The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-27 00:00:00

BANQUETS TO FOREIGN WORKMEN,

Yesterday evening the first of a series of f,,ur
banquets to foretop melanin wow gives, under the ausiecoe
of the Foreign Workmen's Reception Committee, in the
=ltredreshment department of the International I:zbi.
The first banquet was gives to French workmen,
the three others being designed reejlestarelY for Italians,
Belgians, and Germans. The attendance yamerday erasing
operatives,
with about 200 persona, chiefly French operatives.,
with whom were associated a oorunderable numbrr of the'
English brethren of the same class. The chair was tek
by Mr. B. Berkeley, M.P., who waa supported by .•
Robert Clifton, Id.P., the French cremonsioner for
International Eshibitioo, M. Daunt ; Mr. Blanc
Jerrold, Mr. E. C. Whitehurat, Mr. W. B. Austin, •
Vigor., Mr. Julius Mayhew Mr. E. Blanchard, Mr. ' ..
Jerrold, Mr. it. G. Glover, Mr. Alezieff Christen, ac. .
The CHALIMAN after proposing, IS appropriate tun,
" The Queers " and "The memory of the late Prioce".n•
sort," gave "The Emperor of the French," with ~,me
highly eulogistic remarks on his Majesty's successful ;forts
1 to cement the alliance between the two countries.

Sir ILOBILIIT CLIFTON, H.P., proposediiilranci • The
Empress of the French and the Prince imperial." I ,I.,ing
so he said be had lived long enough in France to beelublud
to speak in terms of sincere admiration of its French
nation ; and he trusted that when the French sorlimcn,
whom he addressed, returned to their own coatry they
would bear with them a feeling of satioactivo at
the hospitality and friendship which they had
met with in England. (Great cheering.) As to the
Empress she was justly regarded by tbi people of
France as a second mother ; and as regarded tie prince, her
son, all he hoped was, that if Providence spied hie royal
highness to reign over the French nation IN would chemb
the same friendship for this country which had been muni•
fated by his father. (Cheer.)
The toast having been drank with great cordiality,
H. DOONAT returned thanks. He expressed strung con-
fidence that the Emperor was the friend of peace and
commerce and the enemy of war. The treaty of
commerce which was now in operation would,
he believed, not merely break down the barriers
which opposed the interchange of productions, but
establish petosiolocOoly hiJks,ll7 •anLjoacxon, 'peter., the
two nations. (Cheers.) He concluded by proposing " fbe
President and the committee by whom the banquet was
orge"1"
• ()mammas, in acknowledging the toast, made some
felicitous remarks on the relative historical positions of
England and France. There was no reason, he observed, for
antagonistic feelings on either side. The French, under
William of Normandy, conquered England; but the coo.
quest was one of great advantage to this country, for, in.
directly, it improved the language and diffused arta which
might otherwise have remained unknown. The languages,
like the races, of the two countries were blended, and the
Frenchman still stuck to the Englishman. (Laughter.)
When the French beat the English they must confess that
they had had awkward customers to deal with; when the
English beat the French they had no one else to beat, unless
it were his Satanic Majesty. (laughter.) The two nations
had been fighting long enough, and it now became them to
endeavour to rival each other in the arts of peace and corn-
memo. (Cheers.) . .

The dunnurAir sett gave, "Our guests, the French
workmen preeent." (Loud and loos-oontinued cheering.)
What their neighbours could do was, he said, to be aeon
among the wonders in that building, out of which they
would emerge crowned with honour—(cheers)—and he was
delighted to be present on an occasion which evinced the
feelings cherished towards them in England.

Mr. BLABCILLIID JEKROLD, Hon. Secretary of the Foreign
Workmen's heuption Committee, then delivered in French
an address, of which the following is a translation :
Gentlemen, French Workmen,—lt is in the name of the
English workmen that the committee, of which I have the
honour to be the representative, offers you this modest fee.
tied. I dare say that the whole clams of the workmen of
Great Britain participates in the friendly and brotherly
feelings which have inspired our reunion. Gentlemen, you
are welcome. If we are rivals in the different markets of the
world, we are at least generous rivals. We march towards the
same end of these Exhibition' of Industry of All Nations,
when we shall press the hand of the French workmen whom the
Exhibition has drawn to this country. It is by reunions
like this, we are profoundly convinced, that the unfortu-
nate prejudices of former times will be effaced. • mutual
respect arises between the two people.; this respect will
soon be spread even to the distant villages of the two
countries ; and the fruit of this general respect will be a
solid, lasting, and profound peace. We are happy to be-
lieve, gentlemen, that when you return home,
you will bear with you an impression of your stay
amongst us which will be advantageous. At least we will
get° be weeable sod useful to you at the same time.
admirable organization under which you have made
your journey to London has) rendered easier the task which
our committee has undertaken. However, our organization
was necessary ; and we congratulate ourselves on having
been enabled to render some service to the workmen who
have come from all the countries of Europe to study the
I=r which industry and the arts have made since 1&51.
eheefin.)
The tout having been drunk amid reiterated cheers,
Poluerr, in responding on behalf of the French work-
men, said he begged to express their cordial thanks for the
meaner in which-they had been received. He was not •
workman himself, but he was the son of • French agrieulta•
rat, and therefore owed his existence to labour. (Cheers.)
It was not workmen who desired war. [A Vows : Cer-
tainly not.] It was their interest that peace should be pre-
served, and it was work, not war, which tended to the ele-
vation of man and the development of the arts of peace and
civilisation. He was convinced that all whom he repro-
tented were, as he was, profoundly sensible of the large hos-
pitality and extreme kindness of which they had been the
objects; on that important and interesting occasion.
Mr. Auras proposed, in complimentary terms, "The
Health of Mr. Blanchard Jerrold," to which that gentle.
man made a suitable response.
The occasion was enlivened by the presence of the hand
of the London ;Artillery Brigade, which played appropriate
airs, including ' Patent pour la B 'e," and the proceed-
ings altogether were of an extremely fraternal and satisfac-
tot, character.

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