The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-22 00:00:00

BANQUET TO THE BELGIAN OFFICERS.

On Saturday evening the Lord Mayor and the
Lady Mayoress gave a banquet at the Mansion-
house in honour of the visit of the Belgians. Tire
whole of the Belgian officers, with the principal
members of the Reception Committee, had been in-
vited, but owing to the review at Wimbledon, they
were not all able to be present, although the dinner
had been retarded to afford them the opportunity.
The company, about 150 in number, also included
the chairman (Mr. Deputy Fry) and the rest of the
members of the Guildhall Entertainment Commit-
tee. Miss Burdett Coutts had been pleased to accept
an invitation, and occupied a seat immediately on the
right of the Lord Mayor. She was accompanied by
Mrs. Brown. The banquet was served in the Egyptian
Hall, which was expressly decorated for the occasion,
the Belgian and English flags being grouped to-
gether over the chair, and the Turkish tricolour,
with its crescent and stars, suspended from a gallery
in front. On the left of the Lady Mayoress sat Col.
Gregoire, commander of the Belgian detachment,
and among the Belgian officers present were Lieut.-
Col. Peesteus, Count Robiano, commander of the
Cavalry Garde Civique, Brussels ; Viscount Goupy
de Beauvolers, Count Gaston d'Arschot, Lieut.-
Col. Douxchamps, the whole of the medical staff,
Major Charmet, 4th Lancers ; Capt. Chesselinck
and Lieut. Dessart, aides-de-camp of Lieutenant-
General Department de Belgique ; Lieut. Rynen-
broeck, M. Boyaval, the Bourgmeistre of Bruges,
the Bourgmeistre of Malines, M. Herry, the Bourg-
meistre of Lacken, the Bourgmeistre de Shaerbeck,
and M. Daily, President of the Tir National ; the
whole of the Etat Major ; M. de Cock and M. de
Lew, Echevins de Gand ; and the Viscount de
Renesse Breidbach. There were likewise present
Mr. Graves, M.P., Alderman Col. Wilson, Lieut.-
Col. Gourley, the Belgian Consul and Madame
Delepierre, M. Ch. Donnay de Casteau, Attache
Belgian Embassy ; Alderman Sidney, Alderman Sir
F. Moon, Alderman Lawrence, M.P., Alderman
Gibbons, Alderman and Sheriff and Mrs. Water-
low, Lieut.-Col. Thompson, Capt. Mackenzie, Lieut.
Furley, Mr. Cockraft, the Mayor and Mayoress of
Scarborough, Captains Burgess and Clode, Major
Meder, Mr. C. Pascoe, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Merteus,
Mr. R. Harrison, Lieut. Dean, Ensign Remington,
the Rev. J. Russell Stock, chaplain to the Lord
Mayor, Mr. Joseph Gibbs, private secretary, and
many others.
The band of the Coldstream Guards played dur-

ing dinner.

