The Express.
London, England, 1861-10-29 00:00:00

BANQUE? PO PHD DUKE OP 41.110TLL.

The Duke of Argyll war: entertained at a grand
bempet in I overary, ow Friday e►ening, by his tenantry.
The banquet was held in the Argyll Arms Hotel ; the Rev.
Comm Siorit, fr. D.. in the Chair. Nearly eighty gentlemen
sat down to an ele4ant repast.
The formal toasts having been disposed of,
The CHAIRMAN, in a eulogistic speeeb, proposed the
health of their noble guest, which wee meet enthttenuitically
responded to.

The Duke of ARGYLL, in replying, and it was his
first duty to assure them that he had been very mach
gratified by the feeling which had induced them to invite
him to meet them on that occasion. He had been all
the more gratified from the fact that he believed that
this was the first occasion on which any such meeting had
Leen held un thin estate Ho did not of course put upon
that any erroneous interpretation. He was sot vain enough
to believe that he enjoyed more affection and attachment
from those amongst whom he lived than other represents.
fives of the family of Argyll bad done in former times. The
truth was. that this was a modern form of expressing a very
ancient feeling. (Cheers.) Scotland had now long
been in a stele of profound peace, and there had been
time for the old feelings created by the relations
which existed between au old Highland chieftain and his
tenants and retainers to take the more modified and modern
form of the relations which new subsisted between • laud-
lord and his tenant. There were some writers of the present
day—some writers on the science of political economy—
who
maintained that there was too much of the old feudal 1
feeling still remaining in the relations between landlord and
tenant. They maintained that the proper state of things
was that it should be • purely pecuniary arrangement—that
the landlord should let his land for a certain period end for
a certain rent, and that there should be no you of any
other connexion than that which necessarily arose from this
business relation between them. Perhaps this was not the
place, nor were they the persons, who could discuss this
question with entire impartiality. For his own part, it I
was Lis firm belief that it was one of the great public
advantages of this country that, whilst there had been
a continued advance from one generation to another,
yet the ideas of today were always modified, and took I
tie form of tint old feelings and aaimeiations which have
descended from former times; and he believed that the
feudal element, which undoubtedly still did remain in the
ordinary relations between landlord and tenant, was one of
the great stieugths of the liberties of this country. (Cheers.)
It gave local attachment, and in the strength of local at-
tachnient and local feeling there was, and there always had
Teen, the best security agaiost the inroads of a centralising
tyranny. He said thin whether they referred to former or
to present times, for whether those were away or not, of
this he was quite certain, that the relation of landlord
and tenant was not and could not in its own nature be one
of • merely and purely pecuniary kind. Why, even
if they only took the ordinary case of the leases in Scot-
land, which, as they were all aware, were run from
nineteen to twenty years, that wan a period which if a
man entered upon in middle lase, the chances were that
be would out see the end of it. And he need hardly tell
many of thine whom he saw now present, that with regard
to the smaller clans of tenantry, who hail not and never had
a lease in the country, their tenure had very onto been
much more permanent than that of those who bad had
lemma. (Applause.) There were tenants hi that room who
had been on this estate, he believed, for ninny generations—
for some centuries—is fact, from time immernoriaL The
relation between landlord and tenant, therefore, whether
they looked at it with reference to the large tenements
coder lease, or with reference to the small tenements, was in
ita nature an almost permanent relation, and it was im poen.
ride that, in such • relation, there should notarise, and
there ought not to arise feelings of mutual regard, and
he might say of mutual dependence, which were wholly
differeut from those which sprang froai a purely mercan-
tile transaction. (Loud applause.) At the same time,
the observation which were made upon this subject in
the press, and by writers upon political economy, ought
to teach them that the public had an interest in the
relations between the landlord and his tenant. Of
course, the public had also an interest in the relations
which existed between the muter manufacturer and
his men ; and he need hardly tell them that in the
present day some very difficult and awkward ques-
tions had actually arisen between those who em-
ployed labour and those who laboured. But there
was something in the very permanence of the connexion
and in the universality of land over the whole area of the
country which attached and fixed public attention more
upon the relations between landlord And tenant than on
the relations betwor n mere capital and labour, and it is
right and natural that this should be so ; and he thought
therefore that, on all public occasions of this sort—agricul-
tural dinners where tenants and laoillonla meet—they
should not merely meet fur the purpose of complimenting
each other, however natural and right such feelings might
be, but that they should take that opportunity of explain-
ing to each other, sod of explaining to the public, 130 w far
they were contributing to the general welfare of the country
sod performing the duty which lay upon them, Loth as
