!Tt Rittrvfatio.
The Lord Mayor entertained her Majesty's Ministers at the Mansion houseon Easter Monday, in accordance with old custom. Among the guests, were Lord Aberdeen, Lord Granville, Sir James and Lady Gra- ham, Mr. Gladstone and Mrs. Gladstone, Mr. Cardwell and Mrs. Cardwell, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Ingestre, the Marquis of Breadalbane, the Bish. op of Hereford, Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, Mr. Kinnaird M.P., Sir Charles and Lady Eastlake, Baron Rothschild, Dr. M'Caul, Dr. Mortimer, Sir Henry Bishop, the Governor of the Bank of England, and a host of the " foremost men " of the , City. There was nothing whatever in the speaking that followed the passage of the loving cup to distinguish this from the ordinary Easter banquet. First came the Royal toasts, duly honoured ; then the " Bishop of Hereford" ; then the " Army and Navy" ; Sir James Graham returning thanks for the latter, and Lord Ingestre for the former. To " her Majesty's Ministers" Lord Aberdeen responded ; paying great compliments to the City, enlarging on the na- tional prosperity, and lightly touching the topic of peace. The Lord Mayor entertained her Majesty's Ministers at the Mansion houseon Easter Monday, in accordance with old custom. Among the guests, were Lord Aberdeen, Lord Granville, Sir James and Lady Gra- ham, Mr. Gladstone and Mrs. Gladstone, Mr. Cardwell and Mrs. Cardwell, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Ingestre, the Marquis of Breadalbane, the Bish. op of Hereford, Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, Mr. Kinnaird M.P., Sir Charles and Lady Eastlake, Baron Rothschild, Dr. M'Caul, Dr. Mortimer, Sir Henry Bishop, the Governor of the Bank of England, and a host of the " foremost men " of the , City. There was nothing whatever in the speaking that followed the passage of the loving cup to distinguish this from the ordinary Easter banquet. First came the Royal toasts, duly honoured ; then the " Bishop of Hereford" ; then the " Army and Navy" ; Sir James Graham returning thanks for the latter, and Lord Ingestre for the former. To " her Majesty's Ministers" Lord Aberdeen responded ; paying great compliments to the City, enlarging on the na- tional prosperity, and lightly touching the topic of peace.
" I am well aware that this is not the place nor the time for the expression of political opinions. Nevertheless, it cannot be out of season to say that it will be the earnest endeavour of her Majesty's Government to preserve that state of peace without the aid of which we should never have enjoyed the blessings which we now possess, and if possible even to extend them." Lord Granville was the spokesman for "the House of Lords," highly eulogized by the Lord Mayor ; whose praise of the Upper House was echoed and extended by the responding Peer. He believed that at the present moment the House of Lords holds a very considerable place in the esteem of the community at large. That has net always been the case. A few years ago, a very hostile feeling was shown towards that House at public meetings, and in pamphlets with such titles as "What will the Lords do ? " or more ominous still, " What should be done with the Lords ?" (A laugh.) He believed that feeling has entirely disappeared. (Cheers.) The Duke of Argyll,—this being "the first occasion on which he had ever had the honour of partaking of the splendid hospitality of that ancient hall,"—proposed the health of "the Lord Mayor."
As regards the past, the Duke recalled to mind those periods of our history when the liberties of England were founded on her municipal institutions; and as regard the future, he cherished the hope that the extension over the globe of that commerce of which the city of London is the great centre would contribute to the introduction of a new sera in human affairs. He was not, indeed, one of those who believed that the time had yet arrived when we could beat our "swords into ploughshares and our spears into pruning-hooks " ; but he believed that the progress of that commerce which is carried on throughout the globe by this great people, and by that other great people sprung from the loins of England—he believed that the progress of that com- merce' and more especially if it were conducted on high Christian principles, would finally lead to a great diminution if not to a complete extinction of those wars of ambition which have hitherto desolated the world. But for the attainment of that happy result, he would trust more to the character of our merchants than to the mere extension of our trade.
