The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-12 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, JULYI2, 1867.

The Viceroy of EGYPT was entertained last night
at a banquet at the Mansion House, when a brilliant
company assembled to meet him. The proceedings
were of a very interesting character, and it is satis-
factory to find that all went off in the most success-
ful manner. The Prince of WALES and the Duke
of CANIBMIDe,E were among those who appeared to
do honour to the illustrious guest. Curiously enough
the entertainment took place in the Egyptian-hall,
which has_had three Viceroys of EGYPT in its

walls as guests during past years. In proposing the
toast of the evening, the Lord Mayor made soi
ue
appropriate remarks, and with effective eloquent ie
sketched the peculiar recollections with which th
name of the Viceroy of Egypt was associated. As;
a people, he truly said, we attach considerable ira_
portance to ancient lineage, and regard with p.Ado
the long line of monarchs through which out QUEEX
can trace her descent. "But with the name of Egypt
what associations with the past arise ! Its
dynasties extend over more than four thousand
years, and its pyramids are still memorials of its
early grandeur and renown. Egypt was the ea: ly
seat of political civilisation, it was the land of co..n,
wine, and oil, to which famine-stricken naticais
resorted for food when Britain was an uncultivated
waste, inhabited by a barbarous people." But if
this part of this land is so rich in associations and so
glorious in memory, the future is not without its
claims of greatness and distinction, although in a
different style, and in a more modified way, and the
Lord Mayor alluded to this in an emphatic passage,
when he said that commerce was encouraged under
the rule of its enlightened Governor, and railways,
with their mighty power of civilisation, were ex-
tending over the country. In pursuing this theme
he prophesied that as the influence of the West made
way in Egypt we should see the wires of the tele-
graph supported on the side of the Pyramids,
and the murmurings of the Sphynx made
utterance of political economy. The sympathy
of his hearers was with the Lord Mayor
throughout, and very cordially did they concur
in his closing remarks that we should give a hearty
welcome to the present ruler of Egypt for many
reasons, and conspicuous among them for the
facilities he gave to the passage of our troops at
the time of our India troubles.

The Viceroy of EGYPT addressed the assembly in
his native tongue, which was afterwards interpreted
by NUBAR PASEIA in French. He conveyed the
expressions of his sincere gratitude for the recep-
tion he had met with, and alluded to the visit of
his father twenty-one years ago to this country,
and the reception he had then met in that
Hall. As to the services which had been rendered
to England by Egypt the Viceroy declared that in
doing so his country had only paid a debt, for
England had mainly contributed to the construc-
tion of railways, and he felt happy in having the
opportunity of expressing his thanks and acknow-
ledgments to the Government and the people of
this country. The Prince of WALES, in the
course of the remarks he made,testified to the satis-
faction he felt in entertaining as an honoured guest
the Viceroy of EGYPT. He himself, in 1862, had
been received in the kindest manner by his uncle,
the late Viceroy. After referring to points of inte-
rest connected with the thoughts of Egypt, his
royal highness gratified the audience by declaring
that the Princess of WALES had now nearly re-
covered from her long and painful illness, and that
he trusted in a month's time she might leave Lon-
don. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was
very well received, made a most interesting
speech, in which he touched upon subjects
of political moment, while he alluded to
the immediate topic before them. Respecting
the House of Commons, he said that the relations
of that assembly with the city of London are most
memorable ones, and that the measure now passing
through Parliament will increase the rights of the
people, and that it had not been conducted in the
acerbity of a party struggle. As for the VICEROY,
he added, it was an additional pleasure to refer to
beneficial changes before a Prince who showed
in the Government of his own country how greatly
he prized representative institutions. It is, as
Mr. DisnA.F.Lt emphatically said, interesting to re-
member that in that " ancient and illustrious land, the
mother of so many arts, and which has been destined
to exercise so signal an influence on the fate and
character of the human race, a Prince now reigns
who, in the teeming and inexhaustible land of the
Pharoahs and Ptolemies, has applied all the re-
sources of modern science, and even laid the foun-
dation of representative institutions." Mr. DISRAELI
is always most happy on occasions like the
one we are now referring to, and possesses
the art of blending the associations of the past with
the most noticeable features of the present, and he
could nowhere have found a more suitable topic
than Egypt for a speech of this kind. Amid the
whirl and conflist of political life, and in the tur-
moil of business and the engrossment of commerce,
it is refreshing to turn aside for a moment, and in
the task of welcoming an illustrious guest
to our shores, find a real and rare oppor-
tunity for wandering in thought to that land
of marvel and mystery which Egypt has always
been. From the summit of its Pyramids, as the
Great NAPOLEON told his soldiers, forty centuries
contemplate us, and it is gratifying to think that
the land still contains the spirit of vitality, and has
not crumbled away with the dust of ages, or perished
with the waning glories of less solid states and
more ephemeral races. It is seldom indeed that
so interesting and suggestive a theme for contem-
plation, association, and reflection is presented to the
notice of the frequenters of banquets, and we aro
glad to think that the Viceroy of EGYPT has been
so well and so worthily received as he was last
night. The rank, the talent, and the rulers of the
country were ably represented to do honour to him,
and to assure him of the genial regard and the
lively interest which the people of England feel in
him as a ruler, and in the land which he so worthily
governs, and which calls forth so many feelings of
admiration for its past and respect for its present
history.

