The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-12 00:00:00

[PRICE SD.

MR- PETO AND THE NORWICH

OPERATIVES.

An occurrence of a most pleasing character, and one
which, must be alike gratifying to all the parties con-
cerned, took place yesterday at North Woolwich. We
refer to is dinner given by S. M. Pete, Esq., to upwards
of 25t) operatives of Norwich, who have recently come
up fr on i that city, accompanied by their wives, to visit
the Gen at Industrial Exhibition. The facts which led
to this i 2stival are these:—Prior to the opening of the
Great :Exhibition a large number of the operatives
evincecTi a desire to form themselves into a club, and to
contril tt tie a portion of their wages per week, so as to
forma
I :fltincicion t, so a
to defray
to ray
the expenses of their fare to and
from at n enable them to view the Crystal
Pekes, and its wonders. A number of the wealthier in-
habit:in is of Norwich wishing to forward such a desir-
ablemost tcl ovement,liberally
to
too
Sherif of Norwich undertook the duty of col-
lectim ; further subscriptions, and so successful were
tbkethe fund. matter
Mr. Sultzer and the
up, and contributed
their efforts that a short time ago it was announced to
the re embers of the club that the sum realized would be
suffici nit to defray their expenses to and from Norwich
to Lo to ion, and provide them with lodgings and a break-
fast duil ring five days, without trenching upon the money
they Ls id subscribed, which it was at once resolved
should: be returned to them. Amongst those who bad
contributed most liberally was Mr. Peto. The Eastern
Counter !s Railway Company also acted with the greatest
liberality, and made the requisite arrangements for the
comfort table conveyance of the club. On Monday morning
the mks cabers, with their wives, started fremNorwich by a
special, train, and through the exertions of Mr. Roney
they wq ere brought to the Bishopsgate station sufficiently
early-- having performed the journey in six hours and
a hail. -to allow of their visiting the Zoological Gardeni
in the, afternoon, the greater part of one day which
would totherwise have been lost. Mr. Suit zer had pre-
viously been to London and `secured lodgings for the
whole ;party, and during the week they have visited the
Exhibition and other objects of interest in London.
Mr. :Peto having been made acquainted with the visit,
that gentleman having always evinced the deepest in-
interes t in the welfare of the labouring classes, and taken
every opportunity of promoting the prosperity of a city
with wt ich he is so intimately connected, at once offered
to treat the men to a dinner.". It is needless to say the
offer wm 3 at once accepted, and'yesterday the, linnea took
place at the Royal Pavilion Hotel, North Woolwich, at
the ten sinus of the North Woolwich branch of the
Eastern Counties Railway._ _

The :party was conveyed there by the railway com-
pany, to id arrived about eleven o'clock. Mr. Peto had
previontsly obtained the permission of the proper autho-
rities foir them to visit the public works at Woolwich,
and shortly after their arrival they formed into preces-
sion anal, accompanied by a band of music and banners,
they vie.ted the Arsenal, the Dockyard, &c.
Shortly before five o'clock the party returned to the
Pavilion Hotel, when dinner was served. Mr. Pete
presided, and was surrounded by the Mayor and Sheriff
of Nomlich, Mr. Geach, M.P. for Coventry, Mr. Kin-
nerd, Mr. Sultzer, Mr.J.,O. Taylor, and Mr. Roney (who
by his exertions contributed greatly to the comfort of
the men).
After the removal of the cloth, the President proposed
the usual loyal and patriotic toasts, which were re-
sponded to enthusiastically. The wives of the workmen,
who had dined in a room below stairs, were then intro-
duced, and took their seats by the sides of their husbands
amidst much applause; and a very excellent dessert
having been placed upon the table,
The PRESIDENT rose, and in highly complimentary
terms, proposed the health of the Mayor of Norwich.—
(Drank with loud cheers.)
' The MAYOR of NORWICH, who was evidently not in
robust health, briefly responded to the toast.
The PRESIDENT next gave the health of the 'Sheriff of
Norwich, Edward Blakeley, Esq., one of the distin-
guished exhibitors in the Great Exhibition.—(Drank
with applause.)
The SHERIFF of NORWICH responded to the toast.
He said they had all met round that festive
board, gratified with the attention which had
been bestowed upon them, and by the hospitality
that had been exhibited towards them. The pleasure
which they experienced upon that occasion was one
which they had not expected a few weeks back. The
object of himself and his fellow-citizens in visiting the
Exhibition was to improve themselves. The citizens of
Norwich lutd heard of the wonders which were to be seen
at the Exhibition, and of the noble illustrations of hu-
man skill and human progress which it afforded, and
they came forward in a manner which did. them credit
and formed themselves into an association, each putting
by a portion of his earnings in order that they might be
enabled to see the wonders which this great Exposition
contained. He had had the honour of going round the
Exhibition with his neighbours—the artizans of Nor-
wich—and he could not but be delighted with the excel-
lent remarks which they made touching the manufac-
tures of this and other countries. He felt that
the Queen and Prince Albert intended that
this Exhibition would have the effect of ad-
vancing the people of this country, and they would not be
disappointed. When the proposal was first mentioned
to him he had hailed it with delight, because he be-
lieved that this country would stand well with the na-
tions of the world; and he felt likewise that Norwich,
which had stood in a prominent position for centuries
as regarded its manufactures, would not allow itself to
be beaten in this contest of love and of noble emulation.

