The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-23 00:00:00

Mr. Lowe, M.P., at the Mansion-house.

Yesterday evening the Lord Mayor and the Lady
Mayoress entertained the members of the Court of
Aldermen and part of the Common Council, the
Sheriffs of Loudon, and most of the metropolitan
and some other members of Parliament at a banquet
at the Mansion House. Covers were laid for about
230 guests, and among them were the Right Hon.
R. Lowe, M.P., Gen. Sir J. Burgoyne, Admiral Sir
F. Nicholson, Sir F. L. Arthur, Admiral Ommanney,
Hon. P. J. Locke-King, ALP., Col. Sykes, ALP.,
Mr. Briscoe, M.P., Mr. Layard, M.P., Mr. John
Locke, Q.C., M.P., Mr. T. Hankey, M.P., Mr.
Doulton, M.P., Mr. Watkin, M.P., Mr. Wyld,
ALP., Mr. Ayrton, M.P., and Mr. M'Cullagh Tor-
rens, M.P.

On the removal of the cloth, the Lord Mayor and
the Lady Mayoress drank to their guests in a loving
cup.

"The health of her Majesty" was then given from
the chair, followed by that of the " Prince and
Princess of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family."
The Lord Mayor taking occasion to say, in reference
to the Princess of Wales, that the deep concern
manifested by all classes of the community at the
indisposition of her Royal Highness proved to what
extent the Princess had taken possession of the affec-
tions of the people.
The LORD MAYOR afterwards proposed the
" House of Commons," and in doing so said it
might be thought by some persons that ho was a
bold man who, in the present state of things, would
propose this toast, but he would venture to say that
he was a bolder man who would dare to reply to it.
(A laugh.) He was proud, however, to say that they
were honoured on the present occasion with the
company of a gentleman who had abundant courage
for such a task--the Right Hon. Robert Lowe—
(cheers)—who, with that manly courage which bad
hitherto distinguished him, would reply to this toast,
and tell them that he by no means intended judg-
ment should go by default, so far as he was con-
cerned, respecting the great political question of
the day ; that he was perfectly ready to go fairly
into the case, and to abide the result of a calm
and deliberate investigation; that he would not yield
to clamour or declamation, or assert that which was
most loudly asserted to be right merely because it
was so loudly asserted. (Cheers.)
Mr. LOWE, on rising to reply, was enthusiasti-
cally cheered. He announced that he was not going
to make a political speech, and then proceeded to
illustrate the manifold and important duties which
devolved on the House of Commons. In the course
of his remarks he said—My Lord Mayor and gentle-
men, under what conditions are its powers exercised?
Your bees work in a glass hive. Every word we say,
every expression used in the heat of debate, any
illogical vehemence of argument, is taken down with
a skill and precision perfectly wonderful, is circu-
lated throughout the country, and is on tho break-
fast table of persons hundred of miles away next
morning. (Cheers.) No persons in the world ever
acted under so rigid a censorship and such minute
supervision as we do. And Iv hen we have furnished
the evidence against ourselves, our speeches and the
conduct of our business are scanned by the press,
many of the writers in which are our equals, and no
doubt many of them our superiors. Therefore I sal
no assembly ever performed functions so transcen-
dent under supervision so minute and searching, and
if we come out with anything but disgrace from the
ordeal, considering our large number, we shall have
done great things. And now we are going to under-
take the hardest work of all. Most of us have ft
some time in our lives sat down and begun to consi-
der that things were not going on precisely as the/
should do with us. We have entered on the process
of self-examination. With much reluctance wo hay°
confessed the wrong, and made good resolutions to
enter upon the process of amendment. Well, gen-
tlemen, the House of Commons, which judges and
controls every one else, is now called on to perfor'
the hardest function of all—to judge itself, to put
itself in the scale and see how far it is wanting.
(Hear.) How we may come out of that inquiry Ido
not know. Give us your good wishes. Wish for
us that we may have a spirit of candour to se°
and apprehend our errors and shortcomings. Wish
r 51).
for us that we may have a spirit of honesty. W 1
for us that we may have a spirit of firmness a
manliness to redress whatever we find amiss, t°
amend whatever is proved to be wrong in us. Wi°l/
for us that we may do our duty. And oh, gentle-
men, above all things, wish for us that when we halr_,
done that duty no human motive or ,human interest
may prompt us to do more. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. LAYARD, M.P., rose to propose "The health
of the Lord Mayor," which his lordshship briefly
acknowledged. Several other civic toasts followed'
and the company separated about ten o'clock.

