The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-29 00:00:00

PITT'S BIRTH DAY.

Yesterday being the Anniversary of the Birth
of Mr. PITT, the commemoration festival was
held at the City of London Tavern.
Mr. CAR nior T, the Member for Northampton, presided.
He entered the great room, in which the party had assembled,
at about half-past six. On taking the Chair he was supported
on the right by the Lord Chane,llor, and on the left by the
Duke ut Wellington.
Among the co:npany we noticed the following Noblemen 1.,.-lel
Gentlemen :

Lord Viscount '4;:drnouth, Right Hon. N. Vansittart, M.P.
Earl of Gls.sgow, Earl of Harewood, Lord Hotham, M.P.
Sir Miles Nightingall, C. B. M.P. Vice-Admiral Sir E.
Harvey, K. C. B. M.P. Sir Robert Vaughan, Bart. M.P. Sir
Thomas' Dyke, Bart. Sir Robert Wigram, Bart. Sir Charles
Flower, Bart. Sir John Gibbons, Bart. Right lion. Sir Henry
Russell, E. B. Wilbraham, Esq. M.P. Henry Bankes, Esq.
M.P.

The cloth being removed, Non Notts Domino was sung :
and " The King • and may he live long to enjoy the fruits of
the Peace which lie has been the means of giving to Europe,"
was drank with four times four.
God Save the King was then sung ; and " The Duke of York
and the Royal family" having been toasted with three times
three—
The CHAIRMAL.Z rose to give " the immortal memory of the
late Right Hon. Wm. Pitt." This toast, he remarked, had
already been proposed so often through many successive years,
that for him to enlarge on it' was as unnecessary as it would be
presumptuous. He acknowledged himself to be one of those
who were convinced that the principles of the Right Hon.
Wm. Pitt had proved the salvation of his country. Unaided by
his abilities we hexer could have stemmed the torrent which
threatened to overwhelm the country thirty years ago, nor
could we.have triumphed over the numerous. difficulties by
which we were at that time enveloped. Mr. Pitt had saved
his country by his talents while he lived, and by his principles
when he was no more. He was aware that attempts, were
constantly making to depreciate the merit of Mr. Pitt,. and to
represent every calamity to be the necessary result of tne prin-
ciples on which he had acted. But he would ask what would
have been the result, had an opposite line of policy been pre-
ferred? lie was satisfied= as he was convinced every man
must be, who looked fair.y on the history of the past, that
much as we had still to contend with, we had much to exult
for. It was notorious that Mr. Pitt had never wished to enter
into the late war, and had only reluctantly done so, on the
sound principles of necessity and self-preservation. But being
in it, he had thought it wisdom to persevere with firmness and
courage. The result was glorious, but the-danger being passed,
and tne difficulties overeorne, our former perilous situation
was but too freqhehtly forgotten, and but imperfect justice was
done to the merits of Mr. Pitt. He believed that the fame of
that Statesman would rise much higher hereafter. If ever
there was a man who had the interest of his country at heart,
it was Mr. Pitt; and if ever there was a man who fell in the
cause of his country, it was Mr. Pitt.—(Applause.)—Feeling
as they did, whom he had then the honour to address, he was
confident that they would feel it to be their duty to unite with
him to keep alive the memory of that Great Man, and he had
therefore the fullest conviction that they would drink the toast
which lie had proposed—
" The immortal memory of William Pitt."
The toast was drunk with three times three.
The Army rind Navy of Great Britain," was given with
three times three. Rale Britannia was then sung. To this
succeeded the Glee of The King and the Church, which, as
usual, was repeatedly interrupted by the plaudits of the
company.
The CHAIRMAN then rose to propose the health of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers. In giving this toast lie had only to refer the
company to the history of the, period during which they had ad-
ministered the affairs of the country. A more arduous and a
more brilliant period was not to be found in our annals. They
had led us through a most tempestuous. war to a glorious peace.
It was true that we had not as yet recovered from the exer-
tions
demanded during the protracted contest; but if we con-
tinued to confide in them in whom we had so long reposed our •
confidence—if we were, in fact, true to ourselves, and were not
misled by factious declamations or idle theories, he was sanguine
enough to hope that at no distant period we should recover,
and gain the reward of all the sacrifices we had made in the
cause of the best and happiest Government which had ever been
devised, and under which, he believed, more security, comfort,
and liberty, were to be enjoyed than had ever fallen to the lot
of any other country.
" the health of his Majesty's Ministers" having been drank
with three times three,
The LORD CHANCELLOR returned thanks as well on behalf
of those of his Majesty's Ministers who were present, as on that '
of those who were absent, and who had desired him to express