Although he was proud of his country, and proud of
the city of Norwich, he could yet admire the produc-
tions of other countries, and much he found amongst
them to admire; but be believed that with the spirit of
union which they found to exist that day England need
not tear as to the result of the contest. England never
feared foreign nations in war, and she need not fear
them in this contest of peace.—(Loud cheers.)
EDWARD WILLETT, Eeq., an extensive manufacturer,
of Norwich, in eulogistic terms proposed the health of
the President, S. M. Peto, Esq.) which was drank with
three times three, and ono cheer more, reiterated again
and again.
The PRESIDENT on risinr to respond to the
toast was loudly cheered. When silence had been
obtained he said—that he could not but feel highly gra-
tified by the manner in which his good and long-tried
friend Mr. Willett had proposed his health, and the
warm and affectionate manner in which the company
heel received it. He should not occupy their time by
speaking of himself, but would for a few minutes refer
to one or two points to which ho was anxious to draw
their attention. A great moral lesson he considered
was to be learnt from the Exhibition which they had had
the opportunity of viewing. In the first place it should
teach them ever to depend upon themselves. To him
the greatest glory of the Exhibition was that it had not
been supported by the Government as such—that it did
not depend for its success upon the Ministry—but that
it had emanated from the people.—(Loud cheers.) Were
the Exhibition simply a pattern of that which/they had
seen in a neighbouring country every five years he should
have taken little interest in it; but the first time he
heard it mentioned, which was by the Prince Consort,
on an occasion when he attended the distribution of the
prizes awarded by the Society of Arts, his heart
thrilled with pleasure, and especially that the proposi-
tion should come from the Consort of their beloved So-
vereign. He felt that as it was to be thrown upon the
sympathies of the nation, it never could fail.—(Cheers.)
How it had succeeded they could all feel better than ho
could express. He bad gone day after day into the
transept, and ho bad watched the effect which the first
view of it presented upon people who had net seen it be-
fore, and the wonder and amazement which they dis-
played had rejoiced him. He could not but feel that
this was an era in our history, and a glorious era in
the annals of our country.—(Cheers.) It would show
to foreign nations that our beloved Queen trusted not in

the protection of her army or in the strength of her
military power, but that she felt her throne was most
secure in the sympathies and affections of her people,
and that the people themselves were happy in the sym-
pathy and loving affection of their Queen.—(Loud
cheers.) While they were thus bound together by the
strong bond of mutual sympathy and regard—the
Crown with the people and the people with the Crown—
the people respecting the institutions of their
country, although desiring that their country should
progress onward with that steady movement which had
developed her powers, and enabled her to attain her
present eminence—a path which had placed her in the
glorious position which she now enjoyed—they would
show to the nations of the earth that, not in the rapid
change, not in violent revolution, but of onward pro-
gress—steady, practical progress—they trusted for the
permanence of their institutions, the security and the
happiness of their homes, and the advancement of their
posterity.—(Loud cheers.) He need not point out to
them that which they must themselves have observed in
the Exhibition. On viewing the manufactures of Nor-
wich they found that they were marked with the names
of the respective firms from which they had come, and
some of the members of these firms they had the plea-
sure of seeing in the room;—these it was seen was the
result of individual exertion; but on looking at the con-
tributions of other countries, what did they find? G°
to Russia, they had rich china emanating from the Ely'
peror—splenthel malachite doors emanating fro hat
prince. Go to France, and they found
o
nearly all her wealth had been sent by the Minister
indi-
f
Commerce. They had not yet learnt that P
avPe rYn men t
vidual self-reliance—that independence
°hf'lgeothe peepl
which was our source of prosperity; _r
fohownolured the G e
of England loved their Queen and preserve their i
vernment—while they desired to Pr
yiet anotherupon lesseenvetos.—be
thorns 1 utli-
tations, they desired to depend
and that was the t the foun-
dation cheers.) There was
peritybat which made their
learnt from the Exhibition,
dation of their pros
their f
country so great—was - . manufactures and their
commerce. His worthy friend the Sheriff of Norwich
had stated, that they did not fear the competition of the
felt s
world, sure that after having
seen a
and admired the works of other
lelnthdey beb(aMd r.
seen, reto )
countries as they deserved—having
examined them with
the critical eye of the practical deEigner and workman,
they would return home with tastes improved, and with,
a determination to excel anything they had hitherto pro-
duced. And he was equally sure of this, that notwithstand-