The Press.
London, England, 1856-07-05 00:00:00

Vttrovolitait

GENERAL WILLIAMS was entertained at a magnifi-
cent banquet at his old club, " The Army and
Navy," on Saturday evening last. It was the first
public dinner the gallant general had attended in
London. Colonel Daniell, late of the Coldstream
Guards, took the cbair, and covers were laid for 110
guests. After the usual loyal toasts, and that of the
French Emperor, who had behaved with such marked
courtesy to their guest of the evening, Colonel
Daniell proposed the health of General Williams.
The gallant colonel on each occasion made a brief
but appropriate speech, and in the case of General
Williams called upon the guests to do justice to the
toast proposed. The health was, of course, drunk
with tremendous enthusiasm, and General Williams,
in his return speech, touched lightly on his defence
of tars, eulogised the high courage of the Turkish
soldier, and concluded in these words :
There is one point to which I wish to allude before I sit
down, and that is, that although I was not serving with the
army in the Crimea, I was attached to it, and received
my instructions from that great and good man, who unhap-
pily did not live to see the result of the war. I mean Lord
Raglan. (Cheers.) The last moments of that gallant
nobleman were embittered, and (meetly so, from the total
want of system, which we experienced when we began
the war. We had, in fact, been asleep for forty years, and
when we went into the war we were sent out but halt
awake. i cannot adequately describe to you the joy, the
almost Electrical shock, which was caused by the arrival
of the news of the victories of that gallant army in the
Crimea while we were in the centre of Armenia. When
the story of Alma, of lnkermann, and afterwards of the fag
of Sebastopol, was brought to us, nothing could exceed th•
enthusiasm of those fine Turks, and you may easily sup
pose what our joy and enthusiasm were at hearing th•
welcome news of the glories achieved by that brave infant
which never yet turned its back on a foe. (Loud cheers.
I say that infantry which never turned its back, which fro*,
the days of Wolfe has been the foundation of our greatness,
whose courage nothing can shake, or ever will shake.
( Loud cheers.) In this respect I believe that our army is
second to none. (Cheers.) I believe, my good friends
and brother officers, I have said all that is necessary to say
upon such an occasion as the present. You may imagine
the emotions which I feel. I could and would say many
things more, but I think that at the dinner table there should
be some limit to speeches; and, therefore, I conclude with
proposing all your healths.
The gallant general afterwards proposed the health
of General Mouravieff, in the most flattering and
complimentary terms, and characterised him as one
of the men of the olden time." The toast was
drunk with great enthusiasm, and the meeting
broke up some time after.-- '4llo4,gallant general
was also entertained on Thursday at a grand ban-
quet at Woolwich, given by the Artillery officers,
upon the occasion of his entering upon his duties
as commandant of the garrison. The gallant general
was met pp 438..gp try to :Woolwich ,by a deputation
Qom the townspeople, and presented with a congra-

~4J

tulatory address. General Williams returned a suit-
able reply, and promised to "luster and encourage
the kindly feeling hitherto existing between the
military and civil population." The banquet at the
Artillery Barracks went off with great ecbit.

THE VALUABLE ENGLISH MUSIC IN SCORE, saved
from the late fire at Covent Garden, was sold by
auction on Thursday, by the Messrs. Robins, to-
gether with the prompt books, playbills, and the
collection of pay-ledgers, from 1770 to 1826, with
the autograph receipts of the most eminent actors
and actresses during those periods, with their re-
spective salaries; the journals, with the nightly
performances and receipts, cash-books, and all the
papers connected with the long-litigated Chancery
proceedings. The documents realized the most
ridiculously low prices. Sir Henry Bishop's scores
going for a few shillings each, and thatof Oberon for
4/. 45., and DI?. Freischutz for 15s.
Lotto SHAFTESBURY presided at the annual meet-
ing, at Freemasons' Tavern, of the Society for Im-
proving the Condition of the Poor, held on Monday.
The total receipts of the society during the past
year had been 10,821/. 19s. 6d., out of which there
was remaining a balance of 666/. 12s. Bd.
THE WOLTERTON COLLECTION OF PICTURES WaS
disposed of on Saturday by Messrs. Christie and
Manson, at their great room in King-street, St.
James's-square. The celebrated "Rainbow Land-
scape" of Rubens was put up at 2,750 guineas, and
realised the high price of 4,5501., bought by the
Marquis of Hertford, against Mr. Eastlake, who bid
4,5001. for the nation. The seventy pictures, com-
mencing with 280 of the general catalogue and
ending with 279, two being wrongly inserted, pro-
duced upwards of 11,5001. An attar piece by Lo
Spagna, No. 267 in the catalogue of the sale, was
purchased for the National Gallery at the price of
620 guineas.
THE CRYSTAL PALACE COMPANY presented their
report on Monday at the usual halt-yearly meeting.
Mr. Farquhar took the chair, and admitted that
while the receipts had not been so great as they an-
ticipated, the working expenses had on the other
hand exceeded the calculation made. On the subject
of their dividend, it was not proposed to fix an exact
time for paying it, the profits upon revenue having
been temporarily carried to the credit of capital
account. After some discussion, in which various
indignant shareholders pretested strongly against
the vast outlay upon what they called " Paxton's
quacks," the report was adopted, and the directors
authorised to borrow a sum not exceeding :13,300/.,
thus exhausting the borrowing powers of the com-
pany. A dividend of 2s. per share was declared,
payable on or before the let of October.
A CORRESPONDENT Of the Times this week, writing
as the " Gardener of the Temple," says that since
the Smoke Prevention Bill has come into force his
trees and flowers in the Temple-gardens have much
improved in health and vigour. But he states that
several large factories on the opposite side of the
river take advantage of the night and early morning
to let off volumes of smoke iu the old style. This
is the fault of the police; the proprietors are
amenable to heavy fines, and they would be enforced
by the magistrates in such case of wilful evasion,
did the police keep a sharp look out on the tall
chimneys.
THE LORD MAYOR this week has sent to Paris the
third and fourth contributions of 100,000 f. for the
benefit of the sufferers by the inundations.
THE LONDON DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION
held its seventeenth annual meeting on Wednesday.
The venerable Archdeacon Sinclair presided, and in
opening the business lamented the indisposition
which had caused the Lord Bishop of London (the
President of the Board) to retire from his see, and
dwelt in glowing terms on the many services of the
right reverend prelate in the cause of education.
The secretary then read the report, which stated that
there were at present 500 schools open to the inspec-
tion of this board, and, during the past year, thirty-
four additional schools had been placed in union,
and two reformatory institutions become connected
with the board, as had also three free schools for
English and American children in Pans. On the
motion of Lord Radstock the report was unanimously
adopted.

THE FOUNDATION•STONE OF THE NATIONAL ORPHAN
HOME was laid on Wednesday at Ham Common,
veer Richmond, by the Marquis of Clanticarde, his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge being pre-
♦ented by indisposition from attending the ceremony.
-The new home is intended to accommodate 200
orphans.
THE FOUNDATION-STONE OF THE NEW CHURCH OF
ST. LURE, KING'S-CROSS, was laid on Wednesday by
the Marquis of Blandford.
THE BEI.LOT TESTIMONIAL, Sir Roderick Murchison
writes to the Times this week, is closed. The sub-
scription, with interest, amounted to 2,2811. 17s. Bd.,
of which 1,6101. 12s. lid. have been divided among
the five unmarried sisters of the deceased, the re-