The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-17 00:00:00

711 E BOUHE.R BANQUET.

A very magnificent entertainment was given last
evening, at Willis's Rooms, St. James's, to M.
Rouher, the French Minister of Commerce, which
was attended by about 150 members of the House
of Commons, amongst whom were Mr. Milner
Gibson, Sir G. C. Lewis, Mr. Cobden, Baron L.
Rothsehiid, Lord Henry Lennox, Mr. Liddell, Sir
David Dundas, Alderman Salomons, Sir Robert
Clifton, Mr. J. C. Ewart, &c.
Mr. Milner Gibson presided, and on his right was
Vile guest of the evening, M. Rouher ; and on his
left, M. Michel Chevalier and M. Dufour.
A sumptuous entertainment was placed upon
the table, and the wines were of the most
recherche and costly kind, a different wine being
served with every course. At the head of the bill
of fare the following intimation appeared—" It is
hoped that the order laid down may be adhered
to, and each dish partaken of with its particular
wine, fruit, and vegetable." The wines that were
successively served with each course were Cham-
pagne, Rndesheimer, Moselle, Sauterne, Claret,
Hermitage, Romanee, Chateau Yquem, Tokay, and
Vin de Constance.

At the dessert the Chairman proposed " The
Queen, coupled with the name of the Prince of
Wales He then proposed "The Emperor of the
French," and in doing so said that for nearly half
a century the relations between England and France
had been, on the whole, of the most friendly de-
scription, but at no period during that time had
those relations been in a more satisfactory condi-
tion than at the present moment. The monarch
who ruled over France was animated by the most
friendly sentiments to this country. The animosi-
ties which prevailed at a former epoch had been
softened and subdued by the lapse of time and the
enlightened policy of giving greater freedom to
commercial intercourse between France and Eng-
land proposed by the Emperor of the French, and
promptly and joyfully acceded to by the Govern.
ment of the Queen, must tend to draw still closer
those ties of amity which bound the two nations
together. He proposed to them to drink with cor-
diality to " The Health and Long Life to the Em-
peror of the French." (Loud cheers.)
The toast having been duly honoured,
The CHAIRMAN proposed " The Health of our
Distinguished Guest." (Great cheering.) They
were assembled to do him honour and to give him
a hearty welcome. Perhaps there was no instance
in our history in which a large number of mem-
bers of Parliament had invited to a banquet
a Minister of State of a Foreign Govern-
ment. This fact was significant of some-
thing. We were a nation above all others re-
markable for being the slaves of precedent, and
when we stepped out of the beaten track we
meant by that to signify something unusual. They
desired on that occasion to express their approval
of the commercial treaty between France and Eng-
land, and to express the strong feelings which they
entertained of the importance it was to the happi-
ness of the people of both countries that the two
peoples should be bound by the ties of amity—
(cheers)—and they wished also to express their
recognition of the services which M. Rouher had
rendered to the cause—the great cause—of com-
mercial freedom. (Cheers.) It was he who had
carried out in Paris the details of the treaty, and
had effected those supplementary conventions which
were within the spirit of the original agreement.
He had had to encounter the jealousies and pre-
judices of interested persons, but spite of them the
treaty had been a great success—and in the next
returns of the Board of Trade it would be seen that
there were only two countries standing higher with
regard to our exports than France. He concluded
by proposing M. Rouher, and the toast was received
with great enthusiasm.
M. ROIIHER spoke in French, and was received
with prolonged cheering. He said,—Never before
have I so keenly regretted as I now do my ignor-
ance of the English language, for community of
ideas, impressions, and sentiments is never complete
unless they are conveyed in the same language. I
wish I could express to you in your own tongue the
emotion and the gratitude I feel at the signal
honour done to me this day by the representatives
of that House of Commons whose debates may be
said to occupy the minds of the whole world. It is
not without a kind of astonishment that I find my-
self in the midst of se many statesmen, practised
veterans in public affairs, renowned for their great
oratorical conflicts and the eminent services they
have rendered to their country, and whose praises
rush to my grateful lips. (Loud cheers.) A just ap-
praisement of myself counselled me to decline this
testimony of sympathy, but this important occasion
was designed to pay homage to the great principle
of civilisation which dictated the treaty of com-
merce of 1860. (Great cheering.) My scruples
were overcome, and my presence amongst you was
the fulfilment of a duty. This act will occupy an
important place in the history of the two nations.
