The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-15 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 15, 1859.

THE NAVY.

Her Majesty's tender yacht Fairy, in No. 1 Dock
at Portsmouth, has had the whole of her lower body
iron plates taken off, and new ones will be substi-
tuted. A portable iron blacksmith's shop, with
forge and fittings complete, has been placed at the
bottom of the dock to save the time and expense of
running to and fro, as well also as a precaution
against fire. The Fairy will be stronger and more
perfect than at the period of her first attendance on
the Queen.

Her Majesty's troopship Urgent, Commander
Secoombe, at Portsmouth, had fires lit yesterday to
prove the repairs done to a damaged boiler. Steam
was got up, and the proof was satisfaetory.

Holstein, the " splendid Prussian army" would find.
an appropriate camping ground ; but there it is not
to be seen. All the talk abotit "the efforts of
Prussia to obtain, for the Germa!n provinces under
Danish rule, the full exercise of those rights to
which the Federal laws and treaties between the
German Diet and Denmark give them well-founded
claims," is sheer rhodomontade. First of all, those
very treaties, brought about as they were by the
treachery of the Prussian. Court, are not the guaran-
tees, but a positive encroachment on the indepen-
denco of Schleswig-Holstein. In the second place
—even assuming them to be of any value—they
are at this moment violated by the Danish King in
the most barefaced manner. . Only a • few days
before the Regent made his Speech, the Court of
Copenhagen issued a first mufti ordinance, prohibit-
ing all "Sehleswig4lolstein societies," even though
they simply were of a literary, artistic, or agri-
cultural character. And, in the face of such facts,
the Regent does not scruple to talk of his efforts for
the Duchies, and of the "honour" of the Prussian
, Army ! •
The harangue winds up with another trumpeting
forth the praise of the Army, which is declared to
be " conscious of Victory, Justice, Truth, and Fear
of God !" It ,would appear the peculiar specialite
of Prussian Rulers to launch out into such rhetorical
absurdities. Enough, howevor, of verbiage so
sickening to common sense. We will content our-
selves with calling. the attention, of the reader to
the fact that strict Military and Dynastic Rule—
and not Parliamentary Government—is now pro-
fessedly the aim of the Regent. We, on our part,
never expected better things of him ; but it is well
that the eulogists_ nf the ,Prince William who
laboured to lead public opinion astray, should now
be convicted out of the mouth of their idol.

TESTIMONIAL AND DINNER TO MR.
ROBERT BIGNELL.

On Wednesday, Mr. R. Bignell, the proprietor of
the Argyll Rooms, was entertained at a complimen-
tary dinner, by a considerable number of his friends
and neighbours, desirous of testifying their satis-
faction at his having obtained a renewal of his
music licence, and of expressing their appreciation
of the admirable manner in which his establish-

ment is conducted. The entertainment was given
in St. James's Hall, the tickets being a guinea
each. The subscriptions to the testimonial, which
is of the value of three hundred guineas, were ad
libitum. At six o'clock about one hundred and forty
gentlemen sat down to an admirably-served bait-
quet, presided over by Lord William Lennox ; and
the style of the repast, and the excellency of the
wines, elicited universal commendation. Upon the

removal of the cloth, "For these and all tily mer-
cies given " was finely sung by Miss Ransford, Miss
Eyles, Mr. G. Genge, Mr. W. E. Ransford, Mr.
George Perren, and Mr. Ransford, the latter of
whom had the conducting of the musical part of
the entertainment, the whole of which gave the
utmost satisfaction.

