The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-26 00:00:00

ir-

4
G RAND BANQUET to MR. COBDEN I
AT CADIZ.
We have been favoured by a correspondent with a
copy of the Comercio of Cadiz of the 11th instant, which
/contains the following account of a grand banquet given
2he day before to Mr. Cobden, M.P., in that great corn-
-mord/al city, by various merchants and proprietors of

the plaee:L--
The banquet was prepared in one of the beautiful sa-
loons of the Casino, given up for the purpose by the
society of the establishment. The table was adorned
with fine flowers, and covered with rich dishes and a
great profusion of fruits and sweetmeats.
The saloon, lighted with three magnificent
in beautiful chandeliers,
and a number of other lights, which burnt
candelabra, presented a magnificent coup d'ced to the
spectators.
At half-past five P.M. Mr. Cobden arrived, accompanied
by his friend and fellow-traveller, Mr. Sails Schwabe, of
Manchester, and by Don Jorge Urtetegui, a.respectable
merchant, and a friend of the great English League
leader. The latter, we learn, was the first to conceive
the idea of giving to Mr. Cobden, thi?fite, a pro'of
of the lively sympathies entertained for his doctrines in

Spain.
At six o'clock the festivul commenced. Don Jorge
von sided, supported by Cobden on his
iirteht_tegandJose Melia Elizalde on his left. There
also prsent at different tom' ts of the table the
wfor owing gentlemen :—Mr. J. Duncan Shaw, Mr. C.
Haurie, Mr. D. Macpherson, Don Julian Lopez, Don
Juan de Dios • Lasante, Don Juan Escribano, Don
Manuel Ruiz Tagle, Don Jose Lopez Bonal, Don
Manuel Docava y Casal, Don Jose Nicolas de Oveido,
Don F. G. d e Arboleya (the editor of the Comercio), the
Marquis d'a Urena, the English Consul, Dr. Bodman,
Don 'Manuel Quesada, Don Joaquim Urtetegui, Don
Jose Maria Aguirrevengoa, Don Manuel Marzan, Don
F. Mendez, the Count de Casa Brunet, Mr. Daniel
O'Ryan Don J. P. Gomez, &c. There were alto-
gether forty-four persons present, all gentlemen of his;n,
standing in society, and for the most part, interest !.4
commerce.
The table was most luxuriantly spread, the dishes
numerous and exquisite, and the wines (both native and
foreign) of the very richest and -raciest quality. The
Count de Casa Brunet, who 'was intrusted with the
chief duties of caterer, left nothing omitted that could
add either to the splendour of the scene or the pleasure
of the guests. After dinner, when the animation and
mirth of the guests were at their highest pitch, the
President, Don Jorge Urtetegui, rose, and proposed,
" The healtha of the Queen of Spain and her Royal
Family."
Senor ELIZALDE then proposed " The health of Qtteen
Victoria of England." Both toasts were drunk with
enthusiasm.
The PRESIDENT then rose and said,—Gentlemen, I
am about to propose a toast which I am sure you will all
drink with much pleasure ; it is the health of the illus-
trious guest who this day honours this table by his pre-
sence,—"Mr. Richard Cobden,—may Heaven prolong
his life, so as to unable him to behold the complete
triumph of his sound doctrines throughout Europe as he
has already done in England !"—(Loud applause from
all the guests, which lasted some minutes.)
Mr. COBDEN then rose, and the uproar immediately
subsided into a solemn silence, testifying at once the
curiosity and impatience of the audience. Mr. Cobden,
of course, spoke English, but the majority of his hearers
understood that language pretty well ; nor were the
beauties of his peroration unperceived ; it was fre-
quently interrupted by bravos and spontaneous acclama-
tions. The following copy of Mr. Cobden's speech is a
translation from the Castilian version rendered by Senor
Urtetegui :—" Gentlemen, I feel that I am unable to
testify my gratitude for so cordial a reception in a
language understood by all present. I ate not surprised
to see that the commercial principles which I have main-
tained in England meet with partisans in Cadiz. It is
to those principles, and not to their humble advocate,
that you are at this moment rendering honour. The
supporters of free trade in England have only had
one object in view, which may be summed up in a
single word—liberty !—(Loud applause.) We found
our trade subject to a thousand restrictions. The
laws on all sides limitued individual operations. Our
merchants and manufactures carried their spirit of
speculation to the utmost extremities of the globe ; but
on returning to their own country, laden with the pro-
duce of foreign climes, they found themselves repelled
from their own shores by absurd and restrictive duties.
It was in order to put a period to this interference of the
law against the rights of individuals that the English
League was formed. We resolved to confine to its just
limits the interference of the laws, for ever resisting the
action of the Government in protecting or regulating
trade, and leaving to each individual the most complete
liberty of exercising his industry. Such was the object
of the League, which has been at length attained after a
struggle of seven years. From now henceforward, no
merchant in England can see himself thwarted by the
Governmnt in his e; .t 3rprises, under pretence of protect-
s; the interests of certain classes, either at home or in
the colonies. All enjoy an equal right to operate with
entire liberty, but nobody holds any privilege over his
fellow-citizens. I deem it useless, gentleman, to say a
single word for the purpose of convincing you how
favourable freedom is to commerce. All history proves
it. Let the different nations of Europe compare notes,
and we shall find that in all of them commerce flourishes or
declines in proportion to the freedom or restriction it
encounters. Compare a seaport enjoying a freedom
of trade with another which is deprived of that blessing,
and the same difference will be manifested. All of you
will remember, gentlemen, that during one year Cadiz
enjoyed extraordinary prosperity; you will have present
to your minds the great number of ships that adorned
its ample bay—the rest traffic which animated its streets,
and filled its magazines with the products of all climes.
What was the cause of this magical change in Cadiz ?

