The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-29 00:00:00

MR. MITT'S BIRTH-DAY.

The Annual Commemoration of the Birth of
Mr. PITT took plan yesterday at the City of London Ta-
vern. On some occasions the attendance may have been
more numerous, but has seldom been more largely graced
with the presence of persons of rank and distinction in the
State, as will be seen from die following list of a part of the

Company :
The Duke of Wellington, Earl of Eldon, earl Bathurst,
Lord Viscount Sidmouth, the Earl of Westmorland, Earl of
Harewood (President), Sir John Gibbon, Bart., Sir J. 1).
Astley, Bart. M.P., Sir M. Cholmeley, Bart. 111. P., Lord
Kenybn, W. R. Cartwright, Esq. M.P., E. B. Wilbraham,
Esq. M.P., Right honourable Sir Henry Russell, Bart., John
Innes, Esq. M.P., H. Bankes, Esq. M.P., Lieut.-General Sir
Miles Nightingale, C.ll. M.P., Earl of Longford, Lord
Hotham, M.P., John Round, Esq., T. A. Smith, Esq. Mr.
Sykes, Mr. Atcheson, Mr. Eccles, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Grant
. Allan, Mr. Taylor, &c. &c. &c.
Sir GEo. Rose was the Chairman of the day.
The cloth removed, Non Nobis Dominc was sung.
The CHAIRMAN then gave " The King." This toast was
drank with four times four, and followed by " God save the
King."—" The Duke of York and the rest of the Royal, Fa-
mily," was the next toast. After this the glee of " Hail, Star
of Brunswick !" was sung.
The CHAIRMAN said, it now became his duty to give the
toast which constituted the chief business of the day, by pro-
posing to them to drink to the memory of that Statesman, in
honour of whose name they had met. There must be a strange
magic in that name which now, after the lapse of 18 or 19
years, coulttbring together so much of what was most illustri-
ous in the land, as they then saw assembled in that room. To
them, however, this was not astonishing, as they had been the
first to do honour to the genius they recognised in Mr. Pitt--
to those great qualities which had distinguished him above all
others—that placability of temper, powerful eloquence, and
persevering courage—that capacity which formed his plans,
and that firmness which enabled him to execute them. Mr.
.Pitt, it might be truly said, was of those highly gifted indi-
duals who—

" Read their history in a nation's eye ;"
and the homage rendered to his great powers while he lived,
had never slackened in the course of the long period which had
elapsed since his death. It was ever to be remembered, that he
had been called to the helm of affairs in this country at a most
critical period. He found the bark of the State shattered by
the storm which it had encountered. He found the national
credit lowered, its character tarnished, and its alliances broken ;
yet, by his wise administration, in the course of a very few
years these evils were corrected, even without being obliged
anew to draw the sword—the credit of the country was re-esta-
blished on solid bases—her honour vindicatecl,, and her alliances
with the other Powers of Europe were restored. It was under
such circumstances that, supported by his King and favoured
by his God, he had to brave the horrors of a new storm which
swept before it the rest of the Monarchies of Europe. Thus,
supported by a people worthy of him, great and magnanimous
like himself' he met the gigantic power of revolutionary fury,
repelled thedanger, and carried the country, to which his life
was devoted, triumphantly through the awful conflict. If his
was not the happiness to witness the perfect success of his plans,
after his lamented death, such was the magic of his name, the
force of his example, the inspiration of his principles, that
they had animated his successors to tread in his footsteps
till it was theirs happily to finish what he had so gloriously
begun.—(Applause.)—Thus it might be said that under his
auspices the vessel of the State, like the bark of Ulysses, had
been conducted in safety, through assailing storms, and victo-
rious over all opposing enemies, into a secure haven. Now
they lived in other times. They sailed in smooth seas ; and,
though human nature was always exposed to some afflic-
tion, the dangers which we had now to apprehend were
those incidental to a state 'of peace, growing out of en-
joyments and fascinations like those of the fabled Syrens.
But under all circumstances we might hope to steer our course
in safety by the application of the principles of Mr. Pitt. These,
as a touch by the spear of Ithuriel, would at once distinguish
the angel from the demon, and would not fail to enable them
to know the true from the false. By the principles of Mr. Pitt
ha trusted the Councils of this country would still be guided,
and that that revered name which had been our glory in the
past, and was our toast at the present, would continue to be
our prOtection for the future. He concluded by giving " The
immortal memory of the late Mr. Pitt."
The toast was drank up standing in solemn silence.
Mr. TERRAIL sung the song of The Pilot that weathered
the storm," which was frequently interrupted by the acclama-

Lion of the company.
" The Army and. Navy," " The House of Brunswick, and
may they never forget the principles which seated them on the
throne of these realms:" and " The Constitution in Church
and State," were the next toasts. The song of " Rule tin-
tannic," succeeded the first ; " Since harmony deigns." the
second; and " The King and the Church," the third. The
last-mentioned strain called forth thunders of applause.
The CHAIRMAN now rose to propose as a toast, those who
had the discernment to perceive all the importance of the prin-
ciples of Mr. Pitt, and the virtue and the courage to act upon
them. He begged to give them " The health of his Majesty's
Ministers."