(Cheers.) Permit me briefly to recount the ob-
stacles which opposed its negotiation, and the
motives which determined its realisation, the results
obtained up to this day, and the legitimate hopes to
which its execution must give rise. In doing so I
shall at the same time be able to reduce to its
modest proportions my participation in this inter-
national work. (Loud cheers.) Commercial liberty
had eloquent defenders in France in the eighteenth
century. The barbarous theories of isolation, those
barriers against the intercourse of nations, were
victoriously attacked. (Cheers.) A great Minister,
Turgot, made his convictions triumph in the eco-
nomic acts of the Government_ y
treaty of 1786,
the existence of which was so short, and yet so
calumniated, was inspired by those liberal tenden-
cies. The commercial legislation of 1792 drew
most of its resolutions from the same source; the de-
crees which soon repudiated those measures of pro-
gress did not pretend to create a new system. They
were weapons of war forged for those gigantic con-
flicts which marked the end of the last and the be-
ginning of the present century. (Cheers.) Why
were the traditions of Turgot neglected after the
return of Peace; why was the road deserted that
had already been opened, and the science of the
'circulation of wealth suffered to fall again into obli-
vion after the light lavished on it by the genius of
Adam Smith? (Cheers.) Did the backward legisla-
tion of other nations exercise an unhappy influence
over ours ? I cannot tell. To my thinking
the commercial laws of the Restoration were I
determined by considerations of
political economy,
was tormented by
the idea, not
reconstituting the territo-
devoid of pr estige, of
fictitious elevation of
which had been crushed
rial aristocracy by the
The
French revolution. the
of the soil, that flagrant
-violation of all the products
-violation of the rights of the. mass of the People,
Imo that direct cause of general p..
peered to it a precious eleraent 0f success.
.
importation of
bitant duties were imposed on the
cereals and of all articles of food. French industry
ferred to obtain
ought to have protested, but it pre .ntenance
as the price of its adhesion the blind ma'
of all those prohibitions which prevented the Irn
portation of manufactured produce. (Cheers.) The
government of July manifested at intervals so me
tendencies towards enfranchisement, but the bur-
den was too heavy to lift. Its timid efforts were
destined to remain without effect. The political
and electoral organisation of the country placed
power in the hands of those who were directly in-
lerested in the restrictive system. IL nce for many
yeers, thanks to the co-operation or the weakness
of government, to the coalition of the adroit, and
to the credulity and indifference of almost the
whole public, prohibitionist views had become
sovereign, and exercised that-power with that in-
tolerance which is the attribute of an illegitimate
authority. (Cheers.) If anv ray of light pierced
t hose artificial combinations it was extinguished
with as much eagerness as is shown in extinguish-
ing' a conflagration. If an economist of matured
con fictions had the courage to raise his voice he
was attacked with indignation. He was but a
Utopia or a traitor; he
Wanted to sacrifice the in-
dustry of the country to the cupidity of England.
) To these economic
(Cheers, prejudices and ter-
r ^
political tertained were superadded
Iry
passions and animosities
which im-
sse'
pro 'dent minds
nun so easily excite
between two
pow erful nations, each
of w
itself. (Cheers.) How werehi which
is justly proud
such obstacles to be

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encountered, obstacles accumulated by selfish in-
terests, but consolidated by time and general indif-
ference. What reason was there not to dread the
unpopularity that would attend that courageous
reaction against inveterate errors ? How eagerly
would hostile minorities misreprese t the projects
of the French Government, accuse it of weakness
and calumniate its honest intentions. I am not
afraid, therefore, to confess that when Mr. Cobden,
supported by the powerful aid of my hon. friend M.
Michel Chevalier—(cheers)—laid before my Sove-
reign the expression of his profound convictions
and his vast experience he appeared to be under-
taking the defence of a desperate cause. The par-
tisans of prohibition, intoxicated by some secondary
successes, had adroitly taken possession of the
avenues of authority, and believed the citadel im-
pregnable. But this was to confess a doubt of the
superior views of the great man to whom the des-
tinies of France are confided and of the cause of
truth. Now the eminent member for Rochdale had
learned in the long conflicts which have distin-
guished him that truth, like prayer, if it sometimes
marches slowly, yet never fails to arrive at the goal.
The Sovereign who, in his period of solitary prepa-
ration for the high mission which he fulfils to-day
had been an attentive witness of your economic re-
volution, and of the development of prosperity and
greatness which had been its fruit, knew all the
fecundity of that great law of exchanges which
Sully, in his conversations with his King, called
a law of Providence. The Emperor had meditated
on those salutary doctrines of competition which for
the good of all, and especially of the least favoured
parties, kindles courage, exalts the faculties, in-
creases to a tenfold degree the effective powers, and
summons at need genius in its aid—he called to
mind those noble words pronounced by one of your
great statesmen, Sir R. Peel, cs I hope that my
name will one day be blessed in the poor man's
cottage."
And so he disdained that ephemeral
authority with which priviliged classes surround
thrones, that he might await that popularity which
time developes and which posterity consecrates.
(Reiterated cheers.) Uninfluenced by any other
considerations than those of public good, he did not
hesitate to take upon himself the direct personal
responsibility of that reform which had cost the
statesmen of Great Britaiia ten years of toil and
conflict, and in doing so he justly estimated his
I own strength and the affection of his people ; for,
after a moment of astonishment and uneasiness, the
phalanxes of French industry began to range them-
selves with confidence under the new flag he raised.
