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    the precedents of past times , go back to the middle ages , and tell the House of precedents of Indians yrith ttieir soalpieg knives and tomaha-wks ; but as civilisation advanced , nations and Governments were endeavouring to mitigate the painful practices wifcH which war was carried on ; and he CM * . 3 VL . Gibson' ) maintained that the whole course of public trer >^<» , and municipal law in par ^ a *** state . * , k * il Deen -to utterly condemn th « -. v « tom of carrying on war by paid and hireling mercenaries , who would serve any side , and eould not be said to have any interests or sympathy in that partioular war . If it were pointed out that some power ; or some foreign nation , was willing to allow its subjects to be enlisted by this country for the purpose of making war ¦ with . Russia , and yet maintain its neutrality—which was a principle contended for by somethen he asserted that it was a dangerous principle to lay down . If this was the principle of the bill—if Russia were to hire privateers from the United States ( cheers ) , would they not be told that any country might let out its men and forces without forfeiting its neutrality , and that a British Parliament had laid down this principle ? ( Cheers . ) He had heard it said that a country may lend its troops to carry on war with another country without forfeiting its neutrality , provided there was some existing treaty antecedent to hostilities , and which had not been made with reference to the particular war then pending . If this was the case , where was the country with which this nation had sueh a treaty that it was entitled to go into that country aud raise troops for the war with Russia ? That country ought to be named , for it could be tio secret . It ought not to be difficult to be found . He said that either Government had no treaty with any such country which entitled them to enlist its subjects to carry on the war with Russia , or if there were no such country with which treaties of this kind were in existence , they were about , by ¦ this bill , to embark on a course of policy most dangerous to the future biterests of Englandto multiply wars beyond all precedent , and to involve persons who desired to be neutral , in spite of themselves , in existing hostilities . They might involve some small neutral State in . a . war with . Russia , and ¦ would incur obligations to send troops to defend thatsmall country , and have , other duties besides those of defending the Ottoman empire ; or they would have to leave that country to take care of itself , which had brought on it the indignation of the Czar fcy lending its troops to carry on the war . A . case of necessity , no doubt , was endeavoured to be made out by the noble lord who moved the second reading of the bill . He told the House that this country was engaged in a war with a great military power , anil that it had with it a just cause and the sympathy of the world , but that it wanted numbers . The noble lord appeared to forget that they had a great military ally . The noble lord forgot to mention

    the Ottoman Power , with its immense forces . He ( Mr . Milner Gibson ) could not belfcve that two great countries like England and France with the force : ! of Turkey , wei ^ e reduced .-to such a state that they were dependent upon the importation of a diminutive supply of < xe , rman mercenaries . No member of Government had given a sufficient , explanation to the House to justify him in giving his support to the hill , lie believed that the measure was unsound in principle , and calculated to be iujurious to . the permanent interests of tlio country , and hud como to the deliberate conclusion that it was his duty to record his vote against this bill , and to use every parliamentary means in his power to prevent it passing into law . 11 ( Cheers front tfiv Opposition Ihi / cIus . ) Mr . J . G . Puiu-imork opposed the bill .

    Mr . Sidney HEiWEnx replied to Mr- Gibson , and jxistiflcd the throat of resignation . Lord Stanley thought it absurd that tlvo population of twenty-six millions could bo exhausted by the enlistment of 200 , 000 men . If tho British recruits were too young-, the Germans—the disbanded soldiers whom the Government hoped to obtain—would be too old . As for the threatened resignation , he wondered at that , from a Government which had calmly borne tho loss of the lleform Bill and tho Kducutipn Bill . Tho bill was then supported by SirJ . iFiTKGBitA ^ D . Tjord Pauwskston made an elaborate defence .

    Mr . DisjiAiiLi thon urged thes inutUUy of the measure as tlio support was not wanted . Tho nobio lord appeared to forget the alliance with tho greatest military nation in the world . Ho then paid a considerable tributo to tho French and to their Emperor , and explained that tho English troops did not objoofc to fight with foreigners , but they did object to fight with mero mercenaries . Ho then road various extracts from tho Duke of Wellington ' s despatchep , for tlio purpose of showing how uhoIosh mere foreign recruits wore . Tho French had n foreign logion in tho Crimea , ono member of which deserted to tho cnomy , and , by hia information , occasioned tho buttlo of Inkcriuiui . Tho hou . gentleman concluded by saying : —

