The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-12 00:00:00

TELE „LIVERPOOL BANQUET riep MR.

CHARLES
,DICKENS.

The banquet to 'Mr. Charles Dickens, given on Satur-
day evening, seems to have been a most successful affair.
The Mayor presided. Ladies as well as gentlemen were
present, the number of those who sat down being upwards
of 600. Among those present, invited guests, in addition
to the guests of the evening, were the Right Hon. Lord
Dufferin, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ; M.
Alphonse Esquiros, Lord Houghton, Mr. C. H. Dudley,
United States' Consul at Liverpool; Mr. W. Hepworth
Dixon, Mr. G. A. Sala, Mr. Anthony Trollope, Mr.
Andrew Halliday, Mr. H. F. Chorley, Mr. G. Dalbv,
and Mr. C. Dickens, jun.
The usual loyal and patriotic toasts were given. That
of " The Houses ofParliament " was responded to by Lord
HOUGHTON. Speaking more particularly of the House to
which he belonged, his lordship raid : I may say it has
struck the members of that assembly which I represent
with occasional pain and regret that amidst the life-like
and admirable portraitures of the class of society in Mr.
Dickens's works, the members of the House of Lords
appear in a not very frequent or flattering character. In
fact, ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly speak aloud the
designation which Mr. Dickens has bestowed upon us.
(Mr. Dickens : " Oh, do.'') I do not know—in fact,
1 will not attempt to interpret the secret of litera-
ture which has rot permitted this class of society
to appear in a more agreeable phase. My friend, 111 r.
Di2kens, has shown little or no interest in the matter of
our political life. If he had chosen, or, perhaps, conde-
scended so far, he might have acceded to the honours of
Lord Macaulay and Lord Lytton. It may seem sumo-
what ungenerous to say that any one man who has done
5) much could have been asked to do anything more ;
therefore I feel we have here to express but the deepest
gratitude which we owe to Mr. Dickens. Gratitude
is the genius of this meeting, and to it I give my entire
homage.
In proposing the toast of the evening, Lord
DUFFERIN passed a very high eulogium upon the
eminent novelist. He had intensified the love of the
mother to the child and entered into the feelings of both.
" Mr. Dickens has shewn us how the alchemy of genius
can convert the commonest pathsof life, the most common-
place and vulgar regions of society, into a perfect kingdom
of romance. Under his large-hearted leadership we have
come to regard the love affairs of Mr. Swiveller and his
Marchioness with greater interest than any elevated
ideals of high life, and to look upon the round
little figure of Mr. Pickwick with the same
loving reverence which we are accustomed to
bestow upon the most chivalrous paladin of antiquity.
Not only so, but Mr. Dickens has conferred a
still further benefit upon us. He has tanght rich and
poor, the educated and the simple, to recognise their com-
mon humanity not merely by the characteristics of their
physical nature, but by their mutual susceptibility to
those higher and purer influences which constitute the
poetry of life. Our children may become our rivals, and
perhaps our enemies ; but whatever maybe the convulsion
which our dominion may be destined to undergo, there is
one empire which will never suffer disruption ; there is
one allegiance which will never be abjured ; there is one
despotism which will never provoke revolt, and that is
the sway and the supremacy which Mr. Dickens's
writings are destined to exercise over every English-
speaking community, whether they be inhabitants of an
American republic, of an African or Indian colony, or of
a future Australasian empire."
Mr. DICKENS in reply to the toast, which was enthusias-
tically drunk, after dwelling upon the honour that was
clone him, and the pleasure it gave him, went on to say :
" Let me assure you that whatever you have accepted
with pleasure, either by word of pen or byword of mouth,
from me, you have greatly improved in the acceptance.
As the gold is said to be doubly and trebly refined which
has seven times passed the furnace, so a fancy may be
said to become more and more refined each time it passes
through the human heart. You have, and you
know you 'have, brought to the consideration of
me that quality in yourselves without which I should but
have beaten the air. Your earnestness has stimulated
mine, your laughter has made me laugh, and your tears
have overflowed my eyes. All that I can claim for myself
in establishing the relations which exist between us is con-
stant fidelity to hard work. My literary fellows about me,
of whom I am so proud to see so many, know very well
how true it is in all art that what seems the easiest
done is oftentimes the most difficult to do, and
that the smallest truth may come of the greatest
pains—much as it occurred to me at Manchester
the other clay the sensitive touch of Mr. Whit-
worth's measuring machine comes at last, of Heaven,
and Manchester, and its mayor only knows how much
hammering. My companions in arms know thoroughly
well, and I think it only right the public should know too,
that in our careful toil and trouble, and in our steady
striving for excellence— not in any little gifts, misused by
fits and starts—lies our highest duty, at once to our
calling, to one another, to ourselves, and to you. Ladies
and gentlemen, before sitting down I find that I have to
clear myself of two very unexpected accusations. The first
is a charge preferred against me by my old friend Lord
Houghton. that I have been somewhat unconscious of the
merits of the House of Lords. Now, ladies and gentlemen,
seeing that I have had some few not altogether obscure or
unknown personal friends in the assembly, seeing that I
had some little association with, and knowledge of, a
certain obscure peer lately known in England by the
name of Lord Brougham, seeing that I regard with-,
some admiration and affection another obscure peer
wholly unknown in literary circles, called Lord Lytton,
seeing also that I have had for some years some
slight admiration of the exraordinary judicial properties
and amazingly acute mind of a certain Lord Chief Justice
popularly known by the name of Cockburn, and also
seeing that there is no man in England whom I respect
more in his public capacity. whom I love more in his
private capacity, or from whom I have received more
remarkable proofs of hishonour and love of literature than
another obscure nobleman called Lord Russell ; taking
these circumstances into consideration. I was rather amazed
by my noble friend's accusation. When I asked him,
on his sitting down, what amazing devil possessed him to
make this charge, he replied that he had never forgotten
the days of Lord Verisopht. Then, ladies and rzentle-
men, I understood it all. Because it is a remarkable fact
that in the days when that depreciative and profoundly
unnatural character was invented there was no Lord
Houghton in the House of T,ords, and there was in the House
of Commons a rather indifferent member called Richard
Moncton Milnes. Ladies and gentlemen, to conclude,
I clo3e with the other shame of my noble friend, and here
I am more serious, and I may be allowed, perhaps. to
express my seriousness in half-a-dozen plain words. When
I first took literature as my profession in Enr-fland.
calmly resolved within myself that. whether I succeeded
or wiwther T failed, literature should be my sole profes.
sion. Tt appeared to me at that time that it was not so well
understood in England as
profession,
nsoin,(i)tylle lil-cdocuhntarnieys
m thatman
literature was a dignified rofvsi
might stand or fall. I made a compact with myself that
in my person literature should stand, and by itself, of
itself, and for itself ; and there is no consideration on
earth which would induce me to break that bargain.
Ladies and gentlemen, finally allow me to thank you for
your great kindness, and for the touching earnestness with
which you have drunk my health. I should have thanked
you with all my heart if it had not so unfortunately hap-
pened that, for many sufficient reasons, I lost my heart at
between half-past six and half-past seven to-night."
Mr. Sala and others afterwards spoke. Mr. Dickens
himself proposed " The Ladies."

