The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-02 00:00:00

time have an inestimable value. You, the people of Scot-
land, are now part of a great nation, the nation which in-
habits the United Kingdom, but long may you continue
to treasure up in your minds your own peculiar traditions,
t istory, and glory, and though you may be, as I know
you will be, for ever loyal and affectionate subjects of
our common Sovereign, and in kindly broti erhood with

every portion of the United Kingdom, yet continue
to be in your hearts Seotchmen -(cheers)—and cherish in
your minds and in your recollections all those glorious tra-
ditions which are connected with the history of your
peculiar portion of the British empire. (Cheers.) It is,

therefore, with great pride that I find myself enrolled in
that list Which you have adverted to in what you have
stated to me. Municipal institutions are deserving of the
highest veneration and respect. They are founded on re-
mote antiquity—they are the basis on which everything
that is good in free institutions is built up and perfected,
(Cheers.) They give to man the privilege of local self-
government. They educate locally the people of a country,
some afterwards to take part in the large concerns of the
nation, all to be able to form a correct judgment of the con-
duct of those by whom the national affairs are guided,
They instruct and enlighten the mind, they practise the
human intellect in all those exercises which render it manly
and energetic, and they are, therefore, deserving of the
highest possible commendation and encouragement.
(Cheers) I am, therefore, proud, my Lord Provost and
gentlemen, to have become a member of your illustrious
body, and I can assure you that I shall, to the latest day of
I my existence, preserve and value the gift you have placed in
my bands. There are topics adverted to in your address
in which I most heartily and cordially concur. You have
well said that the vital spirit, if I may use the expression of
free institutions, may be said to be party spirit; everything
in nature that is still and stagnant becomes vitiated and
corrupt. It is only movement, contending and conflicting
movement, which keeps the course of nature healthy and
active ; and so it is with the mind of man, whether it be in
. _

science, in literature, or in politics; as long as the mind of man
is free, as long as every one is enabled to form his own opi-
nions and to express them, and to endeavour to convince
others _ that he is right, so long will there be differences

of opinion, so long will there be conflicts of controversy, but
that is a healthy instead of being an unhealthy condition,
and more specially with regard to politics it is the way in
which truth is arrived at, it is the way in which the public
good is secured. (Cheers.) If there were but one party,
in the country, I will not sly if there were but one party,
because if there ougbt to be but one party, and that one party
ought to be the party of the nation, the party of the
country, the party whose great object and whose watchword
is the public good. But there must be necessarily differ-
ences as to the mode in which that public good is to be pro-
moted ; there must be differences in regard to the measures
which are most conducive to the national advantage, and it

is those differences to which you advert when you say pro-
perly that the existence of party spirit and party politics is
essential to the working of a free Constitution. If, indeed,

all public men were agreed to follow one leader, to acqui•'

esce in the will, opinions, and recommendations of one set
of men, there would be much danger for the public liberties
of the country; but that never can be in a country like
ours, where discussion is free, where every man may enter-
tain what opinions be likes, may express them where and
when he chooses, and carry them into action, subordinate
always to a due respect for the law of the land. But there
is one condition which may and ought to be attached to the
exercise of this party spirit, and that is that men should act
upon what, I believe, was an old Dutch proverb—namely,
that they should agree to aiffer ; that difference of opinion
should not involve personal hatreds and animosities ; the
most intense conviction which man may entertain of the
soundness of their opinions should be accompanied by chari-
table indulgence for those whom they believe to be in the
wrong. It was said, and well said, I believe, of Mr. Percival,
that though he was one of the most strenuous advocates for
the opinions he entertained, although he was one of
the most energetic debaters in the House of Commons, he
never carried his party feeling in the way of personal dif-
ference beyond the door of the House of Commons in which
the struggle took place. (Cheers.) Well, there is nothing
can prevent men who are honestly and zealously enrolled in
the list of political parties from entertaining, with regard to
those who differ from them, the kindest personal feeling-
(Cheers.) In fact, they are striving to bring their anta-
gonists to their own opinions; and those who wish to con-
vince others must endeavour to convince them by the sun,
and not by the wind; not to make them wrap their cloaks
more tightly areund their shoulders, but to endeavour to
win their hearts by the warmth of friendship and persua-
sion ; and therefore, even on the narrowest view of party
politics, which must be founded upon a desire to make one's
opinions prevail, those acrimonies and animosities which in
former times too often from various circumstances disfigured
the arena of political action, ought carefully and steadily to
be avoided. I beg again, gentlemen, to aseute you that I
value. in the highest degree the honour which you have con-

(erred upon me to-day, and that among all the fortunate cir

cumstanc,es which may have happened to me in the course
of my life I shall esteem the occurrence of this day one of
those most deserving of being borne gratefully in mind.
Three cheers were then given for Lord Palmer-
ston, and the proceedings terminated.

