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It may at first sight appear to many that the details in the following^' address apply rather to a local than Provincial matter ; but it will . be seen that the facts are most essential to the consideration of the whole question of the country's defence, as being the experience of a Volunteer Battalion in the most favorable circumstances, and composed of companies equal to any in the Province. The great truth, desired to be enforced by Mr. Buchanan, is expressed in the closing words of his speech in Parliament on the 11th August last : " All, thkrbforb, that it is eafb to oaloulatb is, that by VOLUNTBBRINO THB MBN MBAN "^O PRBPARB THBM8BLVS8 TO DO THBIB OWN 8HARB IN THB DBFBNOB - ■ THB PROVINCE, AND IT IS THB FATAL BRROR OF THB ADMINISTRATION, THAT IN RBGARD TO INVASION IT HAS BBBN LBD TO DBPBND ON THB V0LUNTBBR8 MORB THAN JUST AS INDIVI- DUALLY SPLF^DID ELEMENTS TO BBNDBR MUCH MORB BA8Y THB RAPID FORMATION OP A GREAT PROVINCIAL ::.ILITIA FOROB." V.>Ci Address of Isaac Buohaman, Esq., M.P.P., on giving up the Command of the Thirteenth Battalion Volunteer MiHtia.* Hamilton, 20th November, 1863 Officers, Non- Commissioned Officers and Men of ihelSth Battalion Volunteer Militia: Deeply impressed as I am with the conviction that no man is a volunteer soldier, worthy of the name, who allows his own private * After a portion of this addresB was thrown off, Mr. Buchanan saw it was necessary, for the safety of the Battalion, to agree that his resignation be not meantime acted on. And this pamphlet is now pnblished not for the purpoae of the local dispute, but as evidence on the great Public Question of ProviQCial Defence. 2 feelings to interfere with devotion to his country's service, I shall not risk the general harmony by taking any part in the Public Meeting ot UHicers, whicn, as Lieutenant Colonel commanding. I have called for this evening on the subject of my successor, and I feel it now to be my duty to do away with any idea that may exist that I have any inten- tion to withdraw my resignation. I am, therefore, I think, entitled to call upon all others, whether officers or men, to aid in getting quit of any awkwardness in the position of the members of our B&t tahon towards each other. There is no necessity for any such if the simple principle is strictly adhered to, that the interests of the service, generally, and more immediately of the Companies composing the mttalxon must overshadow all personal objects or predilections, as well as all personal oppositions or antipathies. My Address when I First Resigned. I reproduce this to save recapitulation. I had at that time seen clearly that a battalion composed of independent volunteer companies is even more a contradiction in reality than in termu ; and even had I not supposed that there had been a violation of one of the conditions on which I took command of the battalion, I would have felt it my duty to resign on the ground to which I attributed my resignation when talking of it to Lord Lyons, who was here about the tiine : " I have (said I) resigned my commission as Lieutenant-Colonel of" the volunteer regiment here, as a protest against the /arce of the Govern- ment s attempting to make a few drill associations (for volunteer battalions amount to no more) the main force relied on to defend the Province ; truth compels me to say this, although no one values or admires the volunteers as individuals or companies, more than I do." The Present Entanglement which threatens the very Existence of Volnnteering in Hamilton. It will be observed that in my preamble, I talk of " the interests of the service generally, and more immediately of the companies com- posing the Battalion ;» in the spirit of my address last August. And in the same spirit, my advice to you at present is, not to quarrel about battalion matters. They are not worth quarreling about, under the mThhod^^^"^' ""^ ^^^^"^ ^^"^ prosperity of the com,pany is the My advice to you is to remember that you owe your primary allegiance to your respective companies, and that your interest in them and in the cause of volunteering should prevent your allowing mere battalion matters to cause disturbance among you. Ask yourselves— why should the shadow take the place of the substance in our minds i Why should volunteering be endangered for the sake of the bauble. Bat- talion Organization, especially since Battalion Drill can be learned as well, or perhaps better, from a prefessional Field Officer. Had my 3 the , as advice been asked, it would have been given in the terms of the explana- tion made by me in Parliament. The view I expressed was that until necessity calls for it, there should be no more than one Field Officer to each Volunteer Battalion, thus leaving room for two men of the great- est experience and fitness when