The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-28 00:00:00

Civic Banquet,

Last evening the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress
(Miss Lawrence) entertained her Majfsty's judges at
dinner, in accordance with a time honoured custom in the
city of London. They received their guests in the saloon
of the Mansion-house, and proceeded thence to the Egyptian-
hall, where the banquet was served with befitting splendour.
The company, about 270 in number, included Lord and
Lady Wensleydale, General Sir John Burgoyne, Lord
Chief Justice and Lady Erle, the Lord Chief Baron and
Lady Pollock, Lord Justice and Lady Turner, Sir George
Hamilton Seymour and Lady Seymour, Hon Vice. Chan-
cellor and Lady Stuart, Mr Baron and Lady Martin, Mr
Baron Bramwell and lady, Mr Baron and Lady Chan-
nel], Mr Justice and Lady Byles, Mr Justice Blackburn
and lady, Mr Baron and Lady Pigott, Mr Justice and
Miss Shee, Admiral Robinson (Controller-General of the
Navy) and Mrs Robinson, Mr Commissioner Goulburn, Dr
and Mrs Lushington, the Attorney-General and Lady Laura
Palmer, the Lord Advocate of Scotland, the Solicitor-Gene-
ral and Lady Collier, the Queen's Advocate-General and
Lady Phillimore, Mr and Mrs Stuart Wortley, Sir William
and Lady Alexander, Sir Walter B. Riddell and Lady Rid-
dell, Sir Fitzroy and Lady Kelly, the Chief Justice of Hong
Kong, the President of the Royal Academy and Lady East-
lake, the President of the Royal College of Physicians and
Miss Watson, Sir Thos. Phillips, Sir G. Hodgkinson, the
Recorder and Mrs Russell Gurney, the Common Sergeant
and Mrs Chambers, Mr S. Smith, R.A , Mr J. P. Knight,
R.A., and Mrs Knight, Mr Cooke, R,A., and Mrs Cooke,
Mr D. Roberts, R.A., the stipendiary magistrates of the
metropolis, and the members of the Court of Aldermen.
On the removal of the cloth the loving cup passed round
the board, and the Lord Mayor gave in succession the toasts
of "The Queen," "The Prince and Princess of Wales, with
the rest of the Royal Family," and " The Army, the Navy,
and the Volunteers." To the toast of " The House of Lords,"
which was also given from the chair, Lord Wensleydale re-
sponded. He remarked that the connection between the
city of London and the professors of the law had existed
time out of mind. Half a century ago, he said, he had the
honour to officiate in the character of a barrister to the city,
and for 36 years he had been connected with the admini-
stration of the law. The Lerd Mayor next proposed as a
toast "Her Majesty's Judges," coupling with it the name
of L .rd Chief Justice Erle, and paying a high compliment
to the inflexible impartiality with which the law was ad-
ministered among all classes of th© community. The Lord
Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, in acknow-
ledging the compliment, dwelt upon the hospitable recep-
tion which the Corporation of London had been accustomed
from time immemorial to accord to the Judges, and upon
the silent operation of the law on men's minds and actions
in that great commercial community, as testified by the
circumstance that perhaps not more than one in a
million of its trading exertions ever called for the interfer-
ence of a judge. The department which the Judges repre-
sented was one of the highest importance, though it could
not, like the army and navy, boast of deeds of heroism in
the battlefield. 'The nation, he said, was great and glorious
in arts and arms, but in nothing was it more great and
glorious than in the enj iytnent of liberty and justice. 'The
Lord-Advocate briefly replied to the toast of the " House of
Commons," which was given from the chair. Lord Justice
Turner then proposed" The Lord Mayor," and in so doing
dwelt on the powerful influence for good which the muni-
cipal institutions of the country had all along exercised
over its constitution and in promoting its liberty and inde-
pendence. The toast was drunk wi h. acclamation. To the
toast cf "The Bar," the Attorney-General, whose name
was coupled with it, replied in an eloquent speech. The
liberties of this country, he said, were the growth of many
ages, to which the city of London had largely contributed,
If our laws were not the beet in the world they were the
best administered of any in the world, and if one th,ng more
than another distinguished this country from others it was
here the law was absolutely supreme, that there was no
power above it, and that all classes of the community con-
tributed to support and maintain it. The judges were
chosen from the Bar, and the benefit of that arrangement
was great to both. Soldiers were best taught to command
by first learning to obey, and so the judges were the more
able to maintain the liberties of the country by having been
called to defend those liberties when at the Bar. The toasts
of " The City Magistrates," " The Sheriffs," and " The
Stipendisry Magistrates" were then given by the Lord
Mayer in their order. Sir Hamilton Seymour proposed
"The Health of the Lady Mayoress," which was drunk
with every mark of respect, and with that the company
separated.