His lordship then proceeded to the University,
where a large assemblage had collected, in order to
receive the honorary distinction of LL.D. The
ceremony took place in the library hall. His lord-
ship was received with repeated acclamations. The
degree having been conferred with the usual for-
malities, an Address from the students was pre-
sented to the newly created doctor.

Lord PALMERSTON in reply said :

Vice-Chancellor and Gentlemen,—l can assure you that
the honours which have been now conferred upon me doubly
by the seniors and juniors of this University are dear to my
heart, both from the considerations of the present and from
recollections of the past. It sometimes is the lot of a man
who has been long absent from the scenes of his early youth
on revisiting them to find himself a stranger, unknown and
uninvited, and to have the mortification of seeing that those
scenes which he had left prosperous and thriving have be-
come neglected, decayed, and, possibly, deserted. How very
different is my condition this day. I revisit, after a long
interval, scenes dear to me by the recollections of early days,
and find myself surrounded by greeting friends. I find
those scenes which were thriving and prosperous in my early
days more thriving, more prosperous, more distinguished,
if possible, than they were at the period to which I allude.
(Cheers.) It is pleasing to me to revisit this building in
which, during three winters, 1 was daily and constantly
bestowing that earnest attention upon the instructions
which I here received, which I am convinced the young
men I am now addressing are equally, and I hope with like
advantage, in the habit of giving to the predilections of
their instructors. I had the good fortune of attending this
University at a period when there were in it the most dis-
tinguished instructors—l won't say more distinguished
than any that have since been enrolled among its profes-
sors. I imbibed the lessons of wisdom from that eminent
man, Dugald Stewart. (Cheers.) I had the advantage of the
instructions of Playfair, classic's were taught 'by Dalziel,
natural philosophy by Gregory, and chemistry by Hope.
There was at that time an abundance of learning in every
branch and department of intellectual superiority which
gave the greatest possible opportunities to those who chose
to avail themselves of them by cultivating their minds and
laying in a stock of knowledge useful to them during the rest
of their lives. (Cheers.) The system of instruction pursued
here differs from that which is given in the English Uni-
versities. Cambridge for instance—to which I went after I
had passed three winters in Edinburgh, has its advantages;
the system here is adapted to the country and the circum-
stances in which it is afforded. Here instruction is given
chiefly in lectures. Young men don't live within the walls
of the college. They are left in a great degree to their own
self-control and the energy of their own zeal for instruction,
and I am bound to say that system has been eminently suc-
cessful. The conduct of the students of this University has
been always marked by good, moral, and social discipline.
(Cheers.) This shows that freedom is not abused, and the
result of instruction given has been the rearing of a vast
number of most valuable and eminent members of society
in all branches of knowledge, in all the professions of social,
civil, and political life. (Loud cheers.) In the Uni-
versities the system is different. They also are adapted,
per/ haps more than yours, to the circumstances in which
withintheir inthsteruwcatilolns
oifstghieveEnngalnisdh
utonitvheorseeittwesh.oNaertetheedrue y
educated
Y
terns have their merits: there need be no jealous
to disparage the system pursued b the otheelre.ueyßhoethtwsgeesh
ftiisthemur;hbeodtwh
isthreitnhsetrmucettihr.ortd,s moulded by
h i
c h
and
fashioned human
mind
thies
pinurepdouseeastinofga life,v asantdnbuomthberhaoli-e
w
mbeenenwehmosineecnatrleyersuccessful
birth.
to honourable to themselves and useful to the country of their
(Cheers.) For
e that
my
ifown
I hpaavret
bgeeenntlemen, I am
proud
successful in public life, if I have been enabled to steer my
the general manneraaat
meetehla ctoeursapproval
yl
oftomy myfeolwlonwcoconusincuite,arynncinyetewannlyd,
(cheers)—it has been because in those
passed in this city I was furnished three
years which
by able men with charts
and compass, which taught me how to steer my course, to
avoid many of the dangers to whichthe voyage of life is ex-
posed, and to pursue in safety that
career
l pwhriichil was des-
tined to follow. (Cheers.) Those general
your system of education and the instructionnof princise ples which
men which I have mentioned inculcated, and which a able
man have been dull indeed if he did not imbibe, those
prin_
aR
ciples expanding the mind taught that liberality of sentimeat which perhaps in those days was not so generally (lit.
fused as it is in the days in which we live, and those prin.
ciples were of the utmost importance in guiding men not
only in the concerns of private life, and of more limited pub-
lic action, but in those greater and more weighty concerns
which devolve upon men charged with the administration
of public affairs. (Cheers.) The noble viscount then re-
ferred to the progress which Liberal principles had made
since he left the University, and urged the students not to
neglect the golden opportunities which were now afforded
them to acquire the varied knowledge which their Profes-
sors were so well able to impart.
After some further observations his Lordship

resumed his seat amid great applause, and the pro-
ceedings terminated.

