hose who held rule in Paris
were contemplating an invasion of these islands, Pitt, as we have seen,
had encouraged the formation of corps of volunteers, which continued to
be of great use till the very end of the war, by performing, in
conjunction with the militia, a great portion of the home duties which
must otherwise have fallen on the line regiments, and thus disengaging
the regular army for service on the Continent. There was now no such
formidable enemy to be dreaded as the first Napoleon, but in every part
of Europe affairs were in a state so unquiet that every kingdom seemed
at times on the very brink of war; and since, if it should once break
out, no one could feel confident that we should not be involved in it,
or, if we should be, who would be our allies or our enemies, measures of
precaution and self-defence seemed as needful now as they had been sixty
years before. Our boldest statesmen were disquieted and anxious; and the
nation at large, sharing their uneasiness, kindled with the feeling that
it was a time to show that the present generation inherited the
self-denying patriotism of their fathers. Leaders were not wanting again
to prompt the formation of a volunteer force. The government at once saw
the value of the scheme. Fortunately, the Secretary for War, Colonel
Peel, happened to be an old soldier, a veteran who had learned the art
of war under Wellington himself; and he, having great talents for
organization, placed the force from its infancy on a sound footing. How
thoroughly the movement harmonized with the martial spirit of the
nation--to which, indeed, it owed its birth--is shown by the history of
the force, which now, above twenty years after its original formation,
maintains its full numbers and yearly improves its efficiency. Though
there has not for many years been any apprehension of war, above one
hundred and twenty thousand men still annually devote no small portion
of their time to the acquisition of military discipline and science, and
that so successfully, that, by the testimony of the most experienced
judges, they have attained a degree of efficiency which, if the
necessity for their services should ever arise, would render them
valuable and worthy comrades to the more regularly trained army. Lord
Derby retired from office while the force was still in its infancy; but
Lord Palmerston was equally sensible of its value, and gave a farther
proof of his appreciation of the vast importance of