On Thursday the debate was resumed by Lord Elcho, who.
spoke leisurely for two hours with his usual easy and conceited good-nature, drinking water for inspiration almost before he had actually begun, shaking his finger a good deal before he made a. point, and smiling a good deal after he had made it. He was strongest in showing that the Government had not near enough. guns for the men they propose to embody,—having, indeed, only just enough for our Army, and none for our Militia, Yeomanry,. and Volunteers. He calculated that 912 field-guns would be- wanted to put the Militia, Yeomanry, and Volunteers properly into the field, with three guns to every thousand men. He showed that the Militia are ill drilled and disciplined, and are recruited from boys under the proper age, often not older than 16 or 17 ;: and he complained that the military authorities had got no hold on the Volunteers. As to Purchase he was very weak,—against it in the abstract, for it in the concrete,—but he denounced the expense- of abolishing it as "the most wicked, the most wanton, the most. uncalled-for waste of the public money that in thirty years of experience I have ever seen," and yet declared he should not vote for the amendment. Of course he made various hits at Mr. Tre- velyan, narrating that when a member was loudly cheering. Mr. Trevelyan's speech on the proposed abolition of purchase, he (Lord Elcho) had said, "I am glad you like it, but do- you know that it will cost the country £10,000,000 down, and at least £500,000 a year for ever." "Now what," continued Lord, Elcho, "was his remark in reply to -this ?" " ' The deuce.'" Ex- cept the argument of expense, Lord Elcho literally said nothing worth notice in defence of purchase, unless that it was a secondary question, and much better left alone.
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