Wishing the Chancellor of the Exchequer" well out of all his difficul- ties," the Lord Mayor proposed the health of that Minister. Mr. Glad- stone replied both playfully and seriously. "I freely grant that there are other feelings besides these of admiration, or confidence, or respect, or regard, which must be excited by the position of a Chancellor of Exchequer. I fully believe that the prominent sentiment in the minds of all human beings towards a person whose duty it is to fill that office at certain periods, is a sentiment of sympathy and commiseration. (Cheers and laughter.) I can from my own expenence during a brief tenure of office, most unhesitatingly echo the sentiments which you, my Lord Mayor, have expressed respecting the anxiety of parties to share in treasures which, as they imagine, it is in the power of a Chancellor of the Ex- chequer to diffuse over a smiling land. (Cheers and laughter.) And I can add to what you have stated, that the anxiety to share in some imaginary sur- plus of the public revenue does not lead those parties very carefully to inquire whether that surplus really exists or not. The difficulties that are imposed on a Chancellor of the Excheguer, like those that are imposed on all persons who fill responsible positions in this great country, are of a very serious character. I, at least, am deeply sensible that nothing but the kindness and indulgence of my fellow-countrymen could induce me to encounter either the labours or the responsibility of the office which I have the honour to hold. The existence of representative government has introduced into this country, and has spread widely, and strongly and deeply confirmed, a habit among the people of ex- amirung the financial administration. I do not state that as a matter to be lamented; on the contrary, I rejoice at it. I say that the cares of that Minister who is anxious to discharge his duties are not aggravated, but in the end are greatly lightened, by the fact that these duties are to be discharged not of his own mere arbitrary will, but in concurrence with the intelligent judg- ment of a great people. I therefore look to the expression of pubhc opinion„ although I freely grant that when it fastens itself on some particular item of taxation we may occasionally think there is a little precipitancy in its de- cisions. I do not, however, speak of precipitate decisions, but of well- weighed and mature opinion ; and I say that the expression of that opinion affords the most powerful assistance that can be given to the holders of any weighty office in the discharge of the duties which that office entails. And the words which you have spoken tonight, and the manner in which they have been received by the company, convince me that, whether I may succeed or not in dealing with the manifold, great, and complicated subjects, with the powerful assistance of a body of colleagues, than whom, I believe' few ever stood higher in public estimation for all the recommendations that belong to character,— whether I may succeed in dealing with those questions, or whether, from my weakness, I may fail in the attempt, all our decisions and proceedings will be brought before a fair and candid tribunal ; that we shall enjoy the advantage of an impartial and an intelligent judgment ; that it will be be- lieved we are sensible that at any rate we have a character to lose ; and that whatever we may propose to Parliament for its adoption or rejection, has been conceived in a spirit of honest patriotism." Mr. Cardwell replied for himself and the House of Commons. It was late before the guests left the solemnity of the dinner-table for the gayety of the ball-room.
Southwark celebrated the last return of Sir William Molesworth by a public dinner given in his honour on Thursday, at the Bridge House Hotel. About three hundred gentlemen, including the other Member, the High Bailiff, and most of the influential constituents of the borough,
were present; and Sir Alexander Cockburn, Mr. Moffatt M.P., and Mr. Oliveira M.P., were invited guests. Dr. Chalice, the Chairman, pro- posed the health Sir William Molesworth, "not only as a Cabinet but as a Radical Minister."
Sir William warmly acknowledged the toast ; following up his thanks by a reirnspective speech on the works of the Aberdeen Cabinet. He be- gan with Colonial policy ; touched on the Jew 13111, intended to remove an odious relic of bigotry and intolerance " ; pointed out that the mea- sures taken by Government "to render this country wipe/bailable, by im- proving our defences," had received the "most decided approbation of the
House of Commons" ; spoke on the refugee question, trusting that this country will "long continue to be an asylum for men of every political
faith,"—who, however, must abstain from intrigues and attempts to die-.
turb the tranquillity of other countries ; and in strong terms characterized as hideous and loathsome the excesses of every kind and sort that dis-
graced the last general election. "A remedy must be found and sup- plied, and a potent one it must be. A new Reform Bill, the disfran- chisement of the corrupt constituencies, and, in my opinion, the ballot, are wanted." Among the prospective questions, he mentioned the Bud- get, Education, and India; and he hoped the measures of the Govern- ment on these subjects would give satisfaction to their friends and sup- porters. The views expressed by Sir William on the Colonial policy of Minis- ters are very gratifying.
