The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-02 00:00:00

BENEVOLENCES.

On the recommendation of the Coal, Corn, and Finance
Committee, the Court granted £5OO to the City of London
National Schools; 150 guineas to the Royal Infirmary for
Asthma, Consumption, and other Diseases of the Chest ;
stid £lOO to the British Asylum for Deaf and Dumb
females.

I3ROKERS' CHARGES.

gr. Ex-Sheriff Lusx gave notice of a motion, " That it
be referred to a committee to consider the present charge
gen brokers admitted to act within the city, and the law and
practice of brokerage there; and whether the same cannot be
modified and improved, so that the control exercised by the
corporation may be rendered more efficient for the public,
820 advantageous to the brokers."

THE ROYAL ENTERTAINMENT AT GUILDHALL.

ivory
Deputy ELLIOTT, pursuant to notice, brought forward a
motion on a matter arising out of the Royal entertainment
at Guildhall. He said a certain kind of abuse had for many a
hayear been practised in the corporation, which on a late
occasion he believed was wholly unparalleled in its magni-
tude, and a repetition of which it concerned the honour and
character of every member of the Common Council, if pos-
sible, to prevent. He had been asked by some members not
to
proceed with the motion of which he had given notice ;
by others he had been urged to modify it in every possible
way, and by all means not to foul his awn nest. His
answer to that advice was that the nest was already foul
enough—(a laugh)—and he wanted to cleanse it. To show
that be was not a cantankerous man, disposed to take ex-
ception on slight occasions, it was really necessary that they
h
have some conception of the abuses of which he had
to
a:cl t
plain. On the recent Royal entertainment at Guild-
halivlarge sum of money had been spent—the greater
slo
a part of it in a munificent and honourable manner—but
much of it in such a way as to warrant the extenuating
inference that the Entertainment Committee had been for
the time in a chronic state of intoxication, either from
loyalty or wine. (A laugh.) Things were ordered
which it was almost an affront to the graceful and well-
bred pests who were invited to suppose that they could
have occasion to use in the few hours they spent at the en-
tertaiaon:etnhte.
Ocllcaesihoenl,daimn
ohuisnhtianngd
taobxilllof9o,ripnecrlufudminearysesvuepn-
£l2 10s.; ten tortoiseshell dressing-
olionlerdybs, 0
17s• hair- brushes,
; and five dozen bottles of eau de Cologne,
S 6 148. 6d. One would think that, instead of ladies of
princely rank, the leading personages in the company were
emery, £5 Os. ; 117 soap tablets, £1 12e. 6d."
It wasties an of pe r
the ICing of Dahomey and his black negresses. (A laugh.)
~ A dozen and a half of fancy powder boxes, ten rose-cut
°t
insult, he repeated, to suppose that such things
could have been wanted at such a time. "Two patent hair
brushes, 3 168. ; 4 ivory cloth-brushes, £6 ;" and, to make a
work of
short dal, " Engraving ivory hair-
brushes, £7." These were the purposes to which much of
the moil of the corporation had been applied on the occa
sion. It might as well have been thrown into the fire.
Then there were a pair of Sevres vases, £32, and a costly
porcelain tray, £lO 17s. Now, if such things had after-
wards
b
food their way to the Kensington Museum or the
Mansion-house to be treasured up as beautiful specimens of
but not so. On the contrary, they had since dis-
tt ho
altogether
gc
ner
appared,
or, as chymists would say, been " sublimed."
(Laughter) Then he held in his hand a bill, amounting
ceramic art at the present time, he should have held his
to. £644, for porcelain articles supplied on the oc-
casion by Alderman Copeland—(hear, hear)—thr,ugh it was
a standing order of that Court that no member of it was to
sell or furnish goods to the corporation. That account in-
cluded £9O for dessert plates. Those, he ought to say, were
honestly bought after the entertainment by some of the un-
privileged members of the Common Council, who wished
to have mementoes of the occasion and to pay for them. (A
laugh.) Then there was a fine porcelain tea service, £lB
18s,, which, so far as he knew to the contrary, had also dis-
appeared. ~,A
The Lon]) 'I -von, interposing, said that was now part
of the permanent property of the Mansion-house.
Deputy ELLIOTT was delighted to hear that it was. There
was a toilet service, £.52 lOs ; and he should be glad to hear
