The Sun.
London, England, 1834-06-30 00:00:00

DINNER TO GENERAL MINA.

A numerous and distinguished party of Noblemen
and Gentlemen dined together on Saturday, at the
Albion Tavern, Aldersgate-street, when a banquet
was given to the gallant Guerilia Chieftain, General
Mina, to celebrate the return to his native country
" of (as the cards of invitation expressed it) one of
the bravesf and most honest of the Spanish patriots."
Nearly 200 persons were present, among whom
were Sir Francis Burdett (who presided), General
Mina, Lord Lynedoch, the Marquis de Miraflores,
Count de Florida Blanca, Sir Edward Codrington,
M. de Sarmento, Lord James Stuart, Admiral Sar-
torius, Mr.- Hume, M.P., Mr. O'Connell, M.P.,
Mr. Sheil, M.P., Mr. Gully, M.P., Mr. Attwood,
M.P., Barry O'Meara, Esq., Dr. Bowring, Mr.
Mendizabel, jun., Mr. Carbonall, Col. Hare, and
nearly all of the most opulent and respectable
Spanish and Portuguese merchants resident in the
metropolis. A general expectation prevailed that
Admiral Napier would have been present, but the
Gallant Admiral was unexpectedly prevented from
attending. The gallery was filled by a distinguished
party of elegantly attired ladies, among the number
Madame Mina.

An excellent dinner was served up, consisting of
all the delicacies of the season. Upon the removal
of the cloth " Benedictus" (Grace after meat), was
chanted in a melodious style by Messrs. Bellamy,
C. Taylor, Broadhurst, Hobbs, and Master How,
&c. The health' of the " King and Queen," and
the "Princess Victoria," were given, and drunk with
great applause.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed " the health of
her Catholic Majesty the Queen of Spain," which
was drank with three times three and enthusiastic
cheers.

The Marquis de MIRAFLORES (the Spanish
Minister). returned thanks in the French language.
He regretted that he could not give expression .to
his feeling of gratitude in the English language, for
the, kindness with which the health of his Sovereign
had beer, given and received. He duly appre-
ciated the prominent part which the British nation
had taken in recognising the present free and liberal
government of Spain. As that throne was now
supported by the friends of freedom, he trusted the
sceptre would be swayed in a way which, whilst it
revived the ancient honour and glory of the Spanish
nation, it would also tend to consolidate the liber-
ties of the people.
" The Queen Regent of Spain," was next given
and drank amidst loud cheers.

The Hon. CHAIRMAN (Sir F. Burdett) then
rose and said that the next toast which he had the
honour to propose was one which required no pre-
face or eulogium. He felt assured that nothing
that he could add would render more distinguished
the name of Mina. (Loud cheers.) He (Sir F.
Burdett) felt highly gratified by the manner in
which the mention of that gallant chieftain's name
had been received ; nothing could form a stronger
commentary on his observation that it was only ne-
cessary to mention the name of Mina to excite
universal admiration. It was, however, necessary,
in celebrating the events of the day in which we
live, to look back on the honest, brave, and un-
daunted exertions of this patriot in the cause of
his country ; an exertion which, he was happy to
find, had had the noblest issue—that of ensuring its
liberty and independence. (Hear.) The cause of
that independence was undertaken by him at a time
when there was little chance of success ; but his un-
daunted courage and patriotism kept alive the spark
of liberty within the bosoms of his countrymen ; at
last it became successful, not only in Spain but in
Portugal, and liberty was now settled in the latter
country on a rock from which despotism could
never remove it. France and England were, of
themselves, a world in the cause of liberty, but
united with Portugal and Spain, they gave security
to the rest of the world that it should never be
overthrown. He could not look on the assemblage
around him without triumph, for he took it as a
sample of the feeling felt by the whole nation, with
a very small exception (Hear, hear), an exception
so narrow that they might look on it in future -with
scorn. But, besides General Mina, he observed
others of his compatriots around him, and, among
others, he could not help mentioning the name of
Arguelles, whose virtues were no less admirable in
prosperity than they were commendable in adversity.
He hoped the events of the- times would teach not
only them, but all the friends of liberty, the lesson
that no cause, if good, honest and honourable, in
however discouraging circumstances it might for a
time be placed, should be despaired of. (Loud
cheers.) He was sorry to connect any disagreeable
feelings with the_events of the evening, but lie could
not help alluding to the arrival in this country
of a person who was said to have come over
with Don Carlos, and who, if all were true that
was attributed to him, would disgrace any country by
his presence. He hoped that the government had
taken every step in its
_power to prevent the horrible
cruelty to which he alluded from taking place, or at all
events, had done all they could afterwards to vindicate
their characters from the stain which their concurring
in such a crime would lay upon them ; and if steps to
ensure tardy justice could yet be taken, he was sure
they would not be omitted by any government, and far
less by the government which at present ruled in
this kingdom. He was glad to see that the sub-
ject had already been mentioned in the House of
Commons, and the spirit in which it had been met
by his Majesty's Ministers. He had no doubt that
what had been already done would be followed up with
something conclusive. He had himself meant, if
the subject were not taken up by any other person,
to step forward and endeavour to obtain some atone-
ment for the death of our countrymen, whose fate
was, in injury and an- insult on the whole civilised
world. He had no more to do but to 'felicitate the
patriots whom he saw around him on the glorious
issue which at length crowned their efforts: He had
only to add, that he proposed the health of the
gallant, honest, and brave patriot, General Mina.
(Loud cheers.)
This toast, it is almost needless to say, was drunk
amidst the loudest cheers, and with the greatest en-
thusiasm.

