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    j^E;:|^,P52.1' .- . THE A| i | AD||. y.;...

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    The Week In Parliament. Loed Jomr Russei...

    inistry- ' ( Cheers ;) Why ; a year ago , upon that game > andard was emblazoned jDo not trust the noble lord the * ernber for the city . ' ( Cheers . ) Sir , we shall survive that « Lt of confidence ; and if the only way in which , the

    Lord Dbeby moved the second reading of the Militia Bill on Tuesday . His speech was but a long and elaborate repetition of those statements and arguments which were made by Ministers in the House of Comm ons . But we note one thing which it is desirable to register - — the Ministerial estimate of M . Bonaparte . " On the first occasion upon which I had the honour of a ddressing your lordships' House in the character of a ^ mister of the Crown , I took occasion to express the belief which I then entertained—a belief which subsequent circ umstanc es have , tended still further to increase and strengthen—in the personal pacific disposition of the present ruler of the French Bepublic . ( Hear . ) If you ask

    me , therefore , whether upon any anticipation ot hostile proceedings from the personal . , disposition of the Prince President I am inclined to call for any additional means of defence , I answer that inquiry with the most distinct and absolute negative . If , however , you go on . to ask me whether I consider that the state of France and of the continent of Europe is so firmly established , and so free fro m the liability of interruption as to render it safe and possible for us to rely for that which may take place in that or in other countries upon the actual disposition of the existing ruler of that country , then I confess I . must express with much moire qualification the degree of confidence which , with regard to the personal disposition of the French ^ President , I have no hesitation in expressing . "

    Having exonerated M . Bonaparte , he insinuated that the people of France were hostile to this country , and therefore was this bill needed . The main of his speech consisted of a description of the provisions of the bill , and criticisms of the -measure of the late Governpient . Lord Lansdowne , onjbehalf of the Whig Opposition , imitated Lord Derby , and urged for the hundredth time tlie objections of Mr , Rich and Lord John Eussell . But the billy though inefficient as a measure of national defence , would be better than no bill . He made , however , the following important admission : —? " He thought it expedient that tyslbw degrees the people of this country should he trained to the use of arms , so that they might be Jit to aid in the defence of a town , or to occupy a garrison in case of an emergency . " But at the same time he declared for the formation

    of an " army of reserve ; " in fact , " an increase of the standing army ; " as the " best and most efficient of all remedies /' The remarkable speech of the night was made by the Duke of Wellington . He said : — "I am certainly the last man to have any hesitation of opinion as to the relative advantages of meeting an enemy with disciplined or with undisciplined or half-disciplined troops . The things aro not to be compared at all . ( Hear , hear . ) With disciplined troops you aro acting with a certain degree of confidence that what they are ordered to perform they will perform . ( Hear , hear . ) With undisciplined troops you can have no such confidence ; on tho

    Contrary , the chances are that they will do the very reverse of what they ore ordered to do . ( Hcar , hear , ' and a laugh . ) But we must look a little at tho state in which wo stand at the present moment . ( Hear , hear . ) This country is at peace with the whole world , except in certain parts , or on the frontiers of its own distant dominions , with which operations of war aro carried on by moans of our poaco establishment . You are now providing for a peace establishment ; you ore at peace with tho whole world ; you are providing for a poaco establishment . I say that peace establishment ought to have been offoctuall y provided for long ago . ( Cheers . ) If i , t had boon , wo should not have hooded now to . be told , as wo havo boon bv tho noble morauis . about tho number of

    days and weeks it will take to train tho militia recruits , of about tho futilit y of expecting anything to the purpose from troops with their three weeks' , or their six weeks , or whalf time it may bo , training . Wo have never , up to this moment , maintained a propor poaco establishment , —that's tho real truth ( hoar , hear ); and wo aro now in that position in which wo find ourselves forced to form a peace establishment such as this country requires . ( Hoar . ) I toll you that for tho last ton years you have never had in your army more men than enough to roliovd the sohtrios on dut y of your stations in the different parts of the w orld ( hoar , hoar ); euch is tho state of your poaco establishment nt tho

    proaont timo ; such has boon tho etato of your poaco ostablishmont for tho last ton' years . ( Hoar , hoar . ) You iiavo boon carryin g on war in all parts of tho globo , in tho "uToront stations , by means of this poaco oBtablislnnont ; you havo now n war at tho Capo , still continuing , which you carry on with your poaoo establishment ; yot on that pfaco establishment I toll you you havo not more men than are enough to roliovo tho sontribs at the different stations in all parts of tho world , and to relievo tho diffownt regiments in tho tropics and olsowhoro , nffcor sorvicos thoro—of how long do you suppose P—of , in florae cases , 25 years , in none Ions than 10 years ( hoar , hoar ) , and , after which , you givo thorn 5 yoars at komo , nominally—for it