the day of danger arrives, and thus also giving the Captains of Companies the opportunity of practice by rotation as field officers, which rank, I think, they should fill in the Active Militia of the Province. The Battalion Drill of Volunteers should be by the Brigade Major ; or, if it is seen to suit the circum- ctances better, by a permanent Adjutant, with the rank of Major. In the case, for instance, of our Battalion, if the Senior Major were al- lowed to retire with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, (as other Majors have been) to which his long service entitles him, we would have remaining the Junior Major in the double office of Major and Adju- tant. And I see no necessity for any other appointment at present, even although my resignation were accepted. I havii only again to repeat my advice to avoid any quarrel about Battalion matters. They are non-essentiai to the prosperity of volun- teering. The company can exist and flourish without the battalion, but the battalion cannot exist without the company, and without its being in a flourishing condition ; so that no intelligent Officer in com- mand of a battalion can fall to see that it is his first duty, as the highest interest of his battalion, to promote the popularity of the Captain among his Company by whatever advice he gives to either. The company and the Captain, who has had the merit of raising and drilling it,are convertible terms, and as a Subaltern, non-commissioned officer, and private, I myself alwaysacted upon the principle (believing there is no other practical principle) of cordially supporting my Captain, if I conscientiously could. If I could not, I would quietly have retired from the company. It will be seen how great a respon sibility this throws upon the Captain, of avoiding any act in which he cannot carry the Subalterns and other members of his company along with him. My absence from the meeting of Officers to-night, will show you that I am taking the advice I am giving you ; and if I now fo on to show you that no one has had so good a right to complain as have had, I trust you will not attribute this to any selfish object, but to my being anxious to expose the utter impracticability of proper discipline in a volunteer Battalion, while at same time I continue to set a proper example of forbearance, in which direction I have hitherto gone so far as to put my own feelings entirely to one side. Practical Proof that the Battalion Organisation of Volnnteers en- dangers the great et^sential Interest of the Service— the Company Organisation. Thirty years ago I myself was satisfied that the natural troubles of the company are all that volunteering can stagger under ; and I now proceed to give the best practical proof, from the experience of a Voluni-«er Battalion in the nr)ost favorable circumstances, and com- posed of companies pqual to any in the Province, that the Battalion organisation of volunteers endangers the great essential interpst of the service— the company organization. The followin.r was the stringent arrangement which I felt it my duty to make when I under- took the command of the Battalion ; and it will be seen that the practical violations by the officers, from whatever motives, of my conditions, have been the great causes of the evils of our Battalion : Hamilton, 17th December, 1862. To Lieutenant- Colonel Booker, Commandant of Active Force, Hamilton. I hereby authorize you to submit my name to the Government as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Volunteer Regiment of Light Infantry now being orgauized in Hamilton. The memorandum on other side em- bodies my views, and which F understand you to have explained to the other Uflicers whose names you submit [for majors 1. It may be well to explain that I b-^ld a commission as Lieutenant of the Incor- porated paid Militia, the Queen's Rangers, in 1837,— was two months on the Niagara frontier at that time— and that I hold thf^ thanks of that regiment on retiring. I have the honor to be, Sir, yours respectfully, ISAAC BUCHANAN. MBMORANDUM. 17th December, 1862. 1. While admitting that all personal considerations should give place to secure the most efficient defence for the country and city I am impressed with the strongest conviction that the Lieutenant Colonel of the HHm.lton Volunteer Regiment {especialli/ «« ffamiUon IS the key to the Upper Province) should be a military man of as much experience as possible. 2. For the attainment of the foregoing object, my giving the thing a trial would do harm, unless it was understood that, in case of my leaving, the step should not be expected in the Regiment 3. 