The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-18 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

PUBLIC DIN NISR AND PRES•6II-
- OF A SERVICE OF PLATE TO
ROBERT STEPHENSON, ESQ.

On Saturday evening, Mr. R. Stephenson was enter-
tained at a public dinner at the Albion Tavern, Alders-
' gate-street, when a very magnificent s4r vice of plate,
valued at upwards of 1,250 guineas, was presented to
that gentleman. The plate had been subscribed for by
Railway contractors (the subscription being limited to
that class, and the amount to 51. from each person), in
token of their respect and esteem for Mr. Stephenson's
private and professional character and conduct, in
bringing to completion the London and Birmingham
Railway.
The dinner was attended by about two hundred gen-
tlemen, including several eminent engineers, architects,
railway contractors, iron masters, and gentlemen con-
nected with railway undertakings. So great was the
influx of visitors from Lancashire and the other manu-
facturing districts who were anxious to be present on
this interesting occasion, that the great room of the
Albion was crowded in every corner, and a numerous
party of gentlemen were provided with dinner in an ad-
joining room.

Weippert's band, and several professional singers, in-
cluding Messrs. Fitzwilliam, Hobbs, &c., &c., were
present, and contributed much to the enjoyments of the
evening,

Among the gentlemen present were J. Dodd, Esc.,
Engineer of the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway'
Lee, London and Birmingham Railway ; J. Ben-
nett, Engineer, Aylesbury Railway, 0. York, G. H.
Phipps, J. Leather, J. Bramah, Alderman Johnson,
D. Gandall, Messrs. Maudesley and Field, W. Hoof,
J. Jackson, John Stephenson, M. Gordon, E. F. Star-
buck, —Songridge,— Birkinstraw, A.Young,--Badden,
Mr. Monteal LegreWhite,President of the Architectural
Society, R. W. Jones, W. Williams, T. Braithwaite,
J. Johnston, J. E. Sanderson, H. Parker, Robert Bid-
dulph, Esq., late Member for Hereford, &c. &c.
The Chair was taken by William Routh, Esq. sup-
ported on his right and left by Messrs. Robert and
George Stephenson, son and father.
After the cloth had been removed, and the usual
loyal and patriotic toasts of " Her Majesty the Queen,
" The Queen Dowager, and the Rest of the Royal
Family," " The Army and Navy," had been given from
the chair, and drank with due honours,
The CitAirotAN rose and said—Gentlemen, I row
rise for the purpose of proposing a toast which is im-
mediately connected with the objects of the present
meeting—(Cheers)---and you will readily anticipate
that it is the health of our friend and visitor Mr. Robert
Stephenson.—(Tremendous cheering for several minutes.)
Gentlemen, connected as we all are, more or less, with
railways, it is quite impossible that we could assemble
here on any occasion without wishing to pay the testi-
mony of our respect and regard to the individual whose
master mind has been productive of so many benefits
to the public, in bringing the railway system to per-
fection, and who has himself brought into operation
the most important link in the railroad communica-
tion throughout the kingdom—the London and Bir-
mingham Railroad.—(Cheers.) Whether we look at
the stupendous and gigantic character of the works,
or the difficulties attending their execution, I am sure
I shall not be wrong in stating as your opinion, and
that of every man conversant with such undertakings,
that they are of a character which reflects the highest
credit and honour upon the engineer, upon the pro-
fession to which he belongs, arid the age in which he
lives.-(Vehement cheering.) But, gentlemen, willing
and anxious as we should be to pay our homage to the
talents and genius of the engineer, we are met here
this evening for nobler purposes—we are met to testify
our friendship and esteem for the man.—(lmmense ap-
plause.) Gentlemen, when I look around me and see
the component parts of the company by whom I am
surrounded, I cannot be surprised at the enthusiasm
with which you have received the toast I have just
proposed to you.—(Cheers.) I see here a large body
of the contractors of this country, perhaps among the
most intelligent and certainly the most enterprizing
class which this kingdom produces.—(Hear. hear.)
I see around me many gentlemen who have constructed
works under the care and superintendence of Mr.
Stephenson—among them some of the difficult and
arduous works of which I have already spoken,
and I know the feeling of all is, that Mr.
Stephenson has been in every instance a kind friend, a
ready adviser ; that he has always endeavoured to