    is only nominally in a great many cases . There Were , for instance , the last troops who were sent out to the Cape ; instead of keeping them five years at home , after their long service abroad , I was obliged to send them out after they had only been 16 months at home . ( Hear , hear . ) My lords , I tell you you ' ve never had a proper peace establishment all this time . We are still at peace with all the world ; let us , then , have a peace establishmentbur constitutional peace establishment ; and , when you have got that , see what you will do next . The noble marquis , my no b le friend , if he Will , allow me so to call him , says he thinks he should prefer an army , of , reserve . An army of reserve ! What is an army of reserve ? ( Sear , hear . ) Is it an army to cosfMess than 40 k each man all

    round ? If-he thinks that possible , I tell him that we Can have no such thing . ( Hear , hear . ) But what I desireand I believe it is a desire the most moderate th at can be formed—is , that you shall give us , in the first instance , the old constitutional peace establishment . ( Hear , hear . ) When we have got that , then you may do what you please . The noble marquis says , very truly , that the se 60 , 000 , or 80 , QOO , or 160 , 000 militiamen won * t be fit for service in 6 months , or 1 £ months , or 18 months ; but I say , they'll be fit , at all events , for some service ; and certainly they'll enable us to Employ in the field others who are fit for service ( hear , hear ); and in time they will themselves become fit for service . In the last war we had in service several regiments of English militia , and they were in as high a state of discipline , and as fit for service as any men I ever saw in my lifk ( Hear . )* It was quite impossible

    to have a body of troops in higher Order , or in higher discipline , or more fit for discipline than these bodies of British militia were at . the commencement of the present century up to 1810 ; they were as fine corps as ever were seen ( hear , hear ); and , I say , no doubt these bodies of 50 , 000 men or 80 , 000 men , whatever the number may be , will be so too , in the course of time . ( Hear , hear . ) Everything has its beginning , and this is a commencement . You must make a begiiming here , and see that it will take some months before you can form reserve regiments . ( Hear , hear . ) The armies of England , who have served the country so well , are your lordships so mistaken as to suppose that they were ever composed of more tnan one-third of real British subjects—of natives of this island ? Mo such thing . ( Btearj hear . ) Look at the East Indies . If ot more than one-third of the soldiers there are such

    British subjects . Look at the JPeninsuia ; not one-third ot the men employed there were ever British soldiers . Yet I beg your lordships to observe what Services those soldiers performed . ( Hear , hear . ) They fought great battles against the finest troops in the world ; they Went prepared to face everything—ay , and to be successful against everything , or this country would not have borne with them . ( Hear ,-hearX Not one-third of those armies were British troops , but they were brave troops , and not merely brave —for I believe every man is brave—but well-organized troops . Take the battle of Waterloo ( hear , hear ) ; look at the number of British troops at that battle . I can tell your lordships that in that battle there were 16 battalions of Hanoverian militia , just formed , under the command of the late Hanoverian ambassador here—Count KielmansQgge—who be haved most admirably ( hear , hear ); and there were many other foreign troops who nobly aided us in that battle , avowedly the battle of giants ( hear , hear ) ,

    whose operations helped to bring about the victory which was followed by the peace of Europe , that has now lasted for 32 or 34 years . ( Hear , hear . ) I say that however much I admire highly-disciplined troops , and most especially British disciplined troops , I tell you you must not suppose that others cannot become so too ( hear , hear ); and . no doubt , if you begin with tho formation of corps under this Act oi Parliament , they will in timo become what their predecessors in tho militia wore ; and if ever they do become what tho former militia wero , you may roly on it they will perform all tho services they may bo roquired to perform . ( Hear , hear . ) I recommend you to adopt this measure as the commencement of a , completion of the peace establishment . ( Hear , hear . ) It will give you a constitutional force ; it will not bo , at first , or for some time , pvorything we could desire , but by decrees it will becomo what you want—an efficient auxiliary iorco to tho regular army . ( Hear , hoar . )"

    Lord Grey followed the line marked out by Lord Lansdowne . But he also made ono useful admission . " About tho timo hia noblofriend made his proposal fchero was a general disposition throughout tho country to form riflo corps . Applications were roceivod from many quarters for leave to do so , and it was agreed that those riflo corps Bhould bo recognised on the condition that thoy wore recommended by the lord-lioutonants of the counties to which thoy belonged , and that thoy found their own arms . Ho had reason to boliovo that upon those terms volunteer corps would havo boon formed to a groat extent ; and , while they would havo relieved the counties in which thoy woro from a militia , thoy would havo added to tho safety and socurity of tho country . Biflo practice would havo become the amusomont of young men , just like tho use of tho bow in tho days of our ancestors ; and by this means thoy would torco indeedwith

