The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-28 00:00:00

The National Reform Fete and Banquet.

The committee of Trades Delegates which has
been appointed to make the arrangements for the
carrying out of this celebration, which is to take
place at the Crystal Palace on Monday next, met
again at the Bell Inn, Old Bailey, last evening.
Mr. GEORGE POTTER, the chairman of the Com-
mittee, presided, and on the part of the sub-corn-
mitee, upon whom the making of the arrangements
as to the celebration more particularly devolves, re-
ported that the arrangements had now almost
reached a conclusion, and he was happy to state
that everything hitherto had proceeded most favour-
ably. They were all aware that at their last meet-
ing a suggestion was made, that as Mr. Bright had
not sent an answer officially as to attending the
banquet, a deputation would be better able than a
letter to induce the hon. gentleman to be present on
that occasion. It was then determined by the com-
mittee that the matter should be left in his (Mr.
Potter's) hands, to act as he considered most pru-
dent. He had sent a letter to Mr. Bright, and the
answer he had received was neither more satisfac-
tory nor more discouraging than that which had
previously been received. It was put into the hands
of the secretary, who telegraphed to Mr. Bright
stating that a deputation had been appointed to wait
upon him, and asking him where he could be
found. To that telegram an answer had been re-
ceived from Mr. Bright that day, stating that ho
did not wish that a deputation should wait upon
him, and that he would write to the committee
on the subject. As Mr. Bright was coming
every day nearer to Rochdale, the answer
might be immediately expected. In reference
to the arrangements everything that the committee
had wished to be done in the matter had been done.
A programme of the proceedings of the day had been
drawn up, and the toasts to be proposed at the ban-
quet had been selected with a view to give expres-
sion to the political opinions of the Working Men's
Association, as well as to carry out the convivial
character of the celebration. These toasts would be
put into the hands of competent gentlemen, but the
names of those gentlemen had not yet been finally
fixed. As regarded the prospects of success, he had
to state that they were most favourable. There
would be a greater number of gentlemen present
than would find opportunity to speak, and he might
state that City gentlemen especially were giving in
their adhesion to the movement. The manager of the
Crystal Palace Company was doing all he could to
secure a large attendance. The estimates of 'the
numbers who would attend were of course various
and conflicting. Some said 20,000, many 80,000,
and not a few that 100,000 would be present ; but
however that might be, all they wanted to secure a
most perfect success was fine weather. Many mem-
bers of Parliament who had been absent were now
returning to town, and many of them would no
doubt be present at the banquet, and there was
every reason to believe that 800 or 1,000 persons
would sit down to it.

The SECRETARY stated that the list of toasts to be
proposed at the banquet, so far as arranged, was as
follows :—The Queen and the Royal Family ; the
Reform Act of 1867 accepted as an instalment, to
be responded to by Mr. A. S. Ayrton, M.P. ; the
Nation's Laws by the People's Voice, to be responded
to by Sir J. Boring ; a Free Press, a Free Parlia-
ment, and a Free People, the best safeguard of
Liberty and Progress, to be proposed by General
Thompson ; the National Reform Union ; the
Working Men's Reform Association ; the Reform
League, coupled with the name of Mr. Beales, &c.
These were the toasts, as so far arranged, but the
names of all those who were to speak upon them
could not at present be announced.
Mr. JENKINS, a member of the sub-committee,
stated that he had taken some pains to dispose of
tickets for the banquet in the City, and that he had
met with the greatest success.
The report of the committee having been adopted,
several matters of a routine nature were arranged in
reference to the celebration, and the proceedings ter-
minated with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

DEATH OF MR. itornlNo LACY.—The death of
this well-known dramatic author is announced. Mr. Lacy's
connection with the drama and the theatres has boon of
fifty years' duration. His principal pieces were produced
at the late Covent-garden Theatre, between the years 1830
and 1830. He was the author of " Cinderella," a comic
opera, produced at Covent-garden, and which achieved
great success, running some hundreds of consecutive
nights. Mr. Lacy also wrote several dramas, and adapted
the opera of "Robert le Diable" to the English stage. As
a novelty, he attempted to produce Handol's oratorio of
" Israel in Egypt," with scenery and costumes, at Covent-
garden Theatre, iu 1832, but the performance was prohi-
bited by the Lord Chamberlain, as an infringement of tho
act by which theatres are lie Bused.
THE KENT-P,OAD MURDER.---LOUIS Bordier,
currier, was yesterday, at the Central Criminal Court,
found guilty of the wilful murder of Mary Ann Snow, 3
young woman with whom lie had cohabited, and sentenced
to be hanged in front of licawamager-lane Gaol