LORD WOLSELEY WANTS A BIGGER NAVY.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 314, 29 May 1888, Page 3

LORD WOLSELEY WANTS A BIGGER NAVY.

Lord Wolseley made some strong' remarks recontly at tlio annual dinner of tho North London Eifie Club, on the inadoquac,}- of the navy. Replying to the toast of the “Naval aud Military Forces,” he said that as far as the officers and men of the navy were concerned they left nothing to be dsired, and it was to be wished that the same thing could be said of the size of Her Majesty’s navy. He knew it was the custom on great occasions for men in high positions to speak of the navy as though it were all that could be desired, and that had a preup T ' A u , OB on U ,e sea ' xnu ne had a prejudice for taking tho opinion of admirals and captains of experience, and knew that these did not hold the opinion that the navy was so strong as it ought to be. Considering the duties the navy had to perform, tho important interests it had to guard, it could not bo said that n’o had a sufficient number of ships afloat. He was ono of those foolish people who believed in the possibility of invasion, and if any disaster befell our fleet our shores would bo at once open to invasion, and the military forces would have hard work. If our Home fleet were defeated, there would at once be a cry to recall every ship we had abroad, leaving tho protection of bominercial routes and the guarding of the means of food supply. He confessed to fooling strongly upon this point, because the navy was by no means so strong as it should be. His Lordship deplored that Ministers did not ask Parliament for tho supplies necessary to put the navy in a proper condition, for he had never known such demands to be refused when they were necessary. All had heard of tho patriotism recently displayed in the German Parliament —the Parliament of a poor nation —when their groat statesman came forward and asked for 14,000,000 for military purposes ; and he was sure the British Parliament would vote with equal readiness the few millions to put our navy in a pro--per condition.