The noble CHAIRMAN having proposed the usual
loyal and patriotic toasts, in brief and neat
speeches, at length rose to propose the toast of the
evening, " The health of Mr. Bignell, and success
to the Argyll Rooms," the enunciation of which
was received with long-continued demonstrations
of applause. His lordship said, he had been asked
to take the chair upon this occasion, and he had
consented to do so, without the slightest hesi-
tation, although he was not unaware of the obloquy
to which he exposed himself is so doing. (Cheers.)
He saw no reason to hesitate, and when he made
up his mind to a thing, feeling that it involved the
violation of no moral or religious obligation, he took
his own course, turning neither to the right nor to
the left to avoid any malignant or silly things that
might be said of him. (Hear.) Before he proceeded
further, however, let him say, that he came there
—and he believed he might speak for the whole
company—in no spirit of triumph or exultation, at
having achieved a victory. (Hear, heal.) They felt
that Mr. Bignell had sustained a wrong and an
injury in the withholding of his licence for a whole
year, at a great pecuniary loss ; but he (Lord Len-
nox) did not feel disposed to attribute any improper
feeling to those magistrates who had withheld it.
Men might, and he believed did, conscientiously
differ upon subjects of this kind ; and it was enough
for them to know that the right thing had now been
done, and he doubted not would be done in future.
(Cheers.) With regard to the toast he had risen to
propose, he doubted not that it would be heartily
drank and responded to. (Cheers.) He (Lord Len-
nox) had been introduced to Mr. Bignell, at Don-
caster, by a-nobleman of the highest rank and the
most unimpeachable character, who spoke of him as
an upright, enterprising, and honourable man, and
in all his intercourse with him he had found him to
be so. (Hear.) The way in which he conducted his
brilliant establishment was beyond all praise. The
entertainment itself was of a very high order, and
the utmost proprieties were observed. (Hear.) He
was extremely glad that the magistrates had re-
vised and reversed their decision of the previous
year, for places of this kind were much to be de-
sired, especially in a place like London, where per-
sons were mostly confined to their business all day,
and had to battle with the anxieties, and, many of
them, with the difficulties of life. In such places as
the Argyll Rooms, they could shake off the cares
of the day, and enjoy a healthful recreation ; and
he believed that, when well conducted, as this was,
they were of great benefit to the community.
(Continued cheering.) He feared that there was
too strong a disposition prevalent to interfere with
and put down the amusements of the people. Those
who entertained such a position should remember
that " All work and no play makes Jack a dull
boy ;" and they might depend upon it, too, that if
they deprived persons who required it of public and
rational amusements, they would drive them to
secret and surreptitious indulgences, by far more
likely to corrupt their morals and impoverish their
pockets. (Cheers.) In conclusion, the noble lord
again expressed his admiration of Mr. Bignell's
character and undertaking, and said he had great
pleasure not only in proposing his health, but in
presenting to him the very splendid testimonial
which stood before him, and which had been pur:

chased by the subscriptions of his neighbours and
friends, as a substantial expression of the esteem in
which they held him. The noble lord resumed his
seat amidst great applause, and the toast was drank
with great enthusiasm.
[The presentation, an exquisite silver centre-piece, manu-
factured by Mr. Hancock, of Bruton-street, and of the
value of three hundred guineas, is one of the most classical
and elegant designs we have ever seen. The grouping of
the figures, the boldness and beauty of the chasing, and the
tout-ensemble excited the utmost admiration. The base is of
black ebony, and the inscription is as follows :—" Presented
to Mr. R. R. Bignell, by his friends and neighbours, at a
complimeptary dinner, at St. James's Hall, January 12,
1859, as a token of their esteem, and to mark their satisfac-
tion at his having obtained a renewal of his music licence."]
Mr. BIGNELL, in returning thanks, said he was
not a man to make a long speech, but he could
assure his friends that what he said came from his
heart. (Cheers.) He felt very much indebted to
the noble lord for having so kindly and promptly
consented to occupy. the chair upon this occasion.
He felt very much indebted to the magistrates of
the county, who had renewed the licence for his
rooms ; he felt very much indebted to many of his
neighbours, including some of the vestrymen of the
parish, for the efforts they had made to relieve him
from the stigma under which he had been unde-
servedly placed ; he felt very much indebted to Mr.
Seale, his solicitor, for the admirable way in which
he had managed his case—(cheers)—and he certainly
felt indebted to all present, as well as to many
others, who would have been present, had theynot
been kept at a distance, for the honour they had
done him in wishing him health and prosperity.
He did not see how he could have deserved such
an expression of kindness, unless it was in conduct-
ing himself in everything in a straightforward
manner, in all his transactions. (Cheers.) He
hoped he should ever continue to do so, and convince
some of 'those who had opposed him, upon mere
hear-say or false representations, that he was far
from being hurtful to them, while he was doing
the best he could for himself. (Cheering.) In
conclusion, he begged to propose the health of Lord
William Lennox, who had kindly presided upon
this occasion, and had thus greatly augmented the
pleasure and the honour of their meeting.—The
toast was drunk with long-continued applause.
The Noble CHAIRMAN returned thanks.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed " The health of
M. Lamotte," the musical director and conductor
of the Argyll Rooms, which was drank with much
enthusiasm.
M. LAMOTTE thus replied, in French :—" Gen-
tlemen, some years ago, Mr. Bignell sustained
courageously—l had almost said heroically—a noble
self-imposed task,that of transferring to the Adelaide
Gallery the enterprise which the refusal of the
licence hindered him from continuing at the Argyll
Rooms. The sudden closing of that establishment
might have resulted in the entire ruin of Mr. Big-
nell. He knew it, but it did not check the greatness
of his generosity. Any other proprietor, in his
place, would, undoubtedly, have bowed his head
in silence under the unexpected storm. In a •word,