that that also formed part of the property of the Mansion-
house. There were two other similar services, costing £lB
and £ll. These, as far as he could make out, had all dis-
appeared. They certainly there not in the sale of remanets
which they, the unprivileged members of the Court, bought
and paid for. lie might go over an enormous list of articles
which had all disappeared. They ought not to have been
ordered, for they were never wanted by the distinguished
persons who attended the ball only for a few hours. The
answer, he apprehended, would be that the members
of the Entertainment Committee, who gave gra-
tuitous and laborious services on the occasion, were entitled
to a few souvenirs in the shape of waifs and strays. But the
total cost of all that flotsam and jetsam amounted to no less
than £soo—(a laugh)—eand the whole adornments of the
Princess's boudoir had disappeared. Besides, the ,com-
mittee were precluded from setting up that excuse, seeing
that during five or six weeks' work they spent £2OO in
dinners and luncheons_ £l6O in a breaking up treat—(a
laugh)—and, 00t satisfied with all that, they expended
£l5O more for articles. of personal decoration used by them-
selves. Was not that payment twice over for six weeks'
work in getting
111) an entertainment whieh every
true-
hearted citizen of London would have been delighted to do
for nothing on so auspicious and joyous occasion? Now,
he thought he had made out a case for putting a stop to an
abuse of public funds which had grown up from small de-
grees until it had culminated in this great scandal. No
single member of that Court, whatever his office, ought to
take away from Guildhall property worth—he was ashamed
to say how much, but he believed £2OO. It concerned the
honour of the corporation to put a stop to such reckless
abuse. As it was, it would be nuts to their opponents, and
Sir Geo. Grey, who signally failed in harming them when
quarrel,
they had a just might now prepare himself for
another attack on their corporate privileges, assailing them
in a vulnerable point; or the Metropolitan Board of
Works might say, ti Are these the men to be entrusted
with the execution of great works of public utility and
necessity, who spend their time, and, what is worse, the
public money, on such gewgaws ?" He ought to say
there was a retrieving circumstance connected with the
subject he had brought under their consideration.
Two very beautiful chairs of state used on the occa-
sion, he had been told, were by an immense effort saved
by the vigorous exertions of one member—(a laugh)—
and taken to the Mansion-house, where they remained as
interesting memorials of an interesting event. 'With the
exception, however, of the things that were sold—and there
was some little trouble to save even them—a very large num-
ber of valuable articles had been taken away, how and by
whom remained to be seen. There was but one thing for the
parties concerned to do, but he should not say what it was.
(A laugh.) Let bygones be bygones, but at the same time
let the Court come to a manly and dignified resolution which
would show to the world that the great majority of the cor-
poration had clean hands in the matter, and had no part in
such a scandal. (Cheers.) lie concluded by moving " That
it be referred to the law officers to consider and report whe-
ther it was competent for any member of that corporation,
whatever official position he might hold, to accept or take
into his own possession any chattels or other property of the
corporation other than by a vote of the Common Council."
The motion was seconded by Mr. WEBBER.
Mr. TRUSCOTT, chairman of the Royal Entertainment
Committee, said ho was prepared to give a satisfactory an-
swer to the charges which had been made against the com-
mittee, and to contend that what they had done on the oc-
casion redounded to their credit and to the renown of the
answer
corporation. Ho preferred, however, to make that a
in a full court, and with that view he moved the adjourn-
ment of the debate.
Mr. RICHARDSON declared that he laboured four or five
weeks on the Reception Committee, and had not even a
glasii‘of wine in that time ; but it was well known in the
corporation that on these occasions everything in the way of
refreshment depended on the presiding genius. (Laughter.)
Mr. LAwrEY expressed his great regret that this matter
heti been mooted before the report of the Entertainment
Committee had been presented.

