The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-21 00:00:00

was about 11 o'clock, as the shops were shutting up'
The magistrate said, as it was impossible that
the charge of fraud, upon which the prisoner had
been committed, -could be taken at the ensuing
sessions, it would, therefore, be as well to keep
the present charge of arson open. He should
remand the priwner again until Friday week.
The greatest interest- was manifested throughout
the proceedings. The court was densely crowded.

BANQUET TO THE MA FOR OF

MELBOURNE.

Sir John Ratcliff, Mayor of Birmingham, enter-
tained Mr. Smith, the Mayor of Melbourne, Aus-
tralia, at a grand banquet at the Royal Hotel,
Birmingham, on Tuesday evening.
About two hundred and twenty gentlemen were
present, these including nearly all the members of
the Town Council, many of the magistracy, most
of the merchants and manufacturers connected with
the Australian trade, and in other respects the
mercantile community of Birmingham was well re-
presented.

" Prosperity to the British Colonies," coupled
with " The health of the Mayor of Melbourne,"
was toasted by Sir J. RATCLIFF, and very warmly
received.
knOwleclo-mr, the toast Li'
The Mayor of MELBOURNE
d-I
haverepli replied, and
honour i n
t 7 0
be a native of Australia. You have R.lititced at
what the Australian colonies should be F-IM-t in
saying what they ought to be, you have said i-hat
they really are. For what are they ? They are
simply the offspring of the British people. (1L ar.)
I claim to be a British subject, and I claim Eng-
land as my country. (Cheers.) In malting this
claim I believe that I only echo the sentiments of
my Australian fellow-colonists. (Hear.) I am, as
mcst of you are aware, a native of that country.
My mother was a native before me ; and therefore
I may say lam almost thoroughbred. (Laughter.)
Be this as it may, we look at ourselves as part and
parcel of England, as living under the English con-
stitution; and though Ns e are now only little bent-
lings, yet we ask you to treat us as dutiful and
loving children. We have not yet given you any
men to fight your battles ; you have not yet asked
us for them ; but I beg to say that if England was
in danger to-morrow there are more than a hundred
'thousand British hearts in Australia who Weuld
rush'to your assistance. (Much applause.) I will say
nothing of her gold, but I believe that if you required
half her wealth to support your war, and maintain
the character and honour of England, you would
have it readily sent you. (Hear.) No man has been
in a better position than myself for knowing the
feeling of my fellow colonists_ Some years ago,
when difficulties arose with regard to matters at
the diggings, and the peace of my city was threat-
ened—for I was then mayor, as I am now—the
simple mention of the matter in the newspapers
made more than two thousand gentlemen come for-
ward voluntarily and enrol themselves as special
constables. I believe you misunderstood us, or you
would have known us better long since ; and I
would direct the attention of the British commer-
cial world to one matter which has done much to
deteriorate your interests. For the last four or five
years, notwithstanding the large subsidy given by
our colonial parliament to support a mail commu-
nication, a rapid, certain, and direct means of com-
munication is still among the things of the future.
The carelessness of England in this respect is felt
keenly by your own flesh and blood in the Austra-
lian colonies. I could tell you of numberless in-
stances where mercantile men have had their cha-
racter blasted as the result of the indifference mani-
fested on this important matter. (Hear.) Having
had one or two interviews with gentlemen in office,
I believe I may say that the present government
are alive to this, and that we ma expect a better
state of things ere long. (Chem's. As to the pro-
gress of the colony of Victoria, a ew statistics will
show you better than any words of mine. As you
are aware our colony is a very young one. When
I first went to Melbourne from Sydney, 20 years
ago, bricks and stone were not known, there being
only a few wattle and daub houses ; but in 1851 The
revenue of the corporation of the city had reached
£85,000. The imports were in that year £3,000,000;
in 1856 they were within £l,OOO of £15,000,000.
Their exports were in 1852, £6,000,000 ; in 1857
they.were £11,000,000. The revenue of the colony
was in 1851, £400,000; in 1857 it was £2,900,000.
Their expenditure in 1851 was £410,000, and in
1857 it had reached £3,250,000. (Cheers.) We
have in Melbourne a full-fledged corporation—
mayor, aldermen, and councillors. In 1343, when it
was established, the revenue of that body was £1,500 ;
in 1851 it was £75,000. They have now streets a
mile long, paved with stone brought all the way
from Scotland ,and some of these will bear com-
parison with anything I have as yet seen in London.
Why, indeed, should Engl'shmen degenerate
mill ever they went? I believe that Britain, in
establishing the: e colonies, is simply obeying the
behest given to the first man, " Go forth and mul-
tiply and replenish the earth." Her rule is the
most free cf any ; it is, in fact, the essence of
liberty ; and I believe that if ever there is a uni-
versal tonges., the English will be that tongue.
(Cheers.) In Australia the Sabbath day is well
ob:-creed ; indeed we are quite Scotch in this par-
ticular. (Laughter.) As regards education I
may mention that our Legislature, of which I have
the honour to be one, as member for Melbourne,
last year, devoted £2,000 to that purpose. (Cheers.)
On this point Mr. Smith enlarged, and in conclu-
sion went on to say that when he got back to his
own dear city he would not fail to let the people of
Melbourne know what a reception he had met with
in Birmingham. He had been obliged to decline .
many pressing invitations, but the kind, and hand-
some manner in which, on his landing, Sir John
Rateliff asked him to pass a shcrt time in Birming-
ham was such that he felt it would have been un-
grateful for him to refuse his hospitality. Ile should
do what he could for the trade of Birmingham in
Melbourne ; but he playfully cautioned the mer-
chants and manufacturers present that Australian
folk knew the difference between good creditable
Birmingham stuff and that which in bygone days
went by the name of Brummagem. (Cheers.)
" The health of Sir John Ratcliff" was toasted by
the Mayor of Melbourne, and drunk with that cor-
diality so deserving of the munificence and public
spirit which has marked Sir J. Ratchff s dual
mayoralty.