WILL OF THE WISP—No. I.—has jUst flitted ill
existence as "An Occasional Fortnightly Journao
of No Party, No Politics, No Sect, No Creed' t
and—judging from its literary criticisms (short Ye
anything but sweet)—of No Mercy Instance the
paragraph-slashes administered to George Sala Iva
George Meredith, to Mrs. Wood and (though lu .s
modified way) to Miss Thackeray. The cover
.
exceedingly pretty in design, from the llovc,r7a
butterflies above the bullrushes to eke out the
Will and Wisp downwards to the symbolical birColio
rod, constantly kept, we may presume (during t

intervals of publication), in pickle.
tan
It appears from a parliamentary return Oa
tho Ist January there were in the brigade of guard,stot,
Roman Catholics, viz. : —Bl privates, 4 officers, 1 st'rg-'

1 drummer, and 4 corporals.-
CONFESSION OF MURDER.—Mr. Superimen- .0
Waters, of the Hartlepool Borough Police for to
at present engaged in instituting inquiries with reg3ra.vo
a report which is freely circulated about the town, relatt
to the mysterious circumstances attending the death of the
0
late Mr. William John Vollum, Mayor of Hartlepool/ Wll_,. °
was found—and regarded as haying been accidentallrf
drowned in the Victoria Dock, Hartlepool, on the litita
January, 1849. An Australian newspaper, recently
coived, contains ill() confession of a condemned culPhriti
who is self-accused of three murders in addition to
t"
12f
for which ho is about to undergo the extreme penalt):,e3
the law, and that ;account states the criminal menti°.l
the murder of the late Mr. W. J. Vollum, of Hartler°°
on the date fbovo named, as one el the crimes.

11 0 I\T-E-Y
X ARKET

AND

COMMEROri:LL INTELLIGENCE,

TWELVE O'CLOCK.
There is no change whatever to report in the
discount market, it having closed for the week
with a very quiet and easy aspect.:
There were no gold operations yesterday at the
Bank of Engl and.
The specie movements during the past week have
been on a rather moderate scale. The imports have
alnouhted to about £409,761, including £13,000
tree). New York, by the City of Paris, and £2,000
by the Cuba ; the Chariot of Fame, from Australia,
has brought £42,000; the Atrato, from the West
Indies and Pacific, £203,340 ; and £149,424 in
Silver has been received from the Continent. The
exports have been £10,300 to the West Indies, by
..the La Plata ; £28,972 to East Indies and China,
by the Delta ; and there have been remittances to
the Continent, through private sources, estimated
at £134,689•—the total amounting to £173,961.
Advices from Birmingham state that an improved
feeling has prevailed in the iron trade of South
Staffordshire. Orders to some extent have been re-
ceived for sheet, hoop, and strips, as also for Arm-
strong gun iron. The demand for pigs has also
been more active, and a slightly improved inquiry
has been experienced for finished iron, and the de-
mand for coal at most of the works has increased.
, 'jr. Cyrus W. Field has arrived in London.
We understand the object of his visit is to enter
into a contract with the Telegraph Construction
and Maintenance Company, on behalf of the New
York, Newfoundland, and London Telegraph Com-
Pany, for the immediate manufacture and laying of
a submarine cable between Placentia, Newfound-
land, and some point on the continent of America.
When this line is completed, the uncertainty of the
Present communication by the land lines getting
out of repair, will be in a great measure, if not
entirely removed. The public may not be aware
of the fact, but we are in a position to state it with
certainty, that the two cables of the Anglo-
Atnerican Telegraph Company are employed at
Present on an average about four hours out of every
24• They are in every respect in the most perfect
Condition for the transmission of messages.