Mr. KELDAY complained of the vague manner in which
the charges had been made, and that Deputy Elliott had
not been manly enough to prefer a specific charge against
some individual or individuals, if he had any to make.
The debate was then adjourned, and the Court broke up
in the state of excitement which it produced.

According to the Critic for October (just pub-
lished), Messrs. Longman and Co. have suspended
the publication of Mr. D. D. Home's " Incidents of My
Life," in consequence of Sir David Brewster' threatening
legal proceedings on account of some statements contained
in the book relating to spiritual manifestations said to have
been witnessed by him at Ealing,

STAMPED ....sd.

Mr. Bentinek, M.P., on Foreign and Home
Affairs.

Last evening the Marshland Agricultural Asso-
ciation held its annual dinner at Terrington, St.
Clement's, near King's Lynn, the Rector of Hilling-
ton, the Rev. H. Flokes, presiding. Mr. G. W. P.
Bentinck, M.P., and Mr. B. Gurdon, M.P., were
amongst the company. In reply to the toast of his

hcalth,
Mr. BENTINCK said—Gentlemen, you cannot for-
get that we all have our oppotents, and that even
agricultural associations have theirs; and amongst

the various opponents we have had no more active
nor powerful one than the l imes newspaper. There
are, probably, very few present who do not read the
limes, and I will appeal to you whether we have
not seen in the course of the last few years a series
of attacks upon associations of this kind, upon the
objects for which they were instituted, and upon the
results which were likely to accrue from them. Now,
gentlemen, that newspaper is a very powerful an-
tagonist. It is powerful from its wide circulation—
it is powerful from the almost unrivalled ability of
its writers, and it is also powerful from the equally
unrivalled power of sarcasm and sophistry which it
brings to bear upon every question with which it
deals. (Hear, hear.) I would ask you to remember
that the Times, though professing to be the organ
of public opinion, is more especially and notoriously
the organ of those who financially, and, therefore
politically, are the avowed antagonists, and I might
almost say the enemies, of the rural districts of this
country. It is the organ of the great capitalists.
It is the organ of those whose interest it is to see
dear money and cheap labour. Now I apprehend
that the interests of the rural districts is to see
cheap money with a remunerative result for labour,
and the produce of that labour; and I venture to
say to you, and I appeal to the proof of history,
that there is no country in the world which may
not be tested by that result. Wherever you find a
full remuneration for labour, and for the produce
of labour, you will find the wealth and the pros-
perity of that country on the increase ; wherever
you find the value of labour, consequent
upon the decrease of the value of the produce of
that labour, falling, you will find disaster. That I
hold to be an axiom which no one will venture to
dispute, and if he does dispute it he will dispute the
history of the world. I have always considered
that the interests of the landowner, of the occupier,
and of the agricultural labourer, are one and iden•
tical. (Cheers.) They are inseparable ; they cling
together by the closest ties, and there is but this
distinction between them—that, unfortunately, in
this world the man who has the least feels the
pinch the soonest. With that exception, I for ono
contend that there is no possible distinction to be
drawn between the interests of the landowner, the
occupier, and the agricultural labourer. They must
sink or swim together. When one does well, all do
well ; when one does badly, all do badly ; and it is
by their union that they can preserve their position
in the country. The limes—acting wisely, I ad-
mit, in its own generation—has endeavoured to sow
dissension among those classes ; it has endeavoured
to show that these associations were got up for sel-
fish and for useless purposes, and that the rewards
offered were inadequate to the merit of the services
which were praised. I venture to think for one
that those attempts will fail throughout the rural
distric+s of this country ; and I will only ask you to
remember when you read the Times—however much
interested you may be by the great ability of the
writers, however much amused you may be by
the amount of sarcasm and sophistry which they
bring to bear upon this question—that it is an ex-
ponent of an interest, numerically small, though
powerful from its wealth, but which is antagonistic
to the interests of the rural districts of this coun-
try. Now, gentlemen, the last time I had the
good fortune to be present on the occasion of the
meeting of the Marshland. Agricultural Associa-
tion I ventured to address you upon the subject
of the war which is now raging in the northern
continent of America, and I then expressed the
opinion that the policy, and I thought the duty, of
this country was at once to recognise the indepen-
dence of the Southern States of America. (Hear,
hear.) I think that the result has shown I was
right. We have all been horrified for two years
past by the tyranny practised by President
Lincoln, and by the brutalities of General
Butler. (Hear, hear.) I think there is justly no
limit to the strong expression of disgust with which
the accounts of the transactions in that country
have been received in what I, in contradistinction
to them, will term the civilised world. We as
Englishmen have learned that we ought to be
thankful for those monarchical institutions under
which this country, thanks to Providence, has en-
joyed the greatest amount of rational liberty ever
known to any country in the world. (Cheers.) And
whenever the time comes when we are called upon
to discuss a question of—l will not use a word
which creates alarm sometimes in public assem-
blages—but whenever wo are again called upon to
discuss the question of any revision of our institu-
tions--I will put it in that more circuitous form—
I venture to think that, without reference to party,
there are very few present here, or anywhere in
England—excepting one particular party, which I
am sure is not represented here—who will not at
once say, " Let us be careful before we tamper
rashly with those institutions under which we have
enjoyed such manifold blessings." (Cheers.) But,
gentlemen, since I had the honour of addressing
you last, very nearly in the same locality, a new
subject has arisen, certainly of equal interest, and
perhaps, as far as this country is concerned,of almost
equal importance—l refer to what is going on in
Poland. New there can be no doubt, if we could
deal with every question in the abstract, upon its
own merits, that there are few men in England
who would not say, and who do not say, that they
deeply deplore the sufferings of the Poles ; that
they deeply lament the course which has been
taken by Russia in dealing with her Polish sub-
jects; that they, as Englishmen and lovers of
freedom, would do all in their power to alle-
viate the sufferings of those people. In that
sentiment I in the fullest degree coincide ; but un-
fortunately it is utterly impossible to deal with any

