The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-12 00:00:00

IN "O. 19,485.3

PUBLICATIONS.

Now Ready, in 2 vols. post Evo.,

MR. SHEIL'S LEGAL AND POLITICAL.
SKETCHES.

Edited, with Notes, by M. SAVAGE.
"These volumes will delight the student ani charm the general
reader. They will in no respect sutler I,y contrast with the essays of
Macaulay and Stephen, Macintosh and Sydney Smith, and other
brilliant literary worthies. "—M essenge r.
Published for H. Colburn, by his successors, Hurst and Blackett.

BANQUE,TO GENEUAL VIVIAN.

On Saturday e'Bin the Directors of the East India
Company gave aniiptuous banquet in honour of Gene-
ral Vivian and thEnglish officers who have been ap-
pointed by her Njeety's Government to the command
of the contingentf Turkish troops about to be raised,
under a conventii with the Sultan, for service in the
ensuing campaigin the Crimea. The dinner took place
at the London Tvern, and was presided over by Col.
Oliphant, the airman of the Court of Directors, and
among the prinipal guests were—His Excellency the
Turkish Mini&te, General Vivian (who sat on the chair-
man's right), Vf7,ount Palmerston, G.C.8., the Mar-
quis of Lansclovtie, K.G., the Duke of Argyll, Lord
Pam/lure, K.T.,Right Hon. R. Vernon Smith, M.P.,
Lord Vivian, L,eutenant•Geueral Sr George Pollock,
G.C.8., Mr. Mils, Sir J. W. Hogg, M.P., Sir James
C. Melville, K.e.8., Sir F. Currie, Mr. Danby Sey-
mour M.P., lion. W. Leslie Melville, Mr. Shepherd,
Sir F. Abbot,4e. About 150 gentlemen in all sat down
to dinner. _ . .

The gallery orts occupied by groups of distinguished
ladies.
On the removal of the cloth the healths of "Her Ma-
jesty the Queer," Prince Albeit, Albert Prince of
Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family,
were seve-
r,;)l37 proposed and received with the usual loyalty and
enthusiasm.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the next toast, said—we
are honoured to-night by the presence of the representa-
tive of one of our most ancient allies, in whose cause our
sword is now unsheathed. I need hardly assure his
Excellency the Turkish Minister of the gnat gratifica-
tion it has afforded the British nation to hear-o; the
noble defence which the Ottoman troops made, not only.
Silistria and 'upon the Danube, but also in the more
recent glorious action at Eupatoria. (Cheers.) I are
confident that his Excellency will do this company the
justice of believing that it is with the most cordial feel-
ing that we drink to the health of his Imperial Majesty
the Sultan. (Drunk with three times three.)
M. MUSURUS, ttie Turkish minister responded to the
toast in French. His excellency said—e Mr. President,
rut v 1,17,1 a lard_ coomatlam arc th nf sympathy
and admiration 4sitenifested 4n- this -place-4(Yr "my august
Soiereign, and which are the expression also of the
sentiments of the British nation, correspond perfectly, I
can assure you, with those with which his Imperial Ma-
jesty has never ceased to be animated towards this great
nation. (Hear.) You have a proof it in the very act
the execution of which has offered to the Court of Direc-
tors cf the Hon. East India Company the opportunity of
inviting us to this banquet. That which proves how
much my august master is desirous to testify his`senti-
ments of sincere friendship towards her Majesty, your
most gracious Queen—that which proves how much he
appreciates the profound wisdom and patriotism of your
ministers, what a high price he attaches to the alliance
of England, what complete confidence he has in the
skill and in the bravery of your army, is that he
has haitened to detach an important portion of his
own troops to place them at the disposal of the
commander-in-chief of your army in the East, and
by that means to procure to himself the honour of
partaking more intimately in your military glory. (Hear.)
Yes, gentlemen, this participation in your military glory
is certain, since the choice of her Majesty to command
the Ottoman corps Las fallen on a general who has already
often distinguished himself on the field of battle. (Cheers.)
I have the hope and the conviction that, should a prompt
and solid peace be not concluded, the troops which the
general is now called on to command will prove them-
selves to be the generous rivals of the victorious comba-
tants of Oltenitza, of Kalafat, of Citate, of Silistria, of
Giurgevo, and of Eupatoria—(cheers)—the worthy corns
panions in arms of the heroes of Alma, of Balaklava,
and of Inkerman. (Cheers.) I am certain that the
Ottoman soldiers wilt esteem themselves fortunate in
being placed under the direction of such a brave general,
and that the general will have reason to feel proud of
having had the command of such brave trefoils. (Cheers.)
Such is my hope ; such are the wishes with which I ac-
company, and with which you, I am sure, also accom-
pany the brave general in whose honour we are assem-
bled here this evening, the worthy officers who are to
follow him, and the army which he goes to lead to vic-
tory. (Cheers.)

