The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-02 00:00:00

The CHAIRMAN said that the exigencies of the
State had prevented their having the pleasure of
the company of Lord Palmerston, Lord J. Russell,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and other of her
Majesty's Ministers. What had caused their sud-
den call to Osborne, it was not for him to say.
Whether it had any reference to that very friendly
letter from the Emperor of the French, which they
had all seen that day, he knew not ; but if it were
a genuine letter, he thought it ought to be a subject
of great rejoicing to all. (Cheers.) No doubt her
Majesty's Ministers had had a very onerous session
to go through, but if they had unhappily not ac-
complished all they could have wished, they had
properly done as much as they could. (Hear.)
They had certainly experienced some obstruction.
(Laughter.) It was not for him to say whether
it arose from a sense of duty or disappointed ambi-
tion, but it had interrupted the progress of im-
portant public measures in a manner unusual until
the present day. While giving them every credit,
as he was sure the country would, for a desire to do
all which was required, he was sure they would
cordially agree in wishing them better success next
year. (Cheers.) The worthy chairman concluded
by proposing " Her Majesty's Ministers," coupling
with the toast the name of Sir C. Wood. (Cheers.)
Sir C. WOOD offered his acknowledgments for
the kind regrets which the Prime Warden had ex-
pressed for the absence of her Majesty's Ministers;
but no one regretted that absence more than did
he (Sir C. Wood), because the result was to devolve
upon him, who was so ill qualified, the task of
responding to the toast. The Prime Warden had
said that Ministers had been unexpectedly sum-
moned to Osborne. That was true ; but as it was
not expected that he (Sir C. Wood) should divulge
state secrets, he should only say that that summons
had deprived his colleagues of a very great pleasure.
Allusion had been made to the state of business dur-
ing the present session, and he admitted that he had
been present at dinners like the present, when
ministers were able to enumerate a much longer
catalogue of successful measures than they could
show during the present year. He was sorry that
so little had been done, but he was not one of those
who thought that doing much was always doing well.
He thought the principle of non-interference with
the internal concerns of other nations was the best.
(Loud cheers.) Her Majesty's Government had ad-
hered strictly to that principle, and their example
had prevented the interference of other nations, so
that every nation was now left to the settlement of
its own affairs. (Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN, en rising to propose the next
toast, said it was one which recommended itself
especially to those of them who were fishmongers,
seeing that the distinguished individual to whom it
referred—Lord Brougham—had been a member of
the company for 39 years. (Cheers.) He heard a

gentleman near him suggest " months" and cer-
tainly if they were to test the noble lord by the
vigour of his intellect months would be a more ap-
propriate measure of the duration of his member-
ship. (Hear.) They all knew how earnestly he had
devoted himself to every object designed for the
general good, to the emancipation of the slave, to
the amendment of the law, and to the promotion of
the arts, sciences, and 'literature of the country.

(Hear, hear.) Only recently they had been reminded
by the magnificent oration which he delivered in the
city of Edinburgh of his stupendous powers of elo-
cution and the wonderful extent of his knowledge of
public affairs. He asked them, therefore, to join with
him in drinking the health of the honorary members
of the company, and especially that of Lord
Brougham. (Cheers.)
The toast having been enthusiastically drunk,aud
with manifestations of the most sincere respect for
the noble and learned lord,
Lord BROUGHAM rose to return thanks, and was
received, as he did so, with loud and prolonged
cheering. He said :he rose to return his hearty
thanks for having had bestowed upon him the
honour of ackr.owledging the toast on behalf
of the honorary members of that ancient cor-
poration, of which he had the honour of being at
least one of the oldest. (Cheers.) He could not
look back upon past times, however, without re-
membering that amongst those members were
several of his most valued and distinguished friends,
and particularly he might name the celebrated
Lord St. Vincent, under whose banner—which
floated over the heads of those who witnessed his
victory at St. Vincent's—he had before now ad-
dressed that hall. (Cheers.) And he had the
happiness of knowing that their latest acquisition
of an honorary member was one which conferred
honour upon them rather than upon him—he meant
his gallant friend Lord Clyde. (Renewed cheer-
ing.) His noble and gallant friend began his
career under the late lamented and illustrious
Duke of Wellington—illustrious above all the men
of his age, and lamented by all the men of his age,
by the allies whom he had served, by the countries
which he had saved, and not now unlamented by
the foes whom he subdued. (Renewed cheering.)
Lord Clyde began his splendid career under that
illustrious man, and if he had been alive at this
day, he would have been impelled by the gallantry
of his conduct, by the bravery he had shown, and
by the success which deservedly attended him
throughout his arduous campaigns—the Duke of
Wellington, he said, would have singled him out,
as he (Lord Brougham) now did, for his chief and
first admiration, while he would have equally
appreciated in him that which had not escaped the
observation and eulogy of non-military men like
themselves, and upon which they were all of them
competent to pass a judgment—namely, the gallant
self-devotion with which his noble friend did not
suffer two suns to go down before he set forth to
India. (Tremendous cheering.) His gallant
friend had justly and kindly given honour to whom
honour was due, his excellent friend the Governor-
General, and be had also done honour to whom
honour was due in the persons of the brave sol-
diers who served under him, and who were proud
of being under his command. (Hear, hear.) His
noble friend, speaking of these gallant men, might
well say that, so long as England had such soldiers
at her disposal, in all climates and at all times, she
need not fear any chances that war might bring
her. (Cheers.) It was a comfortable reflection
that, such a chief having returned to them, he should
bear such high testimony to our gallant army. For
one, he had no apprehension that peace would be
broken, but mortals could only see a little way be-
fore them. The future was always more or less
veiled; but at all events it was right to be prepared,
and to feel that we were safe. (Hear, hear.) And
here he would make the remark that he did not sus-
pect the designs of any particular power, and he
hoped no power suspected us. People did not like
to be suspected, but then the best way to avoid
being suspected was to be careful that your conduct
should not be suspicious. War was a thing above
all others to be shunned by all honest men ; yet as
long as men were men, wars might happen; agd ix