ttt Etitar.
DEFENCE OF THE COUNTRY.
_December 7th, 1858.
Sin—Much as I may agree with you in your observations upon our tick- lish relatione with the present Government of France in your able article, headed " Montalerabert and-Compiegne," in your number of the 27th ult., yet I cannot disguise from myself that the honest expressions of a free-people through the medium of a free press must be highly distasteful to the parti- sans of despotism in every part of Europe. It is therefore incumbent upon us seriously to consider what means we have at our disposal effectually to resist invasion, should invasion be ever attempted. We have on record the opinion of the late illustrious Duke of Wellington, in his celebrated letter to Sir John Burgoyne, dated Strathfieldsaye, January
9th, 1817 (published in the February number of the United Service Magazine of the following year) that, in case the British navy should ever, from any reason, be incompetent to command the English channel, our military force is inadequate to defend the country; and he made the following truth-
ful observation, viz.—" -We hear a great deal of the spirit of the people of
England, for which no man entertains higher respect than I do. But unor- ganized, undisciplined, without systematic subordination established and
well understood, thin spirit, opposed to the fire of musketry and cannon, and to sabres and bayonets of disciplined troops, would only expose those animated by such spirit to confusion and destruction." The great Duke calculated that the Channel Islands—besides the militia of each island well organized, trained, and diaciplined—together with Ply-
mouth, Milford Haven, Cork, Portsmouth, Dover, Sheerness Chatham and the Thames, would require amongst them a garrison of 65,000 men which wonld abeorb nearly the whole of our military force, and leave, therefore no army available to meet the enemy in the field, whether in Great Britaill or in Ireland; and the experienced warrior concludes his letter, having pre-
viously stated that "we have no defence, no hope of defence, excepting in our fleet," in the following pathetic words ; viz. "I am bordenng upon seventy-seven years of age, passed in honour. I hope that the AlreightY may protect me from being the witness of the tragedy which I cannot per- suade my centemporaries to take measures to avert." With such an authority as that of the greatest general of the age upon our defenceless position, it is absolutely infatuation on our part as a nation any longer to neglect the reestablishmentof the ancient and constitutional militia ; which in many respects was similar to the National Guard now in existence in most of those countries of Europe that enjoy a representative form of goverrunent.
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