The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-21 00:00:00

Guest of the Evening that tribute of praise for good
and great deeds done at the point of his own sword
and at the mouth of the enemy's cannon, that high
and enviable commendation which in the sight of us
all, in the view of the whole empire, Lord CLYDE
has so often earned by his heroic achievements.
It was a soldier's tribute, that proffered last night
at the LORD MAYOR'S hospitable board to the
Conqueror of the Bengal Rebellion—it was a true
soldier's tribute, worthy alike of Lord CLYDE and
of H.R.H. the Duke of CAMBRIDGE. Not that the
Commander-in-Chief had formally to propose the
toast of the evening, " The health of COLIN CAMP-
BELL, Lord CLYDE"—that office, the pleasurable
office of proposing that toast to the convivial assem-
bly in the banqueting-hall of the Mansion-house,
devolving, of course, by right upon the LORD
MAYOR as the chairman and host of these festi-
vities—but that the Duke of CAMBRIDGE availed
himself of the opportunity presented to him for
dilating upon Lord CLYDE'S conspicuous merits as
a military commander when responding in his
own capacity as official head of the profession,
namely, in H.R.H.'s capacity as the General
Commanding-in-Chief. Conscious whilst uttering
the words we are about to transcribe
from the close of the Royal Duke's speech yesterday
evening, conscious while uttering these words that
he was in some measure infringing upon the prero-
gative of the Chairman, inasmuch as he undertook
thus by anticipation to be the eulogist of the noble
and gallant lord, his Royal Highness said, frankly
nevertheless :—" I feel that I cannot conclude the
few observations I rose to make without expressing
the great pleasure and satisfaction which I derive
from being present on an occasion when the citizens
of London have met to do honour to my noble
and gallant friend who sits on your right
(Lord CLYDE). The highest compliment which
can be paid to a soldier is to be assured of
the confidence and respect of a great community
such as this assembly represents. The city of
London has always shown itself willing to express
its gratitude to its illustrious citizens, and I am
sure no greater honour could be done to Lord
CLYDE than that which you conferred upon him to-
day by electing him to your freedom. Of this,
too, I am persuaded, that you could not have be-
stowed that honour upon a better soldier, or one
who deserved higher of his country, than my noble
and gallant friend." That manly and most grati-
fying expression of admiration from the lips of
H.R.H. the Commander-in-Chief, brief though it
was in itself, was, in spite of its brevity, all-suffi-
cient. It left the Lord Mayor but little to say
when he came at length in due course to the toast
of the evening. That little, however, wits right
well said by Lord Mayor CUBBITT when
after the utterance of the now historic name of
Lord CLYDE, he averred that so long as English
history should be read, the story of the siege and
relief of Lucknow would be regarded as one of its
most brilliant episodes. It is an old story by this time,
but one that we all yet love to linger over, familiar
though we are long since with all its varied and
thrilling incidents. And it is a tale of lofty
valour and of most affecting endurance with which,
as the avenging and sueconring hero of that romance
of reality, the name of Lord CLYDE is for ever glori-
ously associated. Epitomising the whole story in
a few sentences full of deep feeling and most heroic
remembrances, Lord CLYDE spoke as follows of the
part it had been his privilege to take in that most
memorable adventure :—" England," said Lord
CLYDE, " nay the whole civilised world, was horror
struck at the massacre of Cawnpore, and General
HATELOCK had just commenced his heroic march.
That was an anxious moment for England
and for the destiny of our empire in
India ; but, happily for that country, its
destiny was confided to a GovernorrGeneraal
who had a mind and a heart equal to the
emergency. I was sent to join an army which any
man would have been proud to command, and from
the beginning I felt certain that the restoration of
British sway in India was merely a work of time.
I can never forget the singleness of heart and
devoted loyalty which animated all ranks of that
army, from the highest to the lowest. Nor can I
refrain from rendering a tribute of hearty admira-
tion for the gallant behaviour of our brethren of the
civil service. I must also refer, in terms of equal
admiration, to the planters and other private indi-
viduals who suddenly found themselves thrown
upon their own resources, and in the midst of a
savage enemy showed a courage and determination
worthy of all praise. I think, therefore, that
England may well be proud of her sons in that
part of the world. By the blessing of a kind
Providence I left India in the enjoyment
of peace and tranquillity ; and I believe that
a new era of development and prosperity is in
store for that great empire under the sway and
protection of our gracious SOVEREIGN." To these
magnanimous sentences not another syllable need
be appended. They are very nobly commemo-
rative of our anxieties of the past, and most
auspiciously anticipative of the fulfilment of
all our more eager and sanguine hopes in regard
to the future—the past and future, that is, of
British rule in Hindostan.

BURFORD'S PANORAMA.-MESSINA.

Mr. Burford has prepared his annual for the
Christmas holidays, as well as the other caterers for
the public entertainment. It is somewhat of the
largest size, but it will not be the less acceptable
on that account, seeing that it is a very beautiful
and accurate panorama of the city of Messina, just
now one of the most interesting localities in Europe.
The view is taken from the Lighthouse, whence the
eye takes in the whole of the city and famed
suburban Orange Groves, the waters of the
Faro, and the distant Calabrian coast. Nothing
is omitted, the spacious harbour, the gloomy Laza-
retto, and the deep waters in which, close up to
the quay walls, are moored the commercial ships
of the world. The classical student may see the
famed Charybdis, and the admirer of scenery will
be charmed with the perspective of the straits and
the distant mountains just tipped with snow. There
could hardly have been chosen a better time than
the present for the opening of a panorama of
Messina, when the ineidents of the Sicilian revolu-
tion are fresh in every one's memory, and the end
is still in suspense. The spectator who visits Mr.
Burford's picture will be not only pleased with its
artistic beauties, hut he may rely upon its having
all the correctness of a map.