The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-21 00:00:00

ME SUR, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 21, 18139

_
On Wednesday night a grand banquet was given
by the chairman and directors of the London and
North-Western Railway Company to testify their
admiration of .the splendid monument of the en-
gineering genius of the lamented Brunel, now
floating in the waters of Holyhead, and also to
evince their goodwill and best wishes towards the
owners and managers of this colossal ship. The
dinner took place in the grounds of the Royal
Ifotel at Holyhead, where a spacious and elegant
pavilion, specially fitted up and decorated for the
occasion, had been erected by Messrs. Doveston,
Bird, and Hull, of Manchester. The company pre-
sent, which included several distinguished members
of the House of Commons, as well as many
.eminent
persons connected with railway and _engineering
enterprise, together, of course, with most of the
directors and principal officers of the big ship, ar-
rived at Holyhead by early trains, and spent the
first part of the day in a personal inspection of the
Great Eastern. Those invited guests to the dinner
who had taken the precaution to reach the scene a
day beforehand to prevent all accidents were cer-
tainly not rewarded for their toil and pains.
Everything like hotel accommodation which the
town affords had been hired for days in advance,
and beds or refreshments were not to be had for
love or money. Holyhead may be able to boast of
the presence of the big ship, but it certainly makes
DO pretensions to catering fur the comfort of the
concourse of visitors who are drawn to see it. In-
deed, its sleepy inhabitants have evidently no taste
for this invasion of escurient strangers, and seem to
regard the living influx as intruders who ought to
be sternly discouraged.
A steamer belonging to the London and North-
Western Railway Company was set apart for the
conveyance of the Marquis of Chandos, his brother
directors, and their friends, and the party left the
quay to repair on board the gigantic vessel at 11 in
the forenoon. Here, however, they found them-
selves anticipated by crowds of eager sight-seers from
far and near, whose numbers gradually swelled. as
the day wore on, making the huge upper and lower
decks, capacious as they are, swarm with life and
bustle. Throughout the day the streets of Holyhead
were thronged like a fair, consequent on the arrival
of trains from various parts of England in quick
Succession, pouring in constant streams of visitors,
avho were seen hastening in all directions to wards
the tiny craft which were incessantly engaged in
carrying fresh reinforcements to the centre of at-
traction lying in the roadstead. 'The Great East-
ern's bandplayed Great Eastern music; picturesque
groups of spectatorswere made the subject of Great
Eastern stereoscopic views by. enterprising Great
Eastern artists ; and the day being beautifully fine,
the scene on board the monster vessel was altoge-
ther one of a very animated and exciting character.
But while we leave the promiscuous and ever-
increasing concourse freely to indulge its greedy
curiosity in ransacking every nook and corner of
the stupendous ship, we must not forget the select
few who are privileged with the entree to the din-
ner at the Royal Hotel Pavilion.
The guests, to the number of from 150 to 200, as-
sembled at half-past 5 o'clock. Among them were
The Marquis of Chandos (in the chair), Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, M.P., Bishop of Bangor, Sir J.
Pakington, Lord C. Paget, Lord Mayor of Dublin,
Sir R. Bulkeley, Hon f Ross (Canada). Mr. G. C.
Glyn, M.P., Sir W. W. Wynn, Hon. W. 0. Stan-
ley, Mr. T. Bazley, M.P., Lord Stafford, Hon. A.
Kinnaird, M.P., Mr. J. Chapman, Sir E. M'Don-
nell, Hon. A. F. Egerton, M.P., Hon. C. S. Cle-
ments, Sir A. Hoare, Col. Biddulph, Mr. S. Beale,
M.P., Sir IL M. Bromley, Sir E. K. James, Capt.
Galton, Mr. J. J. R. Campbell (chairman of the
Great Ship Company), and a number of directors of
the Great Ship Company ; also Capt. Huish, Mr. H.
Booth, Capt. Harrison, Mr. C. E. Stewart, Mr.
Cawkweil, and other officers of the North-Western
Railway and the Great Ship Company; Mr. E. B.
Denison, chairman of the Great Northern Railway
Company ; Mr. S. Clarke, Sir C. Roney, Captain
Walker (Board of Trade), Mr. W. Dargan, Mr. S.
Parry, Col. Hogg, Capt. Mends, and Capt. Priest.
Grace having been said, the usual loyal and pa-
triotis toasts were given from the chair, and duly
honoured by the company.