The HoN. CHAIRMAN said that General Mina
was not in a state of health to return thanks to the
company himself, but he would intrust that honorary
office to a gallant friend, and a participator in the
toils of the Peninsula war.
An address was then read in the French lan-
guage, of which the following is a copy :
" Gentlemen—The state of my health, the lively
emotions which overpower me at the present moment
--a moment which shall ever be memorable to me,
and the profound respect which I feel for the splendid
assembly by which I am surrounded, render me in-
capable of addressing you in a proper or becoming
manner. Since you have been pleased to gratify me
with honours and distinctions, deign also to receive
with indulgence this imperfect expression of my senti-
ments and gratitude. I cannot persuade myself that
it is either to the feeble efforts which I endeavoured
to make to
serve my country, or to the long exile.
which I have undergone, in common with so many of
my worthy and honourable compatriots, to which I
ought to attribute this act of benevolence and gene-
rosity on your part.
''a demonstration such as
this requires to be justified by a greater, a more
exalted, and more dignified object than the merits of
a single individual, who has no other title to your
attention and esteem but an ardent love of liberty and
of the glory of his country—a profound respect, an
admiration approaching to religious, and the most
sincere gratitude to the country which has given him
an asylum, and the protection of its laws, and which
at the same time has heaped on him acts of kind-
ness and favour. The object, I think, I have dis-
covered in the sacred cause of the deliverance
of my oppressed country, which has again commenced
under the 1,
-aP Piest auspices. To.the association of a
person who ,Wes
his birth and his life to that country',
with this great event is fr, perhaps, the idea that
situation he may vet be in orillr'
tuation to render it some service.
( Hear, fiear.) It is
under this feeling that I venture
to receive this testimony of
your magnanimity,
may transfer it wholly andtha country.t I
undivided to my
In returning to its bosom to offer it to the homage of
- the_ remainder of my days. I carry my acknowledg-
, nicht, my admiration, and my respect for this classic
land of liberty deeply imprinted on my soul. I fondly

hope, at the same time, that England and Spain, more
and more united by those ties which ought to be in-
dissoluble, and that they will for ever consolidate the
union and friendship which now happily subsists be-
them through the similarity of their institutions, and
the reciprocity of their interests, the only solid and
lasting basis of alliance between enlightened and ge-
nerous nations. Whilst I express so imperfectly the
sentiments of my heart—whilst I attempt in vain to
return you my thanks in words which so inadequately
represent the intensity of my gratitude, permit me,
gentlemen, to add my wishes—my most ardent and
sincere wishes, for the liberty, the prosperity, and the
glory of this illustrious, great, and generous nation."
A song was here very appropriately introduced,
taken from the Spanish National Melodies, and
adapted to the English verse of Mrs. Hemans. The
following is the first verse :

We heard thy names 0 Mina !
For through the hills it rang,
A sound snore strong than tempest,
• More deep than armour's clang.
The peasant left his vineyard,
The shepherd grasp'd his spear,
We heard thy name, 0 Mina!
Thy mountain bands are here.
This song was admirably sung by ,Mr. Hobbs,
and was received with great applause.
General MINA afterwards rose and proposed the
health of Sir Francis Burdett, which was drunk
amidst loud cheers.

