The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-11 00:00:00

LORD MAYOR'S DAY.

THE BANQUET.

The customary civic banquet was given at Guild-
hall last night, and derived more than usual im-
portance from the fact of the Prince of Wales
coming of age. Among the Ministers present were
the Prime Minister, Earl Granville, Earl Russell,
the Duke of Somerset, Mr. Cardwell, M.P., &c. ;
Lord Brougham, the Judges, the Attorney-General,
several Ambassadors, &c. The hall was magnifi-
cently decorated, and more than 1,100 guests were
present.

After the loving cup had passed round,
The LORD MAYOR said—The first toast I have
the honour to propcse is " The Queen," and it must
be confessed we enjoy a great blessing in having in
this nation a Queen who has been a model to all
other monarchs. (Cheers.) She has been alike a
model wife, a model mother, and a model Sove-
reign, and I am quite sure that in the recent dis-
peusation of Providence she has had the deep sym-
pathy of all her subjects. (Hear, hear.) May she
continua to rest satisfied that she is surrounded by
a free, enlightened, and loyal people. (Cheers.)
" God save the Queen," the principal part being
sung by Mdme. Parepa.
The LORD MAYOR, in giving the " Health of the
Prince of Wales," said—There is such a speciality
in this toast that I am sure I shall have the sympa-
thy of this distinguished company when I express a
wish that the Prince, who yesterday came of age,
and has taken on himself the responsibilities of a
position which
,is second to none in the world—
(cheers)—when I say that the hopes and expecta-
tions of the country are centered in the Prince who
yesterday attained his majority, I feel that this is an
occasion on which the loyalty of the country should
be so expressed, that the Queen may feel that she
has one by her side who will act as an adviser, while
the nation will look upon him as a Prince upon
whom the greatest reliance is to be placed. (Cheers.)
The Prince of Wales bas well studied the im-
portant part which be will have to play ; he has
had opportunities which few enjoy, and especially
of home associations, which cannot but have a
vast influence upon his future life. At the same
time he has had the advantages of travel, for one
can safely say that he has seen more of the world
than any other of her Majesty's subjects. I am
sure that, with all the advantages he has the coun-
try will feel that he is worthy of the high destiny
that it has pleased Providence to assign to him,
and the alliance he has just made, with ail its in-
teresting associations, is highly appreciated by all
her Majesty's subjects. I give you the " Health of
his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, long may
he live and be the support of his widowed mother
and Sovereign"—(cheers)—and I hope that, when
it shall please Providence to call him to that posl-
tion which is involved in the possession of the
throne of the greatest empire of the world, he may
so act as to prove himself a worthy scion of so illus-
trious and honoured a Queen. (Cheers.)
The LORD MAYOR next proposed " The Army,
Navy, and Volunteers," observing that there never
was a time when their services were more appre-
ciated than at the present moment. He had the
honour of having as guests both the Commander-
in-Chief and the first Lord of the Admiralty. The
Duke of Cambridge was par excellence the soldier's
friend. (Cheers.) On all occasions he had shown
himself most anxious for the efficiency of the ser-
vice. The same might be said of the Duke of
Somerset, who had shown himself foremost in for-
warding the great improvements in the navy in its
process of re-construction. As to the volunteers,
that force was equally appreciated by the army and
the nation at large, and he believed the formation
of that great national force had had the effect of
plscing this country in a position of safety which
it had never before enjoyed. (Cheers.)
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE, in responding on be-
half of the army, said—My Lord Mayor, Ladies and
Gentlemen,—l rise to respond to the toast which has
just been given from the chair in so handsome a
manner, as regards my branch of the service. I can
only say, on behalf of that service, what I have often
said before in this great city of London, that we
are always flattered by the kind feelings and sen-
timents expressed by the citizens of London to-
wards us. It is an agreeable compliment to us
that, while toiling for the good of the country in
every part of the globe, this toast is accepted with
those feelings and affections towards home which
never leave the army in whatever part of the world
it may be placed. There is an innate feeling in
Englishmen which makes them feel that home is
the best place to be in. Although the army of this
country is necessarily more separated from their
friends than the armies of other countries, they
always look back upon home as the place from
whence everything that is good, everything that
is agreeable, and everything that is advanta •
geous to them spring. The army expe-
riences this feeling quite as much as civilians,
They therefore appreciate, wherever they may be,
the kindly feelings and remembrances of their
friends. The Lord Mayor has been so good as to
allude to the fact that the army, as it now is, is in
a state of efficiency. I hope and believe that that
compliment is well deserved. (Cheers.) So far as
I am concerned, I can only say that I have done
my utmost to make it efficient, and to extend that
efficiency which has distinguished it ever since it
has been an army. I can say, for myself, that I
should have been utterly powerless had it not been
for the support—the enlightened and liberal sup-
port—which I have received on every occasion, from
the illustrious statesman who sits near me. (Loud
cheers.) Not only has the present Government
but former Governments. have given the army that
liberal and enlightened support which has enabled
me to maintain it in that state of efficiency in
which, I flatter myself, I may row consider it to
be. But not only iscredit due to the statesmen of this
country in this respect, but credit is also due to the
people of England, for if it were not for their libe-
ral views with regard to the maintenancy of the army
in a state of efficiency it would be impossible for us
to do as much as we have done. But the people of
England, with their usual good strong common
sense, have fully appreciated the value and import-
ance of the services rendered by the army. They
have never grudged us these liberal supplies which
I say, with some degree of regret, we feel to be ne-
cessary for she maintenance of the honour of this
country. Of course we all know it is not an agree-
able thing to expend money largely upon the mili-
tary service, but the people of Eogland are sagacic us
enough to have seen how essential it is for their own
interests that money should be liberally spent for
this purpose, and they never grudged their support
'when they were called upon for it. We are not in
a
position to maintain a large army, but we maintain
a
thlea
large
army
'which, supplemented as it now is by
loyallitr!pirit and feeling of the country, and by
the
to ahe and Volunteers, is sufficient to enable us
maintain e
and amighteLnainterests and power of this great
ot be a nation. (Cheers.) I know it will
Peeable to your lowlship that I should pay
you any compliment, but I cannot disguise from
this great companytha fact that among the distin-
guished regiments
la the Volunteer corps none can
toast a higher position
than
corps of the Citythe Rifle Volunteer
London, and in that corps, my
Lord Mayor, you, my Lord
Mayor,have from the
first taken a prominent intcrest
not only given us your best support You have
Pbort and cordial
assistance, but you have actuallu:
to 7hieth plea-
one of the body. (Cheere.) That iserrh. a yourself
special I
which lam sure this country learn
narcuireumstance
My Lord Mayor, you alluded
sure.
circumstance of the day on which this
banglet
takes place. We are here met no doubt to do
honour to the Lord Mayor, and his election to au
important post, which I have no doubt he will
worthily fill. His lordship has told you that this is
the 21st aliniversery of the birth of his Royal High-
ness the Prince of wra lea. This day therefore is a
day not only of immense interest, but of vast impor-
tance to this great country.
(Cheers.) How much
—not
depends on the character an d position of that youth-
ful and illustrious Prince ! I can only say
simply because he is the Prince of Wales and a re-
lative of mine—that I firmly believe that the educa-
tion and general disposition of that
young Prince
justify us in hoping that he will be an ornament to
this great empire, and that during his career he will
be, as head of this nation, an object of pride to the