    havo had a vory offootivo description or , whom tho mare mercenaries to le raised under tho present Militia Bill could not for a moment bo compared . ( He » ir . ) By tho olootrio tolograph and railroads thoy could havo in tlio courso of forty-eight hours after invasion a vory largo proportion of , those voluntoors collected ; and though thoy might not bo able to execute compact ; manoeuvres , or stand tho shook of battlo bolbro tho disciplined troops of Franco or Russia , yot Buroly those young mnn of England , supporting such rogular troops and artillory as- thoy had at their disposal , would bo a formidable force in a oaso of omorgoncy . ( Hoar , hoar . ) Tho Govorninont , ho believed , had refused tho sorvico of voluntoors lost thoy should intorforo with tho voluntary enlistment of men for tho militia ; but ho must say thai ; that view was founded on an ontiro misconception . Thoy could not conceive that men ablo to find thoir own arms would voluntoer into tho militia for flyo years

    permanent service . They might be able to form their militia without the ballot , but it would be by persons very different from these , and he believed , therefore , they hadcommitted a great error by refusing the volunteer corps . ' , He wound up by objecting to the Bill , that it would leave the country in a worse state of defence than if no Bill had been passed . Lord Ei / lesmebe supported the bill , and it was read a second -time- ; without a division or a hostile motion . The bill went quietly through committee on ThurSrday . LORD MALMESBURY ABANDONS HIS B 0 NAPAETISI 7 CONVENTION BILL .

    Lord Brougham ( who had previously attempted , but without success , to bring this subject before the house on Monday ) said , their lordships would have saved some three quarters of an hour by permitting his question to have been put and answered with a simple " yea" or " nay . " He referred to the state of the French law , and . repeated that it was as he had stated it to be last week . He implored his noble friends opposite , before the next stage of the bill , to reconsider the propriety , which lie would strongly urge upon them , of withdrawing the measure . ( Hear , hear . ) They had the best possible opportunity of doing so , on account of the total change in the law of France which had taken place upon the very subject of extradition since the convention was entered into . ( Hear , bear . )

    The Earlof Malmesbury said * he had come down to the House , intending to inform their lordships at the proper moment that the Government had thought fit , at present , to withdraw this bill . ( Cheers . ) After what the noble and learned lord had said , he scarcely need refer to his own statement on Friday night , as to the law of France . That statement had originated in an error of the person who wrote the despatch on this subject—an error which our ambassador at Paris had

    requested him to explain in the way he had done . Before leaving the subject he wished to state that it would be extremely dangerous to continue the act of Parliament under the new law which had been passed in France . ( Hear , hear . ) In the first place , they could not properly understand the full bearing of that measure . As far as he understood it at present , the French Government meant to claim any criminal in any part of the world wherever he had committed an offence , even if that offence were not committed on French

    ground . Lord Brougham—And though the party be not a Frenchman ? Lord Maimesbury— - Just so , Lord Brougham—An Englishman , in London even , would bo liable under it . Lord Mazmesbury wished to avoid any discussion on the provisions of the French law ; but he had meant to take the earliest opportunity of informing their lordships that the Government intended to withdraw the bill .

    Lord Brougham said , that nothing could be more satisfactory than this course , and nothing could be more complete than the justification of the noble earl for so acting . Ho could do no other , after finding that he had been misinformed as to tho actual state of the French law . The new law was , that nn Englishman , for an offence committed in London , or alleged to be so committed , might be brought to trial in Franco , and

    dealt with by tho French authorities . ( Hear , hear . ) It was not for the first time that a law of this sort was propounded in France ; it was in a great measure the same under the Emperor Napoleon , in 1808 , when Franco , England , and Europe wero in totally different circumstances . Since then , owing to that diversity of circumstances , the law hail been a dead letter ; but it was now revived , and with a vory material extension , having reference to misdemeanours as well as other

    . Lord Lynditurst said , that by tho oxisting French law , supposing the bill before the Houso to have been earned , an Englishman might havo been apprehended horo after lie had been in Park ( Hear , hear . )

    CORRUPT PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS BILL . In the House of Lords this bill wa » vory much damaged by ministerial amendments . There was a smart discussion on Monday boforo tho House went into committee , on tho motion of Lord Lansdowwb . Lord Deuuy proposed an an amendment to the first clause , that the words , " Address of the IIouho of Commons , " should bo , omitted ; und tho words , " A Joint Address of both Houbcs of Parliament , " bo substituted ; an amendment which would prevent the Houso of Commons from proceeding to inquire- into any alleged corrupt practices at elections without tho consent of the Upper House Tho mnondment wan vigorously opposed , but on a division it wuh carried by 78 to 34 .

    On claUHo 0 , which gave tho commissioners power to inquiro whothor thoro had boon corrupt practices at elections "for such a period retrospectively oa thoy

    J^E;:|^,P52.1' .- . The A| I | Ad||. Y.;...

    j ^ E ; : |^ , P 52 . 1 ' .- . THE A | i | AD || . y . ; y ; V 57 ? ¦

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 19, 1852, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_19061852/page/5/