The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-11 00:00:00

EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 11, 1861.

BASVUET AT YORK.-SPEACH OP SIR C. WOOD.

The Lord Mayor of York gave a banquet yester-
day, at which some of the magnates of the county were
present. Sir C. Wood also attended, and replied to the
toast of " Her Majesty's Ministers," proposed by the Earl
of Zetland.

Sir C. WOO% after referring to the treaty with France and
the volunteer movement, congratulated the meeting on the
termination of hostilities in China. He had been a member
of two governments which had been engaged isChioese wan,
and they had run some risk in maintaining what they be-
lieved to be the honour sod the intereste of this country.
In the first war, the government appealed to the country.
The country decided they were right, and he trusted that
he might now congratulate the country upon having brought
these hostilities to a final conclusion. Cruelty and treachery
had
.marked the conduct of the Chinese from first to last ;
but the united skill and gallantry of our troops had exacted
retribution for their conduct, and had, he hoped, impressed
upon them a Imam which would preserve uninterrupted
our relations with that country for some time to come.
(Hear, hear.) Hitherto some petty mandarin Lad dealt
with the barbarians, and reported what he pleased to
the Emperor ; but we had at last shown the supremacy
of our power in the smoking ruins of the Emperor's
palace, and had proved to the Emperor and the
people that it was our forbearance alone that prevented the
destruction of that empire. The Chinese could no longer
treat us with insolent contempt ; and he trusted that
they would respect the articles of that moderate treaty
which had recently bees agreed to. In all that con•
corned this country, at home and in our own immediate
dependencies and relations, we commenced the year with
tranquillity and prosperity. He wished he could say that
in looking abroad the prosperity and tranquillity was as
great. We had sympathised with the efforts of the people
of different 1,111111 of Italy to relieve themselves from the
mist griuding tyranny that ever existed, and we had
admired their efforts to consolidate as it were their liberty.
We had proclaimed aloud that no foreign interference
ought to prevent the efforts of a people to win their liberty.
He trusted the other powers would act upon that principle,
and that we should see that nation whose historical recollec-
tions were so proud, vindicate for itself a place among
the nations of Europe, and regain a portion of the glory
which in former ages belonged to it. It was some-
' what surprising, that whilst in Italy different people
had been struggling for liberty sad unity, ou the
other side of the Atlantic a greet and free nation
was abusing its liberty to effect • separation of
the Union. It seemed to him too early at present to
look forward to what the issue of that struggle might
be. All we could do was to express our hope that
among a nation of kinsmen the soil might not be pol-
luted by civil intestine war and bloodshed. Thank God,
we had removed some time ago the stain and curse of the
slave trade, and the inhabitants of that county of York
had taken no small part in effecting that triumph of hu-
manity, which hail been profitable to ourselves, as we might
see by the example of those who had not done so. (Hear,
hear.) In the List century Yorkshire returned one of the
greatest champions for the abolition of slavery—Wilber-
force, and on the Lut occasion when the united county sent
members to parliament they returned another champion in
the person of Henry Brougham. (Loud cheers.) He con-
cluded by proposing " The health' of the Lord-Lieutenants
of the three Ridings of York."