OUR NATIONAL DEFENCES.
Sin—The Spectator has of late, more than any journal with which I am acq.uainted, powerfully advocated sound and patriotic views of England's position, and of her duties towards herself and the other nations of Europe. In the number of last Saturday, you emphatically exclaim, "Prepare, pre- pare prepare to obviate the calamities with which the coming year is big." To tins, I, like many other lovers of the free institutions of my country, earnestly cry, Amen. But, despite the confident tone as to our national de- fences in a leading article in the limes, and in a letter signed "Peter Simple," in the Chronicle of last Monday, I, for one, cannot feel assured that England is prepared, or even seriously preparing. In each of these journals, the Militia is counted upon as one of the important items of secu- rity. Peter Simple affirms that, supposing the French were to land at Portland, in a few days, 20,000 regulars together with 80,000 Militia would be ready to receive them. This, as far as the Militia is concerned, is a sad delusion. There is scarcely a Militia regiment of the United Kingdom which has more than two-thirds of its nominal strength, and many have not yet been brought up to half their complement. A certain number of Militia regiments, the commanders of which have influence at the Horse Guards, have, it is true, been embodied about eighteen months, but a large proportion of the men who have entered these regiments have been "worked out," as it is called, into the regular Army ; and including the raw and boyish recruits in these regiments, there is not one of them nearly complete as to numbers. The other, and by far larger proportion of the Militia regiments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, have been out rest autumn for a three weeks' training ; just time enough to teach the men superficially their A B C and how to march past tolerably well on an in- spection-day. But the essential duties of soldiers cannot be taught in three ' or even in thrice three weekw; and moreover, these unformed regiments are still armed with the old, and now worse than useless, Brown Besses" Then, as regards the officer!, what are they like ? For the most part, they are totally ignorant of them business and duties. Many may know their places in mere parade battalion movements, but that is all. Besides, several Militia regiments are commanded by antiquated gentlemen, who are obliged to trust entirely to their adjutants or sergeant-majors, even for any words of command beyond those daily used on the parade-ground. In short, ex- perience emboldens me to assert, that to trust to our Militia as a body would be to rely on a broken reed. Some regiments are unfairly petted, to the benefit only of a class of featherbed officers, whilst the true Militia soldier is disgusted by unnecessary repetitions of drill. Other regiments, again, are denied the proper weapons and the opportunities of military training.
What are John Bright and the so-called patriotic men of peace about, that they never say a word in favour of a real Militia? I fear he is as ignorant of the state of things on the Continent as he, undoubtedly, is of the ' lessons of history. Probably he has never heard or read of the Swiss Militia
so truly efficient for defensive, so weak for aggressive purposes. It is just the thing for the peace party. If he would raise his eloquent voice to advocate a Militia reform, borrowing hints from the practical Swiss, he might be of real use to his country.
A Royal Commission has been appointed_ last summer to take into con- sideration the improvement of the Militia. To judge by the circular of questions to the commandant of Militia regiments, there will be no real reform of.the Militia system unless the public should take more interest in the question. What the country, and what all public spirited Militia officers want, is to seefavouritiam checked, and equal treatment with thorough
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