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1852, a detachment of the Seventy-second Highlanders arrived, under command of Captain Roche. In this year an act was passed whereby the militia were no longer liable to be called out for muster or training, except only in times of war, civil commo- tion or other sufficient emergency.

In 1853 Colonel Ambrose Lane, Adju- tant-General, died in Charlottetown, and was succeeded by Captain Swabey.

In 1854, war having been declared against Russia, the troops in the garrison here were drawn off to Halifax, and in the following year St. George's Battery, Fort Edward, and the Block House were dis- mantled, the guns, I8 pr. and 24 pr., with equipment stores and ammunition, and small arms. were shipped to Halifax.

, The Seventy-sixth Regiment, then sta- tioned in Charlottetown, was withdrawn, in- structions having been issued from Down- ing street, that all the small outposts main- tained in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, should be abandoned.

In 185 5 an infantry corps of volunteers, oflicered by Captain Neil Rankin, Lieuten- ant John Lea, and J. J. Rice, was organized and known as the “City Guards,” and formed the Guard of Honour at the open- ing of the Legislature of that year.

After the opening of the Legislature in 1859, at which the “City Guards” formed the Guard of Honour, they were disbanded by Captain Rankin.

On recommendation of the Secretary of State for war, an act was passed in 1858 rendering the militia, when called out for service, subject to the “Mutiny act.”

In 1859 repeated rumors of an intended invasion of Britain by France brought to the notice of the British public the limited land force provided for such an emergency.

PAST AND PRESENT OF

Volunteer corps were hastily raised, armed and drilled for the defense of their country; tens of thousands were in a few months en- rolled. A similar means of defense was sug- gested for the protection of the Provinces of British America. It was warmly adopted. The martial spirit was quickly kindled in Prince Edward Island, and, before the close of the year 1860, no less than twenty compa- nies, mustering upwards of one thousand men, had been enrolled and oflicered, each company being furnished with arms, and subject to regular training by competent drill sergeants. Great encouragement was given for efliciency in the use of the rifle by a generous donation of prizes for the best marksmen. Among the most efiicient of these volounteer corps, special mention must be made of the artillery company, under the command of Captain Pollard, who received most flattering compliments from General Williams, the hero of Kars, on his inspection of the company on the barrack grounds, on July 8, 1859.

A thousand stand of rifles, equipment and'an immense supply of ammunition at this time had arrived from England.

In the city, the Prince of Wales Rifles were organized, under command of Captain Neil Rankin, with John Lea and W. E. Dawson as lieutenants. The Dundas Vol- unteers were organized at Southport, un- der command of Captain Henry Beer, with Francis Stanley and George Stanley as lieu- tenants. The Irish Volunteers’, a rifle com- pany, under command of Captain John Mur- phy, with Richard Reddin and Owen Win~ ters as lieutenants.

On May 24, 1860, the first review of a purely volunteer corps was held. The pa- rade consisted of artillery, under command of Captain Pollard and Lieutenant Morris;