The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-27 00:00:00

PROMOTION.

Mate—Robert A. Parr (1851), serving in the Cesar,
91, screw steam-ship, promoted to be lieutenant.

TIIE HAY CONTRACTORS.

BANQUET TO FIER IifAJLSTrS
MINISTERS.

On Saturday evening a banquet was given by the
Lord Mayor, at the Mansion-house, to her Majesty's
Ministers, and the invitations included the foreign am.
bassadors and many of the leading members of the
aristocracy. The Ministers present were in their
official costumes ; the general company were for the
most part similarly attired ; and as the room was graced
with the presence of a large number of ladies, dressed
suitably to the occasion, the spectacle was gay and
brilliant in the extreme. The dinner itself was of the
most choice and sumptuous character. After the re.
moval of the cloth,
The LORD MAYOR gave the health of her Majesty the
Queen, Prince Albert, Albert Prince of 'Wales, and the
rest of the royal family, which met with the customary
enthusiastic response.
The CHAIRMAN said, the next toast was one which had
been received by the country during the last few months
with great attention. They had been in the habit of
giving " The Army and Navy " for 40 years past, with
a feeling of satisfaction at the deeds they had achieved,
and of gratification that those deeds had secured a peace
which had lasted so long. But lie feared that peace was
now drawing to a close. If rumour ~poke truly, he
might call that a memorable day for England ; for he
had heard it stated that that might be considered the
last day of European peace. Of course, he was not
in the secrets of the Cabinet: but still rumour with
its busy tongue shadowed forth certain events ; and
whether the rumour which he bad mentioned were.
true or not, sure he was, that if they had to appeal to
British arms, they would find the same valour displayed
in the forthcoming struggle that had distinguished the
British arms in past times. (Cheers.) He might con-
gratulate his fellow-citiaens and his fello w-countrymen
on the fact that they had presiding over the army a
nobleman who had distinguished himself gallantly in the
field—a nobleman whose wisdom was so established that
confidence was reposed in all that he undertook. Ile
alluded, of course, to Lieut.-General Lord Hardinge.
(Loud cheers.) The wisdom and energy which was dis-
played in the military affairs of this country were no leas
conspicuous in the naval department ; and he rejoiced
in being honoured on that occasion with the presence of
a Lord of the Admiralty. He should, therefore, call
upon the company, at this eventful period, to drink the
" Army and Navy" with sincerity and heartiness ; join-
ing with the toast the names of Lieut.-General Lord
Hardinge and Admiral Berkeley. (Cheers.)
The toast was most cordially
received.
Lord Hannnsoz—My Lord Mayor, my lords, ladies,
and gentlemen, I beg to offer you my most grateful
thanks on the part of the arrny for the honour you have
conferred upon it. Deprecating as Ido every recourse
to war which can be avoided, and lamenting to hear from
your lordship this evening that this will be the last day
of peace, I nevertheless have no hesitation in saying that
I am proud to return thanks for the army, because I
believe that the conduct of this country in endeavour-
ing so long to avert war, and its disinterested and
honourable efforts to maintain the independence of our
ally, and to resist a most unjustifiable aggression Upon
him, justifies us in at length having recourse to arms,
when no other solution seems possible, and peace is, r
fear, hopeless. (Cheers.) Seeing so many of my gal-
lant brethren at this festive table, who are under orders
to join the expedition to the East, I must beg leave
to say to them, and to this assembly, that I have no
doubt that the military operations will be conducted
with great skill and energy under the command of my
noble friend Lord Raglan. (Cheers.) That gallant offi-
cer was for many years the companion, side by side, of
the great duke on many memorable occasions in war -
and during 30 years of peace he was also the military
secretary and confidential friend of his grace, and was
highly-esteemed both by the duke and by the army.
(Cheers.) The army, therefore, have the fullest confi-
dence in their chief, and Lord Raglan, animated by the
conviction that his selection for the command is approved
by his fellow-countrymen, will, I am sure, be ready to
do his duty most faithfully and manfully. (Cheers.) I
again, therefore, return you my sincere thanks for the
honour you have done the army. (Hear, hear.)
Admiral BERKELEY—My Lord Mayor, ladies, and

