The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-10 00:00:00

LORD MAYoirs DAY

The Banquet.
The Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs inaugurated
their term of office with the usual banquet in the
aacieut Guildhall. Invitations had been issued to
about 800 guests, including the Ministers of State,
the judges, members of both Houses of Parliament,
and the corps diplomatique. The hall was magni-
ficently decorated, most of the fittings and orna-
ments which had contributed to the splendour of
the late civic ball in honour of the Prince and
Pri7acess of Wales being used to give eclat to the
present festivity. The entrance vestibule was
n inch enlarged, and appropriately arranged as a
guard chamber, the walls being hung with flags,
banners, and antique armour, alternating with the
heraldic bearings of the 12 city guilds. Large mir-
rors, placed at either end, enhanced the effect of a
fine perspective. Passing from the vestibule,
through the Gothic porch, itself also profusely de-
corated, the visitor found himself in the great hall,
where, of course, the grandeur of the scene culmi-
nated. The arms of an endless line of Lord Mayors
were emblazoned on the traceried walls, now, as at
the State bail, resplendent with gold and colouring,
The columns were richly diapered, and the tracery
p Innis were filled in with the Royal and illustrious
personages who have at different times been enter-
tained by the Corporation ; the whole being sur-
mounted by the national ensigns and the banners of
the city companies. From the lofty ceiling de-
pended elegant gaseliers, attached to handsome gilt
wire baskets, filled with choice flowers. The noble
stained glass windows were brilliantly illuminated,
and displayed the arms of the Sovereign and those
of the City in tasteful designs. The east window
was further adorned with the Prince of Wales's
plume, in spun glass, forming the centre of a trophy
surrounded by banners, in complement to the birth-
day of his Royal Highness.
The corridors and lobbies were embellished with
paintings, sculpture, exotic plants, and ferns, the
whole forming a gay and pleasing promenade fur
the earlier guests. The Aldermen's court-room was
adorned with a beautiful panoramic view of Cha-
monni by moonlight, the foreground of which was
artistically arranged with rockwork, ferns, and a
miniature waterfall.
The guests began to arrive shortly after 5 o'clock,
but it was a quarter past 7 before the whale had
assembled. When Lord and Lady Palmerston
entered the Hall they were greeted with a burst of
enthusiastic cheering.

Among the guests were Viscount and Viscountess
Palmerston, the Duke of Somerset, the Marquis of
Salisbury, the Earl Granville, the Earl of Hard-
wicke, Earl and Countess de Grey and Ripon,
Viscount Torrington, Lord and Lady Saye and Sele,
the Right Hon. Edward and Mrs Cardwell, the
Hon. H. B. W. Brand, the Persian Minister, the
Columbian Minister, General Sir George and Lady
Pollock, Sir C. Wentworth Dike, Mr Justice Erle,
Chief Baron Pollock, Barons Martin and Pigott,
Justices Williams, Willes, and Keating ; Mr Ser•
geant Payne, Mr Sergeant Tozer, Mr Sergeant
Woolrych, Mr Sergeant Parry, Mr Sergeant Spinks,
the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General, Sir
Charles Young, Sir Richard Mayne, Sir John and
Lady Bowring, Sir Harry Parkes. the Hon. E.
Ashley, Mr T. G. Baring, M.P., Mr S. Beale, M.P.,
Mr R. W. Crawford, M.P., Mr J. T. Norris, M.P.,
Mr Wm. Tite, M.P., Mr H. L. Holland, Deputy
Governor of the Bank of England, Mr A. Roberts,
Mr H. C. Robarts, Professor Donaldson and Mrs
Donaldson, Mr J. Hawkshaw, Captain Dent, Mr
J. Lubbock and Mrs Lubbock, Mr John Dillon and
Mrs Dillon, Mr Money Wigram, Mr C. Gilpin,
Mr Alderman Wilson, Sir James Duke, Mr Alder-
man Sidney, Mr Alderman Finnis, Mr Alderman
Salomons, Sir Robert Walter Carden, Mr Alder-
man Carter, Mr Alderman Allen, Mr Alderman
Hale, Mr Alderman Gabriel, Mr Alderman James
Clark Lawrence, Mr Alderman Abbiss, Mr Alder-
man Dakin, Mr Alderman Beeley, Mr Alderman
Waterlow, Mr Alderman Gibbons, Mr Alderman
Lusk.

