The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-12 00:00:00

Banquet to the Messrs. Tattersall.

Last evening a complimentary dinner was given
at Willis's Rooms, King-street, St. James's, by the
noblemen and gentlemen connected with the Eng-
lish turf, in honour of Messrs. Richard and Edmund
Tattersall, on the occasion of their removal from
the well-known " Corner" at the top of Grosvenor-
place, where their world-famous firm has carried on
business for the last 100 years, to their new and
spacious premises near Albert-gate, the opening of
which was noticed in our columns of yesterday. The
manner in which Tattersall's has been conducted by
four generations of the same family has been such
as to earn the respect of all who are interested in
the favourite national sports of horse racing and
hunting ; and it was thought to be only due to the
present representatives of the firm that its change
of locality on the completion of a century of its
history should be marked by some token of
public recognition. Hence the sumptuous and
numerously attended banquet of last evening.
The chair was occupied by Admiral Rous, Pre-
sident of the Jockey Club, who was supported
by the Duke of Beaufort, the Earl of Shrewsbury,
Lord Bateman, Mr. G. Payne, Mr. Padwick, and
many leading members of the sporting world. Covers
were laid for about 250 gentlemen. The room pre-
sented a very brilliant spectacle, which was greatly
enhanced by a magnificent display of cups, vases,
and groups in silver illustrating the different styles
of racing plate manufactured since the year 1770
down to the present period. About 80 of these splen-
did trophies, won at Ascot, Goodwood, Doncaster,
and other places, and representing an aggregate
value of nearly £20,000, had been lent for the occa-
sion by their owners. The collection was brought
together with much pains from all parts of the king-
dom by Mr. C. F. Hancock, of Bruton-street, Bond-
street, and was inspected with much interest by the
guests before the commencement of the proceedings.
Among the contributors of prize cups, vases, &c.,
were the Duke of Newcastle, the Duke of Beaufort,
the Dnke of St. Albans, Col. Towneley, the Earl of
Zetland, Mr. H. Padwick, Mr. James Merry, Mr.
Jacob Morris, Mr. W. H. Eaton, Mr. T. Drake,
Viscount St. Vincent, Viscount Clifden, Mr. W. G.
Craven, Baron M. Rothschild, the Earl of Annesley,
Mr. T. Parr, and the Earl of Uxbridge.
During the dinner the band of the Coldstream
Guards, under the direction of Mr. A. F. Godfrey,
8.M., played an admirable selection of operatic and
other airs, among which was a galop composed by
Mr. Godfrey, and specially dedicated to the Jockey
Club.

The gallant CHAIRMAN gave " The Health of her
Majesty the Queen," which was enthusiastically re-
ceived. In prefacing the next toast, "The Prince
and Princess of Wales, and the rest of the Royal
family," he remarked that his Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales was a member of the Jockey Club
and one of the best sportsmen of the day.
" The Army, Navy, and Volunteers" was then
proposed, and responded to by Col. Daniels and
Lord Bateman.

