The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-06 00:00:00

RriYAL ACADEMY BANQUET.

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The banquet which is usually.given previous to
the opening of the Royal Academy took place on
Saturday evening, at the rooms of the Academy,
Trafalgar-square, the president of the institution in
the chair.

The PRESIDENT, upon rising to propose the first
toast, was received with cheers. He said—Your
Royal Highness, my Lords, and Gentlemen,—The
first and ever welcome one which I hare the honour
to propose is " The health of the head of this insti-
tution, her most -gracious Majesty the Queen,"
(Cheers.) For the interest her Majesty has been
graciously pleased to express in the prosperity and
welfare of the Royal Academy, I desire, on the part
of its members, to record our grateful sense of her
Majesty's goodness and condescension. I trust she
may be long spared to fill the throne on which her
bright example has cast so great a lustre. (Cheers.)
The PRESIDENT--I have now the honour to pro-
pose "The health of their Royal Highnesses the
Prince and Princess of Wales and the rest of the
Royal family."

The PRINCE of WALES, upon rising, was greeted
with loud cheers. He said,—Sir Francis Grant,
your Royal Highness, my Lords, and Gentlemen,—
I begto tender you my warmest thanks for the very
kind manner in which you have proposed and re-
ceived the health of the Princess of Wales and my-
self. I feel sure she will feel deeply grateful for
the kind words you have this evening uttered, and
I am glad to say that, although she has for nearly
two months been kept to her room by a long and
tedious illness, she is now progressing towards re-
covery. (Loud cheers.) I know I can have no more
pleasing announcement to make to her Royal High-
ness than to tell her of the very kind feeling which
has always been exhibited to her since her first com-
ing to this country. (Cheers.) I beg also, Sir Francis,
to thank you for the very kind manner in which
you have alluded to the interest I take with re-
gard to science and art. I need not tell
you that I do take an interest in it ; if I
may say so, I take the same interest
which my parents have always taken. Although I
may not have the same experience or knowledge,
still I hope I shall tread in their footsteps in that
respect. (Cheers.) I am flattered, Sir Francis,
by your statement that I have shown an apprecia-
tion of art in becoming the possessor of a work by
so celebrated an artist as Sir Edwin Landseer. I
think it would be impossible to find at this table
any one who would not feel the same appreciation
for so admirable a work of art. I obtained the
picture under somewhat peculiar circumstances. It
had been painted for a private person, who was
kind enough to give it up to me. Sir Edwin Land-
seer, who has been before the public for many
years as a painter, has within the last two months
achieved great distinction as a sculptor, and has
produced one of the finest monuments of that art
that exists in this country. (Cheers.) With re-
ference to the exhibition now before us, I think I
may say that for many years* we have not seen a
finer exhibition. The names of Grant, Watts,
Millais, and others I need not particularise. (Cheers.)
Last year we had to mourn the loss of Sir C. East-
lake, and now we have to lament the departure
from among us of another Royal Academician, Mr.
Phillips, to whose pictures from Spanish life I my-
self, from having been in Spain, can amply. testify.
I beg, my lords and gentlemen, again to thank you
for the kind manner in which you have proposed
and received my health, and the still kinder man-
ner in which you have received the health of the
Princess of Wales. (Cheers.)
The PRESIDENT—I have now to propose " The
Army, the Navy, and the Volunteers."
His Royal Highness the Prince of WALES, with
great promptitude, said—l am a volunteer, Sir
Francis. I will return thanks for the volunteers.
(Loud cheers.)
The PRESIDENT—I am happily relieved from the
difficulty. his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales is a volunteer and authorises me to say he
will acknowledge the toast on behalf of the vo!un-
teem. (Continued cheers.)
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE returned thanks for the
Army.
His Royal Highness the Prince of WALES, in
acknowledging the toast on behalf of the Volun-
teers, said : Your Royal Highness, Sir Francis
Grant, my lords and gentlemen, I have great plea-
sure in replying to the toast for the volunteers.
As honorary colonel of several volunteer regiments,
I hare been connected with the movement for a 1

