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

iyal Banq.

ity-House.

On Saturday evening Viscount Palmerston, as
Mafite•r of the Corporation of Trinity-house, the
Deputy Master, Captain Pigott, and the Elder
Brat:oren, entertained his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales and a most distinguished company
at dinner in their stately hall, cn Tower-hill, which
was served with befitting splendour. The Duke of
Cambridge was a guest on the occasion, as• were
also the whole of the Cabinet Ministers, with
scarcely as exception, and some of the more pro.
minent members of the Conservative party, the
banquet not being in any sense political. The
Earl of Derby had the honour to receive an invite•
tion, but was unavoidably prevented being present.
The memory of the Prince Consort, who held the
office of Master of the Corporation for some years
(succeeding in that respect the Duke of Welling-
ton), is cherished with the most profound venera•
film by every member of it, and this being the first
visit of the Prince of Wales the occasion was one of
great interest, as well on that account as of its
bringing together under one roof so large an assem-
blage of eminent persons, The company was about
100 in number, and there were present, besides their
Royal Highnesses, The Lord Chancellor, the Duke
of Somerset, the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Shaftes-
bury, Earl Spencer, the Marquis Townshend, the
Marquis Camden, Earl de Grey and Ripon, Lord
Taunton, Lord de Itos, Mr Gladstone, Sir George
Grey, Mr Milner Gibso4, Mr Cardwell, Sir Charles
Wood, Mr Casvper, Lord Justice Cockburn, Sir
Robert Peel, Mr F. Peel, Lord Redesdale, Lord C.
Paget, Sir John Pakington, Mr Hatt, Mr Childers,
M.P., Sir J. Elphinstone, General Knollys, Sir
E. Ryan, Sir J. Burgoyne, Sir W. Dunbar, Sir F.
Grey, Sir J. H. Maxwell, Sir J. E. Tennent, the
Hon. E. Ashley, the Hon, J. R. Drummond, Cap■
tain Grey, Mr K.D. Hodgson, M.P,, Mr Hugessen,
.p., Mr Somes, M.P., Mr Grenfell, M.P., Mr T.
Baring, M.P., Colonel White, M.P., Lord A.
Hervey, M.P., Admiral Fitzroy, Admiral Frederick,
Admiral Robinson, the Rev. T. J, Rowsell, the
Rev. A. Povah, Dr Lashio gton, Professor Faraday,
Professor Airy, Captain Bedford, Colonel Clifton,
Admiral Eden, Mr Hankey, Mr Holland, Mr At-
kinson, Mr Barrington, Mr Booth, Mr Camp-
bell, Captain Drew, Mr Dawes, Captain Fen•
wick, Mr Green, Mr Gordon, Mr Goulburn, Mr
Hadow, Mr Harrison, Mr King, Mr Milne, Mr
Pixley, Capt. Richards, Mr Rothery, Mr Sim, Mr
Sandilands, Mr Smith, Mr Spender, Mr Thorp, Mr
Urmston, Capt. Walker, Mr Williams, Mr Wigram,
and Mr Berthou. The Lord Mayor had also the
honour of being invited, but could not attend.

Viscount Palmerston arrived at the hall shortly
after six o'clock, and went through the ceremony,
which is an annual one, of re-election to the dignity
of Master, at a Court which had been expressly
convened for the occasion. The Premier afterwards,
with the Deputy Master and the Eider Brethren,
received the guests in the court-room, a noble
apartment, adorned with full-length portraits
of distinguished past Masters of the cor-
poration, conspicuous among which are those
of the Duke of Wellington and the Prince
Consort. Tile Prince of Walee, attended by
General Knollys,arrived at a quarter past seven,
and was received with every mark of respect. Pre-
sently afterwards his Royal Highness was escorted
to the banqueting hall, followed by the rest of the
company in the order of their rank. The Royal
ensign floated over the hall on the occasion, and the
interior was very tastefully decorated with banners.
A fine collection of the ancient plate of the institu-
tion was displayed on a buffet at each end of the
partmait. During dinner, which was served by
Vie proprietors of the L-)ndon Tavern, the band of
the Grenadier Guards played, and a corps of emi-
nent vocalists sang at intervals in the remainder of
the evening.
Oa the removal of the cloth,