1 could only entertain the responsibility by my " having the appointment of a Military Adjutant to be paid by the Regiment un- less we can get Government to do so as this is done in England 4. I also feel that the senior Major should be a military man— but m our circumstances, this seems impossible. (Signed,) A. B., Commandant. T* 4' ^'^"P'«»'». «'Ao*e name wot to be submUted as Major. J. iL. OR., ^ittg wrfting :^ *^® ^^^ ^''^'■^ " '^^ following in Colonel Booker's Assented to and initialed. ^ g 17th December, 1862. This plain understanding was violated almost from the first, by the San llZ^ ^'*^' ^^^" *° •^^^^ ^^^^'^ ««^^'<^«« «f the iSftary Adjutant (than whom there is not a more experienced Drill or a^S iri;;rJr '"■' ^" ?r *^"^' ^'•"™ ' P*^^*^ ^"* «^ ™^ -^"^ pocket !mn„nf !J f ^he satQe thmg, grown so intolerable that it practically 8e7?t wh .h ^'"^^^•^"^^ f °^y orders, though I appeared not tl JL \ u^t '? ^"8«st led me to feel that the time had arrived When 1 had the alternative either to resign, or to inaugurate a system of punishments, which would have been falal to the volunteer s/steT ", to some extent, my conditions were not fully known by some lZr:ll k' ?Vr'^ *' '^^ ^P^^'^g «^ ^he DnH Ground tSs Tft K • P'^^'l^d subsequently. Of course in my arrangement, at the beginning, 1 had no personal object in view, and no refeFence to the particular case of this battalion. My object was to guard against the general (almost universal) evil of the sacrijice of the drilllf the volunteers, to the very creditable desire of their Officers to educate theniselves by practtce; and I rejoice to be able to admit, that the evil has been less with us than I ever saw it before, this being no doubt in the proportion that the zeal and assiduity of Officers were greater. The next violation of the agreement with me involved, I am sorry wL^n^tK'nTT*'^ disrespectful tynom^ of me, and disal- lowance of the Battalion having been under the least obligation to me In my particular case, I cannot believe that any positive disrespect was intended, and I only view it as an extraordinary confirmation of the views which I expressed in my address of 10th Aug., as follows • As an individual, I sympathise with, and I may say, less or more' approve of the things which it were subversive r %\l my self-respect as well as my authority to overlook as Colonex :.f the Battalion even if this would not be a violation of my duty in that capacity I now perfectly understand that the allegiance of independent com- panies or unpaid volunteers can only be to the Captain and officers of their particular conipany ; and I prefer putting my resignation rather on occurrences which were inevitable under the system than which are peculiar to the 13th Battalion, thus parting with you on such good terms that hereafter there may be nothing to prevent us co-operatihg together towards the great object which we have in common.'^ And tar from wishing to aggravate the usurpation of the officers com! manding companies, I was most anxious that it should have turned out that all officers but myself had been consulted, and that the views ot the men had been indirectly got at, seeing that each of the latter had It m his power to leave the Battalion if a Colonel was fompd on it, in whose hands he would not consider his life so safe as in other hands. I had fondly hoped to have remained an honorary member of the Officers' Club, which I had established, and whose first mess dinner was at my house on the Mountain, and to have had a voice, if not a vote, in ail appointments for years to come, as a friend above all motives except the interests of the Battalion. I thought that this (especially so long as I represent Hamilton in Parliament) might have been of use to the service as well as to the Battalion, while it would have given me the desired excuse of continuing to share its pecuniary sacrifices, which are so much greater than many of the officers and men can afford. You will observe that I go into these particulars with the public view of showing the danger there would be of trusting too much to volunteer battalion organization, even with the best companies and in the most favorable circumstances. But that I think it best for the interest of the service and of the battalion that I should interfere as little as possible, I could go into many more details. I shall, however, content myself with the shortest recital of the facts which will make the case and state of things clear to the battalion. These are as follows ; Nevertheless all the circumstances already explained and while I am still acting as Lieutenant- Colonel commanding (from its being the desire of the Government not to accept my resignation) the officers commanding the eight companies (one of whom had transmitted his own resigna- tion to me two months ago and had ceased to drill) presented a requi- sition to another civilian to take my place, without in the least hinting the thing to me or to the Battalion, or even consulting the other offi- cers, as I eventually found out. I