The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-11 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Nov. 10.
The Queen, accompanied by their Royal High-
nesses the Princess of Wales and Princess Louise,
drove out yesterday afternoon.

MR. DISRAELI AND LORD STANLEY ON
PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

The banquet at the Guildhall on Saturday was
attended by about 800 guests. Lord Derby was
unable to be present in consequence of an attack of
gout., but all t e other leading members of the Go-
vernment attended. When Mr. Disraeli entered
the hall, on the way to the council chamber, he was
loudly cheered ; Lord Stanley was also very warmly
received.

The LORD CHANCELLOR, in responding to the
toast in his honour, remarked upon the universal
feeling that the great security of the rights and
liberties of the people consisted in equal laws and
the impartial administration of justice, and he con-
gratulated the country that there never was a time
when it could be more truly said that the seats of
justice were efficiently filled.

The toast in honour of her Majesty's Ministers
was responded to by

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, who on
rising was most enthusiastically cheered; indeed a
large portion of the company rose to greet him. He
said : When we met last year upon an occasion
similar to that which assembles us at present there
was a collapse of credit which affected the city of
London and those connected with its prosperity
more than any similar disaster which ever yet pro-
duced an effect in this city. In its extent and in
its severity that collapse was probably unprece-
dented. I cannot presume on this occasion to cony
gratulate you on being entirely recovered from
the effect of that disruption of mutual confi-
dence which then took place. I see before
me the statue of a celebrated Minister who said
that confidence was a plant of slow growth.
But I believe, however slow, however gradual, may
be the growth of confidence, that of credit requires
still more time to arrive at maturity. Credit is one
of the most powerful, but at the same time one of
the most delicate of influences, and I think that
those who have studied its character can hardly be
surprised that though the year has revolved, we are
not, so far as the force of English credit is
concerned, in the same position as we were
some few years ago. Last year when wo
met and conversed together, England was
in this remarkable position, that a great
war, carried out upon a very extensive scale,
but which lasted only a remarkably short time,
had ceased, and the world, though peace was
proclaimed, was full of rumours of war. Then we
were told that great dangers were impending, that
in every country armaments were commenced and
were progressing on a great scale, and that the Great
Powers of Europe seemed to be preparing for some
undefined but menacing conjuncture. A year has
elapsed, and these anticipations have not been realised.
On the contrary, I may say the year which has elapsed
has given opportunity to the Great Powers of Europe
to consider their position, to study, to observe, to
acquire, and mutually to commune with each
other, and I believe the result has been that the great
armaments which have taken place have been occa-
sioned rather by mutual and general fear than by
any aggressive spirit, and that the conclusion to
which the different Governments have arrived is
that peace is the interest of Europe, not only for
the moment, but that it is to the interest of Europe
permanently to cherish peace. (Cheers.) If we
turn to America we certainly have a right to
assume that the same healthy spirit exists. When
we met last year there was a great similarity
between the position of affairs there and in
Europe, because in both parts of the world a great
war, carried on with great skill and assiduity,
had left something of feeling of apprehension for the
future. Impending dangers were rife, and we were
informed that we must be prepared to meet a time
of great difficulty. A year has elapsed in America
as well as in Europe, and that year which has
elapsed has brought calmer and dearer feelings to
the people of America as well as of Europe, In _
America I believe that justice is now done to the
temperate and friendly spirit in which England has
examined and considered those questions which were
once supposed to be sources of difficulty and of
danger. I believe that not only the Government
but the people of America generally have taken
much calmer views of those questions now than they
did a year ago, influenced 1 am sure in some degree
in this matter by the able representations Made
by my noble friend Lord Stanley. (Cheers.)
Her Majesty's Ministers, with the noble and gene-
rous:aid of a patrioticßarliament,have been able since
we met last in this hall to settle a question which
it was of the greatest importance to the State should
be carried to a settlement. (Loud cheers.) If
left unsettled, this question would have been 3
source of chronic irritation, and of feebleness to the
country, and of embarrassment to the Crown ; it
made Parliament ridiculous and England contempti-
ble in the eyes of Europe, that for fifteen years
we should have gone on insisting that the question
of the redistribution of power in the State was neces•
sary to be settled and that England was incomPe"
tent to bring about that settlement. Her Majesty's
Government, aided and assisted by a patriotic Par-
liament, have introducei and carried a measure
with that object. (Great cheering.) I believe WY
self that it is one which will establish concert among
all classes, that the nation accepts it as a favourable
result, and that history will consecrate its cense'
quences. (Cheers)
The toast of the " House of Commons" Ras
responded to by Lord Stanley, who said : As the
tendency of the present time is rather, I think, to
depreciate than unduly to exalt anything which s
familiar to this country, I may call attention to
one or two points in which it seems to me that
the English Parliament differs, as I believe'
from every other legislative assembly of A
similar character in the world. In the first place'
we are the only unpaid legislative body in the world
there is no country in the world except England in
which you will find many hundreds of wealthy men
who will submit to the annoyance of a popular
contest with no other hope than that of being
able to give to the public a certain amount of
gratuitous labour. You may say they gave them'
r
selves this trouble from personal vanity
.°r
ambition, and that may be, but I am of oping/11
that even such a motive, since it prompts men..i toe
serve in the Parliament of a free country, is a virtue
rather than a failing. (Hear, hear.)• Then agal7;
I do not believe there is another legislative bodY,l
the world, not even an American or a Coleniia
Congress, which gets through a fifth part of tb°,
business transacted by the British House of Cefo
mona. We may be charged with attempting
much, and I have sometimes thought this roleud,
but with whatever faults we may be .eairly charged
it cannot be asserted that we are wanting if;
of
industry and goodwill. (Hear, hear.) There
one thing more that I must say for the Houbseocif
Commons. Ido not believe that any similar, ,to
shows the same amount of justice and fair
those who address it. No doubt party proce.e;s
exist and sometimes party feeling runs llign/
„na
there is one thing which overrides party feeling/
that is the existence of an honest confidence 10
th
good intentions of the individuals of the ass
(Cheers )

The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the ExcheVere
has issued invitations for a full-dress dinner to the le6t;
Ministerial members of the House of 0011=0119, on Ai.....°117j
next. The dinner will take place at the Clarendon dot
in consequence of the right hon. gentleman's mansion
Grosvenor-gate being under repair.
INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.—Tbe 1:11„eet‘
ings of this society are to be resumed to-morrow cll3-113f05;
at the house in Great George-street, when the subject Sub..
discussion is the " Removal of Organic and Inorganic ,S'oje
stances in Water." The question was introduced, at ,
closo of last season, by Mr. Edward Byrne, M. instY'c.tei
in a paper detailing the results of some carefully con"Li
laboratory experiments.