Thc CIIAIIWAK : Lnclies and gentlemen, it is nith great r e g e t that I llavc to announce that Lord \Vemgss is prevented from being here this afternoon, and from taking the chnir as he had intended to do, in consequence of urgent burineas in thc lIouse of Lords. -1 am sure it will be a matter of r e v peat disappointment to dl who h-ic attended to hear this pnpcr, that Lord Wemjss is not here to giro us the benefit of his ndrice nnd criticism. TIE circumstances of the last fern months h a m

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... e more stirred u p the feeling that the force chiefly relied on for tho defence of England -the Volunteers-arc not as ready to takc the field as they might be. But no one, as far as I h o~, has yet attempted to detail n-hat requires to be done, or how to do it.1 The object of this paper is to cndeavonr to throw some light on this subject. The process of turning a peace army-Le., a number of men, horses, guns, and other stores-scattered about where most convenient for purposes of subsistence or custody into a war army concentrated at certain strategical points is called i~zobilization. Erery nation in Europe except England has I beliere thought this matter out. I t has scttletl what portiou of its nvailable peaco army shall be made a morablo one caprrblc of taking the field, aud what part shall be equipped for garrison duty only; it bas made elaborato tables showing v h a t bas to be done a t each military district, and a t each place of concentration as soon as Ihc order to mobilize is issued ; it has prepared all tho necessary clothing, equipment, and transport, or, nt all events, has arranged how and where to lay hands on them ; and it has made up its mind how t o obtain the required number of Staff and Departmental 05eers. All this might bo done for England and her Colonies without spending c1 penny of the taxpayers' money. All that is required is that a few of tho able Staff Ofiicers, of whom the country posscsses so many, shall be told off to do tho task. 1 The paper br Lieut.-General Sir E. IInmley on "!CheYolnnteer~ in Time of Seed," in the "Nineteenth Century" for March, wns discussed for three clap, nnd the discussion is reported in full in No.