Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, MARCH 13, 1871.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 61, 13 March 1871, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, MARCH 13, 1871.

In tliuw»fi days when iv war time the armies that are brought into the field are to be numbered by hundreds of thousands, we cau scarcely sup crags a smile when we are gravely informed Mis was the case two months ago, that England proposed to increase her array by some few hundreds of men — if we remember rightly, the numbers were Artillery 2,500, Engineers 500, Cavalry 400, or something to that effect — in order to prepare herself for any contingency that might arise. By the last mail, however, we find that she is awakiDg to the necessity that exists of placing herself on an equal footing with the continental nations iv anticipation of her beiug dragged into war, and with this view the advice of Sir William Mansfield has been asked by the Government, and we are told that he recommends a compulsory military training for the whole of the male population who are capable of bearing arms. Some years ago, in the excitement that was created by the possibility of a French invasion, a system of volunteering was very generally adopted thrDughout Great Britain, that for a long time was thoroughly popular, and men of all classes crowded into the ranks which very soon attained to most formidable proportions, but of late, as the rumors of wars died away, and the political state of Europe assumed a more peaceful aspect, this enthusiasm has ceased to exist, and the volunteers, who at first were to be numbered by thousands, gradually catne to be counted by hundreds. It now seems to be admitted that if England is to maintain her position among the nations of Europe she must no longer rely either upon her standing army or upon her volunteers, but that some compulsory and universal system of military education must be adopted, and it must be confessed that those who hold such views are fully borne out in their opinions by what has taken place within the last few mouths in France. We have there bad the opportunity of observing the respective workings of two entirely different military organisations. We have seen how France, with her enormous standing army consistiug of men whose sole profession is that of arms, and who, as a class, are entirely distinct from the mass of the people, has had to succumb before the Germans, whose fighting men are not merely paid soldiers whose trade is war, but who are in every respect the German people themselves, and are thus inspired by patriotism and the love of their country, and consequently enter upon war, when absolutely necessary, with more enthusiasm and with greater spirit than can possibly be the case with the hired soldier. But even supposing the mercenary to be on an equality with what may be called the popular army, it is next to impossible that England could maintain a standing army of such vast dimensions as in these days would be necessary to place her on an equal footing with any of the other great powers in the event of war breaking out, and, therefore, she must, in other to keep pace with the times, fall back upon some such plan as that which the Germans have adopted with such unprecedented success. No doubt many difficulties stand in the way, aud prominent among these is the intense dislike that Englishmen have, as a rule, to anything that is compulsory, but these obstacles cau hardly be deemed insuperable, and a system similar to that of the Prussian Landwehr, might gradually bo introduced, and, if once established, would make England a power that must enforce respect. The force thus called into existence would, ia an emergency, have to be available for foreign service as well as for mere defensive purposes, and if it were known that England, iv addition to her splendid navy, had at her disposal half a million of

well-traiued, and well-armod men, there are few nations that would care to incur her displeasure. We shall watch with some anxiety the results of Sir William Mansfield's proposition.

Cricket. — The return match between the Wakapuaka and Stoke clubs will be played at Suburban North, on Wednesday uext. General Government Prize Firing. — Neither of the two candidates who went up from Nelson have distinguished themselves in the prize-firiug at Auckland. Stoke Wesleyan Sunday School. — We remind our Stoke readers and those interested iv the welfare of the* Wesleyan Sunday School in that distript/that the anuiversary will be celebrated to-morrow afternoon by a tea party, to be followed liy a public meeting, which will be addressed by several ministers and friends of the institution. The Late Robbkuyi-rom the Wi-iakf. — The articles belonging to the Bishop of Nelson, which have recently beeu advertised aa having been stolen from the wharf, were discovered yesterday on board the barque Malay, and this morning George Skerrey, the steward of that vessel, was brought before the Resident Magistrate charged with being the culprit. Prisoner wns remauded until to-morrow morning, at 10 o'clock. Departure of an old Colonist. — By the Alhambra, which sailed this afternoon, Mr. aud Mrs. Alexander Sclauders and family took their departure for England. Mr. Sclauders has long been a resident iv Nelson, where he is universally respected, and we trust that the attractions of the old country may not prove sufficiently st.roDg to incline him altogether to forsake New Zealand, but that iv the course of a few years we may have the pleasure of welcoming him back to our shores.