THE PRESTONSTRIKE,—The latest news from
Preston shews that the strike there continues, and that
there appears to be little chance of any satisfactory
arrangement being made between masters and men. The
emigration movement continues, and several men who
have won a passage out by balloting will leave England
this week. It is said that at present the men on
strike receive considerable support from the surrounding
districts.

THE SOUTH WALES IRON TRADE.—At the pre-
sent time the total number of furnaces in blast in Mon-
mouthshire and South Wales is 111, and some of these
furnaces produce over 200 tons per week of pig iron ; but it
is only where the latest improvements in smelting have
been adopted that this large weekly yield is secured. The
average make of each furnace is calculated at 7,000 tons
per annum, or about 140 toms per week ; consequently,
the aggregate make of the district reaches a total of
over 700,000 tons. The furnaces in blast are as annexed:
Abernaut, Aberdare Iron Company, 5 ; Abersychan,
Ebbw Vale Company, 4 ; Beaufort, J. and C. Bailey, 6 ;
Blaenavon, Blaenavon Company, 8 ; Cwmavon, Governor
and Company of Copper Miners, 3 ; Cyfartwfa, R. T.
Crawshay, 10 ; Cwmbran, R. S. Roper and Co., 2 ; Dow-
lais, Dowlais Iron Company, 16 ; Ebbw Vale, Ebbw Vale
Company, 3 ; Gadlys, Wayne and Co., 2 ; Llynvi, Llynvi
Vale Iron Company, 4 ; Nantyglo, J. and C. Bailey, 6 ;
Pentyrch, Booker and Co., 2 ; Pontypool, Ebbw Vale
Company, 1 ; Plymouth, Plymouth Iron Company, 6 ;
Rhymney, Rhymney Iron Company, 9 ; Sirhowy,
Ebbw Vale Company, 3 ; Tondu, Brogden and Sons, 2 ;
Tredegar, Tredegar Iron Company, 7 ; Victoria, Ebbw
Vale Company, 3 ; and Ystalyfera, Budd and Co., 9 ;
The Blaina and Cwmcelyn works are likely to be soon
started again, the negotiations for a sale to some Lanca-
shire capitalists being nearly completed. At Peny-
darren, also, there is a probability of some of the furnaces
being shortly re-lit. The position of the Welsh iron trade
generally is considered to be far more promising than at
the commencement of either last year or the year be-
fore, and before the close of the year 1869 it is believed
that there will be a substantial advance in nrices.

The names of Mr. Baillie Cochrane, Lord Claud
Hamilton, and the Hon. Mr. Plunkett are among those men-
tioned as the probable choice of the Conservative electors of
Brecon as the successor of Mr. Gwyn, who has been un-
seated by Baron Martin.

The Irish bishops are losing no time in fining up
the liviegs that fall into their gift. It is announced that
the Bishop of Kilmore has given the living of Kiltoghert to
the Rev. S. Lewis ; and the Bishop of Perry has conferred
that of Drumachose upon the Rev. P. Hearne, A.M. Kil-
toghert is worth £6OO a year. and Drumachose, £450.
Much anxiety was caused last week by
an un-
favourable account of the Bishop of Carlisle's health. From
a report just received, however, it appears that his rest at
night has improved, and other symptoms are less serious
His lordship remains at Paris, being unable to proceed fur-
ther. Prayers aro now general in the churches of his
diocese, on Lis behalf.

The subscriptions to the Gladstone Testimonial
Fund (which was suggested and has been carried out by the
proprieior of the Liverpool Mercury) are now announced as
to close at the end of the present month. About £9OO has
been collected, mostly in pence, and it is hoped to raise the
fund to over a thousand pounds before the subscriptions aro
stopped.
The Corporation of Manchester were defendants
in an action for damages, tried at Chester Assizes on Friday,
in which a manufacturer having a mill on the bank of
the river Ethero w sued for damages sustained through the
failure of the defendants to send down the river the supply
of water contracted for by Act of Parliament. After the
case had been partly opened, it was agreed, upon the sug-
gestion of the judge, to take a verdict for the plaintiff, sub-
ject to a roference.