(Cheers.) As for the puerile charge of weak sub-
servience to a foreign nation, he well knew that all
—and you, gentlemen, before all others—would see
in this treaty only a pledge loyally given to an
alliance necessary for the peace of the world—
(loud cheers)—a fresh guarantee offered to civilisa-
tion. (Renewed cheers.) Such were the obstacles,
such were the motives, which caused the signature
of France to be affixed to the commercial treaty of
1860. That treaty had to encounter stubborn ad-
versaries in the House of Commons, but placed
under the high protection of Mr. Cobden, defended
by the incontestable experience of the honourable
president of this banquet, sustained by the engaging
eloquence and powerful reasoning of the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, it was approved by Parliament.
(Cheers.) If I am not mistaken, it now meets
among you with nothing but unanimous adhesion,
since this entertainment is offered to me by the
rspresentatives of all political shades. And now,
if I have not wearied out your kind attention,
allow me to mention some of the results obtained
by the treaty in France. The first, which I
name with sincere delight, and with a pride for my
country which you will pardon, is, in spite of some
bitter recriminations, the resolute and courageous
attitude of French industry on the morrow after
the facts were accomplished. Dazzled for a moment
by those new and unexpected horizons, our indus-
trial population soon regarded them with calmness
and serenity ; casting aside antiquated processes
and material, they have demanded from mechanic
art its most perfect machines, from science its most
novel applications and boldest methods. They have
flung themselves into the conflict with confidence
and vigour, inspired by that profound idea of Roger
Bacon—" The youngest are the oldest, they profit
by the experience of their predecessors." What a
grand and noble spectacle is that of the application
of all the living forces, all the intellectual faculties
of man to those fruitful struggles which issue in
public wealth and prosperity. (Cheers.) And what
more striking proof can there be of the benefits
flowing from the treaty of commerce. Without it
would not those activities, that productive power
which are destined rapidly to increase the well-
being of the nations, would they not have remained
inert and dormant like those precious sources, ne-
glected or unperceived, which flow unproductively
into subterraneous lakes. This transformation of
the economic ideas of French industry has just re-
ceived its ratification. Your august Sovereign,
plunged in sorrow by the premature loss of a Prince
not less eminent for his high capacity than for his
illustrious rank, and inconsolable, notwithstanding
the pious sympathy tendered to her by Great
Britain and Europe, was pleased, almost as a hom-
age to him who was no more, to open the great
arena of the Exhibition to the industry of the world.
Disdaining the policy of abstention recommended
to some by precept and example, our manufacturers
flocked to it with eagerness, and have made their
rivals judges of their efforts and their progress.
Certainly they have admired the successes obtained
by English industry under the incentive of liberty,
but with feelings of noble emulation, not of narrow
I jealousy—(cheers)—and with that religious convic-
tion which God everywhere reserves for the activity
and labour of his least favoured children. (Great
cheers_) The second result which I have to state
is, that in spite of the recent date of our commer-
cial reports there has been a reciprocal and profit-
able development of exchanges between the two
countries—a development which has mitigated the
painful perturbations caused by the world's com-
merce by that fratricidal conflict which is raging
beyond the Atlantic. Gentlemen, I have not yet
sufficiently indicated the most striking feature of 1
the convention of 1860. That act was not merely
a commercial regulation between two countries. It
was the proclamation in the name of two great na-
tions of the principles of free trade—(great cheer-
ing)—of which you have been the leaders, and
which are destined to penetrate all legislations and
to stimulate the activity of all peoples. Already
the public authorities in France, following the ini-
tiative of the chief of the state, have broken through
our old legislation on cereals and raw materials,
France yesterday signed treaties of commerce with
Belgium and the Zollverein. (Cheers.) To-morrow
she will sign that which she is negotiating with
Italy. (Immense cheering.) The banner of econo-
mic reform will thus continue its triumphal march.
Those exchanges which we see growing in extent,
those relations multiplying in number, those inte-
rests that are becoming intermingled and mutually,
identi
identified,
augmented
wealth that is increasing among na-
tions,its gmenthd welfare of the masses which is
esteem
day renders
of political
inevitablevilieh springs
sequence, the high reciprocal
(cheers) are not all these
for a
cheers.) Wings from relations which every
more
tt frequent, the extinction
durable peace between tb
Are they not sure _
and ancient animosities
things so many firm bases
e nations ? (Renewed
without reaction
of progress
reaction ? (Loud
Ail, gentlemen, let
cheers) '4% not disturb these
onies
without convulsion, and
by our faults and o,lr
wayward
nascent harm
a respon-
sibilityand man. (Cheers.) /
impulses ; let us never assume so terrible
Propose,
emotion of a soul profound'
with all the emoa
alliance of the g • -
- Y eon -
before God
British
(Loud and long continued
and the French nation.
con-
vinced, a toast to the close
cheering.)
had
called upon
Mr COBDEN said the president
M. Muller
him to reply to the toast with which
had concluded. He had the honour and pleasure of
acting with M. Rouher for a whole twelvemonth in
arranging the details of the treaty, and he should
not be doing justice to his own convictions if he did
not take this first opportunity in public, and in the
presence 'Allis late colleague, M. Rouher, of bearing
his testimony to the great services M. Rouher had
rendered to the cause of commercial freedom.
Until this moment there had not been an oppor- i
I i tunity of M. Rouher speaking to Europe and the