The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-11 00:00:00

LONDOS, THURSDAY, FEB. 11, P-169.

Dublin has been the scene of gay doings, and many
circumstances combined to render the entertainment
at the Mansion-house on Monday one of peculiar s'g-
nificance. On the eve of a great political conflict con-
cerning the policy to be adopted towards the sister
country, the Lord Lieutenant had a difficult task to
perform, in speaking, as the guest of the Lord Mayor
at the annual banquet of the civic authorities. It
must be admitted that be has stood the test well, and
given promise of executing the difficult task that
will devolve upon him in the right spirit. Had his
discourse not been so good, much allowance must
have been made for Lord SPENCER, on account of
the peculiarities of his position; but as it is, it needs
only to be understood to be appreciated. Ile declared
that he stood before the assembly as the representa-

tive of his SOVEREIGN, and also as a member of an
Administration which had received popular support.
While he approved of the distinguishing line of
policy drawn by Mr. GLADSTONE, he remembered
that, as the representative of their QUEEN, he
was before them as one above mere party
considerations. He felt ready and anxious that men
of all shades of politics and of all creeds should come
to him and be met with cordiality, his Excellency
then referred to the presence among them of Cardinal
CULLEN, hut he was straightforward enough to say
that he did not take the honour of his presence as a
compliment to his own side of politics, because his
Eminence had before then met a lord-lieutenant of
the other side of political opinion. A lord-lieutenant,
of however brief a tenure of office, must perforce
give some opinion of the country in which he has to
rule, and accordingly Lord SPENCER on this occasion
took a survey of the state of affairs. Exceptional
circumstances, both in England and Ireland,
have
rendered it difficult to estimate exactly the prosperity
of the sister country. The commercial crisis for one
thing has paralysed the energy and cramped the
efforts of the most ardent and aspiring,
and the extreme dryness of last season
atone time caused terror;to prevail respecting the
safety of some of the crops, which materially affect
the prosperity of Ireland. The unfortunate con-
spiracy which has for some years retarded the pros-
perity of the country will,re we
t
we
malyi.:erit
nfideedntolbylihvoiopne,.
be consigned in the future
Turning from these darker themes
tehseomf
ocroentgeemnpialaltaionnd,
gracious part of
the Lord-Lieutenant
u
sglad bject. lie saw hope in the
Treasonable offeuces were
prospect of the future.
to
done away with. Theciariimdi,nwalhrice;iulrvuass
osiftoe'efl a n
d
itself
sit-
tninution of crime in ire
-
satisfactory and encouraging. I
she Pcor-law and the Bank returns he found that
great he looked at
grcat improvements had taken plinacie,,r;tihoe n
‘N
traffic
the railways had increased, and eat asatoan
lower figure than in the years of the least emigration
Gibe., the famine.

Mill
th,re v.-as I:rc,at force in the remark- of his Ex-
cellency that. a good deal remained to be done in
the way cf consolidating the prosperity of the land
and developing the resources of the people. Mann-

factures give a healthful stimulus, and it is ear-
nestly to be desired by the well-wisbers of Ireland
that they should be increased among the commu-