The Express.
London, England, 1855-04-23 00:00:00

MR. LAYARD IN LIVERPOOL

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY.

The hoe. member for Aylesbury, A. H. Layard,
Eaq , arrived in Liverpool last night, and has since been
the guest of T. M. Mackay, Esq., one of the owners of the
Block Ball line of Australian pockets.
Shortly after noon to day Mr. Layard was introduced in
the Bachange MOWS-104M to the leading merchants by Mr.
Mackay.
The owners of the Black 801 l line, anaions to afford the
commercial public an opportunity of hearing Mr. Layard,
invited about 300 of the principal mere..ants to a &femur on
board their new clipper, the Donald lld'ffay, lying in the
Coburg Dock. The entertainment was laid out in the
between decks, which was decorated with the flogs of all
nations, the most conspicuous being those of England,
France, America, and Turkey. About 239 persons eat
down to a very sumptuous repast, replete with all the deli-
cacies of the season.

Mr. T. M. MACKAY occupied the chair, supported en his
right by Mr. Le yard, the American Consul (Mr. Haw
thoroe), and Sir Thomas Gresham; and on his left by J. B.
Lloyd, Esq., en mayor of Liverpool, the French Consul,
and Sir J. H. !Chihli, Bart. The mayon of Birmingham,
Salford, and other urge towns were also present.
. _