, gentlemen, I own that I feel peculiar pride in having to
. return thanks to you for my gallant companions in the
navy ; but I may add that that pride is somewhat tine-
; tured with regret--perhaps I might almost say with a
touch of envy—that lam not going to join them. I
myself put in my claims, though very inferior, against
those of the gallant officer who has been appointed to
command the fleet which has just left our shores. I ran
the race honestly with him. (Hear, hear.) lam not
sorry that he succeeded ; because, as I told those who
consulted me, he is one of the few officers whom, sooner
than be left behind, I would willingly serve under.
(Cheers.) That gallant admiral will no doubt wait pa-
tiently for an opportunity ; but, when he strikes,
he will strike boldly and hard. (Cheers.) I must add
that the regret which I feel at not being allowed to
serve is, I believe, shared by many other officers of the
British navy ; and for myself I will only say further,
that I should have liked, before my life closes, to have
been associated with my gallant companions who are
about to uphold their country's cause in the Baltic.
The LORD MAYOR then proposed " The health of her
Majesty's Ministers" in an eulogistic speech, in the
course of which lie said—But of this I feel sure, that
when the die has been cast, and the sword once drawn,
there will be neither hesitation in the Government nor
abatement in the desire of the people of this country to
carry the war on in the most determined manner, is order
that we may have a speedy return of peace. (Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with the greatest cordiality.
The Earl of ABERDEEN rose and said—My Lord
Mayor, ladies, and gentlemen, in responding on the part
of her Majesty's Government to the toast which has just
been so kindly drunk, I have to express our acknowledg-
ment of the honour you have conferred upon us, and of
the splendid hospitality which has been extended to us
this evening. (Hear, hear.) My lord, it is in moments
of national difficulty and anxiety like this that the sup-
port and goodwill of our fellow-countrymen become
doubly valuable ; and at a time like the present you
may easily believe that those sentiments are fully ap-
preciated by her Majesty's Ministers. My lord, in
this hall, about a year ago, I declared that the policy
of her Majesty's Government was a policy of peace.
(Hear, hear, hear.) I repeated that declaration else-
where, and, indeed, on all other occasions. If our hope
of maintaining peace has, however, been disappointed,
I can say that it has not been disappointed from the want
of any endeavour on our part to realise that policy.
(Loud cheers.) Indeed, I believe that if this had not
been the case—if the truth and sincerity of those decla-
rations had not been admitted—we should not have
received that general assent and support throughout
the country which it has been our good fortune to meet
with. (Cheers.) I will not think it inconsistent if,
even at this crisis, I repeat that declaration ; for, although
it is too true that very shortly we may have to seek
peace by other means than those which we have hitherto
employed, still peace is our main object. (Loud cheers.)
And, my Lord Mayor, it is, in pursuing this object, a
great satisfaction to her Majesty's Ministers to be acting
in concert with an ally from whom we have from the
first experienced the utmost cordiality, truth, and loyalty.
(Loud cheers.) I remember that my distingui shed
(the
expressing
theam .hopet. ssa-
friend whom
dor) joined
peace; and I have no doubt that
with n omwe leaes tn ye aera rmi en
wofe preservingshall still pursue that object together, and by the
same means. And although war may be carried on with
vigour and energy, yet I think we must entertain a firm
resolution to terminate that war as speedily as possible,
consistent with national honour. (Loud cheers.)
The LORD MAYOR next gave "The health of the Fo-
reign Ministers," coupling with that toast the name of
his Excellency Count Walewski, the ambassador of
France.
The toast was drank amidst loud applause.
Count WALEWSKI then returned thanks in Prench.
The following is a translation of this speech :—.MT Lord
mayor, ladies, and gentlemen,---I thank you for the
compliment you have just paid to the diplomatic carps.
The presence here of the representatives of almo: it all
the powers of Europe who have hastened to accept
the invitation of the first magistrate of the Cit 7 of
London, affords a striking testimony of the disposi-
tion with which the whole world is ready to meet
the contest in which we are about to be engaged.
Last year I congratulated you in this same hall,
with my right honourable friend the First Lord of the
Treasury now present, on the maintenance of peace, W.
desired, we hoped, we made the most sincere efforts that
it might be maintained. (Cheers.) Unhappily all our
efforts have been fruitless. But let me be permitted to
repeat here words which have found a great echo--the
memorable words of my Sovereign the Emperor Napo.
leon—" The age of conquest is past without return."
(Cheers.) A war undertaken to defend the right, to
support the weak against the strong, and to maintain
treaties, cannot, and ought not, to disquiet any one.
The most fervent friends of peace ought themselves to
look without fear upon such a war, for it can only have
the effect of strengthening for the future the basis upon
which rests the peace of the world. The intimate union
which so happily prevails, not only between the two Go-
vernments of France and England, but between the two
navies, and which, I am convinced, will equally pre-
vail between the two armies—(much cheering)—that
union, which becomes more and more consolidated every
day, is the surest guarantee which can be offered against
the return of those lamentable events which " un-
happily marked the
commencement of this century.
That union, which extends, which manifests itself from
one extremity of the world to the other, and the cor-
diality and the intimacy of which have not, I believe,
any precedent in history—will gloriously inaugurate. the
new era on which we are entering, and which hag been
so strongly characterised by the Sovereign whom I have
the honour to represent. (Loud applause.)
The LORD MAYOR proposed " The Health of the
House of Commons."
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied.
the proceedings
Several other toasts followed, and
terminated.

DEATH OF COLONEL GORDON, R.A.—Since the in-
quest which was held on the body of Colonel Charles
Edward Gordon, who was found dead in a railway car-
riage whilst on his way to Aberdeen from this place,
where he had been on a visit to his brother, Sir James A.
Gordon, governor of the hospital, some information has
been received which induced Mr. C. J. Carttar, the coro-
ner for West Kent, to issue his warrant for its disentomb.
ment. A post mortent examination has been made this
day (Friday) by Sir J. Liddell and Dr. Nisbett, the phy.
sicians of Greenwioh Hospital, who discovered that death
had been caused by injuries said to be inflicted by some
intoxicated or insane person in the railway carriage. The
body will be sent back to Crewe to re-open the inquest, at
which originally a verdict of " died from natural causes "
was returned. The body will be removed from the hospl.
tal mausoleum this night (Friday).—Kentisli, Mercury.