The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-04 00:00:00

THE CUTLERS' FEAST.

The, annual banquet given by the Master Cutler
on his inauguration into the office of head of the

Corporation of Cutlers of Sheffield took place on
Thursday evening in the Cutlers' hall. The gen-
tleman who this year fills the office of Master Cut-
ler (Mr. Robert Jackson, of the firm of Spear and

Jackson, lEtna works) also holds the office of mayor

of the borough. The members of the corporation
met in their hall at noon, and then walked in pro-
cession to the Town-hall, where the oaths of office
having been administered to the Master Cutler,
wardens, and other officers, they proceeded to at-
tend Divine service at the parish church. Mr.
Roebuck, M.P., accompanied the Master Cutler
throughout the proceedings of the morning.
The guests invited to the banquet began to as-
semble in the reception-room about five o'clock, and
were received by the wardens, Mr. J. Hobson and
Mr. G. Wilkinson, by whom they were introduced
to the Master Cutler. Dinner was served at six

o'clock, the Master Cutler occupying the chair.
The guests at the principal table were—Mr. J. K.

Roebuck, M.P. for Sheffield ; Mr. R. Monckton
Milnes, M.P. for Pontefract ; Mr. Basil Woodd,
I.P. for Knaresborough ; Mr. W. Wood, M.P. for
Pontefract ; Col. Bazelgette, late Governor of Nova
Scotia ; Mr. G. S. Skelton, Judge of Mixed Com-
mission Court, Sierra Leone ; the Mayors of Don-
caster, Halifax, and Wakefield; Mr. W. Overend,

Deputy-Lieutenant of the West Riding ; Mr. R.
N. Philipps, Lieutenant of the city of London .
Col. Elmhirst and Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Sankay,
of the 9th Regiment ' • Rev. Canon Sale, D.D.,
Vicar of Sheffield; Mr. M. Ellison, Mr. F. W. Bag

shawe, Rev. J. Hunter, LL.D. (the historian of
Hallamshire) ; Mr. W. F. Dixon, Rev. W. Wilkin-
son, Chaplain of the Company, &c. The guests,
numbering about 220, at the other tables included
most of the principal merchants, magistrates, mem-
bers of the Town-council, &c. . -

Vv
The MASTER CUTLER having given the toasts of
" The Queen," " Prince Albert and the rest of the
Royal Family," which were loyally responded to,
next proposed " The Army and Navy," urging that
the duty of the country as the best means of secur-
ing peace was to be prepared for war.

Colonel ELIIIIIiRST, of the 9th Regiment, returned
thanks, Having served in India he could say that
no men in the world but British soldiers could
have undergone the *hardships and accomplished
the exploits which the British army had in India.
Much of the success of our arms there was owing
to the indefatigable exertions and the daring of
that thorough soldier Sir Colin Campbell, who
commenced his military career in the regiment in
which he (Colonel Elmhirst) had now the honoor
to serve. While the troops were led by such a
man success would at all times attend them. (Loud

