any regiment in the British !
ervce should remain more than ten years
broad, or that it should not have the advan-
age ofremaining fire years at homer [Hearl1