The Free-trade question having been settled before Christmas, her Ma- jesty's Ministers 'were able to turn their attendee, in the first instance, to the affairs of our remoter dependencies ; and they commenced their Par- liamentary labours by bringing in a measure of much importance to the greatest of our Colonies,—a measure of which I had given notice before the resignation of the late Govemment,—I refer to the bill with regard to the Clergy Reserves of Canada. The object of that bill is to empower the Legis- lature of Canada to deal with the local question of church establishments in that colony. Two years ago, the Legislature of that great colony, which con- tains nearly 2,000,000 of inhabitants, addressed the Crown to submit to Par- liament a bill similar to that now before the House of Commons. The Govern- ment of my noble friend Lord John Russell promised to do so, and were about to do so when they quitted office. The late Government, partly animated by old and not very friendly feelings towards Canada, determined to set at nought the wishes of the Canadian Legislature, and refused to fulfil the promises of their predecessors. It was the first duty of the present Govern- ment—and an agreeable one it was—to redeem those pledges, and to apply to Canada the great, the true, arid all-important rule of Colonial policy, namely, that all questions which affect exclusively the local interests of a colony possessing representative institutions shall be dealt with by the Local Legislature. (Cheers.) That rule should, in my opinion, form the basis of our system of Colonial government. The strict adherence to it would, more than anything else, tend to strengthen, and consolidate our vast Colonial empire, which now contains every climate of the earth—which is capable of producing every commodity that is useful or agreeable or beneficial to man —which is in the act of being rapidly peopled by myriads of our race, speak- ing our language, with wants, feelings, and tastes similar to our own— anxious to exchange the produce of their new homes for the creations of our unrivalled skill and manufacturing industry—willing to carry on with us an immense and increasing and a mutually beneficial commerce but, like true Englishmen, desiring to have the management of their local ;Hairs, and to possess Anglo-Saxon institutions. (Cheers.) "With such institutions the colonists would long continue to be loyal and devoted subjects of the British Crown. Therefore, to give them such insti- tutions should be the great object of the Colonial policy of this country, and is the great object of the Colonial policy of her Majesty's present Ministers, and, especially of my noble friend the Secretary of State fur the Colonies, who is a sincere zealous, and determined Colonialreformer. (Cheers.) One of the first official acts of my noble friend was to frame, with the cordial ap- probation of his colleagues, a constitution for the colony of the Cape of Good Hope. A constitution ought to have been given to that colony at least eight years ago; but Lord Derby, who was then Secretary of State for the Colo- nies, refused to comply with the wishes and entreaties of the Governor of the Cape. And when Lord Derby's late Government came into power, they raised every obstacle and discovered every difficulty in the way of granting free institutions to South Africa. But my noble friend's energy soon removed every one of those obstacles, and overcame every one of those difficulties ; and an order in Council has lately been sent to the Cape conferring a most liberal constitution upon that colony, from which I anticipate the happiest consequences. (Cheers.) In accordance also with the same true principles of Colonial pall/7, my noble friend has complied with the prayers of the petitions which have been addressed to the Crown and Parliament by the Legislatures of the four great colonies of Aus- tralia, and, by abolishing transportation to Van Diemen's Land, has put a stop to the sending of convicts to the Gold-fields of Australia, and to the re- warding of our criminals by a passage free of expense to the Diggings. (.` Hear, hear !") Gentlemen, I do rejoice at the abolition of transporta- tion to these colonies, because, sixteen years ago, I was chairman of a Com- mittee of the House of Commons appointed to inquire into the subject of transportation, and those inquiries convinced me that transportation to the great colonies of Australia ought to be abolished ; and for sixteen years I have dons my best to bring about a result the accomplishment of which, I am glad to say, has been one of the first acts of the present Government." (Cheers.) Sir Alexander Cockburn, the Attorney-General, acknowledged "the House of Commons" •' and Mr. Apsley Pellatt, responding to a toast in honour of Southwark, dwelt strongly on the necessity of providing the borough with municipal institutions of her own.
When Police-Sergeant Patterson was enveloped in the flames of phos- phorus at the fire at Mr. Button's, in Holborn, Havaland, a soldier belonging to the Artillery endeavoured to assist him, and succeeded in tearing off the burning clothes ; but in the effort the soldier was himself badly burnt. Both were taken to the hospital. Patterson died : though the soldier was in danger his life has been saved, but the muscles and tendons of his arms are so shrunken that he is unfit for further service. He bears four stripes for good conduct, and he had but six months to serve to become entitled to a pension. The poor fellow applied at the Guildhall Police-office on Tuesday, for some assistance; at the same time stating that he was about to proceed to Wool- wich to submit to a formal court-martial on account of his absence without leave. Sir Robert Carden gave the brave fellow 21., and announced that he would be happy to receive donations from the public for his further relief.
Mr. Gale, a retired sea-captain living at Somers Town, has been robbed of 2111. in notes and gold, by two " magsmen," who met him in the City, led him to a public-house, introduced the subject of money and the clever- ness of rogues, and then illustrated the latter by the old trick of substituting flash notes and brass medals for the real money of Mr. Gale, who carefully stowed away the trash in his fob. The dupe did not discover his loss till the Police took charge of him after he had been drinking too freely.
Previous page