cheers.)
The healths of the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of
Devonshire, the Duke of Newcastle, Earl Fitz-:
william, Earl of Effingham, and Lord Wharncliffe,
noblemen connected by ties of property or near re-
sidence with Sheffield, were then separately given.
Alderman HooLE—I was not aware until a few
moments ago that I should be called upon .to pro-
pose the toast which I have now to submit' to you,
but I am sure when I state that my toast is the
Health of the hon. member for Pontefract, IN Tr.
Menckton Milnes," you will admit that hon. mem-
ber is. worthy the honour. We have all a grateful
recollection of his visits to Sheffield. He honoured
us by many visits in support of our various insti-
tutions„-of our School of Art, our People's College,
and of all that is liberal. (Cheers.) I understand
that I am to couple with the name of Mr. Milnes
that of the House of Commons. I know that he is
a worthy member of that house ; and. I cannot pay
hini a greater compliment than to say so ; but
looking at what he has done during the last ses-
sion I prefer to propose his name without that
adjunct the " House of Commons." (" No, no ; it's
the toast I") I scarcely so understood it, but that
being the case I give you Mr. M. Milnes and the
House of Commons. (Cheers.)
Mr. R. M. MILNES, M.P.— I am somewhat em-
barrassed to know exactly in what character I
should address you, because thehon. proposer of the
toast seems to think, I will not say so ill, but so
slightingly of the body to which I have the honour
to belong, that he preferred to propose me per-
sonally with the very slight claims I have to
adding to my name the only claim by which I have
any right to appear before you. At the same time,
as a member of the House of Commons, I should
feel considerable difficulty in addressing you, be-
cause on these occasions politics are always espe-
cially excluded, if it were not for those ambiguous
contrivances by which somehow or other I. have
seen politics, though always interdicted, still more
or less always introduced. Ido not know how 'I
can talk of the House of Commons without in some
degree passing the political boundary, unless I talk
of the House of Commons at sea. (" Hear, hear,"
and a laugh.) That has been the great topic of
most public speakers during August, and, consider-
ing how it has been exhausted by my excellent
friend and your hon. and worthy, member, I am
almost driven from it to terra ',lrma. 'We had a
pleasant trip to Cherbourg..
slight drawback, and that There was only mie
the continual fear
in the mind of every
vance or other, the mr..Anberasthat by some contri-
might be ea/air-L., worthy member for Sheffield
French foe.,r6s off Vora us and taken to sorry
(Cheer-; 's
for the remainder of his life.
grid laughter.) We all knew well what
he
ould
do in that case. There is no power that
c-Jald manacle him, and, knowing how to appreciate
him, I am sure no effort or ransom would have been
thought too much to recover him. (Laughter.)
But at the same time the very notion was painful
to us, and when we saw him on deck reading the
-EditAirrgh _Review, amid salutes from thousands of
canon, perfectly unconcerned, we thought what a
misfortune it would be to lose my excellent friend
and your -worthy member. (Cheers and laughter.)
The iiapressions he has given us of Cherbourg were
not exactly mine, because when I was there I
was -waited on by a very handsome daughter of
Normandy. (Laughter.) I received every kind-
ness and civility from the French Government and
per,ple and should not think it right to criticise
4.2 verely anything we saw. (Cheers.) Some 50 or
ito years ago Burke reproached some gentlemen of
his tiii se who were struck with the marvels of Cher-
bours;, and compared them to the Trojans who ad -
mired the Grecian horse that was to destroy their
city. • But those years have gone by, and the Trojan
ho" se has now been built. We saw the place the
of ller day, and all we can hope is that against Eng-
•gland it never may be used. (Cheers.) But I wish
to record my reluctance to say a word or to do any-
thing to familiarise to the minds of the people so
monstrous a-notion as the possible invasion of Eng-
land by France. The two nations have no one in-
terest to bring them to take up arms against each
other ; and when united they are able to carry
civilisation throughout the world. (Cheers. In
that internecine war, I know not which would be
most to. be lamented, the savage triumph of the
conqueror •or .the terrible indignation of the con-
quered. • (Cheers.) Of politics I will say nothing
beyond merely naming the matter of fact that Lord
Palmerston is recreating himself on the continent,
and that LordDerbyhas sold his horses. (Laughter.)
These facts imply a great change. A Frenchman, who
happened to be in England during the late change
of Government, said to me, " How can you endure
these things so quietly ? If such an event had oc-
curred in France in the old constitutional time we
should. have seen men rushing about the 'streets all
on fire, and we should have heard of duels and ani-
mosities of -the bitterest kind ; but you take the
ohange as quite an ordinary thing which does not
not at all interfere with your social affairs." From
a high point of view this may be true. I remember
to have seen a letter from a Frenchprisoner, during
the first revolutionary period, when asked for a
respite that he might not have his head cut off till
he had disclosed some wonderful discovery ho had
made. The order upon it was, " Let the prisoner
be executed immediately, that he may understand
no man is necessary to the Biepublic." (Laughter.)
'lure have not gone quite so far, but we feel that the
value and. stability of our institutions does not de-
pend on any individual man, that the rise or fall of
a Minister is not the rise or fall of England, and
that while we do what we can in support of our
own friends and opinions, we feelthatthere is some-
thing beyond all these things, and that is the Eng-
lish people. Speaking in the name of that body
that represents yourselves, I may join with you in
over the success of the English arms
rejoicing
abroad. We have recently had
our own
no man could
way in a Russian war, but I believe
p r to-day and read of the destruc-
tion up Astrakhan, with any
of thattile pgareea.
at the disaster. In that miser-
able fortress,
feeling of exultation
which we have
able war with a miserrablee enemy
thing to fall back
been waging in India,
on but the courage and _w hav
Duke of Newcastle,e no
endurance of our country-
men. In the absence of the
boy coming
waiting at Southampton for his poor
instance as
back disabled, we have an of what ha
happened to thousands of English families,
has spread desolation in many
English homes, and
leaving nothing to sustain the sufferers but a sense
of duty and a remembrance of the glorious heroism
that has been displayed. And if we cast our eyes
on a handful of Englishmen going up unknown
. Chinese rivers, and reducing to any terms we chose
an empire embracing one-third of the human race,
we see one of the most wonderful events that has
occurred in our days. I thank you in the name of
the House of Commons for the support you have
giyen- to the Government iii ,theße greet under-