LUNCHEON TO ADMIRAL TRYON.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3539, 1 February 1886, Page 3

LUNCHEON TO ADMIRAL TRYON.

[By Telegraph.] Cjiristouuuch. Jan. 30. About seventy gontlemen attended the luncheon to Admiral Tryon this afternoon. The Mayor presided, and Hia Excelloney tho Governor was presont. Responding to his health, tho Governor Baid that ho had known Admiral Tryon sinco 1854 when ho was an officer of thu Royal yacht. Ho had known him aB Captain of tho Warrior, tho finest ship of her day ; as a director of transports m the Abyssinian expedition, and as Naval Secretary to tbo Admiralty. From what ho knew he would say that whatever advice Admiral Tryon would give on tho subject of defence, would bo for the benefit, not only of tho colony, but of tho wholo Empiro. Tho Mayor proposed the health of Admiral Trvon, wlu, m responding, said that lie must return tho company his most hearty thanks for tho honor they had paid to himself, and to the profession ho represented. He felt somewhat m a difliculty owing to the rotentivo memory of Hi 3 Excellency tho Governor, ns ho could not recollect bo accurately the dates and incidents mentioned as His Excellency could. He felt himsolf m a very dillicult position, speaking as ho did iv the presence of ono who had not. only spokon so fully and well on tho subject of tho dofenccs of tho colony, but also had put hiß ideas on paper with such clearness nnd fullness. That paper was written m tho profonndest peace, but it seemed to him that it had boon written with an almost prophetic forocast of what had come upon thorn sinco. Tho paper had ono trancendent merit : it was exceedingly brief, devoid of all technical phraseology, and ho felt that after having read it that he could add nothing. Howover, lie would say a few words on tho subject. Tho events that had transpired since the paper was written showed how necessary it was to be prepared for war. As an attack on this colony inubt come from over Iho «ea and bo directed by a sailor it may be of interest to hear from a sailor what best protected a port m 18S0. He had gone round the principal ports, mid must say that the principles adopted m their defence had bivn very who. Guns had been placed so as to afford a minimum of l.rrget with a maximum of destructive power. Mir.o-tlehls had also boon had out at the entranco of the port?, but something more was needed to keep an energetic sailor out. Cruisers nuwiidavs had on board steamboats which, though small, were most formidably armed with torpedoes and with guns. They wero most dangerous to these ports ; but the colonists were equal to this, and with mathino iiuiis on board their local steam vessels they would be | re( nred to meet tho boats of any ship that ever floated. He felt sure that this was tho position t'mt New Zealand must place herself in— a position of il.-fcni-o ; unless they believed that thi lion was lung down with the lamb, or that the command not to covet their neighbor's goods was universally obeyed. They took precautions against social foes by their police, <ic., and it was just as tieccisnry for them to provide against their national foes who sought to steal their national existence. It wus not enough, he thought, to bo content withmerelvdefendingourown ports. Itshould be rendered, if not impossible, at leist dill!---c;lt for a foe to come tj our coasts and capturo our shipping, and leavo it, as it were, to " stow m our own juico." For this reason tho suggestion of His Kxcellencj the Governor that they i-hould have what might be called a national fleet was a good on-, and he was strongly m favor of it working with tbo national fleet of tho Old Country. More ships were required, so that whenever an enemy appeared olf our coasts his life might be mado miserable to him, even if 1 o wero not captured. The old Mother Country, he was authorised to say, had no idea of being negligent m defending her colonies ; on the contrary, she wished them to j"in hand m hand with her for their defence. If it had been asked what had been done m England, it might ho replied that m one year 36",000, COO of people had spent £31,000,00) on hor army anH navy for tho defence of all parts of tho empire. £3,0 0,003 had been spent on cruisers specially suited for the e'efence of the colonies. He was requested to express that there was no desiro to shirk any responsibility ; that there w:is no spot of the Empire, however small, which was forgotten by the Old Country, and that her blood and her treasure would be poured out willingly to preserve every spot of tbo colonies within the British Empire. (Loud cheers.) Their appreciation of this showed him that though tho .visits of Her Majesty's (hips wero not so frequent as they and ho could wUh, people hero knew they were not far off. If this were so as regardod tho moat insignificant part of the Empire, how much moro was it with regard to New Zealand, which was ono of the brightest gems of the Empire. Ab to defence it seemed to him lo bo thoroughly accepted as a grave necessity m New Zealand ; but there was yet another thing to which he desired to refer, and that was tho establishment m the near future of a gathering together m one great bond of all English-speaking people, so that wherever they might be located they might make an alliance. All good people did make firm friendships, but it seemed to him that tho great project was what ho had alluded to. ne hud heard much about a union of all English-speaking people, but they must remember that those whose alliance they sought would weigh them m their own scale ; that if they wero worthy of the friendship of great rjalions, they would receive it. He thanked them for the kindly mannor m which they had listened to him, and for the way m which they had entertained him Hint day. He desired lo thank His Excollency for his attendance, and for hia kindly consideration on all occasions of the profession to which ho belonged. If ho and those who were associated with him could do anything to advance the interests of these great colonies, their mission would be fulfilled to the fullest oxtent.