The Csainwaie proposed in sueossion the healths of
" The Queen," " The Emperor of the French" (to which
the French Consul responded), "The President of the
United States" (the United States Consul, Mr. Nathaniel
Hawthorne responded), "The Sultan of Turkey" (the
Turkish Consul replied), " Prince Albert," "The Army and
Navy" (Major S,mple and Sir John Heron Maxwell, Bart.,
responded), "The Mayor and Corporation of Liverpool" (in
the absence of the Mayor, who was its London, Mr. J. 13.
Lloyd, ex-Mayor, responded), and "The Consular Agents of
Friendly Powers of Liverpool" (ecknow-ledged by Admiral
Grenfell.)
The CIiAIIIIAN then proposed the toast of the day,
" The health of Mr. Layard." He observed that he did not
know if there was any subject on which greater diversity of
opinion existed than in what truly constitned a distin-
guished man. If he was to go on the Liverpool Exchange
and sok the gentlemen there what were their notions of a
distinguished man, one would say Lord Palmerston, an-
other Lord Derby. (Cheers and laughter.) Few would
think of the merchant or manufacturer, who, by
years and years of toil, enriched the commerce of
the country— few of the enterprising shipowners
who sent their vessels into every pert of the
world, sad upon whose Sags the sun never sets, few would
think of those amongst us whose open-handed liberality has
not been the less because unseen. (Applause.) He (the
chairman) did not in the least object to either of the noble
lords he had named, or any other noble lords being milled
dieinguished, but he drew a line between those whew psd-
liens distinguished them, and those who distinguished their
positions. (Hear, heir.) Uncommon circumstances might
smut roes arise to distinguish a common man, but hlr.Layard
was far greater than that. He was an uncommon man In
common circumstances. It would have been strange if,
after the handsome offer made to Mr. Lsyard, previous to the
last election, he had not desired to see Liverpool, the plans
from which he had received such an offer; and he had
willingly accepted the invitation to attend that day when
given to him. After a rapid sketch of Mr. Leyard's life,
and an eloquent alluoion to his discoveries at Nineveh, the
chairman went en to say that the day had gone by when
the people of England would rest content that the dins
lion of the destinies of this great country should be
contingent on family arrangements. (Hear, and applause.)
He (the chairman) was no enemy to the aristocracy ; but
this he did contend for, that the man put into oMee
should Sc capable of fulfilling its duties. (Hear.) All that
the middle classes asked for was "a clear stage, and no
favour "—(applause) ;—and Mr. Leyard's memorable wade
had become the proverbial words of the nation " the right'
mesa in the right place." (Hear, hear.) It was Mr.
Leyard's sterling honesty in not .allowing himself to be
mauled by the acceptence of an ales for which he felt
himself not suited, that had rallied around him the whole
of the people of England, and proved that in polities, as
is every other transaction of life, honesty was the beet
policy. It was on this ground that be asked them to pledge
a bumper to Austen Henry Layard, Easy., M.P. (Cheers )
Mr. LAYAHD rose and was greeted with the most enthu-
siastic cheering. After some preliminary observations, in
reference to an allusion of the chairman's, he said that a
deputation from Liverpool did him the honour of waiting
upon him, au • resent occasion, and proposed that be
should come forward to represent this place. He
did feel deeply gratified by each an offer, as it
was • flattering witness that he had, to some extent,
fulfilled the duties he had mosined in public life. But
when he bore in mind what all statesmen should
bear in mind—that honesty was the best policy, he could
not think of deserting that less constituency—which had
always treated him with kindles and oonsideratioe—not-
withstanding the greater honour that might hive accrued
from representing suck a large commercial town as Liver-
pool. Mr. Layard then spoke of the advaatages that public
men derived from being introduced to the various com-
mercial and industrial sections of their country; and he ex-
pressed his double debt of gratitude to the chairman for his
various attentions. With respect to the chairman's state-
ment that he (Mr. Layard) had commenced his earlier at
en, it was not so, but in, perhaps, the move dangerous
profession of the law. (Laughter.) Mr. Layard then
briefly sketched the circumstances which had led him into
public life. Not finding himself at home in the study of
the law, he resolved to go to India, through a speech he
once chanced to hear from the late Dialed O'Connell. But
be got so further than Penis, when he thought of Intro-
ducing a much more extended &UM trade. After many
adventures there, he was soge as the embassy of
Constantinople, with Lend delledeMs. Retuning by
chance to this country about the time of the rise of
the Eastern question, he was drawn late it, and the
had he become somewhat of • public *Wei n. In
other circumstances he should have mined himself
to literature and science, of whisk ha wee lowly Nal. He
must say that, baring passed mask of W aims abroad, be
was not very wall acquainted with the preetied maitre of
the British constitution at Mme; but he trusted that, be-
fore long, from being interred to suck gentlemen as were
the* before his, he should berm better acquainted with
them matters. With regard to public subjects, he
liked, at web a moment es that, te dwell at very grea=g
upon them ; but questions of gash vest importance WO at
stake, that when he mouldered their relative position, be
felt he might say • few wide upon them. He them
strongly orumented on the appals that had been made In
the north of Ragland to the eyeepthies gad pockets spinet
the war, as unworthy of the gew~ lei IMMO principles
which should actuate nurse. He dim mer& that state of
things that made worldly peeeprity the standard of ap-
proval or diespprovel. He thought that a nation should
Prasorm its reputation with the Wedgy of an indivi-
dual; said way meek of fit iallsews abroad de-
reegas wee nedend dressage. (" Hear," and theme )
eaweee may whip malimmell the war from motives
of pity, and they werehl bur te teems of pesos. But be
had • be
here Btheetspek seer cl hie dearest
triads wee in he
way end asay I he bed himself sees
then bred. eed de that whisk MN NM thus seeking the
bubble reputation at the careen% Reath—do their duty la
the face of every danger and headship which could appal
man—yet he felt that there were womb when sympathy
should be repressed before the sterner worth of principle—
of duty. (Cheers.) He thought the weeny was never
Wore is sash a critical piths es at present. He did not
west to ye into • minute Wary of the war, which he
strongly held to be Pet sad asseseary, es was pima by a
sushi study of the skewer leases whisk were imileated
by the Vienna wie. Orme Ifesedrede, he hie wykeeties
et that note, proved what the designee Sark wee spa
Turkey. Had it not hem he that implemetien, meet Pro-
bably our government weld have heed Turkey to have
mooted that Timm Mi. iir. Le tlin roma,'