Iconsiderable period. No person takes more interest
in it than I do —(elleers)—and I think we must all
acknowledge the zeal displayed by the volunteers,
which, since they came forward, has never in the
slightest (legrec diminished. (Cheers.) I hope
their servicea will not be required even defensively;
but it is pleasing to know that their ranks are very.
little thinned, and that they are always ready to do
their duty whenever it may be demanded of them.
(Cheers.) We have seen not only our own coun-
trymen approve the service, but we were peculiarly
gratified by the notice of them last year by the
King of the Belgians. (Cheers.) lam sure I
need not add that if the Belgian volunteers ply us
a return visit this summer, we shall give them a not
less cordial reception. (Cheers.) I return to you,
on the part of the volunteers, our best thanks for
the toast. (Loud cheers.)
'The PRESIDENT next gave " The health of her
Majesty's Ministers," and observed : I remember
last year, when it fell to the lot of Lord Russell to
return thanks for this toast, he with much good
humour expressed a doubt of the propriety of giving
"The health of her Majesty's Ministers" in this
place, but I hope we shall altiays be permitted to
give this toast; for whilst.ive-are ever ready, with
the greatest satisfaction, to propose the health of
her Majesty's Ministers in office, I am bound to
confess, with 1 hope you will consider pardonable
fickleness, we are at all times equally ready to ac-
cord the same welcome to ministers of different po-
litics. (A laugh.) And I think this is as it-should
be. Art, we feel, is common ground, on which all
political strife lies buried, • and we should be much
disappointed if we were not permitted to testify the
high sense we entertain of the honour conferred on
us by the presence of the illustrious statesmen
who govern this great , country. But I must
be allowed on this occasion, in proposing the
health of her Majesty's Ministers, to express our
special acknowledgments for the liberal and
generous treatment the Academy has recently
experienced at their hands by the grant of a site so
eminently calculated to meet all our requirements,
and which will enable us efficiently to carry out our
important duties in forwarding the interests of
modern art and the efficient art education of the
country. I should, however, be very unjust if I
did not recognise the friendly consideration I have
received from many influential statesmen of the op-
posite party, and from none more than their gifted
leader, Mr. Gladstone. (Cheers.) And, my lords
and gentlemen, it appears to me a very happy cir-
cumstance when the members of the Royal Aca-
demy of Arts have to acknowledge the sympathy of
all classes of public men, proving, as it does, that
the interest of art and the prosperity of this institu-
tion are held to be the common property of all par-
ties. I beg to propose " The health of her Majesty's
Ministers." (Cheers.)
The Earl of DERBY, who was loudly cheered,
said—l can assure you that it is with the highest
possible gratification that I have again the honour
of being received at this, and always to me, most
interesting celebration. At the present time I
should have felt justified by the state of my health
in refusing the invitation of any other assembly, but
I have felt that this was an especial and peculiar
occasion—an occasion when it was my duty to at-
tend to testify the pleasure that every one who holds
the situation which I have the honour to fulfil feels
at being present, and his high appreciation of the
arts which are here cultivated and illustrated.
It affords me great satisfaction on the part of my
colleagues and myself to offer you our grateful
thanks for the honour you have done us in pr-opos-
ing our healths collectively. I am quite aware
that in this toast there is nothing whatever of a
political or party character. It is the genuine
sympathy which Englishmen—well-educated . Eng-
lishmen—are always ready to express for those who
undertake arduous and laborious duties, and endea-
vour to the best of their power, to perform them.
We have heard a great deal of late of the working
man. (Cheers.) But in one sense I believe that in
the whole length and bread•h of this land there are
no more truly working men than her Majesty's Minis-
ters ; and more especially I may say this of those
Ministers who are -members of the House of Com-
mons, and pre-eminently of my right hon. friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer—(cheers)—who I have
no doubt would feel it an immense relief from the
labours of his position if he could claim the advan-
tages of the Ten Hours Bill. (A laugh.) lam
quite aware that this is no political occasion, and
that it would be the worst possible because it may
furnish an argument for political discussions for the
admission of ladies to the electoral franchise.
(Laughter and cheers.) I feel that I ought not to
trespass upon your time further than to express the
great sense I entertain of the honour you have paid
to myself and to my colleagues in proposing the
health of her Majesty's Ministers. It is a subject
of great gratification to me. As it has been ob-
served by the President, it has been the good for-
tune of the present Government to make provision
for the establishment of the Royal Academy in a
situation more worthy of them, which will enable
them more advantageously to display their treasures
of art, and, above all, give them more ample op-
portunities of conducting their instructions in art
to the rising generation of artists. It is also a mat-
ter
of good fortune that eight years ago, when I had
the honour to be connected with the Government,
my noble friend the present First Commissioner
of Works had a scheme for establishing the Royal
Academy on a site in the very neighbourhood which
they are now about to occupy. But, unfortunately,
the termination of the Government—absit omen!—
(laughter and cheers)—put an end to it. We had
not then, unfortunately, the sanction of Parliament
which we now have on the subject. lean only hope
that, though at my time of life I cannot look for--
ward to a very distant future, I may be spared to
be present at many meetings of this character. I
beg to thank you, for the honour you have done us.
(Cheers.)
The PRESIDENT--When giving the health of her
Majesty's Ministers I expressed the gratitude of
the Royal Academy for the site granted to us on
the Burlington estate ; but I must be permitted
to observe, although our lease is signed and we
are busy laying the foundations of the gal-
leries to be erected in the rear of Burlington
House, we do not get possession of Burlington House
proper till the Government have provided accom-
modation for the Royal Society now occupying that
building. When that is effected, Burlington House,
on which it is proposed to erect an additional story,
will be the entrance to the new Royal Academy.
It is evident, therefore, that for the speedy realisa-
tion of these important national purposes we shall
be greatly dependent on the friendly co-operation
of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. If, with his
'friendly assistance and the sanction of Pariiament,
this can be speedily arranged, a year will be saved
in the carrying out of these important purposes. I
trust, under thus circumstances, Irony be permitted
to propose a toast which, on such an occasion as
this, will be most welcome, " The House cf Com-
mons," and to connect with it " The Health of the 1
Chancellor of the Exchequer." (Cheers.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, who nd'its
in S
received with cheers, said—Mr. President, my l
our,
and gentlemen, you have reminded us y
address that the toast which you h avedee now proposed
d, although
is an unusual one in this room ; and,
in
have now for many years had the honour of bein,,,
your guest, and attending at thish classical anniver-
sary,Alecca of society,
which I look upon
and an annual duty which iatsists aed lieht to fulfil, it
is the first time that I have heared the House of
Commons proposed as a toasit. Your assembled
guests, I ant sure, will feel deeply hououred and
gratified by what has occurred this evening. The
House of Commons, though sometimes. not men-
tioned in the same terms of approval, will consider
them peculiarly complimentary. I have sometimes