great public question upon that limited, though
natural view of the subject. Wo must go further
into the question. We must see first what has
given rise to the state of things which we lament,
and we then are bound as Englishmen to ask our-
selves next what will be the effect of our conduct
in dealing with this question upon the welfare and
the prosperity of our own country. The hon.
gentleman then went on to give his views as to
the cause of the present condition of things in
Poland. He considered that the insurrection was
not brought about the oppression of Russia, but by
the machinations of the Church of Rome. France's
sympathy for Poland he believed to be entirely a
selfish one; and he was, for both those reasons,
glad that England had expressly declared her
determination not to involve herself in a European
quarrel on accaunt of Poland. Referring to hew!°
questions, the hon. gentleman continued as foiloa
If free trade means any thing—it means unrestrictedcompetition. Very good. Now what
apes; hoot
stricted competition mean 9 I opprei,,ll,,,ts
upon
presuming to have cliecivered any n.eition means at
the subject, that unrestricted coretiP::o the hemfit
least this—t Lat if you are not taost in bringing to
protective duties, that at
ulr
induEtrYl YO 'l shall
Yuediment 01)z:ration
market the produce of
have no antagonistic
'rwith other strugglers
that you shall start
fair jth other strugglers
ic world, and that neither
in the market a ,hail be shown to one side or
favour nor affection
the other. I thine it would be a work of
.zuperero-
gation to ask
au assembly as that I have now
the honour of addressing, if they are aware of the
fact that, out of the large revenue collected in this
country,
five millions aro derived from the duties on

1%, Vl/4; SPAT ER
malt. (Hear.) Those duties on malt: go'd:eatan-V
constitute a direct tax upon one of the no 9it
ant of our cereal products. Take off th, :98e,Auties,
and not only the value of that produce would be
increased, but the sale for it would be enormously,l4
extended. Well, do you call that unrestricted corn-r''";-7
petition ? Is that carrying out the princip.'e of free
-
trade ? Now, take Ireland, and. take some portions
of England, as illustrating another part of the
question of free trade. lam prepared to say that
there is a groat district in Ireland, and there is a
certain extent of land in England, which could

row to a much greater profit than it can any other
produce—tobacco. Now, how do you stand with
regard to tobacco? Mind you, free trade—no pro-.
tection—but unrestricted competition in the market
to all competitors. Well, you stand in this position,
that a still larger amount of duty is levied every year
for the revenue by the prohibition that you shalt
utilise the soil of this country for the growth of to-
bacco, in order that you may levy a customs duty
of so many millions a year upon the importation of
foreign tobacco. Well, is that unrestricted com-
petition ? But Igo further, gentlemen, I able
you is it cora loon sense—ls it reasonable? Is it
rational? Is it tolerable ? But thinking as strongly
as I do upon.s
which
the Wrongs of the rural districts, I
la
other interest in this coun-
tryo u
to ask,
be
found
would submit for one hour
there any
w
or for one minute to the intolerable injustice which
I have just brought before you ?
(Cheers.) We have
only ourselves to blame. Fight your own battles
with the means which you have.
Disregard all
questions of party and fight the interest of the rural
districts of this country. Whenever the time comes
for the revision of the representation, bear this fact
in mind—that there is but one real grievance now
existing which requires a remedy, and that is the
inadequate represeC alio!) of the rural districts,
Bear this in mind; fight your battle now to a man
without flinching. Whenever you have to discuss
the question of reform, say at once, "We are the
majority of the people of England, and no reform
shall take place till our grievances have been
remedied."
Mr. BRAMPTON GURDON, My., also responded
to the toast, and said chat though a member of Par-
liament would ill fulfil the duties of his situationif
he did not do his best to support the agricultural
interest, his experience warned him that to rely upon
any extraneous assistance from what Parliament
could do, or was likely to do, would prove again, as
it had done before, a broken reed.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

Lieut. Wm. H. Liddell and Lieut. Fred. C. B.
Robinson were yesterday promoted to the rank of
commanders.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty ;—The Rev. W. V. Lloyd,
chaplain and naval instructor to the Scylla ; John
Tweedie, paymaster to the Hogue ; James W.
Ozzard, paymaster to the Victory ; and Arthur C.
Dowdell, second master to the Supply.