The noble CHAIRMAN then rose to propose the
toast of the evening. He said :—Few travellers
Visiting that corner of our island could have failed to
remark the many works of engineering skill scat-
tered over the 80 or 100 miles of railway between
that port and the city of Chester, and in which the
ingenuity and perseverance of man had triumphed
over the difficulties interposed by nature. Al; con-
nected with the London and North-Western Rail-
way could not on such an occasion help reverting to
what had befallen since the invitations to that dinner
had been issued, or could not fail to remark that
they had, alas no longer a Stephenson among them.
(Hear, hear.) It was that marvellous roan's genius
which had devised the means of passing the rugged
straits of Menai, and of elrrying gal!elies through
those rocks and shores of Wales which had long de-
fied, until the days of Telford, the engineering skill
of this country. Those who had known Robert
-Stephenson had lost a dear frieirl, while England
had lost one of her children who had raised the
name of a humble family to a position not only of
British, but of European reputation. (Cheers.)
But they had also to mourn the untimely end of
another son of genius, whose fame was equally dif-
fused throughout the Continent, and the completion
of whose magnificent conception they had then met
to celebrate. Did not every Englishman feel it as it
were a part of the national honour that that noble
ship should succeed, and was it not a source of grief
in every household throughout the land when her
first trip from the river was attended with an unfor-
tunate mishap ? Sometimes the schemes of our great
engineers appeared to be in advance of their age;
but it should be remembered that locomotives were
now careering over the land at a speed which in the
memory of many living men was regarded as fabu-
lous. He could not but think that the step taken
by the Great Eastern Company would before long
ho crowned with success, and would place Eng-
land in the first rank among nations in ship-
building as she was in every other art. The bonds
of commerce and mutual interest were the strongest
securities for peace between different countries;
and what more potent auxiliary for developing our
intercourse with our own colonies, as well as with
foreign lands, could be found than the employment
of the best, the largest, and swiftest of vessels ?
The time was not remote when it was thought a
visionary scheme to send out the Sirius, the Great
Western, and the Great Britain,and the other large
steamers which now performed the transatlantic
passage almost with the certainty and regularity of
a railway journey. 'Why should not the Great
Eastern supplant the smaller class of ocean steamers
as railways had supplanted other modes of commu-
nication on land ? The Great Eastern Company
had already solved a great part of their problem—
their ship had moved, she had undergone the ordeal
of dangerous inland navigation, she had encoun-
tered the troubled seas of that coast, and he under-
stood that experienced officers had pronounced her
certainly as handy a ship as had floated on any sea.
(Hear, hear.) He was convinced there was not an
Englishman who did not heartily wish to see the
Great Eastern prove a perfect commercial success
to her owners, while she also showed to surround-
ing nations that England claimed the same rank in
naval architecture as she undoubtedly held in com-
mercial enterprise. (Cheers ) The noble marquiS
concluded by giving " Success to the Great Eastern."
The toast was received with much enthusiasm.
Mr. CAMPBELL said that on his own behalf and
on that of his colleagues and fellow shareholders—
which now meant the people of this country, as the
vessel was really the people's ship, her proprietors
being upwards of 3,500 in number, who from that
feeling of national pride and patriotism which was
common to Englishmen had rallied round the teat
Eastern in all its difficulties—he begged to return
their most grateful thanks for the handso:ne man-
eeornisli which the toast was proposed and received.
uperioiddeorfabthlee misapprehension had existed from the
company's.Easte formation as to the design
of the Great
,hro,,vhe,e.er, purpose, and object. No
misgivings had,
inra,
au
engineeringbeen entertained
by those who, whetherer a coin-
. mereial point of view, had associated themselves
le
with the enterprise. They saw before ti
successful company in operation on the movaerllnaosdt
route, with all the difficulties of tranship gent and
landing, and with the possibility under which thatn
company laboured, owing to the smallness ofitheir
shins, clever becoming the carriers of merchandise.
They saw that the greatest want of the age in re-
fe.rence to our distant possessions in India, China,
and Australia was the combination of carrying
power and speed. They saw that the annual in-
crease in the carrying trade of Indio, China, and
Australia, representing a population of 600,000,000,
or nearly one-half the human race, involved re-
quirements which, were very inadequately met by
the existing service. They saw also that, whereas
at the comnitnencement of their undertaking only
a monthly communication was • carried on with
India, at the present moment th'tt communi-
at-ion had become weekly. They were fortified
by the opinions of the most practical merchants of
this country, who said that if they could insure
the delivery, of the goods simultaneously with the
commercial intelligence they could secure the mar-
kets. This fact had indeed been conclusively esta-
blished, that since the introduction of the overland
route all the calculations of the merchant had been
baffled. He ordered his goods to-day; but four
mouths !afterwards 50 times the quantity he had
ordered was represented in the market by means of
advices. So that all such fluctuations in the market
were anticipated by that intelligence which in these

days was equal to the actual presence of the goods.