On the removal of the cloth the Lord Mayor and
the Lady Mayoress drank to the company in a
loving cup, and then the toast of " The Queen" was
given from the chair and drunk with every mark of
respect.
The LORD MAYOR said he had next to invite the
company to drink " The Health of his Majesty the
King of the Belgians." (Cheers.) He was sure his
English friends would not forget the close and inti-
mate relations which for many years has existed be-
tween the two nations, nor the affectionate relation-
ship between their own beloved Sovereign and the
late King of the Belgians, who earned for himself
the esteem of the English people as the sagacious
and confidential adviser of her Majesty. In times
of trouble she relied upon him for judicious coun-
sel and sympathy, and heavy was the loss which
her Majesty had sustained in common with the
whole Belgian nation by his death. It was a
satisfaction now to know that the Belgian
people were governed by the son of that monarch,
and that he revered the memory and followed the
example of his honoured father. (Cheers.) The
effects of his Government were manifested in a
loyal and faithful people, prosperous in commerce,
and enjoying all the blessings that could arise from
civil and religious liberty. (Renewed cheering.) It
was a satisfaction to know that what was revered
by us as good government was as much revered by
the Belgians. No two nations, in fact, were more
bound together by a community of ties, of interests,
and of sympathies, and long might they be so.
(Cheers.)
The toast of " His Majesty's health" was drunk
with acclamation, and the band played the " Bra-
ba.nconne." It was followed by the toast of " The
Prince and Princess of Wales and the other mem-
bers of the Royal Family," which was received with
equal cordiality.
The LORD Ma on said he was now about to pro-
prose what might be called the toast of the evening
—" The Belgian Volunteer officers." (Cheers.) He
deeply regretted that the time which their Belgian
friends had at their disposal did not enable him to
give a longer notice and so insure a larger company
to give them welcome. lie also regretted that as
that was the only day they could accept his invita-
tion the Volunteer review at Wimbledon had
prevented him having the pleasure of seeing many
other officers, Lord Elcho among the rest, who
would otherwise have graced his board with their
company. However, many of the Belgian officers
were present, and he tendered them a very hearty
welcome. (Cheers.) The metropolitan commu-
nity had seen with great pleasure so many of the
loyal subjects of Belgium on this occasion, and they
did not forget that this was but a return visit to
that made by our Volunteers to their country last
year, nor the
~hospitality and good feeling displayed
to them on that occasion by every class of the Bel-
gian people, from the poorest inhabitant to their
noble Sovereign himself. (Cheers.) He could only
hope that the welcome given to the Belgians in
England was such as to assure them that we were
not at all insensible to the hospitality and good feel-
ing which they had shown our countrymen.
(Cheers from the Belgian officers.) The weather
had not been so propitious as could have ben
wished, but our Belgian visitors could not fail to
have been struck with the food for reflection which
the contemplation of such a metropolis as London
presented to the mind of every intelligent man, and
in that respect their visit would not have been un-
profitable to them. At all events, we had all been
delighted to see them. In England we all knew the
full import of the word " Volunteers," and he
not think he could better describe it, or the motive
which actuated them, than in the eloquent words
used by Lord Elcho the other day—" duty and love
of country." (Cheers.) Undoubtedly those were
the principles which had influenced our Volunteers,
and which had induced some 180,000 of them to
muster and train themselves in defenee of our be-
loved country. The principles that actuated the
Volunteers of both Belgium and England were the
same ; long might it continue to be so, and might
nothing ever occur to disturb the friendly relation-
ships between the two nations ! (Loud cheers.) Iu
many well-contested battles the armies of the two
Countries had made the acquaintance of each other,
and had fought side by side, the object of both
being the same—namely, liberty. Long might it
be before they had again to marshal themselves in
the field ; but should the occasion ever arise each
knew well the reliance that could be placed in the
other. Let them hope, however, that the only in-
vasions of either country would be thefriendly raids
which one was now making upon the other in these
annual visits. (Cheers.)
Colonel GREG oir.r., whose name had been coupled
with the toast, said, speaking in French—ln the
name of my compatriots I beg to propose a toast to
the noble Lord Mayor of London, and to his
worthy companion the Lady Mayoress, for the cor-
dial and sympathetic reception which we have re-
ceived at the Mansion-house. We shall ever pre-
serve the souvenir of the hospitality we have enjoyed
in England, and we shall bear to our own country
recollections which will never be effaced from our
memories—recollections which will excite in Bel-
gium the deepest gratitude towards our hosts and
the generous and patriotic band of Volunteer rifle-
men. I drink, then, to the health of the noble lord
and of his gracious lady, a toast which will, I am
Sure, be received with the warmest enthusiasm.
The toast was duly honoured, and by the Belgians
in particular, who raised an enthusiastic cheer.
The LORD MAYOR in proposing " the Munici-
cipalities of Belgium"
the great said the company well knew
Public services which in bygone days had
been rendered by ancient municipalities, and might
still be renderedsh
should occasion arise. They were the
nurseries in
connection
with the old civic guilds of
freedom and thoughtln past ages they had,
and
of manly independence.
played an important part in