The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-13 00:00:00

THE MAYOR'S BANQUET.

At the banquet given to the members of the As-
sociation by Mr. Wiggin. the mayor, and which was
still proceeding when our yesterday's parcel was
despatched, there was a brilliant assemblage. We
have already mentioned the names of the leading
noblemen and gentlemen who were present, and we
now append a report of the speeches.
After the usual loyal and other introductory
toasts,
The MAYOR proposed " The Army and Navy and
Volunteers." (Cheers.)
Sir H. RAWLINSON, in responding on behalf of the
army, said—lf they run their eyes down the lists of
that Association they would find they were largely
recruited from the ranks of the army. He need
only refer to such names as those of Capt. Douglas
Galton or Col. Sykes, and he might mention his
esteemed friend Sir Roderick Murchison—(cheers)
—and also that great luminary of science of the
presentage, the vararEg of its blue riband, General
Sabine, the President of the Royal Society.
(Cheers.)
Sir E. BELCHER said in former times their ships
were hearts of oak and were built at the seaside, but
now he fancied the people of Birmingham knew
much more about their iron walls than the sailors
did themselves. (Laughter.) If, however, they
asked him how he liked them, he would say, " We
don't like them at all." (Laughter.) The makers
of the iron ships had deprived them of all the powers
of distinguishing themselves. If they took an
enemy's vessel they could not board her, and when
they were sick of firing at one another they could
just head off and look at each other.
Colonel MASON responded on behalf of the vo-
lunteers.
Sir Joini BOWRING briefly proposed "The Houses
of Lords and Commons."
Lord LEIGH having acknowledged the toast on
behalf of the House of Lords,
Lord STANLEY responded on behalf of the House
of Commons. He said,—l rise, in obedience to the
call of your Mayor, to return thanks on behalf of
the House of Commons, and yet I do so, with
some hesitation, because I cannot forget that in
this room, and at this table, you have a member,
although an ex-member of that House, older and
far more experienced than I can claim to be—Lord

Houghton, who may have been long enough in the
Lords to forget that he ever listened to a Budget or
' passed through the ordeal of a public election. But
any one who has once seen him can never forget his
accomplished speeches, or his kindly and pleasant
manners. (Cheers.) I always respond with plea-
sure on behalf of the House of Commons. I have
sat in the House for nearly 17 years, and I can say
with pride that the longer I have known it the higher
has risen my respect for its ability and its common
sense. I believe the opinion of the House of Com-
mons collectively is generally better than that of
any individual member of it. (Cheers.) I say this
for the benefit of young members. (Laughter.) The
House, as long as I have known it, has always shown
a marvellous tact, almost approaching to instinct,
in discerning who are those who are likely to con-
tribute anything to its debates, and who are those
who merely get up to waste time, and air their
vocabulary. (Laughter.) I have heard men who
have spoken with real fluency and eloquence ; in a
word, men of that kind who are described as having
great command of language, when probably it would
be truer were you to say that language has great
command of them ; because they have as much
command of it as a man has of a runaway horse.
(Laughter and cheers.) Men of that class I have
heard described as not knowing what they were
going to say when they got up, not knowing what
they were saying when on their legs, and not know-
ing what they had said when they sat down.
(Cheers and laughter.) Many and many a man of
that sort is left to declaim to empty benches, while
you have the ear of 400 or 500 members listening in
silent respect to some one else, who certainly hadn't
the gift of oratory, and brought his- sentences out
head foremost, or tail foremost, until you almost
wondered how it was possible that a man could speak
such bad grammar. (Cheers and laughter.) The
House of Commons soon found out the distinction
between the man who only spoke commonplaces
and the other man, who, though very awkwardly
and uncouthly, really sought to contribute some new
idea to the discussion that was going on. (Cheers.)
I recollect, about a dozen years ago, when the dis-
cussions about competitive examinations for the
public services first came on, somebody said, by way
of a sneer, " Oh, if this principle of competitive
examination is such a good thing, why do you con-
fine it to Why not have it also for the
Secretaries
and Chancellors of the Exche-
quer?" theof clerks
State
Well, my answer was and is, this is exactly
what we do; no man could obtain a leading position
in the House of Commons without passing through
a competitive examination of this kind. (Cheers.) It
is a trial of physical strength and endurance; a trial of
patience and of temper; it is a trial of readiness, of
thorough and accurate knowledge, and, last and chief
of all, it is a trial of common sense and knowledge
of the world. (Cheers.) If a man fails entirely in
any one of these particulars, but more especially if
he fails in the last, he may do very well elsewhere,
but he is not the man who will take a leading part
in the House of Commons. I suppose there is no
popular assembly that ever existed among men that
has commanded so much respect and exercised so
much power as the English House of Commons.
(Cheers.) Now, why is it ? To give you all the
causes would be too long a story to tell here. It is
because there never has existed in the world a legis-
lative body whose component members were so
thoroughly independent in social position and in
feeling. (Hear, hear.) Take the whole house
easily do it--the num
b
to be aspiring to high
through,er
ofthosepolitical
offi countewho
h deductknown
aug mayan
and I am happy to
say they are very few—those who are supposed to
come in on the speculation that they may drop in
for a comfortable place somewhere ; deduct both
these classes, and they still leave behind a great ma-
the great majority
joefrtihtye in
nthe
house house.onbothlsindgesaiins cSaoym,posed of men who
have nothing to fear and nothing to gain from any
Minister, and who can therefore follow a Minister
without servility and oppose him without asperity.
(Cheers.) As regards the character of the House
of Commons, I for one am not afraid it will ever
lose the position it now holds in public opinion.
(Loud cheers.)

The MAYon then rose to propose the toast of the
evening, " The health of the President of the British.
Association for 1865, Professor Phillips." (Loud
cheers.) In the course of his prefatory remarks, his
Worship said—l feel that in this company, above
all others, I need say very little in proposing to you
the health of Professor Phillips, our President.
Wherever the science of geology is cultivated there

the name of Professor Phillips is known as that of
one of its most elevated students and ablest exposi-
tors. (Cheers.) With the name of the British
Association Professor Phillips is inseparably linked
as one of its founders, and for many years one of
its most valued and important officers. (Hear,
hear.) But for him the association would never have

and but for him it would been called into existence,

never have attained that position of dignity, useful-
ness, and prosperity which if now enjoys, and which
it greatly owes to his zealous energy, his remarkable
tact, his incessant devotion to the maintenance of