    " Siiicu tho expedition iitfainut Sicily by tho Allioliiuns , 1 do not know that t . lwro over van an expedition from which no much was uxpeoti-i . l , or upon which no much wn-fl Ntaked . There in , unhappily , in thu oominvnecmont . of both tliomi expedition * , l , in » much niinilarity . Tho schoiricrH worn HiTogiuit , boastful , and ovcr-Binijjjuine . Thoro were too mimy gouc-mlrf iu the Sicilian

    expedition—there -was too little cavalry . Tfcore was a winter campaign , and there was no reserve- When gentlemen go into the country in a few days—I understand we axo . to Tbe absent a m . Fntn—there may be moments when the ha **" exhausted , and when tbere "may 'be a froo * f fowjK )—I recommend gentlemen to refresh their memory , by turning- to the pages of Thncydides . I recommend them to read the despatch of Nicias to the Athenian Assembly , when he says , ' Men of Athens , I know that you do not like to hear the truth , but understand this—yon sent me out to "be a besieger , but , lo ! I am

    besieged . ' Jiow , sir , we know what was tlie end of the Sicilian expedition . May that Divine Providence that has "watched over the inviolate island of the sage and the free , save us from a similar conclusion ! But , at least , let us do now what the Athenians did even in their proud despair . They sacrificed to tlie gods , and appealed to the energies of their eountrymen . We are at a moment not , I believe , of equal danger—we are in a situation which I pray may end in triumph , but still a situation of doubt , of terrible anxiety , even of angnishwe bring in a bill in order to enlist foreign mercenaries to vindicate the fortunes of England . " ( Loud cheers . ")

    After some feeble opposition from Mr . Mr / Nxz and Mr . ]> EEX ) E 3 , Lord John Hussein reviewed , in a somewhat angry manner , the arguments of the Opposition , and complained bitterly of the "ingenious" manner in whieh Mr . Disraeli had misquoted the Duke of Wellington , He then made more quotations which were intended to counterbalance the opinions of the I > uke expressed in the former selection . He tlien frankly admitted that the Government had been occasionally mistaken , but expressed his conviction of ultimate success . - "SThe House then divided , when there appeared , for the amendment , 202 ; against it , 241 ; majority against it , 39 . The bill was then read a second time , and committee fixed for the following day . The discussion was resumed on Wednesday .

    Mr . LiDr > j 5 L , r , contrived , at great length , to > say nothing which had 3 iot been said before against the bill— -with the exception that Germans had brought cholera into Liverpool on their way as emigrants to Canada . Mr . liicu had felt bound to give his vote in favour of the bill , blithe must carefully guard himself against being supposed to have supported the measure merely because it went to the employment of mercenary troops . Had he placed entire confidence in the explanation of the objects of the measure that

    was given by the Secretary-at- War , he would ha , rdly have been prepared to vote in its favour . He considered that the Government were tongue-tied , but he voted for their measure to show that he had faith . As an instance of having faith , the lion , gentleman further explained that every military office in the Ministry should be filled by a Minister who had a majority of public support , and that was not the case with a single Minister in any way related to the War Department . He thought every Minister should change his department with a colleague .

    Mr . DnupotOND hastened to save Ministers from their friends . He could not help suspecting that the bill was , in Newmarket language , " a dark horse "that all was not fair and above board—that some ulterior measure was concealed behind it . He was not opposed to the employment of foreign auxiliaries with the consent of their sovereigns , but lie had no faith in the fidelity of men whose oath of allegiance would bo sworn to a shilling a da 3 . He suggested that the measure should bo postponed till after tho recess . Sir William Yebner and Mr . Otwat opposed the bill .

    Mr * \ 7 rriTRSii > K further opposed it in a . speech which was characterised by Mr . Sidney Herukkt , who replied , as one of those forensic displays with which Mr . Whitcside knew so well how to create an effect for the moment . Neither arguments contained any new important points . Mr . CouniJN said"Although I protested against sending out our men to % ht tho buttles of Europe upon land , although I protested against tho objects of our continental policy in fighting " those battles , and although I think tliat tho expedition to the Crimon is about tho rashost of any of -which an account is to bo found in our muialn —and that is Raying a great deal—yet tho nation having 1 willed Hint ! 5 () , 00 O of our fellow-countrymen . should

    go 1100 U miles oil" to iiwudu tho empire of Uunsiu , 1 nay that , the nation is bmuul to unsitit thowe bravo men in the Crimea . But if you wore to put it to our euuutryuien who aro rotting in nu « h niiHory on tho heights of Kalaklava , -what -would they nay of tho aid you propone to Hum ! t . honi' ( Would they auk for mendicant , ( iurnittiia to roscuo Ilium from their present diilkultios ? No ! thoy would auk for thoir own countryman , and 1 cannot , help thinking that thin proposal , among other dlamlvun-Lutfuri , will lie Jiooi'ptod an no compliment by thorn ) man whom you aro proponing t , o norvo . But , beyond thin , it < ip |> oarti to ini ! Unit you aro , in tho face of tho world , holding out ii H » jj ; na . l of UirtLnwn , hulujj ; in . Jlirnui jxiiipc . rui , proclaiming a Horl of national bankruptcy in moil and in courage , in proponing , in the flrwt year of tho war , to go and raiae vecruita iiuiudk fwruiimeri } . "

