The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-19 00:00:00

1110 112

From the day when he first filled a subordinate
grade in the service down to the recent period in
which he held the highest position to which the
favour of his Sovereign and the confidence of his
country called him, his career has been one of un-
I checkered success. (Cheers.) The gallant way in
which my noble friend proceeded iu the East, the
rapid journey he undertook at a few hours' notice,
the success which attended him through all his
operations, and the ultimate triumph of the good
cause which he had in hand, bear sufficient testi
mony of themselves to his conspicuous merits, and
amply account for the distinguished position which
he so worthily occupies in the army and in the
hearts of his countrymen—(cheers)—and any com-
pliment which can be paid him by Englishmen,
and in which I may have the honour and ad-
vantage of joining, must be especially grate-
ful to my own feelings, because I may
perhaps regard it as, in a certain sense at least,
paid partially £to myself. (Hear, hear.) My
gallant friend has had so much more military ex-
perience than myself that I hardly feel justified in
venturing to praise his high professional qualities ;
hut, in my humble judgment, there is not to he
found a finer and more gallant soldier, or a more
admirable citizen, than my excellent friend Lord
Clyde. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, before I sit down
permit me for one moment to touch on the present
defensive state of the country. I have served in
different parts of the world, and have therefore
seen something of the army. Certainly, some years
ago, when I first joined, the service, though most
efficient, was numerically very weak, and had no
auxiliary. Circumstances having unfortunately
since then required the country to be put in a very
different state of preparation than before, I am
happy to say that not only has the strength of the
army greatly increased, and its condition become
such as I think gives the nation reason to be proud,
but it now possesses two valuable auxiliary forces
in our Militia and Volunteers. (Hear.) And I can
only sincerely hope that these various branches of
our service will remain so united and blended toge-
ther in cordiality and good feeling as to render it
utterly impossible for any foe ever to menace the
safety of this great and prosperous country.
(Cheers.)
Admiral Sir M. SEYMOUR briefly returned thanks
on behalf of the navy, and was understood to ex-
press his opinion that in a short period England
would be in possession of as fine a fleet of iron-
plated or other ships as any one of her neighbours.
The CHAIRMAN said he had now to propose the
toast of the evening. It was with great pride
that that company had that day enrolled among
its honorary members a gallant soldier, who
had faithfully served his country in all climes and
in every rank, from the ensign to the commander-
in-chief. (Cheers.) When that terrible mutiny
broke out which for a time threatened the ruin of
our Indian empire, public opinion, as reflected by
the press, which was generally right in the main,
singled out one man as the fitting person to cope
with so great an emergency. That man was Lord
Clyde—(cheers)--and how he had earned for him-
self the title of "pacificator of India" was now
matter of familiar history. (Cheers) However
freely he had risked his own life, the noble and
gallant general had ever been particularly careful
of the lives of his soldiers; and the splendour of
his victories derived additional lustre from the
fact that they had been attended with no unneces-
sary bloodshed. (Hear.) He therefore called upon
them all heartily to drink health, long life, and
happiness to their youngest honorary member, the
Right Hon. Lord Clyde. ( [he toast was enthusias-
tically honoured.)
Chorus--" See, the Conquering Hero Comes."
Lord CLYDE, on rising, was greeted with pro-
longed cheers. He said,—Mr. Chairman, your Royal
Highness, my lords, and gentlemen, I feel deeply
the great honour which you have conferred upon
me. There is nothing which is more welcome to the
soldier than the esteem and good opinion of his
fellow-citizens. (Hear.) The freedom of this ancient
and princely corporation I gladly accept, and I
thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your
goodness in bestowing it upon me. (Cheers.) I have
also gratefully to acknowledge the kind and friendly
manner in which this distinguished assemblage has
received the proposal of my health; and here, gentle-
men, as a simple soldier, I might stop, for a life spent
in camps has not made me an orator. (Cheers.) But
his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief has
done me a great honour by alluding to me in
terms which I could never have anticipated. I
