u iv.Ens.u. MILITARY TRAINING.
[To en EDITOR 07 in .13ssersros."1 Bra,—In looking this week through Macaulay's History of Ragland I oame across the subjoined passage relating to the treat or pamphlet issued by Lord Somers in the time of William III. on the subject of a Standing Army. It struck me as having some bearing upon our own timee. Happily our shores are safe up to the present, but the immunity from invasion which they enjoy is due, of course, to the Navy. Assuming that through any untoward circumstances oar Grand Fleet were withdrawn from the North Sea and advantage taken by the enemy to effect a landing in force with, we may assume, hie own corps deltic, would not our less trained troops be placed at a great disadvantage? Their valour is of course undoubted, and happily their training improves day by day ; bnt when we consider how willingly the Kaiser would sacrifice thousands of his own best and bravest to gain even a temporary footing upon our shores and work havoc as far as he could reach, should not ouch be an additional argument in favour of systematic popular training for war, as well as cause for unmitigated thankfulness that we have been allowed such period of preparation as that which we have been
privileged hitherto to enjoy P—I am, Sir, &c., W. S.
"The same lessen Somers drew from the history of Rome; and every scholar who really understands that history will admit that he was in the right The finest militia that ever existed was probably that of Italy in the third century before Christ. It might have been thought that seven or eight hundred thousand fighting men, who assuredly wanted neither natural courage nor public spirit, would have been able to protect their own hearths and altars against an invader. An invader came, bringing with him an army small and exhausted by a march over the snows of the Alps, but familiar with battles and sieges. At the head of this army be traversed the peninsula to and fro, gained a succes- sion of victories against immense numerical odds, slaughtered the hardy youth of Latium like sheep, by tens of thousands, encamped under the walls of Rome, continued during sixteen years to maintain himself in a hostile country, and was never dislodged till he had by a cruel discipline gradually taught his adversaries how to resist hbn. It was idle to repeat the names of great battles won, in middle ages, hymen who did not make war their chief culling; those battles proved only that one militia might beat another, and not that a militia could beat a regular army. As idle was it to declaim about the camp of Tilbury. We bad indeed reason to be proud of the spirit which all classes of Englishmen, gentleman and yeomen, peasante and burgesses, had so signally displayed in the great crisis of 1588. But we had also reason to be thankful that, with all their spirit, they were not brought face to face with the Spanish 'battalions. 80171071d related an anecdote, well worthy to be remembered, which had been preserved by tradition in the noble house of De Vele. One of the most illwstrious men of that house, a captain who had acquired much experience and mach fame in the Netherlands, had, in the crisis of peril, been summoned beak to England by Elizabeth, and rode with her through the endless ranks of shouting pikemen. She asked what he thought of the army. 'It is,' be said, 'a brave army.' There was something in his tone or manner which showed that he meant more than his words expressed. The Queen insisted on his speaking out. • Madam,' he said, 'Your Grace's army in brave indeed. I have not in the world the name of a coward ; and yet I am the greatest coward here. All these fine fellows are praying that the enemy may land, and that there may be a battle ; and n who know that enemy well, cannot think of such a battle without dismay.' De Vera was doubtless in the right. The Duke of Parma, indeed, would not have subjected our country ; but it is by no means improbable that, if he had effected a leading, the island would have been the theatre of a war greatly resembling that which Hannibal waged in Italy, and that the invaders would not have been driven out till many cities had been sacked, till many counties had been wasted, and till multitudes of our stout-hearted rustics and artisans had perished in the carnage of days not less terrible than those of Thrasymene and Cannae."—Ifacaulay'a History of England, chap. xxiii.
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