Ithdlools end as tnnanta. (Cheers.) His grace then re-
ferred to the state of agriculture in the county of Arun.
From the late census it appeared that during the but thirty
years the population of the county had decreased
by nearly 20,000 souls, being a decrease of very nearly 20
per cent, upon the total autouut of pipulation. Other
counties hail diminished, but not in the same ratio.
The population on the chores of the Frith of Clyde
having undoubtedly very largely increased, they must come
to the conclusion that the decrease in the purely rural and
purely agricultural part of the county had certainly been
not lees than from 25 to :10 per cent. That was a very re.
markable fact, but he found that, coincident with this de-
crease of population, there bad been an Menem in the
valuation of the county to a very much larger extent. In
the sixtoeu years from 1144 the increase in the value 44
the county had been no less than 73,A001. a-year—equal to
10 por cent. ; and he could not for a moment doubt
that if they took in the other periods from Mil
to 1144, the increase io the value of the county had been
no
leas thee 50 per cent. Now, what were the in-
ferences which they were to draw from thoms curious
fats? Undoubtedly, an increase in the valuation of •
county did not mean merely an increase in the rent*
which were derived by the landlords ; it meant increased
prints tar the tenant., increased knowledge, increased Maus.
try, iocresseil skill ; it meant, above all, so increased con-
tribution towards that surplus of human food which went
to support the remaining pnpolations of the country. His
gra-ro then pointed out the great importance of the proper
&outage of the land, and proceeded to say—l hope,
although there are some misgivings in the aspect of public
affairs at present. that agricultural produce may still main-
tain such prices as fairly to remunerate the cultivator of the
soil. We have now learned, I think, all of us, whatever
political party we may have formerly belonged to, that we
must look for the pmsperity of agriculture to the prosperity
of the manufacturing industry of the country. So long as
thee are prosperous and the demand is great, there is no
question whatever that agricultural industry will proper
and succeed. Unfortunately, it is too true that there are
tames at present in operation which seem to cat some
gloom over the prospects of the manufacturer. of our
country ; and it is • very remarkable example of the inti-
mate connexion which commerce has established between
the most distant regions of the globe, that we are now in
considerable anxiety, arising from 'mute taking place many
dimmede of miles hem us across the great Atlantic.
see that there has been some fear expressed lately that the
inconvenience which is likely to arise in this country from
the contest in America is so great that there will be a
pressure put upon the government to interfere is that
contest, or at least to take some steps which may nlti•
mutely involve us in it. I have too high an opinion of
the good sense end of the public principle of the people
of this country to believe that any such pressure will be put
upon the government ; and I mint add that i have ton great
confidence in the fimmess and public principle of the go-
vernment and parliament of this country to believe that
they will be willing to submit to such pressure if it were put
upon them. It is our absolute duty, I need hardly tell you,
to remain entirely neutral in that contest--(applause)—
anil not only is it our duty to remain neutral as regards
action, but I think it is to a very great extent our duty
seem to abstain from offering advice, though it might
be enoixived in a kind and friendly spirit. No goal'
whatever can arise from offering such advice as that, for
example, which was lately offered, I have no doubt
with the best intentions, by the Emperor of Russia
to the contending parties in America. The answer
which the Americana will infallibly give to any such inter-
ference will, however civilly expressed, virtually amount to
thin—" We are much obliged to you for your kind advice. '
We have no doubt that it is conceived in the best spirit,
and with the beet intentions ; but there is a general rule
is this world that every man should attend to his own
affairs. And there is this additional reason for doing so in
the present case, that it is quite evident that you don't
understand ours." That is the answer which virtually the
Americans have actually given, and which, I am convinced,
they will continue to give, to all such counsel. Bemuse,
after all, the troth is this, that mere general advice to coin- ,
pose their differences, without any specific suggestion as to
the terms upon which thine differences are to be adjusted,
is always held by the Americans to imply indirectly,
eves though it be not inteudel, that the objects
for which they are contending are either unworthy. or at
least trivial and unimportant. (Hear, hear.) Now, whatever
we may think of that contest, in Wrote. to nor American
friends we ought to admit that no more tremendous ileum
were ever submitted to the dread arbitrament of war than
those which are now submitted to it up. n the American
continent. Ido not care whether we look at it from the
Northern or from the Southern point of view. Take the mere
question of what is called the right of secession. I know
al an government which has ever existed in the world that
could possibly have admitted the right of secession from
its own allegiance. There is a curious animal in Loch-
fine which I have sometimes dredged up from the
bottom of the see, and which performs the most extra-