must therefore express to his Royal Highness my
grateful sense of the warm manner in which he was
pleased to speak of my humble services in India.
His Royal Highness mentioned the fact of my
having proceeded to that country at very short
notice. In doing that I only obeyed a common call
of duty, and there was nothing in it. I went to
join an army containing many officers and men
whom any man might have been justly proud to
command. (Cheers.) His Royal Highness has
also paid me a compliment for my exertions con-
nected with the fitting out of the expedition to
China. Now, in that respect I was merely an in-
strument in the hands of the Governor-General,
and to that great man—for Lord Canning is a
truly great man—belongs the credit really due for
that service to the country. (Hear, hear.) And,
while speaking of these matters, let me say I can
never forget the singleness of heart, the devotion to
duty, the manly intrepidity which animated every
soldier, from the highest to the lowest, in the late
Indian campaign. (Hear, hear.) Nor must I omit
to pay the humble tribute of my admiration to the
untiring exertions and the fearless behaviour of the
civil service of India, whose efforts, united to those
of the army, were happily instrumental in restoring
tranquillity to that great dependency.
The health of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs next
followed, to which the LORD MAYOR suitably re
sponded.
The CHAIRMAN then gave " The House of Lords,"
associating with it the name of Lord Chelmsford.
Lord CHELMSFORD, in returning thanks, said he
did not know why his name should have been coupled
with this toast, uniess it was because in bis person
they had an example of the facility with which
the House of Lords admitted within their body
men who could not boast of noble blood. His
Roble and gallant friend, the distinguished guest
of that evening, was another instance of the
readiness of the Peers to receive into their order
any persons who were deemed entitled to a
place in it. His gallant friend might be said to
have opened the door of the House of Lords with
the point of his sword ; and, for himself, he
had found another means of entrance ; but both of
their cases illustrated an important peculiarity of
that august assembly. (Hear, hear.) It had been
said by those who disparaged the House of Lords
that it was an exclusive body, separated from the
rest of the community, and hemmed in by a num-
ber of extraordinary privileges. Now, he had
always been at a loss to understand what were the
peculiar privileges of the House of Peers which
they did not possess in common with the represen-
tatives of the people, and he had found, after great
research, that they only amounted to this—that, if
a peer took care to commit a crime of sufficiently
high magnitude, he would be safe from inquiry by
the House of Commons, and could only be tried by
his peers, from.whom in such case he was scarcely
likely to receive very much sympathy. (_ll.eoar
hear, and a laugh.) • The noble and learhedihl
esae
then referred to the guest of the evening inalant
terms :—The services of my noble and
eulogy
friend are too well known to require
any
from me. They live in the hearts
of his
records
country-
men, and will be written in the imperishable has a debt
of our history. But, while thellnte lord which it is
to pay to the noble and
gannaot forbear to avail
anxious to discharge,
express the deep peel_
myself of this opportunitly:eeoa
1 to him. I can never
tude which I personally -f
anxious months I passed when
forget the long and
those who were mosatndear to me were shut up in
a narrow space, behind weak and crumbling walls,
by a small but gallant baud, surrounded
defended
infuriated enemies thirsting. for their
by a h
blood, despairingp of relief, and having nothing
btienfno,re them but the sad alternative of self-destrue-
or of falling victims to cruelties from which
the imagination recoils with horror. You may
conceive what sickness of heart there was in the
long-deferred hope of their deliverance—how the
arrival of every mail was 'net with the trembling
apprehension that it might convey tidings that the
bitterness of death was past ; and with what
a burst of heartfelt joy the glad news was at
last received of their rescue, by the skill and
courage of one whom I now for the first time
thus publicly hail as their noble deliverer.
You will understand, then, how the name of
and Clyde
ou e
should be a household word in our families
(Cheers.)
associated with every feeling of gratitui
le and soldier-
d respect
(Hear, hear.) I kuow that the
ant
efr:end would
like spirit of my noble and g
almost shrink from this public
the merest duty ;
-aaelltlanowledgment of
services which he regards only as fl .
_s.
but that gannet restrain the over °wings in