enliven your prosperity and sympathise with you under
,difficulties and disappointments.—(Great applause.) He
has been at all times ready, so far as his duty to his
employers would permit him, to relieve those difficulties
and mitigate those disappointments.—( Hear, hear.)
Gentlemen, I see also at this table a great many gen-
tlemen
connected with Mr. Stephenson in his own pro-
fession—some of you have looked up to him when en-
tering
upon your career, for your advancement in life,
and you are all ready to testify to his kindness of
heart, and his readiness to communicate information
and forward your worldly prospects.—(Much cheer-
ing.) With regard to the next class—that class to
which many gentlemen present, including myself, belong
—I mean the manufacturers and traders of the country
—I am sure that all of us in our respective depart-
ments feel indebted to Mr. Stephenson, and acknowledge
his anxiety to do justice to our fair claims on all occasions
on which we have come in contact with him ; I may add,
further that all of us in our respective departments have
been surprised at the judgment and knowledge he dis-
played upon matters of which we supposed ourselves to
be the best. judges.—(Hear, and cheers.) Gentlemen,
I have endeavoured briefly to recapitulate the feelings
of the different classes around this table, and their sen-
timents with regard to Mr. Stephenson, and I shall now
merely say of them collectively, that they admire the
engineer, and respect and esteem the man.—( Loud and
continued cheering.) Gentlemen, it now only remains
for me to request that you will join me in drinking a
bumper to the health and prosperity of Mr. Stephenson ;
but before Ido so, I beg to say to you Mr. Stephen-
son, that I have the great gratification, in the name of
the assembled company, and in that of their absent
brethren, to request your acceptance of the service of
1 plate which now stands before you, and I trust you will ac-
cept it as a token of our friendship,of our love and esteem,
for you individually—of our admiration of your genius
and talents—of our estimation of your moral worth,
and of our conviction of the integrity and independence
of your professional character.
[During the delivery of this Address, Mr. Stephenson
appeared to be deeply affected, while the motion of his
father, who sat upon the Chairman's left hand, was al-
most overpowering. The venerable gentleman shed tears
of pride and joy at the distinguished compliment paid to
his son—a compliment not less honourable to those by
whom it was bestowed than to the individual upon whom
it was conferred. It is needless to say that the toast
was drank with the utmost enthusiasm by the company.]
The service of plate was executed by Mr. Benjamin
Smith, of Duke-street, Lincoln's Inn-fields, and com-
prizes a candelabrum, ice vases, and a complete suite
of dishes, covers, &c. for the table.
The candelabrum being the principal ornament, is
designed so as. to describe emblematically the object of
the presentation. A large group of figures, placed upon
a triangular base, represents Wisdom and Geniusex-
hibiting to Philosophy the triumph of Art—a '
Locomo-
tive Steam-engine. From the centre of this group . a
stem bearing nine branches, and a baskoecteufoprieflaow:velistrehss.
Upon the pedestal, groups. of. boys are
plans of the steam-engine in its different stages of pro-
gress. In the pannels are the inscription--Alr. Ste-
phenson's arms—and a representation of the Wolver.
ton Viaduct.
The other articles have medallions with subjects cor-
responding, and most of them are surmounted by Air.
Stephenson's crest.
Mr. R. STEPHENSON then rose and was received with
renewed cheering. He said—Gentlemen, the kind-
ness which has suggested the present meeting I must
rely upon, on the present occasion, to excuse my
inability to express the sentiments which 1 must fail in
giving utterance to. I feel that I am surrounded by
Warm friends and many familiar acquaintances which
ought to give me confidence to express what I feel, but
You are all aware that. this is an occasion when the
dictates of the heart are not likely to be responded to by
the tongue.—(Aluch cheering.) My acquaintance with
Many of you began with the London and Birmingham
Railway—indeed, at the commencement of that under-
taking I was a stranger to nearly all of you ; but the
1 gigantic nature of that work, the formidable difficulties
that were to be overcome, and the effects which that
work, linked with others of a similar character, was
calculated to produce upon the feelings and habits of
the entire community, all nstrirlll‘• r•ontributc,l to 7:-,ri-
der my connexion with you, gentlemen, of a peculiar