The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, took the
opportunity of stating that Count Survilliers (Jo-
seph Bonaparte), had intended to be present on
this occasion, but he had that morning sent him
(Sir F. Burdett) a note, which he would take care
should be communicated to the public, stating that
he was prevented from attending, but should feel
associated with the company in all their kindly feel-
ings towards General Mina. (Cheers.) This feel-
ing was equally honourable to both parties. It
was creditable to the Count, because it was perhaps,
in some measure, owing to the efforts of General
Mina that he was now excluded from that high
dignity which he once enjoyed ; and it was a testi-
mony in favour of the conduct of General Mina—
that he should meet with approbation from such a
quarter. (Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of Don
Martinez de la Rosa and the Spanish Ministry.
The Spanish Minister returned thanks.
The CHAIRMAN said all he had to say in regard
to the gentleman whose health he should next pro-
pose was, that he was called by his countrymen the
divine Arguelles, on his achievements in procuring
the liberation of his countrymen. He proposed the
health of Count Arguelles. (Loud cheers.)
Count D'ARGUELLES returned thanks, and said
he accepted the honour conferred upon him more
as a tribute to the success of the great cause in
which they all felt interested than as being intended
wholly for himself. After some observation on the
appointment of the Cortes and its probable good
results, the Count concluded by proposing the health
of Earl Grey and his Majesty's Ministers.
Mr.O'CONNELL then rose to propose "The Cortes
of Spain and Portugal," and, in doing so, he felt
at a loss whether to draw the attention of the meet-
ing more to the memory of what was past or to the
anticipation for the future. Their former Cortes
had high claims on their favour for its exertion in
the cause of liberty. It had been called together
by the people of Spain, at a time when they were
galled by a sense of their wrongs, and it was hailed
as the morning star of liberty. The Cortes had
planned much, and had executed a good deal ; and
if they had their faults, their faults should be
forgiven amidst the multitude of their virtues.
They were put down, not by the armies of Spain,
but by a foreign power, which pretended only to keep
off disease. But how long had that dynasty itself con-
tinued? A day of retribution had come, and the mem.:
hers of that family were now exiles at Prague,
Providence was just, and Spain would be free again.
(Loud cheers.) The new Cortes assembled under
more favourable circumstances, for it should never
be forgotten that the continuance of the present
reigning dynasty depended on promoting the liber-
' ties of its subjects. He was sorry, however, to ob-
serve that, one of the first things done by the go-
vernment of Spain was to stop the freedom of the
press ; but it -should be kept in the remembrance of
that Government that the Queen could -not reign
unless the people were free. (Cheers.) He felt
bound to say a word or two about Portugal, and it
was not difficult for them to recollect the gallantry
of their own countrymen in the cause of freedom
there. (Cheers.) May the people of Portugal reap
the fruit of their toils, and of the pains which they
suffered. (Hear, hear.) As for the two brothers
Pedro and Miguel, they might swap them one
against the other, and he believed that they would
not lose much either way. (Hear, hear, and laugh-
ter.) He concluded by proposing " the Cortes of
Spain and Portugal." (Cheers.)
Lord LI- NEnocti's health having been drunk,
amidst general applause, his lordship returned
thanks ; and, after noticing the many years he had
passed in Spain, he proposed, " The Army in
Spain, and may its soldiers never forget they are the
citizens of a free nation." His lordship bore the
highest testimony to the valour and bravery of the
Spanish soldier, and that testimony was still higher
enhanced by the opinion of the greatest captain of
the age, the Duke of Wellington, who had often
declared to him that more than one of his glorious
victories had been gained by the Spanish troops
themselves, without the necessity of British troops
being called into action. His lordship concluded
by proposing " The health of the Duke of Wel-
linton," which was drunk amid loud cheers.
Mr. HUME rose to propose the memory of those
unfortunate patriots who had forfeited their lives in
the cause of freedom, and alluded particularly to
the brave Reigo, Lacy, and Torrijos. The toast
was drunk in silence.
The' CHAIRMAN said that since he had filled the •
chair, he had received a letter, which he would read
to the company, from a gentleman well qualified to
speak on the subject. The hon. baronet then read
the following letter
" 22, Arundel-street, Strand, June 28, 1834.
" Sir,—Apologising for troubling you at a time
when you are contributing to the honour and satisfac-
tion of a distinguished foreigner, who is about to re-
turn to the bosom of his own country to meet the real
goodwill of his fellow-citizens, which will be evinced
towards him in the most grateful manner whenever he
presents himself there.
" I take the liberty of acquainting you that, on my
return this morning from the con try, I was told that
some of the public prints had tho'ught Et to slander the
character of the late unfortunate General Torrijos, by
the introduction into their columns of some trash re-
specting his conduct while in the command of Caitha-
gena, and that the Times had produced an able defence
for the memory of Torrijos.
" It could never be worth while to enter on a dis-
cussion of a matter so utterly unfounded, and the truth
of which every individual in Spain would deny; but
premising that I have alWays carefully avoided, as in-
consistent with my public character, becoming a poli-
tical partisan in any case, or anywhere, I now beg to
inform you that I have been well' acquainted with
Spain for about 25 years ; I have resided 18 years in
the city of Malaga, during which I have been a close
obseiver of all the political changes, and -my eye has
been constantly fixed on the public characters during
those periods; so that an imperative duty, in prevent-
ing the public from being deceived, and General
Torrijos's character from being traduced, calls on me
now to state that, perhaps, a more amiable, generous,'l
and humane man never existed.
" You will, Sir, see that I could not bear in silence
the publication of what never could be authenticated,
while I could palpably contradict it, which I hope will
operate as a sufficient reason for troubling you with
these lines ; and if this testimony to the general opi-
.nion should be considered of any service, I have no
objection to its being offered to any inspection. I
consider it a duty we owe to society generally.
" I have the honour of knowing many Spaniards
who deserve just as much' at my hands, and no doubt
they would do the same for my memory, and that of
our countrymen, if we deserved it.
" I have Ahe honour to be, Sir,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
" WM. MARK,
" His Britannic Majesty's Consul at Malaga.
" To Sir Francis Burdett, Bart., M. P., &e."
The LORD ADVOCATE then proposed the health