Viscount PALMERSTON rose and said,—Your
Rep! Highnesses, my Lords, and Gentlemen, I beg
to propose to you that toast which is the first given
in all meetings of English gentlemen, and which
aptly represents and expresses those feelings which
are the most deeply seated in the heart of every
Englishman—l mean the health of her Majesty the.
Queen. (Cheers.) We have the happiness to be the
subjects of one of the most distinguished Sovereigns
that ever reigned in this or any other country, and
of whom it may truly be said that there never was
in a free country a Sovereign more deeply imbued
with the principles and more studious to practise
the principles of constitutional Government.
(Cheers.) It may be truly said of her Majesty that
she reigns by the grace of God. (Hear, hear.) Pro-
vidence has endowed her with all those qualities
which are best calculated to establish her Throne
upon a most permanent basis, on the esteem and
respect and the affection and attachment of her
loyal subjects. (Loud cheers.)
The toast was drunk with every mark of respect,
and the National Anthem was sung.
Vicount PALMERSTON—Your Royal Highnesses,
my Lords, and Gentlemen, I beg to propose the
next toast, one that is peculiarly appropriate to the
institution in whose hall we are now assembled,
" The Memory of the Prince Consort." It would
be presumption in me to think that anything that
I could say would in any degree add to the feelings
which must exist in the breast of every man with
regard to that memory, and I shall only beg that it
may be drunk with respectful silence.
The toast was received with profound veneration,
the company standing as they drank it.
Viscount PALMERSTON—Your Royal Highnesses,
my Lords and Gentlemen, I have now to propose a
toast which I -am sure you will drink with the
greatest enthusiasm, " The Health of his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales—(cheers)—the Prin-
cess of Wales—(cheers)—and the other members of
the Royal Family." (Continued cheers.) W e have
this day the happiness and the honour of the pre.
sence of his Royal Highness at our convivial board.
His presence precludes me from saying many things
which I should be disposed to say and which would
meet with your entire concurrence if he were not
here. But I may be permitted to say that if we
rejoice in the Sovereign who now reigns happily
over us, we rejoice equally in the Heir Apparent
who is destined some day—and long may it be
before that day, arrives—(cheers)—to ascend the
throne of this realm. (Renewed cheers.) His
Royal Highness inherits those great and admirable
qualities which belong to his illustrious parents. He
has had—youth though he be—the good fortune
and advantage of having visited some of the most
interesting spots of each of the four quarters of the
globe, and his mind has been early opened and de-
veloped by studies of every description. His Royal
Highness takes a deep and lively interest in every-
thing that concerns the welfare and progress
of this realm—in the education of youth, in the
development of industry, of manhood, and in the
prosperity of the nation at large ; and I am
convinced that every day will more and more
connect the feelings and attachment of the coun-
try with the progress and daily habits of his
Royel Highness. (Qheers.) But he has been sin-
gularly fortunate in that which does not often fall
to the lot of persons in his exalted station, He has
had the good fortune to find a
artner for his life—
(cheers)—in p
Princesi with
teepees to whom, if
we are to seek for a paragon, we
must refer to the
description of those princesses
of whom we read in
fairy tales, at whose birth ell the good fairies pre-
sided—(l laugh)—and endowed the infants with
all those qualities of mind and person Which were
best calculated to secure for them during the whole
of their lives the attachment of all who knew
them and the respect and esteem of man_
kind. (Cheers.) The other branches of theltoyal
Family have done credit to the care bestowed on
their education, and we are indeed happy in having
a femily to whom the nation may look up with
pride and setisfaction as to the future events of the
kingdom. (Renewed cheers,)
His Royal Highness the Prince of WALES on
presenting himself to speak was hailed with enthu-
sieetic cheers. He said,—Your Royal Highness,
my Lords, and Gentlemen, I indeed feel much gra.
titled by the kind manner in which the Master has
proposed my health, and the way in which you have
drunk it, coupled with the name of the Princess of
'Wales and the Royal Family. Every one here pre-
sent knows that it is always a pleasure to all mem•
ben of the Royal Family to contribute by their