The Press.
London, England, 1855-10-13 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

He could not but feel most grateful to the inhabitants
of Liverpool for the gratifying reception which had been
given to him ; nor could he fail to express the delight with
which he had that day inspected the great establishments
and public and charitable institutions which reflected so
much credit upon that great commercial town. Nothing
could be more gratifying to any one than to be the object
of so many marks of respect, a portion of which no doubt
was intended for himself personally, but the greater part of
which he regarded as intended as a testimony of the ap•
preciation in which our army in the East was regarded by
the inhabitants of that important and influential commu-
nity. Such a testimony could not fail to be most highly
valued by our soldiers, and to have the best effects upon
them. He concurzed with the Mayor in thinking that the
calamities of the present war had brought with them one
compensation, in having strengthened our alliance with
France. During the late campaign the best possible feel-
ing had existed between the armies. He once possessed
the friendship of the late lamented Marshal St. Arnaud,
and now possessed the friendship of Marshal Caurobett ;
and be should ever reflect with pleasure upon the kind feel.
ing which the French army had ever manifested towards us
—a feeling which he hoped and believed had been entirely
and warmly reciprocated on our side. A great deal had been
written upon the shortcomings and defects in our arrange-
ments for the comfort and efficiency of the army, but the
fault was not so much in individuals as in the system, and
still more in the state in which our establishments had been
left by a forty years' peace. It might be said that the
French had enjoyed aforty years' peace as well as ourselves,
but it should be remembered that the breaking out of the
war had found them much better prepared than ourselves.
The French had for many years carried on war in Algeria,
and their transport and commissariat departments were

therefore in a state of efficiency. When 'the war broke
out we had no land transport corps at all, and no ambu-
lance, and we landed in a country where no horses or
forage could be procured. The commissariat was a de-
partment of the Treasury, and the officers arrived in the
Crimea with little or no experience of the work they had
to perform. They were willing to learn, anxious to do
their duty, and desirous to receive suggestions. But,
under all the circumstances, it was not to be wondered at
that deficiencies manifested themselves which made every
one impatient. Officers were impatient., men were im-
patient, and (said his Royal Highness) " 1 was impatient."
But he saw around him many eminent merchants having
establishments in every part of the globe, and he would
ask them whether a space of three, four, or five months
would enable them to form those establishments and make
those ramifications in every part of the globe which were
essential to the success of their undertakings, and the
harmony and efficiency of their action? (Cheers.) Time
must be given for establishing the necessary organisa-
tion, and our establishments were now fast attaining an
efficiency worthy of this great country, (Hear, hear.)
The lesson to be learnt from these events—and he
trusted it would not be forgotten after the peace—was
not to starve our establishments during a time of peace,
or to maintain them in such a low state of efficiency as if
we thought that war was impossible. Four years ago, he
admitted, he did not believe we were about to enter upon a
state of war. No one then believed war to be possible.
But when the present war should be happily terminated,
he trusted that we should not neglect the efficiency of our
establishments from any belief that we were about to enter
upon another forty years' peace—( Hear, hear)—although
no one would rejoice more than himself if such a blessing
were in store for us. Every one who had witnessed, as he
had, the actual miseries of war, would rejoice at the return
of peace, and would cherish a state of peace as one of the
greatest blessings a nation could enjoy. He had been
much gratified at one passage in the speech of his worthy
friend the Mayor at the Town-hall that morning, when his
Worship had stated that, although the great commercial
town of Liverpool was deeply interested in a return of
peace, one sentiment alone pervaded the whole com-
munity—namely, a determination to persevere in the
war in which the country was engaged, at all hazards
and at every sacrifice, until its object was attained.
( Cheers.) In that sentiment he entirely coincided, and
he had a strong opinion that a peace concluded at the pre-
sent moment would not be an honourable, durable, and
lasting peace. Until suTh a peace could be concluded, ho
was foe carrying on the war with all possible vigour and de-
termination, and he was gratified to find that this also
was the opinion of the inhabitants of Liverpool. (Cheers.)
He had seen a great deal written upon the relations be-
tween the officers and men of the British army. He thought
that in raising the standard of the officers you raised also
the standard of the men. Too much justice could not be
given to the officers for their conduct in the late cam-
paign, and their care and devotion for the comfort of the
men. This care and devotion on the part of the officers
was highly appreciated by the men, who liked to be com-
manded by gentlemen, while they often felt irritated under
the command of men of their own station. ( Hear, hear.)
One of the proudest positions that could be filled by any
man was to command a body of English soldiers going
into action, because he knew he could rely upon his men
to go anywhere, and the men felt confident that their
officers would be found at their head when the moment for
action arrived. He had been compelled, to his great re-
gret, t 3 leave the army in the East in consequence of the
state of his health ; but now, thank God, his health was
restored, and nothing would give him greater pleasure than
to rejoin the army in the Crimea.