of her " Majesty Donna Maria, the Duke of ltra-
ganza, and the consolidation of the constitutional
case of Portugal." (Cheers.)
Lord JAMES STEWART proposed " The Liberat-
ing army of Portugal, and its spirited leaders."
Sir E. CODRINGTON proposed the healths of Ad-
mirals Napier and Sartorius, and passed the highest
eulogium on the professional ability and courage of
these distinguished officers, who had relinquished
the service of their own country to fight for a na-
tion who was struggling to acquire those liber-
ties which we happily possessed. He alluded
particularly to the circumstance of the gallant
Admiral's leaving his own ship and boarding one in
a state of mutiny, which he led into action and sub-
sequently achieved a glorious victory. He mentioned
this circumstance to prove that the presence of an
enemy was only necessary to make the British seaman
forget all his grievances and stimulate him to conquest.
He considered this cool courage and intrepidity
shown on the part of the gallant Admiral was un-
paralleled by any thing in the naval history of the
country. He hoped Admiral Napier would have
arrived in town in sufficient time to have been pre-
sent on this occasion ; but as this was not the case,
he trusted a feeling of admiration of his gallantry
would produce another and a similar banquet to
that brave officer. (Hear.)
Admiral SARTORIUS, in a neat and appropriate
speech, returned thanks, and felt highly flattered
that his conduct should have received so distin-
guished an honour as the approval,of the Gallant
Admiral.

Mr. T. ATTWOOD next proposed " The health
of Mr. Mendizabel, the strenuous and successful
supporter, not only of the rights of his own country,
but of those of Portugal."
" The health of the Duke of Sussex, the consis-
tent and Steady 'advocate of the principles which
placed his family on the throne of England," and
who would have honoured the meeting with his pre-
sence, but was prevented by indisposition, was then
given. (Cheers.)
Dr. BOwRING, ,in an eloquent speech. then pro-
posed " The Liberty of the Press, the best security
for the liberty 'of the people." (Loud cheers.)
The Chairman, with the major part of the com-
pany, retired shortly after eleven o'clock.