The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-07 00:00:00

OF THE BELOLLNB.

About 130 guests attended a grand banquet at
the Mansion-hoops last evening, given by the Lord Mayor
and Lady Mayoress to the King and Queen of the Belgians.
It was served in the Egyptian-hall with that perfection of
*allow, and (learner* art for which such entertainments
in the City of Leaden have long been celebrate&
The King of the Burnish's, replying to • toast and
speaking in English, said—l thank you, both in my
own name and in the name of the Queen, for the honour
you have just done us in drinking our health with the
warmth you have displayed. I thank the Lord Mayor for
the kind way in which he gave the toast. I thank you for
the kind monster in which you have accepted it. Ragland
and Belgium are sister countries. (Cheers.) They are
both very. muc► attached to their free institu-
tions; they am both, although in a vary different
scale, engaged in spat commercial and industrial pursuits.
We have the same liberal commercial policy, and I am
very happy to be able to say here, that our trade is incress.
ing. (Cheers.) I sincerely hope that the bands of friend-
ship which already tie Belgium to England will be
strengthened, and caption* for evermore. (Cheers.) And
now, my Lord Mayer, let me again thank you for the mast
kind speech you have just made, and for all you have said
of my dear nati►e country. I thank you for the way in
which you have just spoken of the King, my late father.
The King of Belgium long enjoyed the freedom of this im-
portant city, and I need not say I am proud of the bosom
Let one also thank you again for all you have amid
about myself, of whom you h►ve spoken I feel a great
deal too kindly. Let me conclude now by apologising for
having addressed you in my broken English—(laughter,
his Majesty's English being excellent)--aid by expressing
to you my beat wishes for the oontinuance of the extraor-
dinary prosperity enjoyed ray this city—the commercial
capital of the world. (Loud cheers.)
The healths of the Prince and Princess of Wales and
the rest of the royal family were next proposed by the
LORD Maros.
The Prince of Warm—After the very able speech his
Majesty the King of the Belgians has just made. I feel
almost nervous in getting up to return thanks for the
very kind manner in which you have proposed our
health,. We feel it to be a great honour to be
received here on this occasion. We are always happy to
come here, and under any circumstances feel grateful
when invited to partake of the Lord Mayor's hospitality.
But on this particular occasion I feel doubly happy to be

here to rapport you, my Lord Mayor, because you have as
your resets the King and Queen of the Belgians. (Cheers.)
Although I thank you for the honour you have done me
to asking me here as • guest, I do not consider myself en-
tirely • guest, because I cannot forget lam • freeman of
this city. (Cheers.) The honour was conferred upon me
three years ago, and both the Princess and myself will
never forget the reception which was accorded us on her
arrival in England. (Loud cheers.)
The Loan MAYOR, in proposing " The Army, Navy,
and Volunteers," remarked that the toast had a peculiar
interest, in the first place, because there was a hope that
at last the peace of Europe might be established on a firm
and sound basis, and in the second place because he
had the honour to call upon the Duke of Edinburgh to
return thanks for the navy. His royal highness was one
of their fellow.citisens, and bore the reputation of being
• true-hearted English sailor, whose devotion to his Queen
and country was never excelled. (Loud cheers.)
His Royal Highness the Duke of Eninnunoil—l thank
you for the way in which you have received the taut of
the navy. You, my Lord Mayor, I thank especially for
the very kind manner in which you have coupled my name
with that service, in which I am proud to have the honour
of serving. This toast has • special application in the
City of London. It is from this busy city that merchant
vowels sell all over the world, and it is one of the special
duties of her Majesty's men-of-war to defend these ships
wherever they may find them in distress. You may there-.
fore depend upon it that, as one of your fellow-citizens, I
shall always be proud to be to the front, if necessity re-
quires. (Loud cheers.)
General Sir K CURT responded for the army. He said
that if future wars were to be conducted with the brevity
of the present continental struggle, they would be con-
fined to Reuter's telegrams. (Laughter.)
Alderman Rose spoke for the volunteers.
The LORD MAYOR proposed " Her Majesty's Ministers."
He believed that the new government, like their predeces-
sors, had the best and truest interests of their country
at heart. With the toast he had the greatest pleasure in
associating the name of Mr. Disraeli—a name which, he
unhesitatingly affirmed, was honoured and respected in
this country. (Cheers.) He hoped the new Chancellor of
the Exchequer might be as successful as his predecessor.
(Laughter and cheers.) He could not wish the right bon.
gentleman a better wish than that in the next seven years
he might produce effects as satisfactory to the country as
the right hon. gentleman who had preceded him. (Cheers.)
Mr. DISRAELI—I beg to return you my thanks on the
part of her Majesty's ministers for the great honour you
have done them. As I have only been a minister for a
very few hours I am sure you will not expect
on this occasion an exposition of the general
policy of the new administration. (A laugh.)
Indeed, if this dinner had taken place yesterday, the duty
I am now discharging would have fallen in all probability
upon my predecessor; and I am sure the right hon. gentle.
man—whom, notwithstanding our long and fierce encoun-
ters, I will presume to call my right hon. friend— (cheers)
—would have done much justice to • theme which must
always be interesting to the subjects of her Majesty. In-
deed, under any circumstances, I could not pretend on an
occasion like the present to refer to any party subject or
political situation, but I hope I may be permitted to say
on the part of her Majesty's present advisers, that they
are animated by a sincere desire to do their duty to their
Sovereign and their country, and I hope that by a policy
prudent, yet at the same time firm, by • policy
temperate in its general tone, yet decided when
necessary in its action, it may preserve in this country
prosperity and peace. (Cheers.) There is no country
more interested in those blessings than one which is
I situated near to us, the amiable and accomplished sove-
reigns of which have honoured us with their presence
this day. I trust that those blessings will fall upon that
country, for I am sure that every Englishman is interested
in the welfare of Belgium. (Cheers.)
To the toast of " The House of Lords," proposed by
the CHAIRMAN, the Earl of SHERWBBURY and TALBOT
responded.
The King of the BELGIANS, in a complimentary sen-
tence, proposed the Lord Mayor's health, to which the
LORD MAYOR replied.
The LORD MAYOR then gave "The House of Commons."
Notwithstanding there was no reason to find fault with that
august assembly, he trusted he might be permitted to say
that within the last three weeks they had not been so
busily occupied as they usually were at this season of the
year. (Laughter.) He coupled with the toast the name
of the Right Honourable W. E. Gladstone. (Loudcheers.)
He offered that gentleman • cordial and hearty reception
in the City of London, and be had no hesitation in saying
that history did not furnish a brighter example of a loyal
and patriotic subject—or of an honest, independent, or
faithful statesman. (Renewed cheers.) No one who had
watched the right honourable gentleman's brilliant career
could refrain, whatever his political opinions might be,
from expressing his sense of the important services he had
rendered. Might Mr. Gladstone long be spared to serve
his country as faithfully and independently as he had
hitherto done, and might he tong continue to be one of the
brightest ornaments of the House of Commons. (Loud
cheers.)
Mr. GLADSTONI—I must not trust myself to dwell upon
the terms in which the Lord Mayor has been pleased to
refer to my personal career, beyond the tendering of my
respectful gratitade, and the utterance of the conviction
that he has allowed his warmth of expression to carry his
estimate of me beyond the bounds of justice, or even in-
dulgenee. Passing from that subject to the House of
Commons, I sasure the company that those who belong to
the assembly are • body eminently loyal to the Chamber
in which they ait,and there is no task more grateful to any
member of parliament, in whatever quarter of the house
he may be found, than to he called upon to express his
acknowledgments, as one of those numbers, for time!