THE MILITIA OF ENGLAND, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW ZEALAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 124, 25 May 1878, Page 4

THE MILITIA OF ENGLAND, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, AND NEW ZEALAND.

The following letter to the Editor of the " Broad Arrow " tvill bo read with interest :— Sir, — The present crisis is naturally drawing considerable attention to our array, and some authorities do not hesitate to aver that the demands on this ftrmy are such as to preclude our going to war. We cannot agree in this, but at the same time some steps might bea'tempted by our Ministers of War nud the Coloniep, to see to what extent: the Governments of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand could assist to relieve the situation which, to a great extent, hampers our military power. In a few words the situation is this : We have on the one hand a large English army of 62.000 men in India, which cannot leave that country for fear of a rising of the Natives nnd an eruption on the north-weßt fronlier ; and on the other hand a militia army of 115,000 men, none of whom couid be ordered out of England to Bupport the Empire when hard pressed. That this deadlock will have to be relieved before long is plain, and we ore glad to think that it can be brought about without any particular strain or expense. We, that is England, Canada, Auftralia, and New Zealand,— ure in possession of a maguificent empire, on which the sun never sets. One of* us cmnot fall without a grievous and fatal injury to the whole. The time has clearly come when this fact should be fairly faced. We are all four apt to become absorbed in the anxieties and political disputes ever going on in each country. We must no longer se»n the British Empire through insular spectacles, but taking a wide and imperial view of the siiuaiion, make such simple arrangements as will secure the help bo urgently wanted. We therefore suggest that, without in any way interfering with the volunteer forces existing iu England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, "which should be maintained io as high a aiate of efficiency os possible, the militia of tha four nations should be made " active "—that is, liable to do garrison duly abroad whenever the troubles' now beginning in the world render the concentration of the British army imperative. The Militia Army at Home consists of 123 regiments of infantry, and 32 regiments of artillery. It is probable that many of these regiments would volunteer, if called on for the " active" list. The term of foreign service could be limited to one or two years, with a bounty on embarkation, and a year's pension on return. Great care has been taken in the arrangement for the mobilisation of the forcee at Home ; it should therefore be arranged that to gap should occur. All our active militia regiments should be linked with Canadian regiments, which had volunteered for garrison duty in England. Turning to our garrison army we find that the East Kent Regiment of militia has its station at Dover. Should this regiment come on the "active" list, and be placed under orders for embarkation, the Canadian regiment, linked with it— say the sth Royal Fusiliers, of Montreal— could be sent to Dover. The Canadian Militia consiate of the active Militia and the reserve militia. The former has not as yet been' called on to volunteer for duty in England, bat there can be no doubt that many regiments would do so. Sir Edward Smyth, K.C.M.G., commanding the Dominion Militia, says in his report of 1876:— " There ia a great military spirit among all classes of the population of Canada, which would ensure immense efforts and sacrifices in the event of alarm or apprehension of danger. It has been frequently exhibited, and it is hardly necessary for me to bring it again to notice so prominently except with the view of adding that, given that valuable element of zealous patriotism, it should be cultivated and encouraged in every possible way to serve the country efficiently, if ever suddenly required to be called into action." AU who value the integrity of our Empire wili rejoice at these words. They come from an authority which cannot be gainsaid, and open the door for thoseadvanoes towards our great colonies, which alone are wanting to put ue in a proper military position be fore the world. In Australia there are numerous volunteer corps, but it ia now in contemplation to raise a Militia force ia that country. It is, therefore, exceedingly opportune to call on the people of Australia and New Zealand to coneider the situation carefully. It is our habit at Home to talk only of our communications with India via the Suez Canalj this is caused by the continued use of those insular spectacles we want so much to see abolished. Australia and New Zealand are as deeply interested in the Sues Canal as we are, and we feel convinced that were they only prepared, they would not permit these peaceful communications to be attacked or menaced even. Sooner than see any danger to the Imperial power from disturbances in India they would garrison Madras, Calcutta, Singapore, and even Hongkong. We request the Press in Australia and New Zealand to consider' these views; the occasion is urgent, and {he governments o/ the