Its climate—its port—its products, were-the same as
ever; but there had been one alteration which explained
all this prosperity. For one year Cadiz was a free port!
—(lmmense applause.) In all countries there are par.
ticular interests which are alarmed at liberty. In
England our agriculturists were frightened into fits at
the bare idea of a free trade in corn; yet now they
laugh at the groundlessness of their past fears. In
Spain, gentlemen, you know, perhaps, manufacturers i❑
Catalonia who turn pale at the name of free trade; ye:,
nevertheless, they will live to laugh in the same way as
our old antagonists, the agriculturists of England.
Never have I known any trade which has been preju-
diced by liberty—(Applause)—but I have seen many
perish beneath the destructive shadow of protection;
none, on the contrary, fail to be invigorated by the salu-
brious breezes of freedom.—(Renewed applause.) If you
think, gentlemen, that Spain may prosper by adopting
the policy which now prevails in England, you ought to
employ the same means that were put in practice by us
in order to enlighten public opinion in favour of free
trade.—(Marks of acquiescence.) It is necessary that
you should promote discussion on the subject by every
possible means. He who may be convinced of the truth
of our principles ought to deem it a duty to convert kis
fellow• citizens. Great truths, no matter whether reli-
gious, political, or philosophical, are only propagated by
individual exertions. It is useless, Gentlemen, to hope
from your Government for measures of free trade whilst
the people remain unvinced of its advantages. In
my opinion almost all the Governments of Europe are
more advanced than their subjects in the knowledge of
economical questions ; they are only awaiting the re-
moval of the obstacles opposed by ignorance and preju-
dices, in order to walk in the path of commercial liberty.
I see, gentlemen, around this table many gentlemen who
I am certain, will zealously devote themselves in the pro-
pagation of those sound and economical doctrines, and I
assure them that, however far from them I may be re-
moved, I shall always take the greatest interest in their
labours. I will conclude by proposing as a toast,
The ancient city of Cadiz.' "—(Loud cheering.)
A number of other and shorter speeches were after-
wards made in favour of free trade by Mr. Schwabe and
some of the Spanish gentlemen present.
At length, Mr. COBDEN rose and rendered his thanks,
in a friendly and festive style, to the President, Senor
Urtetegui, for the hospitable reception he had been fa-
voured with.
The guests then adjourned to an adjoining apartment,
where, over coffee and liqueurs, more toasts were pro-
posed, all present testifying their zeal in the cause of
free trade. It was nearly eleven o'clock at night before
the meeting finally broke up.

DISCOVERY or A SKELETON.—On Saturday morn-
ing a skeleton was found in the highest state of preserva-
tion by a young man of the name of Simon Ladbury,
who was digging in the chalk for flints at the back of
borne cottages on Chatham-hill. It was discovered be-
neath some pieces of rotten boards about three feet below
the surface, and was lying in a twisted position with the
right arra over its body. The tibia of the right leg was
fractured, and it was considerably shorter than the other.
It was evidently the remains of a very large man, and,
in the opinion of a surgeon to whom it was shown, must
have been lying in the chalk between thirty and forty
years. A very old inhabitant recollects, about forty
years ago, that a man named Hooker, a notorious smug-
gler, who lived near the spot in a cottage, was missing,
and from certain circumstances that transpired, it was
considered that he was murdered, and that his body was
made away with, for he was never heard of. The coroner
considered an inquest unnecessary, as the body had evi-
dently been buried many years.
On Saturday, as the tug steam-boat, the Rouen,
of 160-horse power, was getting up her steam, at Quille-
beuf, to proceed to Havre, one of her boilers burst, and
the boiling water rushed with such violence against a
Custom-house officer, named Debusserol, who was stand-
ing near the boiler, that he was scalded to death almost
instantaneously. The engine-man and one of the stokers
Were severely scalded.
EARTEQUARE.—We learn from Ormes, in the
Vienne, that on the 14th instant, from twelve till half-
t, successive and sharp shocks of earthquake were
felt in that commune, and within six or seven leagues
sound, each lasting about four seconds. The inhabi-
tants, in their alarm, fled out of their houses, and the
lon employed on the viaduct over the Creuse, for the
Bordeaux and Tours Railroad, fancied that the construc-
tion was falling down ; but, happily, no damage was
done there or elsewhere.—Galignani.
Unusual exertions are making at the seaports for
procuring men for the ships newly-commissioned. The
rendezvous at this port has been reopened by Captain
Forrest, and theaßmreoon'
a mielaw is thickly placarded for able
and ordinary engineers, and boys, for the Royal
Ned ordinary
Glasgow Her
PaRSENTATIOR op A SIEVES Cur.—The colour
sergeants of the provisional battalionfo at Rochester Gar-
rison, for the esteem they felt r, an old and much-
regpected non commissioned
FoCoolour Sergeant
giram Reed, of her Majesty's 31st
jaded forty-four years' service, united ati:lvho has aom-
very superb silver cup, weighing twenty-fourd presented
richly OtAbossed. On one side is the representation net"'
" Harvest-home," and the other was inscribed witho an
sppropriate inscriptions—Dover Telegraph,