Note 65 — THE DEFENCES OF BRITAIN.[64]

The following is an extract from Cobden's speech at Wrexham, on 12th November last, as reported in the Times of 14th November: "He had no doubt that, in the volume written by Sir F. Head, (which had been referred to,) the author of Bubbles from the Brunnens of Nassau—and he dared say those bubbles were just as substantial as the facts in that volume, (cheers and laughter,)—but there was something in the antecedents of Sir F. Head, and his conduct in Canada, which did not recommend him to him (Mr Cobden) as a good authority in this affair of our finances. (Hear, hear.) But, no doubt, he should be told that we were in great danger from other countries keeping up large military establishments, and coming to attack us. Now, the answer he gave to that was, that he would rather run the risk of France coming to attack us, than keep up the present establishments in this country. He had done with reasoning on the subject. He would rather cut down the expenditure for military establishments to L.10,000,000, and run every danger from France, or any other quarter, than risk the danger of attempting to keep up the present standard of taxation and expenditure. (Cheers.) He called those men cowards who wrote in this way. He was not accustomed to pay fulsome compliments to the English, by telling them that they were superior to all the world; but this he could say, that they did not deserve the name of cowards. (Hear, hear.) The men who wrote these books must be cowards, and he knew nothing so preposterous as talking of a number of Frenchmen coming and taking possession of London."