.....
The LORD CHANCELLOR rose to express for himself and his
Colleagues, present and absent, the gratitude they could not
but feel for the manner in which the last toast had been drank.
It was now nearly eighteen years since they had followed the
remains of the lamented Minister to the grave. His body had
been suddenly removed, but his name would live in everlasting
remembrance. Ile had thought it his duty as an individual
acknowledgment of the services of Mr. Pitt, to do not to Mr.
Pitt honour, but himself honour, by attending these festivals in
commemoration of the departed Statesman. If he mistook not
some were then present who could not remember Mr. Pitt
themselves, but who had issued from the loins of those who had
been warmed into action by that great man, and who had stood
by him because they honoured the family now on the throne of
these realms, and loved the Constitution of their Country. To
these he briefly recalled the events of the last thirty-four years.
He reminded them of the efforts which had been made to pull
down our Constitution and to degrade our Church Establish-
ment. That Establishment he eulogised because it granted the
'utmost toleration to those who differed from it, that was con-
sistent with its own security. He hoped in God, if ever the
Established Religion were to be changed, that those who be-
longed to the Church of England might experience toleration
like that which they granted. The efforts to which he had
alluded continued down to the period of the French Revo-
lution. When that great event occurred, this country stood
still for a time, on the ground that it had no right to in-
terfere with the internal arrangements of a Foreign -State.—
But when principles were advanced which could not be
acted upon without danger to us, then measures were in-
stantly taken to meet the evil. Though the Powers of Europe
were united by compulsion against this country, Mr. Pitt hesi-
tated to adopt those measures which his-policy would have dic-
tated against the Continental States, because he was reluctant
to abridge the liberties of Englishmen. He should not do him
justice if he were not to state, that the feeling that necessity
was a " tyrant plea" was ever present to his mind, and that
nothing was more difficult than to convince him that it was
proper to take that course which had now been wisely adopt-
ed -as a part of our system, namely, that the liberties of
Englishmen must, on extraordinary occasions, be sacrificed
for a time in order to preserve them for ever.—(Applause.)—.
Avowing that he had advised this, he feared not to ask now
that they saw the result of the great contest, if he had deserved
ill of his country. TO the principles of Mr. Pitt, which even-
tually called
,into action the prowess and skill of the Noble
Duke near him, he ascribed the ultimate salvation of the
country. It was the duty of that great Minister to main-
tain those principles which had seated the present Royal
Family on the throne of these realms; but he must take
leave to say, that it was his duty to use all measures not incon-
sistent with those principles to serve the State, and to consi-
der what, under all circumstances, was fittest to be done. Mr.
Pitt died in the
.year 1806, but his principles had continued
to animate the counsels of the country down to the present
moment. To all efficient political purposes he had been alive.
That which he had maintained had proved true. He had
contended that if England were but true to herself—that
was, if those abominable doctrines to which he had alluded
were but put down—we had nothing to fear from external foes
—(Applause.)—and this had been verified by events. That
world which had been in arms to destroy, had been saved by
the very principles against which they had contended. Peace
thus came, and after this, many desponded because that ad-
vantages were not realized which she was expected to bring.
No longer ago than last year many were inclined to despair.
The Pitt Club hoped that things would yet get better, but
others were less sanguine. He, however, would ask if the
country had ever gone through such a war as the last. It was
unexampled for its duration, and the attendant expense.—
This remembered, when the ship came into port, her masts
gone and her timbers shattered, it was too much to expect that
she could be repaired in' an instant. Various interests had
been unavoidably disturbed by the changes which had taken
place—temporary distress was the consequence; but the opera-
tion of the principles of Mr. Pitt, which it was now pretty gene-
rally acknowledged were bringing us about, would, he doubted
not, lead to increased prosperity. War avoided, it was still his
hope to see the subjects of this country become as happy as

Mr. Pitt, from his heart and soul, had desired to make them.—
(Applause.)
The CHAIRMAN next gave," May the principles of Air. Pat
always animate the Councils of Great Britain." Drank with
three times three.

The health of the Duke of Wellington was proposed from
the Chair with the usual honours.
The toast having been drank,
The Dukeof WELLINGTON returned thanks, and expressed"
himself highly gratified to have his health- drank by'so respect-
able a body, assembled as they were to commemorate the bird],
and uphold the principles of Mr, Pitt.
The Earl of WESTMORELAND proposed, after a brier but
forcible eulogy on his merits and character, the health of the
Chairman.

The toast was drank with shouts of applause.
The CRA it na N expressed himself overwhelmed by the kind,
manner in which his health had been proposed by the Noble
Lord and received by the company. After shortly stating hu
hereditary attachment to the principles of Mr. Pitt, he -de-
clared himself so conscious of his own nothingness, that meet-
ino. them. in honour of Mr. Pitt, it was only a feeling like that
wrich the worshippers of Vishitou professed to experience
to
his temple—a feeling that he was so superior to humanity, that
before him Brahmins, Sutras, and all classes of mortals wet*
equal, it was only such an impression that could encourage' him
to hope any claim of his to sympathy would be allowed.
( A pplau se. )
The CIIAIUMAN then gate the health of the Lord Chan-
cellor.

The Loup CHANCELLOR returned thanks, and begged to
propose a toast, which he had long been allowed to give on
these occasions, " Prosperity and Perpetuity to the Pitt Club.
This toast was drank with three times three.

The Chairman and his Majesty's Ministers, and other-Noble!
men who had been present, then retired. Mr. M'CLEart (net
Mr..ATCHESON, as stated in one of the Morning Papers) thef,
took the Chair, and a variety of loyal and appropriate toasts
were subsequently drank by that portion of the company which,
remained. Numerous songs and glees were given in the course
of the evening by Mr. beete, Mr. Hawes, Mr. Terrail,
Broadhurst, Mr. tioulden, Mr. Fitzwilliam, and Master Smtth.
The evening closed with the utmost harmony.