Glasgow Courier. — 1860-07-26 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

DEFENCES.  LORD PALMERSTON had on Monday evening a most important and delicate duty to perform. He was called, as First Minister of the Crown, to ask from the House of Commons the means of providing defences for this country against even the possibility of attack by a powerful neighbour. And that under peculiar circumstances. In the first place, no British statesman ever trusted French forbearance and honour more than Lord Palmerston has of late done. He who on Tuesday evening justified his demand for nine millions to fortify our national dockyards and arsenals by warning the country in terms of no ordinary point and pith of at least possible danger from French ambition, is the same statesman who lately hunted with Napoleon 111. at Compeigne; who committed political suicide by bringing in the famous Conspiracy Bill, so abhorrent to independent national feeling. who, as Premier, sanctioned that last national folly, a Commercial Treaty which gives great advantages to France at the expense of this country; who has, in short, on every occasion of late pandered to the wishes of Imperial France and her astute ruler, and evinced a blind confidence in the disinterestedness of French alliance and the sincerity of French pro. fessions. In the next place, Lord Palmerston is at the head of a Cabinet which numbers among its members Mr Gladstone and Mr Milner Gibson, and leans in no inconsiderable degree upon the favour, or at any rate the forbearance, of John Bright, the newly attached friend of Mr Gladstone, the ac. knowledged mouthpiece in Parliament of the Peace Society, and the sworn enemy of all defensive expenditure, however urgently demanded by common sense. Thus circumstanced, politically and personally, Lord Palmerston found himself on Monday forced to a duty which we believe, whatever his political conduct of late may have indicated, was in reality neither foreign to his real feelings nor opposed to his judgment. Yes, we are convinced that for many years Lord Palmerston has not felt so much in his element as when on Tuesday evening, from the floor of St. Stephen's Hall, he hurled strong words of deii, ance across the Channel, and evoked enthusiastic applause from assembled Parliament by his pointed allusions to, and denunciations of, the tendencies of French ambition. That enthusiasm has undoubtedly found an echo in the heart of the country at large, for no tree Briton can feel sorry that the national voice should have sounded so clearly and. honestly. But we cannot repress a feeling of dissatisfaction that through such a mouthpiece that voice sounded—that so inconsistent a Minister should have uttered the words of thunder. From other lips than Lord Palmerston's these words should have more appropriately come—from lips which,while'never rousing needless alarm or unduly depreciating national resources, ha always warned the country of the paramount dutx4of seeing to its defences without delay, aid sounded a stern "beware" in the ears of its enemies abroad. But since it was not so to be, we are at all events glad that the right note has been struck, and hopeful that the day of apathy as to the possible, we had almost written probable, emergencies of the future has set, at least for a time. John Bright may prate about peace, but he will stand well-nigh alone. Even his familiar friends will lift up their voice against him; for the party at whose head he is is not totally destitute of men whose patriotism shall, in the day of pressure, be able to overbear their political prejudices. On such a subject even his persuasive eloquence will fail to mislead the masses. The nation —peers and commoners, agriculturists and artisan —is not at this moment susceptible to the blandishments of the Peace Society of which John Bright is the apostle. It does subscribe to a Peace Society; but it is one on whose armorial shield are emblazoned in bold relief the Royal Arms, whose badges are Enfield Rifles, and whose motto is "we join to protect." This being so, we shall be curious to see how Mr Bright trims his sails in the matter of defensive national preparations, so as not to be completely lost sight of in the present state of popular feeling. Our remarks as to the details of the resolution moved by Lord Palmerston on Monday, the debate as to which is adjourned till next week, need to-day be very brief indeed. It is proposed, in accordance with the suggestions of a Royal Commission who have studied the whole question, to spend nine millions—such is the present estimate for the works—on the fortifications of certain important points of the country, viz., particular dockyards and arsenals. Right. Had the suggestion been that the entire line of our coast should be rep. larly fortified,, we must have given a different opinion—for the fleet must always be the guard of our coasts; but there is very good reason that the depots in which the material of war is stored, and the yards in which the navy is constructed or repaired, should be specially protected by fortifications, for the double object of increased safety and the economising of man-power in the event of invasion. Then as to the method by which the needful millions are to be raised by terminable annuities to be extinguished in thirty years, it is certainly but fair that posterity should pay their share of the outlay, for the works to be undertaken are to be of solid and durable character; and it would be grossly unfair to saddle us in this day with such extraordinary expenditure. We may not go the length of saying that the plan suggested is the best that could have been conceived; but it is at least so far correct in proceeding on the principle of postponed payment.