We are likely just now to have ample opportu-
nity of displaying our national hospitality. We
cannot, indeed, rival the show of crowned heads
that a neighbouring capital has been able to boast
of, but we have received a dignitary who very sel-
dom visits Europe, and to-day we are to welcome
the advent of no less a person than the SULTAN
himself. The very title of the Sultan seems strange
amid the world of London business and pleasure.
It
_makes us think of the domes and minarets of
Stamboul rather than our own familiar St. Paul's ; it

is associated with all theluxurious dignity of Eastern
life, in place of the plain and bustling business of
the English metropolis. We are reminded of the
days when Turkey was a prominent Power in
Europe, and when, in place of needing the aid of
one or two of the leading nations to defend herself
against a single enemy, Turkey alone was able to
face successfully the combined forces of two great
Powers. In still older days, indeed, a goodly
share of Europe was under her sway. The
mizsion of the Mahometan was to conquer,
and he fulfilled It with a vigour that insured
success. For many a long decade the Turks were
numbered among the usurpers of unhappy Poland,
while Hungary herself was completely under her
sway, and the Magyars still cherish the name of
HUNYOCLES in connection with their war of de-
liverance.

The SULTAN is associated with all our early
lessons of the wonders of Eastern life, and it seems
strange indeed that we may expect to see him
riding through the streets of London. Nevertheless
such is the order of the day, and our ancient ally is
to see for himself the marvels of English industry

and civilisation. ABDUL AZIZ himself, indeed, has
has 7.10 t been long an occupant of the throne, but
he ft Lithf ally represents the traditional policy of his
dynasty, whose members have been among our
m ost trusted allies. All possible honour will be
paid to his Majesty on .the occasion of his visit, and
he himself will travel with all the pomp and cir-
cunntance worthy of his exalted position. His
suite will consist of fifty-nine persons. The pro-
giamme of entertainments prepared for the enter-
tainment of the illustrious visitor will be extremely
brilliant, and we hope that the SULTAN will have
good reason to acknowledge that splendid and cor-
dial hospitality is not confined to the East.
Much interest of a different kind is felt in more
homely but not less welcome visitors. The Belgian
Volunteers, whose long-promised visit has now ac-
tually begun, have been looked for with kindly ex-
pectation, and every possible effort has been made
to secure them a full supply of entertainment of all
kinds during their ten days' visit. They are to be
welcomed, as a matter of course, by the hospitable
City ; they are to visit Wimbledon, on the
invitation of the Prince of WALES. Her
MAJESTY is to receive them at Windsor, and
a splendid ball is to be given in their honour in
the Agricultural Hall. Miss BunDETT COUTTS has
invited them to a fele at Highgate—in short, there
is an almost bewildering variety of festivities to be
crowded into the programme set before them. The
Belgians, however, have come prepared for very
hard work in pleasure-seeking, and received the
intimation what was expected from them with
every demonstration of satisfaction. The weather
yesterday was all that could be desired to give them
a pleasant reception, and although, as is universally
the case, there were some little conti etemps in the
arrangements, the visitors seemed in the best possi-
ble spirits, and fully prepared to enjoy themselves.
The recent melancholy events in Mexico have, of
course, disappointed the hope that the King of the
BELGIANS might have honoured the fetes with his
presence ; but his subjects will at least be able to
carry back to him the news that the English sym-
pathise deeply with the cause of his sorrow, while
they rejoice at having the opportunity of manifest-
ing their hearty goodwill to his people.

Lord STANLEY'S remarks on the Mexican ques-
tion last evening were distinguished by his usual
moderation and calmness. In answer to a question,
put by Sir L. PALE, as to the notice to be take❑ of
the execution of the EMPEROR by the British Par-
liament, Lord STANLEY said that he thought that
there were very grave objections to recording
a judgment of the House upon such a
matter. He did not see how they could
come to such a resolution without discussing the
whole merits and policy of the Mexican expedition,
and he thought, too, that such a judgment would
set an inconvenient precedent, as we could not ex-
pect to take notice of every outrageous act com-
mitted in civil war. As for the recal of our
representative, the Minister to Mexico was
now in England on leave ; and as ho had
been accredited to the late Emperor, therefore
his functions had ceased. He did not propose
to suspend all diplomatic relations with Mexico, as
such a course could do no harm to the Mexican
Government, but great harm to the English resi-
dents ; the Charge d'Affaires would, consequently,
remain. Lord STANLEY showed his usual good
sense and prudence in this decision, though he
might have expressed more indignation against the
outrageous act. He appeared to forget that by his
own showing MAXIMILIAN was the recognised
ruler of Mexico, and, therefore, his execution
could not be set down as nothing more than the
common excesses of civil war. If it was worth
while to accredit an Ambassador to the EMPEROR,
we might surely take some public notice of his
murder, while such neglect on our part is unbecom-
ing alike to the Emperor of AUSTRIA and to our
own SOVEREIGN, who might both reasonably ex-
pect some expression of condolence from the Par-
liament for the murder of their near relation.