His. Royal Highness concluded by again thanking
the Mayor and the inhabitants of Liverpool for the
kind and brilliant reception which they had given
him, and resumed his seat amidst loud and hearty
cheers.
The tout of " The Army " wan responded to by
Sir HARRY SMITH (who was received with load
cheers) in a short, vigorous speech, exculpating the

army from any blame for their late failure at the
Redan, and concluding with an expression, which
met with the heartiest cheers, that lie felt confident
the English army would still continue to deserve the
admiration and gratitude of their Queen and countr,,..
"The Navy " called forth from the Earl of HARI
WICKE an expression that the present war was not a
naval war, and that too much had been expected
from steam-ships.
The Earl of DERBY returned thanks for the Peers,
and in the course of an allusion to a remark of the
Mayor's that the doors of the House of Peers were
open to all men " who could show themselves worthy
of the honour," his lordship remarked :
So ling as peerages were given only for distinguished
services the recollection of the good qualities which pro-
cured for their ancestors their patent of nobility would
encourage them to follow in the same path. But heavy
would be the responsibility of that Minister who should
recommend his Sovereign to raise improper and unworthy
objects to the dignity of the peerage. For himself, be
could rot be charged with having made a lavish or indis-
criminate use of the privilege which office had given him
to recommend her Majesty to confer peerages. During
the time when he was First Minister of the Crown, he had
only advised her Majesty to confer the dignity of the
peerage upon three individuals—the distinguished diplo-
matist Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, the learned and emi-
nent Sir E. Sugden, and the late lamented Lord Ragls ;
( Cheers.) Posterity, he thought, would confirm the worth
and suitableness of these three persons to the distinction,
and he should always look back with pleasure upon the
share he had had in opening to them the doors of the
House of Lords.

The Right Hon. S. WALPOLIS briefly acknowledged
the toast of "The House of Commons," and the
guests adjourned to the ballroom, where upwards of
a thousand of the neigbouring gentry were assembled.
The Duke of Cambridge opened the ball with the
wife of the Mayor, and after the supper, accompanied
by the Earl of Derby and Colonel Tyrwhitt, re-
turned for the night to Knowsley. During the
evening the town was generally illuminated, all the
public buildings presented brilliant and various
devices, and even the private houses of the inhabi
tants were not behind in their efforts to testify to their
respect for the illustrious Duke.

But if on Monday Liverpool gave to the royal
visitor in its streets a hearty welcome, what is to be
said of the scene which the River Mersey presented
the following morning ? The Duke of Cambridge
having expressed a wish to see Liverpool, Birken-
head, and the banks of the Mersey, the Earl of
Ellesmere very kindly placed at the disposal of the
Mayor a steam-yacht, and at eleven his Royal High.
ness, attended by Colonel Tyrwhitt, and accompanied
by the Earl of Hardwicke, Lord Henry Lennox,
and Viscount Somerton, drove up to the Mansion-
house, where his Royal Highness was met by the
Mayor and Mayoress, and the distinguished party
forthwith proceeded to the quay, where the steamer
was lying. Dense crowds again filled the streets and
lined the quay, and his Royal Highness embarked
amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the bystanders.
The vessel, with the royal standard floating, then
got under way, and steamed up, keeping close to
the Cheshire coast for nearly ten miles, and returned
on the Lancashire bank, thus affording the Royal
Duke an excellent opportunity of viewing the im-
mense works constructed and still in progress. The
day was fine, and it was a sight which no one can
forget. The river was covered with vessels of all kinds,
decorated with flags, and laden to the water's edge
with crowds of people, who seemed not a little to
enjoy the scene, and by their loud and constant
cheering repeated their hearty welcome to the royal
visit r N 1 111 stood during a greater part of the day on
the paddle-box bridge. Certainly the loyalty and
enthusiasm of the people would not have been les-
sened had they known that, at the express wish of
the Duke of Cambridge, the vessel's speed was
slackened, in order to give his Royal Highness an
opportunity of bowing his thanks for their hearty
welcome. In the evenii.g a grand concert was
given at St. George's-hall, and the reception
which the Duke met with from the vast au-
dience was enthusiastic in the extreme.
The hall rung with cheers from some 2,600
voices, and the heartiest welcome with which
the roof of St. George's hall will ever resound was
given that night. The Duke wore the ribbon and
star of the Garter, and also his Crimean medal. He
was attended by the Earl of Derby, Lord Stanley,
Lord Chesterfield, Lord Colville, Countess of Derby,
Lady Emma Stanley, and several other fashionables.
Immediately on his Royal Highness and the distin-
guished party by which he was accompanied having
taken their places, Mr. Best struck the first bar of
" God Save the Queen," when the whole audience
rose, and Madame Clara Novelle) sang the solo por-
tion of the noble anthem, the choruses being taken
up and sung by the choir. At the conclusion of the
national anthem, " Partant pour la Syne" was given
in fine style. His Royal Highness remained till the
conclusion of the concert, and then returned to
Knowsley, where, it is understood, he will remain till
this day.