The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-30 00:00:00

LORD J. RUSSELL AT BRISTOL.

CIVIC BANQUET IN THE MERCHANTS'
HALL.
The banquet given to the Lord President of the Coun-
cil by the members of the corporation and the magis-
tracy of Bristol took place in the Merchants'-hall, in the
city, on. Friday evening. The Right Worshipful the
Mayor (J. G-. Shaw, Esq.) was in the chair, surrounded
by his distinguished guests.
After the usual loyal and constitutional toasts, the
MAYOR proposed " The Health of their distinguished
guest, Lord J. Russell. (Cheers.)
Lord JOHN RUSSELL rose to respond to the toast, and
was received with continued cheering. He said—Mr.
Mayor, my lord duke, my lords and gentlemen, I can-
not but feel that I am very far from deserving the kind
compliments which it has pleased the Mayor to pay me
in proposing my health. At the same time, lam ex-
tremely proud that he has done me the honour of invit-
ing me in the name of your ancient corporation, and in
this ancient hall, belonging to, as it does, a society
which in former times sent forth from our shores: men of
naval eminence to become the discovers of new worlds.
(Cheers.) I believe that the spirit of honourable enter-
prise still continues in Bristol ; for from all that I have
learnt of your judicious measures in lessening dues which
impeded your trade, and from all that I know of your
opening up new sources of commerce, you have shown
yourselves to be the enlightened and intelligent successors
of that community which, in days gone by, furnished so
many men emiueut in the history of our country. I like-
wise feel proud that, never having disguised my senti-
ments on political matters, and having always, I may
say, taken decided views according to my own ju,adgs:
ment—(hear)—and never having concealed those views,
I am proud to find that I have not byho their expression
forfeited the good opinion of many w
at liberality
on the one hand, that this evinces vearytogsraey,
also,
that
use in the sentiments I have formed. (Cheers.) I feel,
on your part ;and yea will permit deixffperresfrom
a I
wrong, you be
it shows that,
lwiehveethtieirattlhieolodping
promote the welfare
shollddoafirermrilgyhtanodr
to
people, the greatness and
and happiness of the British
conscientiously, I desire onlyiilion
them a
pros
co
with me that I should scarcely
Gentlemen, you will agree
parity of our.. own mnmncoun try. (Cheers.)
without alluding to that leading topic of
duty of thanking you for your kindness
werel
s all minds, which keeps us all is
the day which engage.
dischargeto dilo)yso wi
continued and increasing anxiety, and which, I ant con-
strained
to add, while it has brought fresh glory on our
arms, has filled many hearts with sorrow and affliction.
My lords and gentlemen, those who may have hitherto
thought lightly of the calamities of war must now be
convinced that we, who have now embarked in it, urged
to it by cruel necessity, were not wrong in pausing long
—(hear, hear)—in exhausting all the means of preserv-
ing peace ere we entered upon war. Yet I trust that
we shall prove, as we have proved, both as a Government
and a nation, that if we have been slow to enter into a
quarrel, we .shall yet bear ourselves in that quarrel "that
the opposer may beware of us." It is now three-quar-
ters of a year since we first came
into hostility with a
power which boasted of an armament of some 600,000
men, and which proclaimed to the allies that in the
course of the last winter that 600,000 should be raised