The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-02 00:00:00

BANQ UEI AT FISHMONGERS' IL4LL.

The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers gave
a banquet at their elegant hall last evening to the
hon. members ; Mr. F. B. Renshaw, prime warden,
in the chair. The company included Mr. Goschen,
M.P., Vice-Chancellor Sir W. Page Wood, Sir
Rowland Hill, General Sir F. Smith, Admiral Sir
W. 11. Hall, Sir Powell Buxton, Bart., M.P., Sir
Bart., Colonel Robertson Aiktnan, Mr. Alderman
Sir W. Ferguson,
H. Hervey Bruce, Bart., M.P.,
W. Lawrence, M.P., Mr. Thomas Chambers, M.P.,
Mr. Charles Gilpin, M.P., Mr. A. S. Ayrton, M.P.,
Mr. J. Abel Smith, M.P., Mr. Thomas Hankey,
Mr. J. Neale l\PKenna, M.P., Mr. J. Rem-
ington Mills, -ALP., the Governor of the Batik (Mr.
Hunt), the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the
East and West India Dock Company, the Masters
of the Mercers and Drapers' Companies, and the
Master and the Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths'

Company.
According to custom, the successful young water-
men, who dating the day had contended for Dog-
gett's coat and badge, entered the hall after the
preliminary toasts had been disposed of, and re-
ceived the bottles of Wine the company gives on the

occasion.
The PRIME WARDEN, in proposing "The House
of Commons," incidentally remarked that in all pro-
bability the house would have to fight its reform
battles over again when the bill came back from
the House of Lords. That being done, he hoped
legislative attention would be given to commercial
questions, particularly to railway affairs, in which at
least five hundred millions sterling were invested.

The toast was acknowledged by Mr. GOSCLIEN,
who said we were by recent events in St. Stephen's
being cast adrift upon a sea without a political
chart, but not without hope of bringing our navi-
gation to a successful and safe issue. The outside
public had confidence in the people of this country,
and did not by any means share in the fears of
democracy which had been recently expressed in
certain parliamentary speeches. (Laughter.) The
public wished the House of Commons to settle the
Reform question, believing in their hearts that what-
ever might be the future constitution of the coun-
try they
might
sense of their fellow-countrymen —upon their love
of order,
anddepend upon the sound common
upon their law-abiding qualities. lle
thanked the Conservatives for the franchise part of
the Reform Bill, and considered that although their
measure was but an experiment, it was an experi-
ment justified by the character of the English
people. If he were asked how this bill would affect
the line that divided Liberals and Conservatives, he
would reply that it was foolish and shortsighted to
attempt to gauge the results of the bill now being
passed upon
the future of any one set of men, or
of the triumph of any one set of politicians. It
was folly to talk of Conservatives or Liberals
gaining a scat here or there at a time when, for
all they knew, they were acting out the last
chapters of their history, and were about to give
way to new combinations based upon new prin-
ciples and actuated by new motives. Consider-
ing, therefore, that when this bill became law the
world of politics might be different to that of the
present moment, he could only say that the anxie-
ties of a dying miser with regard to the treasures
he could not take away were on a par with
the anxiety often expressed with regard to the gain
of a seat or two for parties that might be about to
be entirely transformed. The future of course was
entirely unknown ; but we might look with confi-
dence, not to the balance of political classes or
parties, and not to any of those securities which
some noble lords were attempting to introduce, but
to the general body of the English people. This was
not only the opinion of the House of Commons, but
of the present electors, and he trusted that the Con-
servative members were parties not only to the policy
but to the principle of the bill. (Cheers.) The
importance of the measure could not be over-esti-
mated,
and few words would be more momentous