    Hetfiought the measure looked as if fervour for the war was failing , ana asked , if troops were vranted , where was the reserve of ¦ which . Government talked . " The emigration from Germany to the United States consists generally of grown-up men and women with their families , of communities of labourers carrying with them their clergyman and their doctor , -who have booked themselves upon the Rhine for Cincinnati or Buffalo , or Borne other place in the far West . Can anything be so puerile as to dream of intercepting these people , of stopping them on their way through England , and inducin g "them to go to Sebastopol ? It appears to me that even df you pass this bill there is no guarantee whatever that

    you are going to get the men whom you want to enlist - but I join with the hon . gentlemen who oppose this measure npon moral grounds , eve : n if you do succeed in . carrying it into effect . What is it ? The opinion of most people would sanctify the practice of war , and make the profession of arms one of the most honourable pursuits of man . What is the reason of this ? Why , it is assumed that men iight for a cause , that tiiey are actuated by love of home , devotion to the country , or attachment to a sovereign ; these are the sentiments that hallow the pursuit of arms . But what motive have these men . whom you endeavouT to hire oat of the back slums of the towns of Germany ? They can have no pretentions to fighting from any moral motive whatever ;

    they are deprived of every ground upon which you can justify war , and , as they want the motives whicli I have described , there is just the difference between them and an ordinary soldier fighting for his country that there is between a hero and a cut - throat . It is wholesale assassination to employ them . Not to go oveT the arguments which have been used so abundantly by other people , I will only ask whether yon are really gomg to fight the Emperor of Russia , with his 800 , 000 armed men , upon his own shores , when you say you are obliged to seek help from abroad before you have hardly . got into the fray ? 1 think , the moment you have landed an armed force in an empire like Jiussia , 3000 miles off , you must be assured that , unless you are

    prepared to put forth energy such as this country never put forth before , you must have taken a step wliich will lead inevitably to disaster and disgrace . Was it a light thing to land such a force upon the shores of an empire like Russia ? There is no other country the territory of which it would be so difficult to invade aud occupy permanently . I once used a phrase which has been a good deal abused , and has caused much amusement , and I dare say will do so again . I was speaking at a public meeting in 1849 of those who threatened us with an attack from Russia , and my -words were these : —If Russia were to attack England or the United States , or any other great maritime Power , they would fall upon her like a thunderbolt , and crumple her ur > in her own

    dominions by means of their shipping . Have we not done so by means of our shipping ? The moment oui ships appeared did not the fleets of Russia disappear 'i Bat if you attem . pt to fig-ht Russia on land , you must be prepared for a very different stale of things from that which you contemplated , and it its reducing your efforts to a most disproportionate proportion . — -it is using the strength of a dyvarffor doing the work of ten giants—to peddle over your Foreign Enlistment Bill to enable you to go abi'oad and get aid to carry on the war . This House is in danger of losing its character for independence , and for being tho real great council of the

    nation , if it permits itwelf to be sent back without one word having boon said with regard to the prospects and the conduct of tho war . If I may judge from the communicutionu I get from Robastopol , you cannot bo doing n greater act of kindiuws to tho army than entering into a discussion of that question , and , at all events , they will have the gratification which , from the course our delbatcB have hitherto taken , they ean hardly have now , of knowing that tho roprescntativoM of Kii ^ lund luivo not separated without giving- . some attention to tlie unparallolfld miseries under which they aro now literally rotting . "

    Jjord John IIusstxi ^ was very much surprised that tho same arguments , which had boon so often disproved , should still bo urgod in opposition to the bill . He repeated that many measures had been taken besides tho contemplated Poreign Enlistment ' Since tho landing in tlie Crimea , ll , » 00 more incn had been sent as reinforcements . Other regiments in Mediterranean garrisons would follow , and thoir place would bo supplied l > y militia . Ijord C . Hamilton ssiiu , tho objection was , not that this was tho only iuouau . ro proposed by tlio Government , but that it should liavu boon concculod till tho last moment . Mr . Danijy HuYMOim jihIumI ,

    " While tliey were b «« i ^ i » fj , or rat liur only half lm-Nicpnng , SuliiiNtopol , what , wan thi . s lleul of fifty-four Hhijia-of-wur < loi » £ which c-onvuyo'I t-hoir army wckmh this aoa , ami which wnn prmiounwd <> n « of the gr «» tOHl naval annairiouLM thai . i-v < ir appeared upon the wiivoh V At . thiri very nioiiu-iit Ilieru tvhn ovury kind of produce going iu and nut . <>' " « vory llumiiiui port , in tint Muck Sou , uxwpt that , kind which w « wanted , viz ., broad-Htidlk Mo ha . l lioon informed l . y Knglmh tfoiu . lomen who had rxiublinhmoDlH at . ports in thu Mack -Son that « : ar « rood wre yoing mil of tlio « e jiortw , aiul tluvt in rutvirn

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    December 23 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 1203

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 23, 1854, page 1203, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2070/page/3/