The dinner, provided by Messrs. Staples, of the
Albion, was of the usual sumptuous character.
The loving cup having been circulated,
The LORD MAYOR rose to give the first toast. He
said—ln that hall " The Health of the Sovereign" of
this country was always received with that enthu-
siasm and loyalty which it deserved. He proposed
it to them to enable them to show not merely their
attachment to the head of a constitutional monarchy,
but also the respect and affection which the people
universally felt towards her most gracious Majesty.
(Hear, hear.) He begged, therefore, to give " The
Health of the Queen." (Cheers.)
The LORD MAYOR said that the country had
lately shown what a deep interest it took in the
career of the Prince of Wales by the delight—he
might say the sympathy—evinced by all classes of
the community at the auspicious marriage con-
tracted by his Royal Highness. He had much
pleasure in offering to their acceptance " The
Health of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the
other Members of the Royal Family." (Cheers.)
. The LORD MAYOR said he agreed with those who
held that the best preservative of peace was to be
PrePared for war, and he was happy to think
that our navy was never in a greater state of
Effie
leneY than at that moment. Whether our
Quips
should be made of iron or of any other
material, whether they should be propelled by
steem or by
electricity—(a .
anee must all? laugh)—our main reli-
which manned
be placed on the hearts and hands
also, he believed them. (Hear, hear.) Our army,
honour of the
e,31 was as able as aver to uphold the
The Volunteer;, in any quarter of the globe.
sive purpose, but eh:" organised for no aggres-
against any hostile arj to defend our own shores
gratitude of the eountrZitLlikewise deserved the
pleasure in asking the'm t Ile had, therefore, much
teer:,,drink " The Navy, the
Army, and the Volunteer;,,
The Duke of Someasx., .(Cheers.)
saki '.-'My
my lords, ladies, and genti I—my Lord Mayor,
you on behalf of her Maje,t:,nit,'..n, I rise to thank
navy- I
-you that, stationed in every leut_r can assure
naost
tiarduous and
anti performing as they the do rao:t of the globe,
service
cli-
diffieult duties, oftentimes in the
ud. an
mates, the officers and men of that
held by a sense of duty to the Sovereign and
up.
earnest desire to win the approval of theis;
It may, indeed, be said, as the 1,,,a country-
men. Mayor
has stated, that although
we change the e
eu
Lion of our ships—although we change and
change again and again the e.struction of our
m
our
armaments—yet while we
maintain the same quali-
fications for our officers and the same spirit in on,
seamen, we have little to fear.
(Hear.) I wish on
this occasion, as the Channel squadron has lately
visited many of the ports and harbours of this coun-
try, and been received with the most kindly wel-
come in every quarter, publicly to express on the
part of the Admiralty our thanks to those corpora-
tions and towns which have extended their hospi-
tality and kind feeling towards that squadron. That,
hospitality and kind feeling will promote a good
understanding between all classes, and lam sure
will be as beneficial to the navy as they were
honourable to those communities who displayed
them. (Cheers.)
Earl DE GRZY AND RIPON, in responding on be-
half of the Army and the Volunteers, said,-1 beg
to return you on
behalf of the army my sincere
thanks for the
Manner in which you have received
the tout proposed in such flattering terms by his
Lordship. I k
and now well that it is a source of gra-
tificationto the British army, scat-
tered, as it is, over
e
time
quarter of the habitable
globe, to learn from tne to time that this toast is
bailed with cordialityevery assembly of Eng-
lishmen. lam glad to in
be
able to bear my testi-
mony that in the most recent
operations in which
that army has been engaged under skilful and
able commander, General Cameron,New Zealand,
where it has been employed to
restom
dof
property
re the authority
of the Q leen and protect the lives an
English colonists, it has shown the
,same
split of
courage, of devotion, and of discipline that has been
manifested by it on the more important but scarcely
more of European warfare. (Cheers)
more arduous
More than three-fifths of our army in time of peace
are employed on foreign service. Indeed, at the
present moment, more than two out of every three
regiments are employed out of this country, and in
many cases in bad and unhealthy c4cattteo• With