The CHAIRMAN next proposed "The Army and Navy,"
observing—Well did our forefathers love to do honour
to the wooden walls of Old England, and well may we,
their descendants, remember that to those wooden walls
are we indebted for the maintenance of our power and
our honour as a nation. In regard to our army, who
that has read of their glorious achievements at Alma,
at Inkermann, or in that never-to-be-forgotten cavalry
charge at Balaklava, but must long to do honour to
our brave soldiers who have there shown that undaunted
courage, that unflinching fortitude, untiring perseve-
rance, and wondrous discipline, which have enabled
them to meet dangers of such an extraordinary charac-
ter as those they have had to face ! I will not detain
you further by dilating upon their achievements. That
gallant band still remains upon the scene of its recent
triumphs, manfully to uphold the glory of the British
arms, and I propose that we all drink a bumper to its
success. (Cheer 3.)
The toast havitur }loan duly honnuT,A,

General Sir C. PASLEY returned thanks for the army,
and, having referred to its recent brilliant successes in
the Crimea, observed that, though no doubt great hard-
ships had been endured by our gallant troops, yet the
campaigns in the Peninsula had been equally attended
with severe suffering, and there could be no doubt that
if the army of Sir John Moore or of the Duke of Wel-
lington had been followed by "the special correspon-
dent " of the leading newspaper of this day, his
"graphic descriptions" would have reduced England at
this moment to the position of a mere province of
France. (Laughter.) The gallant general then pro-
ceeded, amidst ironical bursts of applause, to inform the
company of certain opinions he had once expressed to
the late Mr. Hume as to the policy of this country
always maintaining a ttanding army ; and having
pointed out the advantageous position in which the
people of England were placed as compared with our
allies, the French, in not being compelled by conscrip-
tion to serve in the army,, he concluded a somewhat cis-
cursive speech by expressing a hope that the inquiry
now pending before a committee of the House of Cont
moos would tend to clear the professional character of
Lord Raglan.

The CHAIRMAN—The next toast is one of deep interest
not only to the country at large, but more especially to
the East India Company: The Turkish Ainba.sador has
explained to us that his Maiiesty the Sultan has placed
at our clispaeeal 20,000 of his subjects for service in the
Ottoman empire, who are to be commanded by English
officers ; and our Governnieiat has applied to the EaMt
India Company to ascertain whether any of their officers
now in England under sick certificates or upon furlough
were desirous of volunteering to serve their country in
this contingent. We are all aware that hitherto the ser-
vices of the East India Company's officers have been
confined to the territories under the Company's rule ;
but you may judge with what alacrity those officers have
responded to the call now made upon them, when I tell
you that in the space of three days from 150 to 200 of
them have readily volunteered. (Cheers.) The service
into which they enter is one of no ordinary character and
requires talents of a peculiar description. The troops
they are to command differ from them in language and in
customs, and they will have to encounter these difficulties
which are inseparable from the beginning of every new
system. But her Majesty's Government have selected a
commander for this service in whom the gallant men who
have thus volunteered have every trust and confidence
that he will ably, zealously, and faithfully perform the
task-14.has undertaken. (Cheers.) lam aware that the
qualifißations of the gallant general on my right have
"beenicfalled in question, but I am happy to say that the
critiiisrir to which they have been subjected, instead of
reolounding to General Vivian's disparagement, has only
served the better to establish his fitness for the post that
Las been assigned to him. (Applause.) The testimonials
which he received from his commander-in-chief are such
as any military man might well be proud of, and prove
that he jo itvinesitly qualified for active service in the
leld;'=atict that a more gallant soldier no army could pro-
dime. (Cheers.) As the compeers and comrades who
have served with an officer are perhaps the best judges
of his real merits, it is peculiarly gratifying to me to be
able to say that a long intimacy with my friend General
Vivian, while serving in the same force with him,
has convinced me that no man could be found more
eminently fitted for this command. (Hear, hear.)
While paying this just tribute to the commander, let
me not, however, forget that our thanks are also
due to the gallant men who have volunteered to serve
under him. To all of them we offer our most cordial
good wishes, earnestly trusting that success may crown
their efferts in the cause of their country. (Cheers.) The
chairman concluded by giving " the health of General
Vivian and the Officers of the Turkish Contingent," which
was received with enthusiasm.

General VrviAN, in responding to the toast, said—Mr.
Chairman, my Lords, and Gentlemen—l beg to tender
you, in my own name, and in that of my gallant asso-
ciates, our best and heartiest thanks for the honour you
have done us. I feel proud in having been selected for
a command such as that which has been entrusted to me
by her Most Gracious Majesty. I owe this distinction
to the kind confidence of the noble lord at the head of
the War Department, and to the favourable opinions
entertained of me by the Court of Directors, whose sol-
dierand servant I have been for the last 35 years. (Hear.)
After what has fallen from your chairman, I will only
add that I am perfectly alive to the arduous nature of
the duties I am about to undertake, and fully sen-
sible that the post committed t me is a most re-
sponsible one. Yet Ido not shrink from entering upon
its duties. I shall be associated with many gallant offi-
cers, both from my own and from her Majesty's service;
and I trust I indulge in no undue spirit of boasting if I
anticipate being able to fulfil the instructions of her Ma-
jesty's Government to their satisfaction. It was with
great pleasure I read the speech lately made by Major
Nastily th, eulogising the high qualities of the Turkish
troops ; and I believe that with such materials at our
command we may look forward with confidence to suc-
cess. In the selection of the officers of the Indian ser-
vice who are to accompany me, my recommendation has
naturally been followed, but I am also glad that many
officers of the Queen's service will likewise join the con-
iixaent and I have uu doubt that every British soldier
. will endeavour manfully to do his best. I_know that I