had thus no opportunity to remind them of the condition I had made, when I agreed to take the position during the period of preliminary business and expense, that my successor should be a militt^ry man. I certainly could not be supposed to have been capable of putting so great an insult on the battalion, as to have, by special agreement, stipulated that the pro- motion should pass the battalion, otherwise than in favor of a pro- fessional soldier. It was to me a matter of deepest anxiety to know what to do in the extraordinary circumstances. My desire to see peace and unanimity prevail if possible in the Battalion alone dictated my course. I took the ground that if the subalterns had been consulted (which I took for granted) it would be for the interest of the Bat- talion that I should set the example to the Majors of unanimity. Quite apart from the question of whether the name proposed or to be laid before His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, was the best or not, if his nomination was unanimous it might be the best state of things practicable in the circumstances, although I had a right to complain of the violation of the agreement with me. When there- fore the Brigade Major had shown me the requisition, and I had duly considered all the circumstances. I wrote two notes, one to the gentleman to whom the requisition had been made and the other to our Senior Major. The former of these was in the following words ; " Hamilton, 10th November, 1863. ) Tuesday Evening. J Mt Dear Sib, — You will receive a requisition from Officers of the 13th Battalion, that your name may be put before the Government as my successor as Lieutenant-Colonel thereof, and I have the greatest pleasure in expressing my hope that you will accede to it. I need scarcely say that my interest in the Battalion will continue, and that I shall be happy to co-operate towards its success so far as an outsider can." The latter note was of the same date, and in the following words : "Mv Dear Sir, — Though your notice to-day, was the first I had of the requisition to ***** I heard of it otherwise this afternoon, and having taken the whole position and circumstances of the battalion into my most serious consideration, I have felt it my duty to write to him as per copy within, which please show to Major O'Reilly. As I feel it will be the best for the interest of yourselves, as well as of the battalion, 1 shall be glad to hear that you and Major O'Reilly take the same course." These notes were delivered on the 11th instant, but not being in town that day (it being the public Thanksgiving Day), I heard no more of the matter till the 12th. And what I heard will be best ex- plained, by my giving a note which I wrote to the gentlem&n to whom the requisition had been presented. " Mountain, 12th November, 1863,, Thursday Evening. My Dear Sir, — I received your note, and would have writto. n a line to you before leaving town, but that (this being the EnglisU steam er's day) I was engrossed to the last moment. In r aspect to the Battalion, further circumstances have come to my knowl edge which make me advise you not to act in the matter till you n lake sure that a majority of the officers wish you to do so — as; other' mae you mig? . ot be able to keep the Battalion together. 1 1( )ok the coursb I did of writing to you and also to the majors (as per c opy of my letter which I now enclose) hoping to set the exam- ple o f unanimity and thus to redeem the grave error which the Cap- tains had committed, through ignorance I am willing to suppose. You are of course aware, from the Brigade-Major having at the request of the Captains presented it to you before I had seen it, that I hfid cause of the deepest offence, had I chosen to suppose the Cap- tai ns capable of intending disrespect to me. In the circumstances, however, my interest in the Battalion^ led me to» take the course which I thought most likely to, pi:eyeijjt other ^Jfficers taking offence. I hoped that the Majors would follow my example, and I thought it likely that the Lieutenants had been consulted, although my son (an Ensign) had never heard of th« proposed requisition. f have now reason to suppose that all the other officers have taken offence at the Captains, and I think it due to you that you know this 80 that you may act cautiously." ' Having received, from the gentleman referred to, a note stating that his letter allowing his name to be submitted to His Excellenrv the Commander-in-chief, had already been sent to Quebec, I address the following note to him : "Hamilton, 16th Nov., 18C3. Mv Dkab Sir,— I find that thirteen officers of the 13th I ittalion have sent a protest to the Government against any appointment of my successor until they, and four others who were not consulted should have an opportunity of expressing their opinions. ' I