any other proprietor in Mr. Bignell's place would
have discharged his orchestra, and all in the service
of his establishment; and, without doubt, in the
uufortunate attendant circumstances, no voice could
have been raised in blame against him—no hand
could have east a stone at him, for Mr. B. would
have been acting in strict justice had he done so.
But, gentlemen, what did Mr. B. do ? Listening
only to the dictates of his own heart, his courage
and his humanity, during a whole year, week after
week, month after month, we have seen him sup-
porting, with his money, 100 families of artists and
servants. Every evening, at the Adelaide Gallery,
brought with it enormous losses ; but no matter, he
continued his philanthropic work without cessa-
tion, without a murmur, and without discourage-
ment. That, gentlemen, was admirable—that
conduct was worthy not only of all our admiration,
but also of the admiration of all honest men. For
twelve years I have been chef-d'orchestre, and
in my whole career as artist, in Paris as in Lon-
don, I never met with such an instance of self-sacri-
fice and abnegation in any other proprietor. Let
us, then, gentlemen, do honour to Mr. Bignell—
honour to his courage, honour, and, philanthropy.
Let us repay his devotedness with our warmest
gratitude, and give our sincere thanks to the magis-
trates, whose sense of justice rewarded his admirable
conduct, by re-opening the doors of the Argyll
Rooms. Mr. Bignell has had the benedictions of
all the distinguished artistes confided to my direc-
tion, no less than my unalterable attachment to him
personally.
Several other toasts were drank and spoken to,
amongst.them " The Ladies ;" and Mr. STRONG, a
member of the St. James's Vestry, having been
called upon acknowledged the toast, and in the
course of his speech he said that he was himself
indifferent as to the construction which some people
might put upon his motives and conduct. He
should not hesitate to support and applaud what-
ever he believed to be upright and honest. He
would do his duty,- without favour or affection; and
he did not hesitate to say, after some observation
and reflection, that the Argyll Rooms conferred a
great benefit on the neighbourhood and parish.
(Cheers.) It was to the benefit of all that the
Argyll rooms should be licensed ; and a resolution
had been passed in the vestry that the licence should
not be opposed again. (Renewed cheering.) In
point of fact, had a free discussion of the subject
been had, there never would have been any opposi-
tion to it—(hear, hear)—forthose who were opposed
to it would have found, from the testimony of those
most competent to speak upon the subject, that,
instead of being an injury to the locality, it con-
ferred great benefits upon it.
The proceedings terminated at a late hour in the
evening, with thanks to Mr. Donald, for his liberal
treatment and excellent arrangements.

MBTROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.

The weekly meeting of the Metropolitan Board of
Works was held yesterday, in the Council-chamber,
Guildhall ; Mr. J. Thwaites in the chair.
The financial statement showed the following
balances :—ln the hands of the treasurer, £38,386
10s. ; cheques not presented, £12,568 10s. 6d. ; net
balances, £25,799 19s. 6d. ; deposit accounts,
£245,000; and a total balance of £270,799 19s. 6d.
A deputation of the inhabitants of Wandsworth
attended the board and presented a memorial on the
state of the lleathwall sewer, with a plan for re-
medying the evil complained of, which was referred
to the engineer of the board.
Some discussion took place in reference to the
salaries paid to the accountant of the board, the
chief engineer, and superintending architect, with
a view to their increase, but the various motions
were withdrawn.