The Sun.
London, England, 1837-11-11 00:00:00

THE GREAT CITY BANQUET.

When her Majesty was passing from her dressing or re.
tiring apartment into the Hall, in going to her carrial::„ the
Ministers and Judges and other persons of rae2.i made an
avenue from the steps leading to the di-awing-room, and
were individually recognized by 122 r Majesty in the most
affable manner. Amongst them stood the Duke of Wel-
lington, who was conversing with some of the members of
the Corporation upon the skill displayed in the arrange-,
ments ; one of the Common Councilmen, observing thift
that the Duke was not in the foremost rank of those who
lined the avenue, stepped aside to make room for his Grace,
and respectfully asked him to take the situation. " No,"
said the Duke with much kindness of manner, " I fre-
quently have the honour of seeing her Majesty, and I think
it but fair to let others have the high gratification here."
The Duke upon entering the Hall was received at the door
by Mr. R. L. Jones, the Chairman of the London-bridge
Committee, with whom he shook hands most cordially, and li
although his Grace had been at the Hall on all the great
entertainment occasions of the last quarter of a century, he
confessed that he never beheld any banquet got up with such
splendour and taste.

The Duke of Cambridge was heard to express himself
equally surprised and delighted at the scene to Lord Foley,
the Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms, who attended as
the Body Guard to the Queen ; and the Duke of Sussex
repeatedly adverted to the subject in the course of the
evening. Lord Mulgrave officially, we understood, informed
the members of the_ Committee that the Queen felt the
highest. gratification at the preparations which had been
made for her reception, and which were in every point of
view most complete: As for the great majority of the
company--so great an impression did the sweet demeanour
of a lovely girl upon the throne make upon them, that her
Majesty's departure was a signal for the final close of the
entertainment, and they left the Hall as soon as their ser-
vants could bring up their carriages to the porch.
When her Majesty was in her retiring-room, after she
had left the Hall, she took a cup of coffee, and, observing
that the fire was very hot, pushed the screen close to it.
This piece of furniture, which she had been admiring a mo-
ment before, and which was fitted up with plate glass in a
richly ornamented gold frame, cracked with the great heat,
and the Queen, with beautiful simplicity, Said to the Duchess
of Kent, '° Oh ! that pretty screen, how sorry I am that I
have injured it." In this room her Majesty looked with
curiosity, and smiled at a likeness of herself when an infant,
which was painted by Westall, and was hung up over her
toilet by Mr. Herring, the upholsterer, in whose possession
the picture is. She walked up and down, the apartment
frequently, and expressed the greatest admiration of the
beautiful style in which it was decorated.
In the passage between the retiring-room and the draw-
ing-room was an object which attracted her Majesty's eye—
a chandelier, lent to the Corporation by the Goldsmiths'
Company, composed of solid chased gold, weighing 1,000
ounces.

Although it was reported, and we believe correctly, that
the Committee hesitated about inviting Mr: Byng, Mr.
David SalomonF, and Mr. Charles Pearson, we saw them
all seated 'at one of the four tables which the men of
highest rank occupied. A great deal of unaffected pleasure
was felt and expressed by Mrs. Magee, an American lady,
the wife of one of the partners in the eminent mercantile
house of Hagan and Magee, of Liverpool. This lady was
the only American female in the vast assembly, and she
attracted great admiration by the beauty and elegnee of
her appearance ; she was introduced by Mr. French, one of
the Common Councilmen of Broad-street Ward, of which
Sir John Cowan, Bart., Lord Mayor, is Alderman.
In the course of the evening Mr. Thomas Dighton, an
artist, was permitted to enter to take a drawing of the
scene, with the company as they appeared at the banquet,
from which an engraving is to be taken, which the Queen
has permitted to be dedicated to her.
An odd sort of ceremony took place in the outer porch
of the hall immediately before the entrance of the Queen.
The Aldermen, who rode under the guidance of Sir Peter
Laurie, in order to keep themselves clean during the dan-
gerous experiment, clapped upon themselves, over their
breeches, a sort of buckram overalls. When they reached
the Guildhall-yard, these outer kickseys were bespattered
with mud, so that many who knew that they must be in
readiness to receive her Majesty cried out, " What will the
Aldermen do for clean breeches ?" Their Worships, how-
ever, as soon,as they drupped from their horses, soon settled
the question, for Mr. Paul, of Bedfordbury, who fitted
them with this useful garment, was in readiness in the
porch, stripped it off of every man as if by the stroke of
Harlequin's wand, and sent them one by one into the hall
as clean as a whistle.