have, therefore, felt it my duty to call a special public meeting of the oflBcers for Friday — three days' notice being required. My object is to get greater unanimity established, as without this the Battalion would cease to exist. I have also felt it my duty to convey, both by telegraph and mail this information to Government, and to advise that time be given to get comparative unanimity, as this would be the only chance of the Battalion being kept together." My telegram to Government was as follows : " Hamilton, 16th November, 1863. To LiKUTBNANT-CoLONBL PoWELL, Deputy Adjutant- General, Quebec. Don't appoint my successor till greater unanimity is attained otherwise the battalion will be broken up. I am astonished to find that two-thirds of the Officers had never been consulted. I myself was never consulted. I, however, overlooked this ; and, in order to set an example of unanimity, 1 wrote to the gentleman to whom the requisition was made, that 1 would be glad if he allowed his name to be submitted. My example, however, did not induce any other Officer, who had not been consulted, to come in ; and thirteen Officers have sent you a protest against any appointment, until there is a general consultation of Officers. I have seen it my duty to call a special general meeting for Friday. Three day's notice were required. The only safe course of the Government is not to make any appoint^ ment meantime, ISAAC BUCHANAN. The following was the reply : ,.rp , ^ ^ QuBBBo, 17th November, 1868. lO LIBUTKNANT-COLONEL BuOHANAN, Hamilton, Telegram received. Appointment will not be made at present. • WALKER POWELL." The General Question of the Defence of the Province. I avail of this, as of every proper occasion, to refer to the vital question of the proper defence of the Province. Hamilton is proud in remembering how much its former Member, the late Sir Allan McNab, did in the militia organization ; and through the pre-eminent energy of this city, we shall, I have no ioubt, be able to exert the most salutary influence on the well-considered system of defence which the Province looks to Parliament to mature. Indeed there is no doubt that the strong views expressed by me, of the absolute necessity of such a Militia being established as would be the main arm of the Provinces' defence, did much to get Government to alter Its views of last year, and to declare for this principle ; and I have only to hope that my other strongly-expressed conviction {that the expense of the militia is one which should he raised by a d^.xct tax, and should not depend on the state for the time being of the Pro- vincial exchequer), may equally prevail. But rather than make any lengthy remarks here on this vital matter, I prefer referring you to my speech in Parliament, on 11th September last, which I shall ap- pend to this. You will observe that it is in an organization as a GREAT militia FORCE, that I think volunteers should be sent to the frontier. I think that there should be a principle adopted by which there would, in one month in each year, (for the whole thirty days if the Province can afford this) and always during war, be a fusion of the volunteers individually into the militia The militia and the country should be convertible terms. Every man in the country, old and young, should feel himself a militia man ; and be the more ready to pay money towards the Province's defence, the less he is able to give bodily assistance. There are on the Militia Rolls about 360,000 names : say that we deduct a third who could plead disability for active service, unless in time of actual war, and we assume 240,000 men as our sedentary militia— a num- ber every year increasing. It would require a fourth of this number, or 60,000 men, to be drilled each year for a month, or for so many days less as the want of funds made necessary. The turning out, for the time specified, of this active force would be compulsory, \xw\qss the required number should volunteer, which no doubt would be the case, if all is done by Parliament for these defenders of the Province that ought to be done. Indeed much more than a fourth could be got to volunteer for a month's drill with pay at half a dollar a day ; but the preference of B 10 volunteering into the Active Militia (which would be a thing so much valued as to make young men volunteer as the means of attaining it) should be given to the volunteer companies, in consideration of their remaining embodied during the whole year. I think also that the Officers of the volunteer companies who volunteer into the Active Militia, should be entitled to a step higher rank in the militia ser- vice, than that which they hold in the volunteer service. I have only to repeat that it is as militiamen, not as'members of volunteer com- panies, that I feel you should be called upon for active service ; my strong views on this point having been expressed in the following words, in which I closed my explanation in Parliament: " He (Mr. Buchanan), in conclusion, desired to guar 1 himself against future, as there have been former, base attempts to represent him as not appreciating the Volunteer force. He was himself a Volunteer in 1837, and in 1862 — his son now carries the colors of the 13th Bat- talion — and no one was prouder than he was of the past history and present er.eigy of the Canadian Volunteers. They are the elite of the Militia of the Province, and their excellent spirit will, in an incredibly sh'^rt time, leaven the whole body, should occasion require it. Individually, and as individual companies, in which they act as with one wil!, they are all that men can be ; but still, they are Volun- teers, and it is impossible they should have the strict battalion discipline, to which they would cheerfully submit, if it were necessary, or if they were under the moral obligation of doing their compulsory duty as militiamen. It should never be forgotten that, compared to the moral obligation, as well as compulsion, under which a militia man acts, the promise to the Province of the Volunteers is more a mere temporary notice of intention; and let it always be remembered, to the credit of the volunteer, that this is a notice of intention to do more than his own share of the military duty of the country, and more, therefore, than the country has any right to expect of him. We need not conceal, however, from ourselves, that when patriotical- ly joining a volunteer company, a not inconsiderable proportion of the volunteers have not stopped to reflect on the relationships in life which will prevent them, however willing, doing more than their own share of the defence of the Province. All, therefore, that it is safe to calculate is, that by volunteering the men mean to prepare themselves to do their own share in the defence of the Province, and it is the fatal error of the Administration, that, in regard to invasion, it has been led to depend on the volunteers more than just as individually splendid elements to render much more easy the rapiu formation of a GREAT PROVINCIAL MILITIA FORCE." A bett« by r PITTJ Voli intl arou dutj the sens perjf, that — 01 fuli in w hav( ; 80 much raining it) m of their that the he Active lilitia ser- have only teer co ra- nee; my following elf against snt him as lunteer in 18th Bat- story and e elite of ill, in an )n require ey act as ire Volun- battalion lecessary, mpulsory 1 pared to a militia is more a lembered, tion to do ntry, and !t of hinn. tatrlotical- :ion of the ips in life their own \> is safe to bemselves s the fatal i been led ' splendid tion of a 11 PAKTINQ ADVICE. And now, in bidding the Battalion farewell, I feel that I cannot better show my deep interest in the individuals composing it than by reminding them of the following glorious passage in hbnrt the FIFTH :— - Every subject's duty is the King's ; but Every subject's soul is his own. Therefore 8houid every spldier in the wars do as Every sick man in his bed, work every Mote out of his conscience ; and dying So, Death is to him advantage ; or not dying, The time was blessedly lost, wherein such Preparation was gained ; and in him that Escapes, it were not sin to think, that Making God so free an offer, He let him Outlive that day to see his greatness, and To teach others how they should prepare." Volunteers, as well a-' professional soldiers, — and all men, as soldiers in the common batt! ;f life who see their comrades daily dropoing around tbem, — should ever keep those words before them as a rule of duty and conduct. Indeed, for my part, I should not be able to have the same high confidence of the existence in any man of the proper sense of duty to his sovereign, if I saw not in him — as evidence of his perpetually/ feeling himself tn a higher presence than that of man-~- that original loyalty to himself and his liamily — that freedom of soul — of which the consequence is that proper self-respect, — that thought- ful solicitation for his personal safety, in due proportion to the position in which he is placed — so well portrayed in the glorious words which I have quoted. ISAAC BUCHANAN. 