ThE BANQUET.

In the evening a grand banquet was given in the
Music Hall, George-street, where a large and in-
fluential company had assembled. Among those
present were the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Dal-
housie, the Earl of Southesk, Lord Airlie, Lord
Fife, Lord Dunfermline, Lord Elcho, Sir William
Dunbar, Sir J. Gibson Graig, the Lord Advocate,
M.P., Mr. Cowper, M.P., Sir D. Brewster, the
Solicitor-General of Scotland, Sir W. Johnstone,
Dr. Guthrie, Admiral Erskine.
Grace was said by Dr. LEE, and thanks were re-
turned by Rev. Dr. GUTHRIE.

The usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been
given, Admiral ERSKINE returned thanks for the
Navy, Colonel ANSTRUTHER for the Army,and Lord
Elcho for the Volunteers.

The LORD PROVOST then rose to propose the toast
of the evening, and was received with much cheer-
ing. His Lordship said :

I now rise to propose the health of one of the most dis-
tinguished men this country has ever produced, and in
honour of whom we are assembled here this evening—Vis-
count Palmerston. (Great cheering.) I cannot tell what may
be the feelings of the noble lord on revisiting this city, one of
the scenes of his early youth, but I may be permitted to
say, on the part of the inhabitants of Edinburgh, that his
visit to them on this occasion is hailed with a pleasure little
short of enthusiasm ; that they are proud that this their city
has had some share in the education of a genius which has
since been the subject of astonishment and admiration, not
alone to his fellow-countrymen, but to every part of the world
that knows the name or has heard of the constitution of
Great Britain. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) I feel that it
is fortunate, not only for me but for all of us, that the noble
lord's visit should have happened when the asperities and,
indeed, the activities of political parties are so far allayed
as, in a very considerable degree, to allow men of all parties
to join in expressing to your noble guest feelings which are
not those only of his own party but of the nation. (Cheers.)
It would be a task, my Lords and Gentlemen, of no ordinary
magnitude were I to attempt to give even a brief sketch of
that illustrious career which (began at an age of almost
incredible youthfulness) has lasted with unabated vigour
throughout a whole lifetime, and has never reached a
more brilliant point than now—when advanced years have
spread a venerable halo around it, without robbing it of one
grain of its energetic usefulness. I am almost amazed,
when I revert to the very earliest days within my own re-
collection, to think that, even then, when this century had
numbered but a few years, the name of Palmerston was dis-
tinguished in Parliament, and I believe I am correct when
I say that as far back as 1809 the noble lord actually filled
the honourable and onerous office of Secretary of War, and
continued to fill it for 18 years with an assiduity and ability
which has scarce had its equal. (Loud cheers.) The next
great field of our noble guest's labours was an office which
has won for him a wurld-wide reputation. I allude to the
Secretaryship of State for Foreign Affairs, and in this office
I may assert the, whatever differences of opinion may exist
with regard to the principles which guided the noble lord
and the party over which ho now presides, there is but one
opinion as to the great diplomatic powers and consummate
ability he brought to bear upon the multitude of difficult
and often perplexed questions which time after time de-
volved upon him to unravel and set at rest. (Much cheer-
ing.) If I were to attempt to indicate what it is that draws
so much of the confidence and almost affection of the coun-
try towards our noble guest, I would say it is the prevail-
ing conviction that the leading idea in his mind, if not also
the ruling passion of his soul, is a jealous anxiety that this

country should be secure and honoured by the nations.
(Cheers.) This anxiety, although it has gained the noble
lord the deserved admiration of his country, has also brought
down upon him the reverse from those foreign rulers who
are most hostile to this country, and who regard him as a
sort of impersonation of what they fear. A truth finely ex-
pressed by one of his most illustrious opponents, Sir Bulwer
Lytton—

" This line his tomb may boast,
" Who hated England hated him the most."

(Loud cheers.) It would, however, be a great injustice to
say that the noble lord's zeal for his own country was ac-

companied by hostility towards other countries. On the
contrary, next to his desire to uphold the honour and inte-
rests of his native land has been prominent his zeal for the
freedom and progress of our neighbours. (Renewed cheer-
ing.) As Premier of this great country, the noble lord com-
mands a respect far beyond the circle where he is so deser-
vedly regarded with profound admiration. Throughout all
classes his exertions in behalf of the country were highly
appreciated, and he begged to give his health with all the
honours.

