The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-08 00:00:00

SHEFFIELD CUTLERS' FEAST.

The annual Cutlers' Feast was held last Thursday at
Sheffield, when the hospitalities of the Master Cutler
were honoured by the presence of 220 guests. Among
those present were Lord Edward Howard, Lord Foley,
Lord Denman, the Lord Mayor of London (Sir F. G.
Moon, Bart.), the Recorder of London (the Right Hon.
Stuart Wortley), John Arthur Roebuck, Esq., and G.
Hadfield, Esq. (the members for Sheffield) ; B. Oliveira,
Esq., M.P. ; Wilson Overend, Esq. (Deputy-Lieutenant
of the West Riding) ; Wm. Overend, Esq., Q.C. ; the
Mayor of Doncaster (W. E. Smith, Esq.), Lient.--Col.
Stronge, Major Cassan (Tyrone Fusiliers), and Captain
Fraser. The dining-hall was elegantly decorated for the
occasion, and the dinner was on a sumptuous scale.
The cloth having been removed,
The MASTER CUTLER proposed the health of her Ma-
jesty the Queen.
The national anthem was sung with deep fervour by
the whole company, with band accompaniment, followed
by the health of the Royal family, and next that of his
Majesty the Emperor of the French was honoured, the
the band playing " Partant pour is Syrie." •
The MASTER CUTLER then said,—MY lords and gen-
tlemen, I call upon you to do honour to yourselves and
to anticipate the next toast. It is that of the army and
navy. (Loud cheers.) I expected that you would receive
the toast with enthusiasm when you remembered the
enthusiasm and indomitable courage which they have
shown. They are made of the old materials, and if
they put the right men in the right places, lam sure you
may safely leave the result in their hands. Gentlemen,
I give you the health of the army and navy. (Vehement
cheering, led by Mr. Overend.)
Song, Mr. Inkersall, "Red, white, and blue."
Lieut.-Colonel STRONGE said—Mr. Master Cutler, my
lords, and- gentlemen, I beg to return you my best
thanks for the honour you have done the army in drink-
ing to its health. Gentlemen, the British army has ever
done its duty. (Loud applause.) And in no instance
in ancient or modern times has that duty been performed
with greater gallantry than by that portion of the Bri-
tish army at present in the Crimea. (Applause.) Gen-
tlemen, the British soldier, armed with Sheffield steel,
will ever be ready to face the foe—(cheers)—and defend
our Queen and country.
The health of the Duke of Norfolk and the House of
Howard was the next toast, followed by the healthy of
the Duke of Devonshire, Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord Wharn-
cliffe, and Lord Denman. The last toast was acknow-
ledged personally.
Lord DENMAN said—l beg to thank yon for the ho-
nour you have done me. I fear that my merits are very
small. lam delighted to hear the manner in which my
late father has been mentioned. I, of course, have been
very anxious to obtain as complete a view as possible of
the different epochs of his life, and I am sure you will
be pleased to hear the result of my research. Some of
you will probably remember that even in the year 1823,
when the Russian government seemed disposed to act
against Spain, he was the advocate of a declaration
of war on the part of this country against the oppressor.
He always said that the people of this country would
gladly bear the burdens of a necessary war, and that he
did not wish to see the human mind subdued and the
liberties of the world extinguished by brute force.
(Cheers.) lam sure that the hon. member for Sheffield
will never draw the purse strings too tight in such a
righteous cause as this. We have been told of the bless-
ings of peace. Ido most earnestly hope that peace may
be arrived at. (Cheers.) I cannot help quoting from
Lord Metcalfe's able negotiation with Runjeet Singh :
" The Rajah shall never maintain in the territory which
he occupies more troops than are necessary for the inter-
nal duties of that territory, nor commit or suffer any
encroachments on the possessions or rights of the chiefs
in the vicinity." Some such result,- as this, Ido hope,
gentlemen, will be arrived at by this war. (Cheers.)
The bealths of the Lord Mayor of London, the Mas-
ter Cutler, and the members for the West Riding, were
next drunk.