various Colonies will need advice in the formation of an active Militia, That the spirit e&ißta is plain; tbe Mayot Of Auckland has writen to the Lord Mayor of London that they will not sit still in tbis country should Imperial interests be attacked. Although the position of England and India in the world ia strategically weak, we are exceedingly fortunate in having young, loyal, and enterprising nations on our flanks. The time, we hope, is coming when they will become a stay aod support to tho old country. Should the arrangements we advocate he carried out, a great portion of our regular army oi 200,000 men would be free to concentrate with the powerful native army where most required. Iu fact, one point only would remain to muke us a military nation, and that is, a considerable increase in the field batteries of the Royal Artillery to be in full proportion to the masses of infantry we could put iu the field. To give full fredom to an " active " Militia will require a more careful organisation of our great volunteer army. The three services of the Regular, Militia, and the Volunteer armies of England and her Colonies are dependent upon each other's efficiency; No one branch can be neglected without crippling the freedom of action of the others. During the Crimean War England raised two foreign legions, one German and one Italian. This proceeding cannot now be repeated. Germans and Italians are wanted to do their own fighting. It is therefore a growing neccessity, in time of danger to the British Empire, to fall back on the good old constitutional force of Militia so suitable to the genius of the AngloSaxon race, to say nothing of its being taken up and laid aside at pleasure. The Militia of England plays a prominent part in our history. The armies of Edward 111., which shattered the chivalry of France, were Militia. It is true they were trained co shoot with the bow, but so can the Militia be now with their rifles. The battles of the Wars of the Roses were fought by Militia troops. Burgoyne with his regulars, Hessians and Indians, had to surrender at Saratoga to the Militia of the English Colonists in America. Numbers of Militiamen, fresh from our regiments, swelled the ranks of our infantry at the battle of "Waterloo, and lastly, the battles of the wilderness round Richmond, were fought to the bitter end by Militia troops. The population of the English Colonies in, America, when they were driven into a separation from the Mother country was only 2,000,000. That of Australia is now 2,500,000 with a trade of £86,000,000, equal, a3 a writer has lately said, to the commerce of England at the commencement of this century, when she foiled united Europe in its confederacy against her. Her boundless pastures are occupied by 52,000,000 sheep, and 3,000,000 cattle. These figures prove that this is no mushroom growth of a transient nature. Sir Hercules Robinson, the Governor of New South Wales, calculates that at the end of this century Australia will have a population of 5,000,000, and in 1950 31,000,000. The city of Melbourne is one of the most beautiful in the world, and contains over 260,000 inhabitants. New Zealand ia also rapidly increasing in wealth and population, and has a splendid future in prospect. We do not, therefore, thiok tbe proposal an extravagant one, that as a commencement, New Zealand should raise two regiments of active Militia, Queensland two, New South Wales four, Victoria four, and South Australia two, regiments. If these fourteen regiments were carefully trained and kept up to the strength of 1000 men each, England would gladly pay for their services for garrison duly in the East when compelled to concentrate some of her regular infantry elsewhere. Such arrangements, supported by English Militia regiments, ' would strengthen our position in India. The natives throughout that country would be quickly informed that another great English power had suddenly appeared in the East, and that rebellion, anarchy, and bloodshed were further oil than ever. It is argued that some of our Colonies do not atteud even properly to tbeir means of defence. In one the money is withheld by political equabllee, in another, so much baa been spent on railway's that none remains for defensive purposes. We fear this is too true, and that our kinsmen are dwelling carelessly. We appeal to their honor, and warn them to be up and doiag, and to quit themselves like men. There can be no surer way of consolidating the power of tha British Empire than leading the young nations of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to join in its trials and struggles, as well as ia its glories, and it is because the subject has never been laid before them that we have aßked you, Sir, to publish this letter in your important Military Journal. C.M.G. &P. Army and Navy Club, February 12th, 1878.