12 Mr. Buchanan's Address on transmitting to Govern- ment his resignation as Lieutenant Colonel of the 18th Battalion. Officers, non-commissioned Officers, and men of the l^th Battalion Volunteer Militia : Hamilton, lOth August, 1868. I am sorry that I had not an opportunity of expressing to you before I resigned, my regret at having prematurely to part with you. And now I can see no good object to be served by entering into any more particulars than the public have to do with for as an individual I sympathise with, and J may say, less or more approve of, the things which it were subversive of all my self-respect as well as of my authority to overlook as Colonel of the Bat- talion, even if this would not be a violation of my duty in that capacity. I now perfectly understand that the allegiance of indepen- dent companies or unpaid volunteers can only be to the Captain and Officers of their particular company; and I prefer putting my resignation rather on occurrences which were inevitable under the system than which are peculiar to the 13th Battalion, thus parting with you on such good terms that hereafter there mav be nothing to prevent us co-operating together towards the great object which we have m common. Indeed nothing would be viewed by me a prouder achievement than hereafter to raise an independent company of volunteers, if I had time to give to drill. There is no greater admirer of the volunteer system than I but it must be a voluntary and not a compulsory system, otherwise there is a misunderstanding somewhere. To the extent then that there was compulsion in the Militia Bill lately introduced, the government is under a misunderstanding ; and so great was this misunderstanding that I suppose there would under that Bill scarcely be a volunteer I see, therefore, that my resignation will have as its mission to pro* i"',.^'^,. ® Cfovernment with a loud voice that you are volunteers and should not be expected to be more ; while I trust that it will be the means of having the militia made such that you can remain volunteers. In regard to our own Battalion, I can only further srv t.iat my mterest in it shall not cease, but that my best assistance will be given to whomsoever the Governor-General may please to appoint as my successor, although I shall be anxious to awaken the Govern- ment to the fact that this volunteer system should be viewed rather as a preliminary orgmization for drill, or as a system of calling into existence elements which may be hereafter so placed as to do good 18 service to their conntry ; it being unreasonable to suppose that the present I ndful of volunteers could (or that if it trebled in numbers tney . - ; ^ do what is expected of them, to defend the frontier In my Y'- \to you at the opening of our Drill Shed, I dwelt at some length on its bemg the first consideration that all volunteer arrange- ments be such as not to expose unduly the lives of the men WHICH I AM now satisfied THE PRESENT SYSTEM WOULD DO. On the subject of a new state of things, to which the present system would be an auxiliary, I can sufliciently express my view by givine below a quotation from yesterday's Spectator; and with every good wish for you as a body and individually, ^ I remain, yours faithfully, ISAAC BUCHANAN. Extract from "Spectator" of Yesterday, describing the New Militia Organi. zation Desiderated by Mr. Buchanan : The Militia question has been somewhat unexpectedly brought ud here in a definite form, by a local occurrence which we have no doubt will excite surprise, and give rise to much remark. Our city mem- ber Isaac Buchanan, Esq., has felt it his duty to the Province, as well as to himself to resign his commission as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Thirteenth Battalion of Volunteer Militia. His eyes have been opened to the imminent danger we are in from an eflScient Militia Ti,!"^!, f'"^ prevented by one apparently being in existence, although It IS a system amounting to nothing as a main arm of de^ lence, while titled to do admirable service as an auxiliary The total unfitness of independent, unpaid volunteers for battalion organization IS the great fact to which Mr. Buchanan has become alive It is obvious that if volunteers were in the least jealous of control by a Colonel like Mr. Buchanan, there could be very little hope for any other man receiving sufficient consideration. It appears that in ad- dition to finding a large amount of Drill room, Mr. Buchanan was mainly instrumental in the erection of the great Drill Shed which reflects such credit on Hamilton ; that he procured and paid out of his own pocket an experienced military officer as Adjutant ; that in order to make the Battalion uniform, he agreed to relieve the Government of the payment of six dollars to each man of the Rifle and Highland Companies ; that at his own ex- pense he sent abroad for a set of splendid Regimental colors, and a Flute and Drum Band ; that to aid in keeping up the esprit de corps of the Battalion, he was the means of getting up an Ofl^cer's club, with a monthly Mess dinner ; and all must know that in giving so much of ins time, he was giving that on which no money vaJue could be placed U 13 probable, therefore, that no one possessing less influence could have got on so well as Colonel Buchanan. Unpaid volunteering Th a orrn*. Iioa Af fK^ ^. the root of the system. 