The Sun.
London, England, 1838-11-02 00:00:00

PUBLIC DINNER AT RAMSGATE.

DUTIES UPON COALS.

(From the Morning Advertiser.)
RAMSGATE, TUESDAY.—A public diuner took place
yesterday, in the Isle of Thanet ; the object being to cele-
brate the successful efforts made in the last session of Par-
liament, to defeat the attempts of a party in Ramsgate to
impose a duty upon all coals re-shipped in steamers in that
port, for the purpose of local improvements. It will be
recollected that a Bill had been introduced into the House
of Commons for this purpose, under the auspices of a few
short-sighted individuals, who, imagining that the town and
trade of Ramsgate could be benefitted at the expense of
the port, sought to procure their object by a prikosition,
which formed one of the provisions of the Bill, to impose
a tax upon the coals re-shipped by steamers, and
thus, by compelling their proprietors to increase the
passage-ratbs, to decrease (as must manifestly have
been the result) the number of visitors to the town, who
now give it the only means of achieving that prosperity
which these wiseacres, in the plenitude of their stupidity,
would have effectually destroyed, but for the active
and indefatigable efforts of the majority of their townsmen,
aided by the support of several gentlemen connected with
the steam companies trading between London and the Isle
of Thanet. These efforts were thoroughly successful as
regarded the port of Ramsgate. and the dinner of yesterday
took place in celebration of this success, and for the pur-
pose also of initiating a similar effort to rescue Margate,
and other towns in the district, from the imposts of a simi-
lar nature, which have long been permitted to exist
to the great detriment of their trade and general prosperity.
The place selected for this festival was the Ranelagh Gar-
dens (the Vauxhall of Thanet), at St. Peter's, about three
miles distant from Ramsgate. The dinner and: wines,
which were provided by Mr. George Hudson, the proprie-
tor, were of the first order, and all the arrangements were
of a character which tended materially to promote the suc-
cess of the meeting, and the hilarity of the evening. The
vocal corps was under the direction of Mr. Manclark, who
contributed much to the amusement of the party by giving,
in admirable style, several reiitations and comic songs, after
the manner of the late Mathews.

Shortley after four o'clock, there being then upwards of
100 gentlemen present, the chair was taken by John Wit-
kin, Esq.
After the cloth had been removed, and Non nobis sung
by the professional gentlemen present,
The CHAIRMAN said, he begged leave to propose to
them Our youthful Queen, may she reign long and hap-
pily," and he trusted they would drink the toast with the
enthusiasm it deserved.—The toast was drunk with loud
applause.
Song—" God save the Queen."
The.CnatemaN next proposed, "The Queen Dowager,
and the rest of the Royal Family," which was drunk with
three times three.
Son Here's a health to Merry England."
Song.—"
The CHAIRMAN then said, that as they were, he be-
lieved, now in the most populous and wealthy district in
the Cinque Ports, he would
take the liberty of proposing
to them the healthh
of the Lord Warden, the Duke of
Wellington.—(Loud cheers.) In proposing to
.them this
toast, it was n
necessary for him to say that it was not
many years since there
therewas not a port in Europe open to
any. ship—(Hear)—indeed indeed there had been scarcely one in
which the Noble Duke could land his army at that
period.—(Hear, hear.) The efforts of that army, how-
ever, were known to them all ; by its perseverance and
his own, the Noble Duke had conquered the
countless legions of Napoleon, and, after a series of splendid
victories, unequalled in the annals of history, had succeeded
in placing the British flag in the capital of France.----(Hear,
and loud cheers.)
To the exertions, then,prope uowed their of the Noble
Duke, the Sovereigns of Continental
thrones,( Hear.) He had released them from slavery,
he had rescued them from vassalage and degradation.—
( Hear and cheers.) Instead of Sovereigns they had been
mere political pageants in the train of the Emperor ; but
the Noble Duke had given liberty to the nations of Europe,
and he hoped those Sovereigns would recollect that their
subjects had obtained their liberties through him.—
(Cheers.)
The affections of a people were not to be ob-
tained by tyranny or despOtism, .but by bestowing upon
them freedom and liberty.—(Cheers.) He (the Chairman)
would therefore say, "may the Noble Duke live long, and
if this country shall ever again be engaged in war may he
'again lead our soldiers to victory and glory;'—(Loud
cheers.) He would conclude by proposing the health of
the Duke of Wellington, the Lord Warden of the Cinque
Ports.—(Loud cbeerng )
Glee.—" The Red-cross Knights."
The CHAIRMAN then said that he would now take the
liberty of calling their attention to the objects of the meet-
ie.% They had met to celebrate the repeal of the coal tax,
and to thank Mr. Mathias Wolverly Attwood for his exer-
tions in procuring that object.—(Loud cheers.) Before
lie proceeded he hoped he might be allowed to express his
regret for, and he was sure they all regretted, the absence
of that gentleman.--( Hear.) He had received a letter
from him, in which he had, he (the Chairman) was sure,
sincerely expressed his regret that he could not be present.
He had in fact for some time been afflicted with an atta-k
of influenza, and had been confined to his house ; indeed it
was only yesterday that his medical man had advised
him not to uane to this meeting. He (the Chairman) re-
gretted much that he was not here to enliven and delight
the company with his eloquence.--,(Hear.) In obtain-
ing the repeal of the coal tax,---he—bad already led to
most beneficial results to their shipping and commercial
interests. He had heard it said that the present meet-
ing should not have taken place ; for that having
obtained their victory, their assembling would be dis-
agreeable to the inhabitants of Ramsgate. Now there
was not an individual in the island, or in the kingdom, who
bad a greater respect for the inhabitants of Ramsgate than
he (the Chairman) had. Any opposition which had been
given to the Bill which had been introduced into Par-
liament had not ariscn, from opposition to the town ; but
in order to obtain that which had I),.:en granted to other
places--au exemption from all local taxes upon coals whola
were to be re-shipped. The town of Brighton bad been
taken as the model in reference to this Bill, and years had
passed since the privileges had been allowed which ,ley
had claimed.—(Hear, hear.) He (the Chairman) lei
attended upon the Committee as one of the delegates from,
the Steam-packet Companies ; but neither he nor any'
of his colleagues had been treated by this Committee
as the first commercial interests of the kingdom re-
quired they should. They had been beaten—nay,
they had been almost hooted out of the Committee ;
and if it had not been for the exertions of Mr. Attwood,
the benefits which they had ultimately achieved would
never have been obtained.—( Hear, hear.) That gentle-
man had been undaunted by any opposition, and, finding that
any compromise which could be proposed would have
been of no avail; they were obliged to appeal to the House
of Commons on the third reading of the Bill.--(Hear,
hear.) The result of this was known to them all,—
(Hear, hear.) The exemption they claimed had been
gained by them with a majority of ten to one.-7(Loud
cheers.) .. A. Bill about the same time had been introduced
for the purpose of improving the port of London, and for