The Entertainment Committee assembled yesterday
morning at eight o'clock, before which hour their indefati-
gable Chairman was at his post to make regulations about
the distribution of tickets to their fellow-citizens for a view
of the hall. To form any idea, however, of the magnificent
appearance of the building without the display of the art
of gas-lighting would be quite impossible. Indeed, the
ball by daylight has but a dull and heavy 'appearance.
Those who are desirous to see it in a state of brilliancy re-
sembling the memorable 9th of November, must wait for
the Polish ball, which will take place on the 21st instant,
when a comparison may be fairly instituted. It may be
proper en passant to state, that the apprehensions enter-
tained by some of the fashionable families of the west end
of the town, as to an issue of tickets more extensive than
may be consistent with the comforts of the visitors, are
quite erroneous. The issue is limited, and Mr. Peacock,
the Chairman of the Committee, is willing to be responsible
for the slightest inconvenience to the company.
It is but justice to take notice of the gas-ligl.t7 o
Guildhall. Since the memorable day when so many of the
crowned heads of Europe did honour to this ancient and
noble Hall, by partaking of a civic welcome, there htt3
been no attempt till now of eclipsing the vast splendour
then for the first time displayed by gas illumination. In
order to accomplish this in the fullest manner, the Com-
mittee, determined to spare no exp,,nse, took time b y the
forelock, and began. to sound the note of preparation so
far back as the middle of August, %%hen they entrusted
the supervision of this department to the engineer of the
Chartered Gas Company, who reported on the defective
state of the old gas-fittings, and a renovation, attended
with considerable expense, took place. The chief addition
made by the Committee this year consists of chandeliers
constructed ftom the classically-elegant designs and under
the tasteful eye of Collins. They augment in no small
degree the hitherto fascinating brilliancy of the Hall.
Between the panels of painted glass which corn-
pose the body of these gigantic lamps are placed
most scientifically some hundreds of glass prisms, which
by their refractive powers throw the rays of light
into showers of rainbow illusions. The chandeliers were
placed high enough to prevent any interference in the line
of sight between the Royal table and the brilliant display
of gas made at the west end of the Hall, where the star
shone with. its wonted refulgence from 1,500 gas-lights,
encircled with the motto of " God save the Queen.," The

.......'-'''.............'.....'".".".."'".''''........''""..".'''....."...'...
\
number of burners in these two devices (the star and
is 4,509, arid the weight of cut-glass is toady one
zit°
The arabesque scroll, under each window, under the ....
re
of .. Welcome," and the initials ~ V. R," contains
nwthe
than two thousand jots of light. But after all' be-
brilliancy which we have attempted to describe as ue
longing to the two ends of the Hall, it is ty the until
it
motto, ).
and most effective disposition of the lights, being' as .
were, in air, yet attached to the bold cornice and Gathic
campartments comprising the walls of this stately buildingd•
that the almost overpowering flood'of light is obtaiu!,l,
It is here the magic art of gas-lighting is furnished wl_L!'
an unrivalled opportunity cf displaying itself. The oral'
tectural contour of the overhanging cornice and lofty ar"hata
of the east and west windows is' made out iu lines dlie':lle
It scarcely requires the aid of Aladdin's lamp
these jets of light as so many endless beads of be dl,a;
monds. The number- of these jets was understood to a
to ;ai!'
5.600, and each jet gives the light of three
wax candlesd:
Hence can be imagined the flood of light cast all aroun
yet so equally is it diffused as not in the slightest degree io.
weary the eye, and they contrast beautifully with the Si
very brightness- produced by the star and motto in the wes-
tern window. if -to these we add the light produced
shall
the various devices in the cast and west windows, we s
find a calculation from the data before mentioned that,
astounding as it may appear, there could not on the whole
be a flood of light of less intensity than would be Int:
duced by the combustion of 46,000 w M
ax candles. The a'
purity and strength of light produced from the gas used
°
this occasion was, we understand, partly owing to a iS:
lure of Scotch with the most bituminous coal procurable
from the Newcastle coal-field. It is evident from the de-
scription which *all must acknowledge who have seen 11'6
night of the 9th not to he overwrought, that the com Para:
tivea
rknessofa day exhibition most be productive ofgrea
disappointment.
'
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During the Procession on Thursday last, wece:ved in the balcony of the Adjutant• General, Sir Jo
Macdonald, in Pal-mall, a large assemblage of beatitY'
i
amongst others, Lady Harriett and Miss Paget,•
Fitzroy Somerset and Daughters, Mrs. L. Fox, Ladyr!l,e,
1
harris, Lion. Mrs. Snlivan and Daughter, Lady ili
Tankery
Lady H. Baring, Mrs. B. Drummond, &c. &C.
Colonel Buckley's management of the Royal Pr%
cession on Thursday last to Guildhall deserves Blued
praise ; his gentlemanlike and intelligent manner, an
strong judgment, was of infinite use.
National Loan Fund Life Assurance Society, Cwlici
illuminated with gold-cr;icured lamps 000
all the windows.
During the progress of the Royal Procession of
Thursday last ft otn Buckngham_place to Pall-mall, ooefoor
the Life-guards, in
her Majesty'shir zeal and anxiety to clear the waYber
state-carriage, used his sword !at,
roughly -amor.g. the crowd. The glass of her Maie.s4,l
carr.tite:t was instantly let down, and her Majesty excial°l%
to 'ene officer in attendance, .6 Tell that soldier to treat h,
people with more civility !" The order was distTctilf
heard by a number of persons in the immediate vicinity ()(1
the Royal cortege, and was responded to by three loud an
hearty cheers from the delighted multitude.