their regret for their being absent on this oceasion. He was sure
that he spoke the sentiments of their hearts, when he said that if
they deserved the honour they had received, it was because they
had acted on, the sentiments of that great man whose birth was
the subject of that day's commemoration.--(Applauseh—He
reminded them of the difficulties in which the country had
been plunged in the course of the late war, and of the
manner in which it had been vanquished by the unconquer-
able spirit of Mr. Pitt. When it was asked what they had
gained by the principles of Mr. Pitt, his answer was—they
had gained all that they had saved. Old as he was, he rejoiced
that in consequence of the measures recommended by Mr.
Pitt, it was his to yield obedience to a gracious British Sove-
reign, who respected the Jawed' God and the law of the country.
Had a different course been pursued, we might now have been
under the yoke of a foreign tyrant. Britains under the yoke of
a foreign tyrant ! whose only God was ambition—whose only
law despotic power!! It was impossible for any one to be so
blind as not to see that the distress which we now experienced
was the necessary consequence of the exertions which we had
made ; but those principles which had saved us from the ex-
ternal dangers which once menaced us, would eventually
triumph over the difficulties with which we had still to contend.
In conclusion, he remarked, that the religion of the country
was safe, and he firmly believed that it would remain so; but
he begged to caution those who loved the Constitution, not to
suffer themselves to be misled by individuals, who professing
anxiety to improve the Constitution, had no object in view but
its destruction.
The CHAIRMAN next gave, after an appropriate eulogy, the
health of the Duke of Wellington.
The Duke of WELLINGTON briefly returned thanks for the
honour he had received; and expressed his admiration of the
character and attachment to the principles of Mr. Pitt.
The CHAIRMAN next gave the health of a Nobleman much
attached to the principles of Mr. Pitt, who had been found by
the side of that great man during the most difficult part of his
career, he meant the President of the Club, the Earl of Hare-
wood.
The toast having been drunk with three times three
The Earl of HAREwoon, in returning thanks said, though
that Club was run down as a party club, he should ever consi- ,
der himself highly honoured by being considered its Presi-
dent. Much of w'nat he might have said had been anticipated
by their Hon. and Worthy Chairman, and by the Lord Chan-
celior. But he would contend that to judge of the merits of
Mr. Pitt, they ought to go back to the time in which he lived,
and then to go forward to trace the effects of his system •
on those who were to follow the present generation, to under-
stand how much they owed to that Great Man. It waa true
the danger of the war was now at an end, but other danzers,
perhaps still more formidable than those which presented tEema
selves with an enemy in front, remained
.to be met. He al-
luded to the insidious, undermining, liberal attacks (as they
were called) upon every part of our institutions. Ile espe-
cially set forth the importance of making an exertion to put
down these; and without such exertions, he would say it there,
and he would say it before the whole world, the country was
not safe.—(Applause.)
Lord Viscount SIDMOUTH proposed " the health of the
Chairman, with three times three." •
The toast was drank with loud acclamations.
The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, again expressed his
admiration of the principles of Mr. Pitt ; and held the honour
he had just received to be peculiarly enhanced, coming as it did
from the friends and admirers of Mr. Pitt.
" The Protestant Ascendancy" was drank with three times
three.
The LORD CHANCELLOR begged to be allowed to give his
favourite toast—" Prosperity and perpetuity to the Pitt Club."
The toast was received with shouts cf approbation ; after
which the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Wellington, and the
other Members of the Government, retired.
" The immortal memory of King George the Third," was
drank in silence.
Mr. ACHESON begged to give a toast. He called upon the
meeting to drink the health of an individual who was most
firmly attached to the principles of Mr. Pitt, and who had con-
stantly attended the meetings of the Club, when his residence
in town would permit. He had battled in the cause in his
own country, and had never flinched, never shirked the prin-
ciples which he had once avowed. He begged to give, in his
individual capacity, their worthy Chairman, "Mr. Cartwright,"
the Member for Northampton. This toast was drank witlltnree,
times three.
The CHAIRMAN was so little prepared for the insidious
attack just made on him, that he was unprepared to reply.—
(A laugh.)—He begged to thank them, and to propose the
health of the Founder of the Society, " Mr. Atcheson.'
The health of Mr. Atcheson was drank with three times
three.
Mr. .A.TCHESON had not anticipated the return which would
be made by the Chairman. He declared himself largely repaid