(Hear, hear.) Now, the aim of the Great Ship
Company was to do for India, China, and Aus-
tralia what their lamented friend the late Mr.
Brunel did for America 20 years ago. He first
connected America with this country by steam
navigation without stoppage over a distance of
9,800 miles, and at a speed of nine knots an hour.
Now, too, India, China, and Australia were
to be connected with this country, over a distance
of 12,000 miles, at a speed which, it was hoped,
would average more than 13 knots, or 40 per cent.
quicker than the previous rate. To prove the
soundness of their views they now found that,
while ships like the Great Western were only 1,500
tons burden, there were ships. now trading with
America of from 3,500 to 4,000 tons, which bore the
same relative proportion to the Atlantic voyage
that 20,000 tons bore to the Indian voyage. They
had been told by the Times that vessels of 3,500
tons could perform the passage to Australia in
nearly the same time as the Great Eastern. But,
inasmuch as a vessel of 3,500 tons represented only
one-sixth of her tonnage, and consumed 150
tons of coal per day, while the big ship with six
times their tonnage would consume only 300 tons,
the latter could accomplish the journey to Australia
in 36 days with 24,000 tons less fuel than six of the
smaller vessels. This, too, sho would achieve with
no stoppage on the way, and, moreover, she would
land 10,000 tons of goods; whereas he defied the
3,500 ton vessels to land a single ton of goods and
carry their coal more than half the way. Indeed,
unaided by Government subsidies, all the existing
steam navigation for ocean voyages had hitherto
proved a failure, and must continue to do so with
the introduction of a combination of speed and
carrying power. Now, if the Government were
alive to their own interests, a million per annum
might easily be saved to the taxpayers iii the shape
of these subsidies. (Hear, hear.) That company
hoped to be able to do for the British public what
successive Chancellors of the Exchequer had failed
to do. (A laugh.) The result of the subsidising
system had been that after they had existed for
many years the average rate of speed by the over-
land route was only ten knots an hour, while cap-
tain 3 had actually been fined for exceeding the re-
gulated speed upon the subsidised passages. (A
laugh.) The object of the Great Eastern Company
was to secure for the Government st monthly ocean
communication by means of three vessels, of which
the monster ship now at Holyhead was the first,
thus providing a trunk line to India, China,
and Australia which would deliver at the
Cape to a feeding steamer for Australia passen-
gem and goods destined for that colony ; then,
proceeding to Trincomalee—one of the finest ports
we possessed in India—it would be met in
turn there by feeding steamers from Hong Kong,
Shanghai, Singapore, Calcutta, Madras, and Bom-
bay. They would thus supply all the requirements
of 600,000,000 of the human race, taking in ex-
change for the commodities we exported the most
valuable raw productions in the world, which could
afford to pay almost any freight, and which were
now paying £2O per ton. The calculation made as
to freight several years ago for that route was that
the exports from this country to those markets
amounted to 50,000 tons per month. They had
now risen to 100,000 tons, the gradual increase
being equal to 12 per cent. per annum. So that
three such ships as the Great Eastern would, after
all, only meet the natural increase upon the exist-
ing trade, although they could always rely on
having the pick of the more valuable portion of the
100,000 tens, on the principle that a clipper which
could only give a probable saving of from 5 to 10
per cent. on the voyage now commanded the pre-
ference for all the freight offering on the day she
was loading. (Hear, hear.) Such, then, had been
the object and origin of the Great Eastern. Mis-
conceptions had prevailed as to their ever being
able to construct her. Then, when constructed, it
was said she would never be launched, and when
launched in the river it was said she would never
leave it. (A laugh.) Well, they had launched
her, and had sailed her. (Cheers.) But they were
now told that she was " a mere show ship." Now,
they were on a commercial cruise ; they had met
with an accident, it was true ; and they were look-
ing out for a good port. Holyhead was a very fair
port, and they hoped that next time they visited it
it would be still better. Considering the very hos-
pitable reception they had met with from the chair-
man and directors of the London and North-Wes,
tern Railway Company, he had no doubt they would
do all in their power to make that the best port in
England. Politically speaking, the use of the
Great Eastern might he thus exemplified:—We
had 450,000 troops maintained in our various
colonies and dependencies •, and we knew that
Indian mutinies were possible. (Hear, hear.) Now,
a fleet of such ships, if they were left to stand
merely on their commercial merits, as he trusted
they would be, without the assistance of Govern-
ment subsidies, would be prepared to run a fair race
with all existing lines. As long as subsidies
did exist, however, that company would claim its
share; but, if the Government were to cancel them
all, the Great Eastern would be in a position to
make a fair start, and he maintained that the late
Indian mutiny, by which an empire was nearly
lost, might have been spared to this country if we
had been in possession of such powerful ships,
which might have taken out masses of troops in
less than 40 days. (Cheers.) In conclusion, Mr.