thankful heart, and I cannot but "feel how feebly I
have expressed on this occasion all . that I could
really desire to testify towards him. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN next proposed " her Majesty's
Judges," which was briefly acknowledged by Mr.
Justice Wightruan.
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE then gave " The
Master and Wardens of this Ancient Corporation,"
which was followed by " Prosperity to the Mer-
chant Taylors' School ;" and a few more complimen-
tary toasts wound up the proceedings.

THE LOSS OF T flg CONN4UGII.7

STEAMER.

The following letter, acknowledging the receipt
of Mr. Train's report relative to the loss of this
vessel, has been received from the office of the
Board of Trade :

Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade,
Marine Department, Whitehall, Dec. 17.
n directed by the Lords of the Com-
mittee of Privy Council for Trade to acknowledge
the receipt of the report of investigation and
minutes of evidence in the matter of the inquiry
held by you, with the assistance of Captain llarri
tor chine: the loss of the steam-ship Connaught, and
I am to convey to you their lordships' thanks for
your ,aborions and valuable report. With regard
to the suggestions in your report :
1. That steam-ships should be inspected by Go-
vernment surveyors whilst building;
2. That captains of merchant steamers should be
examinel in steam ;

---37 That engineers should be examined and have
certificates of competency.
I am directed to offer the following observations
1. My lords are of opinion that it would be in-
exp€ client to establish any supervision by govern-
ment officers of steamers during their construction,
as such a course would tend to remove responsibility
from the builders and the owners. The specia I
survey of mail steamers under contracts with the
Government is not, as you are probably aware, now
in the hands of the Board of Trade.
2. As regards the examination of masters and
mates in matters connected with the steam engine,
I am to point out that such examination could not
be made compulsory without the interference of
the legislatur. But a system of voluntary exami-
nation in steam has been for some time in operation.

These examinations are conducted under the
superintendence of the various local marine boards,
and any master or any first mate or only mate, is
at liberty to present himself fo' examination as to
his practical knowledge of the use and working of
the steam engine. If any master or mate holding
a Board of Trade certificate passes this examina-
tion, the words passed in steam" are endorsed on
his certificate. The value of this endorsement
would be greatly enhanced if steam shipowners
were to require their officers to pass in steam.
3. The question whether engineers should be
compelled to pass an examination, and to obtain
certificates from the Board of Trade, is very im-
portant. But it is a question for the legislature,
and my Lords are not in a position to offer any
opinion upon it.—l am, &c.,

T. 11. FARRER.
James Traill, Eq., Police Court, Greenwich.

HEALTH OF LOS DOX I)URING TEA' WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return.)
The London returns of deaths for the two weeks
of December exhibit a decrease on that for the
last week of November. In three successive weeks
the numbers were 1,275, 1,240, and last week,
1,205. The average number of deaths, as derived
from returns of weeks corresponding with last
week in the ten years 1850 9, and corrected for
increase of population, is 1,371. The present
return is therefore less than the result obtained by
calculation by 163 ; and the population, it may be
illness.
The is comparatively free from fatal
The deaths from pulmonary diseases, exclusive
of phthisis, have declined from 291 iA the previous
eek to 261 last week. The corrected average of
corresponding weeks is 315. Bronchitis has de-
clined in the two weeks from 172 to 139 ; pneu-
monia was fatal in the same periods in 95 and 97
cases. Phthisis decreased from 150 to 119 deaths,
about half of which latter occurred in the period of
life, 20 to 40 years.
Three deaths occurred from small-pox in the
week, 55 from measles, 52 from scarlatina, 14 from
diphtheria, 43 from whooping-cough, ,and 31 from
typhus. Five children died from whooping-cough
in the East sub district of Islington. Four died
from measles in the Haggerstone West sub-district ;
in Bethnal-green. Six deaths from scarlatina
were recorded in Bow.

Five persons were the victims of intemperance.
Four infants were murdered; 5 died from suffoca-
tion in bed. The widow of a labourer abed 66
years, and the daughter of a tailor, aged one year,
died by their clothes taking fire. A girl, a domes-
tic servant, aged 17 years, was scalded to death by
falling into a copper of hot water. A boy, aged 3
years, died at 138, Goswell-street, from diphtheria,
which was considered as unquestionably due to a
foul smell arising from a pipe that communicated
with the sewer. A Chinese mendicant died from.
starvation.

Last week the births of 1,052 boys and 918 girls,
in all 1,970 children, were registered in London.
In the 10 corresponding weeks of the years 1850.59
the average number was 1,650.

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

SOUTH NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Lord Stanhope, eldest son of the
Earl of Chesterfield, was elected, without opposition, a
knight to represent the southern division of the county of
ottingharu in Parliament, a vacancy having been caused
by the elevation of Viscount Newark to the Peerage as Earl
Manvers.