500 England and Europe in October 1830. [Nov. 



the English yeomanry ? Three such salaries as Sir Robert Peel enjoys 

 at this day, would relieve the parish of St. Giles of poor-rates. Let it 

 not then be said, that the extinction of those salaries would make .no 

 saving. The salaries of the ten men who sit ciphers round his Grace 

 of Wellington's cabinet-table, would pay the poor-rates of Marylebone 

 twice over. Would this be no relief to the people, or would it not be 

 instantaneously felt by the people ? We must see the salary system 

 altogether revised, and cut down Sir Robert to the stinted allowance of 

 his own twenty thousand a year. 



Next come the public branches of service. The enormous multitude 

 of the standing army ought to have been reduced long since. England's 

 true force is the Navy. An army is more unnecessary to her than to 

 any country on the globe. 



The only ground for maintaining any army is defence.. But what enemy 

 could invade England, without Tier having notice in full time for the 

 amplest preparation ? Fleets must be gathered, flotillas must be formed, 

 sea-fights must be fought, months and years must be passed, before, by 

 mere possibility, an enemy's soldier could set foot upon her shore. Yet 

 what is the sum which we are at this moment paying for a standing 

 army ? Seven millions of pounds sterling a year ! and this overwhelm- 

 ing sum we have been paying for fifteen years of the most profound 

 peace j with the Crown every Session declaring the most perfect 

 harmony among European sovereigns ! We have thus paid one hundred 

 millions of pounds sterling for parade. 



If we are to be answered, " Oh, all this is gone by ; 'tis true we were 

 fools for keeping up this enormous waste of men and money during 

 fifteen years of peace ; yet we now cannot help ourselves, for the whole 

 world seems to be thinking of war, and England must have an army 

 ready." 



To this the obvious reply is, that England's true force is her Navy ; 

 that if there shall arise any necessity for her sending an army to the 

 Continent the very last thing that can be required she will always have 

 time to raise one ; that six months will be enough at any time : and that 

 the saving of their present expense for any six months before, would 

 give the nation three millions of pounds in hand to raise them, and that 

 the saving for a year would give us seven millions, which would raise and 

 equip an army of jive hundred thousand men ! It is to be further remem- 

 bered, that England cannot be taken by surprise while she has the Sea 

 round her. However, we will allow that one necessity for a standing 

 army exists now, which did not exist two years ago; Ireland is the name 

 that solves the riddle. Ireland is in a state which will yet require twice 

 the standing army of England. Ireland is in that happy condition which 

 every one predicted, but his Majesty's ministers, and for which we have 

 to thank the t( healing measure" of his Majesty's ministers. But of 

 this more anon. We cannot now reduce the army. Ireland wants it ; 

 and the Horse Guards' administration, glorious in their staff, their epau- 

 lettes, their feathers, and their forage-money, will still have something 

 heroic to do. 



Now, to give the Englishman some idea of what he has to meet in the 

 shape of the tax-gatherer, we shall give him a list of the national expenses 

 for a single year. 



The Budget of last Session thus gives the account from the 5th of 

 April, 1829, to the 5th of April, 1830 : - 