Campbell gave " The Health of the Chairman and
Directors of the London and North-Western Rail-
way—the pioneers of the most gigantic railway
enterprise in England, as the Great Eastern Com-
pany were of steam navigation on a scale of equal
magnitude." (Cheers,)
The CHAIRMAN briefly returned thanks, and
next proposed " The House of Commons," which
was drunk with the usual honours.
Sir J. PAKINGTON rose and said,—l esteem it a
great honour to be called upon to respond in the
name of the great assembly comprised in your toast,
on an occasion so interesting as the present, when
I am surrounded by men of the highest intelligence,
almost all of whom are connected with the highest
and most important :nterests of England, and who
have met to celebrate—or perhaps I ought rather
to say to inaugurate—one of the greatest experi-
ments that has ever resulted from the energy and
enterprise, the liberality and scientific skill of this
progressive age. I am well aware that I speak now
as the representative of men of almost every po-
litical section in the House of Commons, and I
trust that no word will fall from me to which any
one of those gentlemen can take exception. Indeed,
I believe that I shall be only uttering their senti-
ments if I give some expression to deep convictions
which I cannot repress when I am of necessity re-
quired to advert to the House of Commons. The
character and honour of that body are dear to every
man in this country who values our institutions. I
feel confident that I say no more than men of all
parties will assent to when I express a hope th it
the day is not distant when they will combine to
adopt such measures as may be necessary, however
stringent, to put an end to that system of electoral
bribery and corruption with which the columns of
every newspaper are now teeming, and which, if I
mistake not, the British public will still be reading
for weeks and months to come. (Hear.) lam sure
that all will agree with me in saying that this vile
system is demoralising to the people, discreditable
to our whole representative institutions, and ren-
ders an appeal to the people not a test of enligh-
tened opinion on any matter of public policy, but a
mere question of who may have the largest purse or
the most unscrupulous partisans. (Cheers.) Hoping
that you will forgive me for touching, in connection
with this toast, on a subject which must have struck
deep into the feelings of tha country, I will now
pass to a topic more gcrmane to the object for
which we are assembled. It is impossible for any
reflecting man to have seen the works which we
have this day had au opportunity of inspecting
without being impressed with the endless variety
and importance of the functions devolving on mem-
bers of the House of Commons. No doubt the
House of Commons, as my noble friend in the chair,
speaking feelingly, has hinted, does from time to
time deal with railway companies in a manner
which the directors do not quite like. (A laugh.)
Yet, as a disinterested person, never myself having
had a railway share in my life, I am disposed on
the whole to think that that assembly treats those
bodies in a spirit of justice, liberality, and propriety.
(" Hear, hear," and some expressions of dissent.)
B7;1
ts.ojussn assembly
msut other subjects besides those relating to railways
are forced upon our attention. We cannot come to
10l
look
uponN,o its great and noble liar-
h
etalli:auntd thegrants
recollecting
teathbaytththeaitiohuasrebooufrc lostans_
;blay" will baendwatnrtuing
I hope stthiant ttlatglreegaistladtniNt'ye
which devolves upon them at this moment, of pro.
Vding harbours for England. (Cheers.) Ido not
elieve that any more important steps could be
taken for promoting the naval strength, the na-
tional defence, and the commercial prosperity of
England than the erection of those two noble
Harbours of Portland and Holyhead. (Cheers.)
It was my duty to visit this port a year ago
ofilc:ally. I was then in a different position
from that which I now occupv-(a laugh)—but I
was delighted to hear that it, often happens during
the gales of winter that from 200 to 300 vessels,
which would otherwise be baffetcd about at great
risk to life and property in St. George's Channel,
find shelter at one time within the harbour of Holy-
head. I trust, then, that the liberality of the House
of Commons will not be restricted in this great item
of public expenditure ; and I cannot help appealing
not only to my brother membc rs in general, but to
my right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer in particular, if it is not unfair to (I) so, on the
subject or the report not long since presented to

Parliament and the public by the Commission on
Harbours of Refuge. I had the honour of appoint-
ing Admiral Hope to preside over that commission,
and I did so because I believed then, as I believe
now, that he was a man not only of distinguished
gallantry, but of professional Fkill and ability. The
report presented justifies that opinion. It recom-
mends an extension of the system of harbours of re-
fuge ; and I now repeat my hope that the House of
Commons will deal liberally with that subject.
