The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-04 00:00:00

I he reflected on the number of great and eminent
men who had filled the office of Master before him,
it was a subject of pride and satisfaction to him that
he had been thought worthy of having his name
added to the list. He now begged to propose a toast
which might savour a little of egotism, for it implied
a demand on the gratitude of the invited guests for
the hospitality afforded them. He proposed "The
Deputy Master, mad Prosperity to the Corporation
of Trinity-house." (Cheers.) The Deputy-Master
was a most active and valuable member of the in-
stitution, and rendered many very important ser-
vices to the public. (Hear.) With regard to the in-
stitution itself, it belonged to the civilisation of the
age and was connected with some of the most im-
portant interests of the country. In former times the
inhabitants of this country were stigmatised and re-
presented as being divided physically and morally
from the rest of the world. (A laugh.) Nature, for-
tunately for us, had separated these islands, and,
luckily, the physical division still continued. (A
laugh.) Bat the moral division had ceased, thanks
to the progress of science, the development of the
arts, and the ingenuity of man—as shown in the
steamboat, in railways, electric telegraphs, and
various other contrivances. These islands were now
the centre whence the holy flame of social, civil,
and religions liberty is spread throughout every
country in the world. But we were not only accused
of being entirely divided from the rest of the world,
but we were described as very cruel to thohe who
came to visit us. (A laugh.) Thanks, however,
to the exertions of this institution, that report
could no longer be made. These islands were no
longer in the condition described by the poet, when
he said—

" - Benighted travellers, their journey o'er,
Curse the saved candle and unopened door."
The benighted mariner who approaches oar shores
finds now a series of splendid illuminations and
other appliances to guide him through the dangers
which beset the narrow seas and lead him to that
harbour which opened wide its arms to receive him.
Happily, he brings commodities from every part of
the globe to a country where he finds good markets
and willing purchasers. (Hear, hear.) He had
heard it said that the dangers of a voyage from the
East Indies were nothing in comparison with those
which environed the chops of the Channel. The
lights established by the corporation of the Trinity-
house enabled voyagers to avoid those perils, and
the institution was therefore entitled to the grati.
tude of the public. (Hear, hear.)
The DEPUTY MASTER briefly responded to the
compliment.

The MASTER (Viscount Palmerston)—Your Royal
Highnesses, my lords, and gentlemen,—l now rise
to propose a toast in respect to which I stand be-
fore you in a double capacity, like a child with two
heads. (A laugh.) For the moment, however, I
only retain one of them, and, regarding myself
simply as Master of the Trinity-house, I propose
the toast of " Her Majesty's Ministers." (Cheers
and laughter) Idosoin no other capacity, and in
that capacity I know full well that any toast pro-
posed hero should be divested of all political im-
portance, because we meet here on neutral ground.
This corporation is no political body, and the noble-
men and gentlemen who assemble round this board
come without reference to politics or party. Well,
now, can a toast of " Her Majesty's Ministers" be
divested of political import ? (Laughter.) I think
it can. I don't ask you to drink political health to
her Majesty's Ministers. The health or the sick-
ness, the life or the death of her Majesty's Ministers
depends on the Sovereign and the Parliament—(a
laugh)•—and' not on after-dinner politics. But I
trust the gentlemen here will only drink to the
physical health of those who for the time being are
engaged in the public service, because it is quite
clear that if they remain in the public service and
do not also remain in health the public service will
be very imperfectly managed, (Laughter.) There-
fore, gentlemen, in the interest of all, and I trust
in accordance with the feelings of all, I beg to pros
pose the health of her Majesty's Ministers. (Cheers
and laughter.) lam persuaded the Lord Chancel-
lor, who has the custody of people of all states of
mind—(laughter)—both those who are in our
opinion sane, and those who in the opinion of our
political adversaries are not sane—will respond to
this toast—(laughter)—divesting his remarks as
much as possible of any political bias, and render.
ing them entirely in harmony with the feelings of
every gentleman present. The noble viscount re-
sumed his seat amid great laughter.
The LORD CHANCELLOR rose in the general mer-
riment, and briefly replied to the toast in a face
tions speech.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER next pre.
sented himself to speak. He rose, he said, to ask
them to drink to "The maritime and commercial
interests of the country." That was a toast which
could not pass unnoticed within the walls of an
institution which was itself so nearly connected
with those interests, and for that very reason it was
not necessary that he should detain them on so fer-
tile a subject. He would only say, in the first
instance, that ono of the most remarkable charac-
teristics of those interests was their elastic pro.
gression—.a progression of such a character that it
might be, when .:he illustrious Prince who now came
amocg them in ail the vigour of youth !should be
descending into the vele of years, the men who
should then assemble at that board would look at the
trade and commerce of the present day as trifling in
comparison. That commerce was beneficent as re•
garded the people of this country, for it had done
much to raise the standard of comfort in the home
of the labouring man, to generate a sentiment of
cheerfulness and contentment, and to bind together
the various classes of the community. (Cheers.) It
was beneficent as regarded mankind, for it was the
link of amity between the various nations of the
world. Lastly, it was free, for it did not owe its
strength to the agency of Parliaments or Govern-
ments, but to the inborn energy of Englishmen.
(Cheers.) Little was it in comparison that Go-
vernments could do for its expansion, yet that little
might be well done or ill done. He had been asked
to couple with the toast the name of his right
hon. friend Mr. Milner Gibson, and he did so
with great satisfaction, because it was not easy to
find any man—certainly but very few men—who
had laboured with greater assiduity or with greater
effect to promote by the wisest and most judicious
means the expansion of the trade and commerce of
the country. (Cheers.)
Mr. M. GIBSON, in replying to the toast, said
Parliament had established relations between the
Board of Trade and the Trinity Corporation, which
were somewhat peculiar. Any one who took up
the Act of Parliament which had wedded the two
departments together would see that neither of
them had sufficient power to control the other, nor
to do anything official by itself. But whatever
might be said of theory in this country we cared not
if the results were good, and although there had
been predictions of the evils of divided respon
sibility and a double government he could bear wit-
ness to the harmonious action of the Board of Trade
and the Trinity Corporation, and to the most bene-
ficial results which had flowed from it. They had
been ensbled to redtice the cost of lighting the
ports of the United Kingdom. Shipowners now
paid less on that account than they ever did before,
while at the same time the number and brilliancy
of the lights had been increased, and he could con-
fidently compare the way in which the coasts of
this country were litwith the lighting system of any
country in the world.

The DEPIITY4IIASTER gave " The Honorary
Brethren," coupling with the toast the name of the
Duke of Argyll,

His GRACE, in responding, adverted to the pre-
sent high state of prosperity of the maritime com.
merce of the country, which he did, he said, not
merely on the strength of statistics, but from what
he saw by residing a great part of the year on the
waters of the Clyde. He referred more particularly
to the powerful class of steamers which had been
built there, though he was not sure that he could
exactly explain the destination of them all. (A
laugh,)
Mr. M. GIBSON next proposed "British Ships
and British Seamen," associating with the toast the
name of Dr. Lushington, Judge of the High Court
of Admiralty.
The toast of "The Distinguished Visitors" was
proposed by the MASTER in a short facetious speech,
and Lord SHAFTESBURY having acknowledged the
compliment, the company separated.