14 does not seem capable of being carried out in discipline when it goes beyond the Company. The allegiance is to the Company not to the Regiment. In such case the same discipline is impossible as in the Line. The unpaid volunteer is necessarily too independent. He can give his Captain two months notice and quit. Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's Bill may, perhaps, alter this ; he proposed in his former Bill that young men i ould volunteer for five years, and only leave with the sanction of the Governor-General ; but if this were adopted there would be no volunteers. In this we think the volunteers are right, and so thinks Mr. Buchanan. Every one knows that there can practically be no allegiance, except to the officer whose influence raised them. We value unpaid volunteering as a practical institution, very admirable and suitable for Canada ; but unpaid volunteering, as we have shown, must be a matter generally speaking of independent companies. This, we understand to be Mr. Buchanan's view. He does not wonder at the difficulties he has had ; but it does not prevent his feeling that self-respect requires him to resign even if his loss of confidence in the system did not make this imperative. We understand his idea to be that there should be Battalion Drill by a Drill Instructor or by the Captains in rotation, and the field officers^ all to be professional men, should only be appointed when they are called into the field for active service. Mr. Buchanan thinks this is the only footing on which the lives of the men, when taken to the frontier, would be safe. If volunteer officers wish promotion over the rank of Captain they should get it in the militia. But the inain point now brought up is, that Mr. Buchanan feels that he dare no longer, by remaining Colonel of a volunteer Battalion, appear to approve of a system which constitutes volunteers the main defence of the Province. As auxiliaries no man values them more than Mr. Buchanan, but they must be no more than auxiliaries. Ho thinks that a Provincial Militia, worthy of the Province, should be organised without delay, pnd our present volunteering preserved as an auxiliary, more of a local character being given to it — that is, its first duty to be local protection, although it should be in the power of the Governor-General as Commander-in-Chief to organize the unpaid volunteers into Battalions and send them to the frontier in case of necessity. To expect volunteers without pay to do more than this is quite illusory. A high military authority has characterized Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's Bill, proposed last spring, as creating a stand- ing army without pay, and with every discouragement in fine and otherwise, to the volunteer that seems possible to be conceived! Mr, Buchanan has become satisfied that the Militia, when on duty, must be paid and enjoy, certain privileges ; possessed of these he hopes that enough would volunteer, as is the case in England, to prevent the necessity of ballotting, which is of course the only alternative. MR. BUCHANAN INSISTS THAT ALL SHOULD BE TAXED 15 FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE MILITIA FORCE, leaving the volunteers to be provided for by the Government as at present, although eventually the localities should take over their expense. Mr. Buchanan feels that in regard to finding the means, THE MATTER IS VERY \7R0NGFULLY MINGLED UP WITH THE PROVINCIAL EXCHEQUER, the defence of the Province being really not a matter so much for the Government as for the people. It is not so much to protect the Government that assistance is required from Canadians to the British troops ; it is the defence of the people and their property that requires this. No expense should be gone to that is not necessary, but our lives and property must be protected,and the people should,through a small per-centuge on the assessment rolls, annually raise the amount in the localities, and pay it over to the Provincial Government for distribu- tion, according to the Statute, among the Provincial Militia. As MR. BUCHANAN SAYS, THE PROPERTY OF THE COUN- TRY— PERSONAL AS W^ELL AS REAL— SHOULD DEFEND THE COUNTRY. He calculates that an eighth of one per cent, per annum on the value of all assessable property would support a strong militia. This is clearly something which we have in our power, and if we refuse to do it we must not be astonished if the Loyalty of Canada is impugned in England. [Mr. Buchanan^s speech in Parliament on Ilth September, will be published separately, as Militia Brochure, No. 2, together with some other details of the Means of Defence, on which the Province should insist. Whatever these Brochures produce will be applied as contributions towards a fund for the Monument in the Oore, by the Militia and Volunteers, which has been talked of, to the late Colonel The Honorable Sir Allan MacNab, Baronet.]