The CHAIRMAN said he had now come to the toast
of the evening—" Prosperity to the Messrs. Tatter-
sall." (Cheers.) These gentlemen and their an-
cestors had carried on the business of the old
" Corner" for a century with great credit and the
strictest integrity ; and it was in order to testify
their unfeigned respect for the high character
of the firm that that distinguished company had as-
sembled there that evening. (Cheers.) He could
not repress a certain feeling of regret at the loss of
the old familiar green, the old gravel-walk, and the
old cow, emblematical of milk. (Hear, hear, and a
laugh.) They were not there, however, to indulge
in idle regrets for the past, but rather to look for-
ward to the future, and to express their hope and
trust that the traditions of an establishment which
he might almost call " national" would be trans-
planted to its new habitation, and might continue
to flourish under the Tattersall family until Lord
Macaulay's famous New Zealander came to moralise
upon the ruins of St. Paul's. (Cheers and laugh-
ter.) The toast was drunk with the greatest cor-
diality.
Mr. RICHARD TATTERSALL, in returning thanks,
said he was well aware that the high compliment
just paid to him and his partner was not due to any
merit of theirs, but emanated from a feeling natu-
ral to most Englishmen,—namely, a desire to wish
success to a business which had been conducted by
the 'same family in the same locality for a great num-
ber of years. (Cheers.) It was now 100 years save
one since his great grandfather, who was best known
to his contemporaries by the name of " Old Tat"—
(a laugh)—leased from Earl Grosvenor the piece of
ground on which their business had hitherto been
carried on. The then Prince of Wales, afterwards
George IV., was a constant patron of that estab-
lishment, and the bust of his Majesty which stood
in the old yard was first placed there at the Royal
desire. Many a time had he heard the tale of how
in the days of his great grandfather a postchaise was
seen entering Newmarket with his Royal Highness
riding the leaders and Mr. Charles J. Fox riding
the wheelers. (A laugh.) His great grandfather
was succeeded in the last century by his son, who
was also a good deal connected with the Prince of
Wales, for he was many years joint proprietor with
his Royal Highness of the Morning Post news-
paper. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.) In 1810 his
own father and uncle succeeded to the business,
and carried it on, he might say, with
credit and success for nearly half a century.
(Cheers.) It had now descended in turn to himself
and his partner, and time and circumstances had at
length driven it from its old locality. But although
they had changed their habitation, they had not
changed their principles. (Cheers.) A hundred
years ago horse-racing was confined to noblemen
and gentlemen, and bookmakers were as little
dreamt of as railways or electric telegraphs. (Hear,
and a laugh.) But bookmakers had since arisen,

and, as a natural consequence, horse-racing had
become far more popular. The old yard where so
much money had changed hands during the last 25
years had become too small for the numbers visiting
it, and they had now found more commodious quar-
ters as near to the old Corner as possible, where
they hoped to maintain with honour to themselves
their hereditary connexion with what was really one
of the greatest national pastimes. (Cheers.)
Mr. EDMUND TATTERSALL having also responded,
The Duke of BEAUFORT then proposed the health
of the gallant Chairman, whom he described as the
head of the racing world, and as the best judge of
racing matters. They were particularly indebted to
him for his Herculean labours in bringing them
together at the Derby every year. (Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, congratu-
lated them on the extension of racing, not only in
this country, but throughout Europe. Competition
in such manly exercises tended to promote a kindly
feeling among different nations. In the French
they had formidable rivals, who had made them
look to their laurels. The achievements of Ver-
mouth and Fille de l'Air were well known to them
all. There was no better friend of the turf than the
Emperor of the French, but he regretted that in the
late Duke de Morny horse-racing had lost a valu-
able ally. (Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN next gave " The Turf and the
Chase."

Mr. GEORGE PAYNE, in responding for the turf,
paid a high tribute to the late Mr. Richard Tatter-
sall, and said that his successors were worthily fol-
lowing in his footsteps. He regretted, in common
with many others, the loss of their old locale, but he
rejoiced that in quitting it they were not taking leave
of the old associates whom they had long been in
the habit of meeting, and to whom they were in-
debted for many agreeable, though occasionally
rather exciting, hours. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.)
The Duke of BEAUFORT, in returning thanks for
the chase, spoke of the spread of that pastime in
France, Germany, and Italy. In the art of venery
he thought they had a great deal to learn from their
French neighbours. He traced the good feeling
which existed among all classes in this country, from
the labourer upwards, in a great degree to the prac-
tice of keeping staghounds and harriers ; and he
expressed an ardent hope that the turf and the chase
might go hand in hand as long as England was Eng-
land. (Cheers.)

The healths of Mr. Padwick and Mr. Hill were
next given and duly acknowledged, and the list of
toasts concluded with " The Bar of England," for
which Mr. Hawkins, Q.C., returned ,thanks in a
humorous speech.
The proceedings were enlivened by the perform-
ance of a selection of music, under the direction of
Mr. Bradbury, assisted by Messrs. Baxter, Cum-
mings, and Lawler as vocalists, and Mr. Stimpson
as pianist. Mx. Harker acted as toastmaster.