Mr. HENRY VICKERS proposed the "Health of the
Members for Sheffield." He would refer to one great
event, which had enlisted the sympathy of the entire
nation, and had earned for one of their members a world-
wide fame and great honour. He meant the inquiry
into the state of the British army before Sebastopol.
(Loud cheers.) With the greatest independence, perse-
verance, and singleness of purpose, their member went
direct to his point, and ultimately succeeded in the task
he had assigned to himself. (Cheers.) He might say
that if that had been Mr. Roebuck's only public act it
• was such as would procure a hearty reception for the
toast he was proposing. (Rear.) As regarded their
other member, Mr. Hadfield, his unwearied patience
and industry—his greatest attention to every matter of
importance, both national and local—had earned for
him the respect and esteem of his constituents. (Cheers.)
In his place in Parliament Mr. Hadfield had been seen
day after day and night after night, watching, he might
say, with an eagle eye, all the measures that were
brought forward, and some of which, it might be,
were being pairsed stealthily through the house.
If he taw any mischievous measures, then down
came their hon. member and exposed the abuse. They
needed in their public men not only courage, but honesty
and ability. He thought they would all agree with him
that is these respects Sheffield was well represented in
her two members. He would conclude therefore with
proposing that they should cordially drink the health of
John Arthur Roebuck, Esq., and George Hadfield,
Esq., the members for the borough. (Drunk with
" Three times three.")
Mr. ROEBUCK, on rising to respond, was greeted with
loud and reiterated bursts of cheering. He said—Mr.
Master Cutler, hackneyed phrases become hackneyed
because they suit the circumstances common to hu-
man life. One suggests itself to me on the present
occasion. I cannot find words to express the feel-
ings of my heart on the present occasion. You have
done me a kindness, I will not say an honour,
c Luse kindness is before honour. You have received
my health in a way to show me you more than ap-
preciate all I have done. And why do you so appre-
ciate what I have done ? Because you believe I have
acted in your behalf so as to promote the welfare of Eng-
land. (Loud cheers.) Whatis it, gentlemen, that I have
done ? You sent the men of England forth to fight your
battles. Looking at the heroic deeds—learning their
more heroic sufferings—l stepped forward in your name
to vindicate the happiness of the men thus sent forth. I
learnt that they were suffering—suffering in a way that
there was no call for—from the inefficiency of those who
governed in your name—the Government of this, country.
(Cheers.) In your name, then, I spoke in their behalf.
In so doing I found a response in the country. You
backed all my efforts, and because the country so backed
my efforts, those efforts were successful. The heroic suf-
ferings I have said ; and have I not proved that they
were heroic sufferings ? (Yes.) Were those suffer-
ings called for ? In your name I answer, "No." Whose
fault was it'? I answer again, partly your own. Now
this seems paradoxical. You may have been assured
that representative Government was on its trial.
But what do you mean by that ? Representative
governnsent only fails when constituencies are unworthy.
If you steadfastly adhere to your duty depend upon it
that those who represent you will do their duty too ; and
because you did vindicate to yourselves the honour and
duty of England, the Parliament of England during the
last session did its duty by you. Now the Parliament of
England during the last session underwent an ordeal
that was peculiar. For the first time Since the middle
classes have acquired power in the government of this
country was the Parliament of England called on to con-
duct a war. To say that that Parliament conducted the
war as the intelligence of this country demanded, would
be, I say, to tell an untruth. But you, stepping in at
that time as you did, fully
made it apparent to that Par-
liament that you would not abide by such conduct long.
(Mr. Hadfield—" Heax, hear.") It was this which aided
and assisted me—the humble instrument of your will on
the occasion. (Cheers.) Now, gentlemen, this is no time
for compliment ; but there are things which can be said
even on festive occasions Ile this which it may well
become you to heir and me to propound. Depend upon
it that the government of this country will not be well
carried on till you, the middle classes, carry to that go.
vernment all the great qualities which have distinguished
your people. You have covered every sea with your ves-
sels. You have pervaded every country with your manu-
factures. You are gathering wealth and making happi-
nese for your people, and by that means maintaining the
happiness and promoting the welfare of mankind at large.
You have demanded rights in the government of your
country. Those rights have been conferred on you ;
but till you vindicate to yourselves the right of govern-
ing this country in the way you have a legal power to do
—till you take the government from the bands of a class,
and take it into your own hands, this country will not
be well governed. (Cheers.) I have no doubt it will be
said the language I bold is what in cant phrase is called
" revolutionary. But depend upon it that lam the best
conservative who tell you to manage your own concerns.
(Hear.) Take to the business of the government of the

country all the intelligence which distinguishes you
in private life. Take to it more than that. Take to it

that virtue which ought to distinguish you. Let it not
be said we are corrupt. Let it not be said we truckle
to power. Let it be said we are an enlightened people,
governing ourselves. (Hear.) I heard an Irish member
propound a system of administrative reform, and he
st tted that since he bad been a member representing one
of the largest Irish constituencies every post brought him
a letter demanding for a constituent some piece or other.
He said that on that very day the very last post that
came in previously to his leaving home brought him
such a demand. I must say that that Irish member's
condition was very different from mine—(Mr. Hadfield
Bear, hear)—and that if every constituency in this
country conducted themselves as my constituents have
done he need not have made that lamentation. I have
now represented you, I think, about six years, and I
have had no such demand made. (Cheers.) You sent me,
gentlemen, not simply to forward your private interests,
but to look after the public welfare. (Hear.) I consider
that to be my duty, and have to the best of my ability
performed it. You have not hampered me by any de-
mends. You have not hampered me by constantly pes-
tering me either by advice or solicitations. You have
said, " iVe have chosen that man. We have given him
credit for knowing his duty, and we will see if he can
perform it." Looking at you in the same spirit as that
iwhich you confided your trust in me, rhave to the
beat of my ability done my duty by you. (Cheers. You
have, rewarded me by your confidence. That) is the
greatest reward you could which I ask. give me, and the only one
(Cheers) Pardon me, gentlemen, it on
this occasion I take on myself to say that I any deeply
indebted to the colleague you have sent me to Parlia-
ment. (Cheers.) I have been in weakly health, as you
all know. Ile has- taken in hand the labour as your
ti rep ersentu
whiative, and left me to do my duty in that posi-
on ich by circumstances I have been enabled to
do it, To him I tender my best
.thanks. Your thanks
are .thle't° fii" • ;4)47 this .009444. I. shall best consult
your tf7ro•34-4 a'l2l by .124'11'-`4).thit r d..,;-obliged