The toast was drunk with the utmost enthusiasm.
Lord PALMERSTON, in responding to the compli-
ment, said :
My Lord Provost and Gentlemen,—l need I am sure
not tell you that my heart is warm with feelings of the
deepest gratitude, mixed with not unreasonable pride, at the
reception which I have met from you this evening. I may
indeed say that the kindness which I have experienced in
those parts of Scotland which I have visited within the last
week has made the deepest impression upon my heart and
mind. (Jheers.) We all know the high and noble qualities
of the Scottish people. We all know their warmth of heart,
the steadiness of their attachment, their loyalty, even when
mistaken in its object—(cheers)—and any man must feel
proud, indeed, at receiving tokens of goodwill and
regard from a nation possessed of such eminent, brilliant,
and distinguished qualities, but I come before you not for
the first time as a stranger. I have, indeed, to-day been
honoured by the bestowal of a character I did not possess
before, and I am now entitled to address you as fellow citi-
zens of this great city of Edinburgh. (Cheers.) But when
I look around me and see the distinguished assembly which
I have the honour of addressing ; when I know the amount
of station, of talent, of attainment, of all those qualities
which make men eminent, themselves ornaments and use-
ful to this country ; when I find from this great and dis-
tinguished assembly these marks of personal regard, I need
not say that the reception of this evening will be deeply en-
graved on my mind, and never can bo forgotten to the latest
day of my existence, (Cheers.) These meetings are not
simply social expressions of personal or political goodwill
to an individual, they are, I may say, political institutions.
Political, not in the narrow sense of party, but political as
bearing upon the good of our country, and upon the inte-
rests of the nation in which they take place ; because,when
those who are engaged in the service of their country,
whether civil, military, or naval, know that, when they
return to revisit their fellow countrymen, if it be thought
that they have steadily and earnestly to the best of their
abilities performed their duty, they will be received with
kind and affectionate tokens from their fellow countrymen.
There cannot be a greater encouragement to exertion and
laborious application in the performance of their duty.
It has, well and truly, often been said that no man in
the public service can hope to do more than perform his
duty. There are no doubt great temptations to a man fall-
ing short of that amount of exertion, that degree of labour
that may be necessary for the strict and full performance
of his duty; and therefore I say that nation judges
rightly and acts well when it finds out anyone in its service
who has done his duty to mark such a case with its approval
and stamp it with its approbation. (Cheers.) I come not
before you, as I have said, as a stranger, for I have been
L connected with the city of Edinburgh by early recollections
of affectionate friendship, of valuable information, of educa-
tion which have benefited me during the whole of my subse-
t quent life. It was in this city that I was imbued with
• principles of action and with habits of investigation and

reflection, which bave been of the utmost possible advantage
to me in all I have had subsequently to do. I had the good
fortune when very young, just after leaving school, and
before going to the English University, to pass three years
with that eminent man Dugald Stewart, and in his house
__ _

had thb privilege of associating with a constellation of men
of genius and attainment in every department of science.
There were Playfair, and Brougham, and Horner, Sir James

Hall, Francis Jeffrey, and a multitude of others, whose
names are familiar to you. There was also Miss Edgworth,
not belonging to you, but eminent by her literary attain-
ments. There were the two Grants, men well known in the
sphere of politics since; and such a society was calculated
beyond anything to forward the ideas of a young man just
beginning his education ; and I look back to that period
with the most affectionate remembranot; and the asso-
ciations and friendships which then were Zontracted I shall
ever regard as the most valuable of my life. (Cheers.)
Well, gentlemen, I have said I think I may consider
myself as a sort of an Edinburgh man. (Cheers.) You
have been pleased to say that it is nut simply in that cha-
racter that I receive the welcome I have met with this
evening. You have been pleased to advert to the course
which it has been my lot to pursue in public lite. Well, I can
assure you that if in the transactions in which it has been
my lot to be engaged any good results have ensued, so far as
I have been concerned, they have been greatly owing to those
inspired ns which I drew in my early years from my associa-
tions here (cheers) ; but I must say in justice to others, as
a source cf pride and satisfaction to myself, that if these
events have, as I think they have, turned out on many
occasions advantagesitthoatshe been countryowowing
geitt!litenreincoo-uorpodroomtioenstoicf
or foreign interests,
ftohretune eagroot d itv aa
nh
taasg
o been
o f anoi
tyi
ng igoodin
council with men distinguished for their ability and
their talents. You see here, my Lord, on my right hand
tto andact, ab-lle men
have wh it
and wth h
two of those with whom I have had the pride axd satisfac-
tion of acting—one of them is Lord, as I was going to call
him from old associations " Panmure"—k.cheers)—but my
Lord Dalhousie, who at the time of the greatest possible
difficulty, conducted with unexampled success the manage-
ment of that great service—the army ; the other ie. the Duke
of Argyll, who I am proud to have as a colleague at the
present day, one of whose talents and abilities and eminent
position as a public man, it would be presumption in me to
speak to you, as you know them as well as I do. Permit
me to say that when I tell you I value most highly
the ap-
probation which has been expressed by assembly,
this august
the value which I attach to it is in a great degree increased
by the fact that there are now within these walls men who