(Hear, hear.) I believe I also speak the sentiments
of every member of the House of Commons when,
from the bottom of my heart, I wish success to the
Great Eastern. (Cheers.) I have watched this ex-
periment from its commencement with the deepest
interest, and have never despaired of its success.
We hear many reasons given why it cannot succeed.
We are told, for example, that the speed attained is
not what it ought to be. My own belief has been
that the great principles of naval architecture have
no other limit in their application except that of
convenience. I do not see why those principles are
not as applicable to a vessel of 20,000 tons as to one
of 500. I have no doubt whatever, therefore, on the
score of its nautical success. Its commercial success
may indeed be less certain, but of this I am sure, that
the Great Eastern is one of the most magnificent
conceptions of thi; age ; one of the noblest applica-
tions of that great power, steam, which has worked
such a revolution in the affairs of the world, and, like
all other eximples of material progress, eminently
deserves to prosper. (Hear.) I was glad to hear the
just tribute so feelinglypaid by my noble friend to the
memory of those great men, Stephenson and Brunel ;
and it is painful to reflect that poor Brunel was not
spared to witness what I trust is the certain success
of this splendid example of his genius. (Cheers.)
In a national point of view is there not reason to
believe that the day may not be distant when we
shall be thankful to have a Great Eastern by which
to transport our troops ? (Hear) I have heard it
said, indeed, in answer to this opinion, that no
prudent Government would ever place so many eggs
in one basket. (A laugh.) But, if I am not greatly
mistaken, in the months of August and September,
1857, when the mutiny was raging in India, and
there was too much reason for us in England to be
appreherisive of the issue, the Government of that
day would have been only too glad to have had
such a basket to put as many eggs in as they could
get. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN said they were honoured with
the presence of a man who held one of the most im-
portant offices in the State, and had an European
reputation for his talents and his eloquence. In his
right hon. friend's hands the fortunes of political
parties and the choice of Parliament had placed the
conduct of the national finances; and every true-
hearted Englishman, whatever his political creed,
must heartily wish that success might attend the
exertions of the Government of the day, whether
they were composed of Liberals or of Conservatives.
(Hear, hear.) The chairman then gave the health
of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, which was
drunk with great cordiality.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose and
said—Gentlemen, you have been pleased to receive
the proposal of my health in a manner which com-
mands my warmest gratitude; but, at the same
time, I am quite aware that the office I am called
upon to hold is one of the deepest interest to you,
for upon the mode in which its duties are discharged
depends much that belongs to your prosperity,
happiness, and comfort. Let me, however, on this,
as on every occasion, remind" a company of Eng-
lishmen that the manner in which the duties of that
office are to be discharged itself depends not so
much upon the individual whe fills it as upon the
sentiments which animate the mass of the people.
(Cheers.) If the mass of the people are disposed to
adhere to the principles of thrift and economy in
the administration of finance, then it is alike the
duty and the pleasure of the Finance Minister to
become their instrument and organ in giving effect
to those principles ; but if, on the other hand,
whether through an increase of wealth, a long
continuance of prosperity, an apprehension of dan-
ger, or from whatever other cause, a change passes
over the temper of the public mind, and we find at
every turn a prevalence, not of the sentiments
which governed the successive Administrations of
the Duke of Wellington, Lord Grey, Sir R. Peel,
and Lord Melbourne, but a disposition to recom-
mend right and left the large effusion of public
money for every object of utility, then I must tell
you, and tell the English public, that it is vain to
look to a Chancellor of the Exchequer to stem such
a tide of feeling. Ho may indeed do what he can
to control it; yet this is a country of which it is in
some respects the danger, but upon the whole the
safety and the glory, that it is governed by its own
convictions, and that the manner in which its affairs
are conducted depends, not upon the inclinations or
abilities of any individual, but upon the tendencies
and feelings of the people of England themselves.
(Cheers.) 'Therefore the person who may fill the
office which I have now the honour to hold is alto-
gether an insignificant item in the public adminis-
tration. That which truly determines his course
and conduct is what is felt by the mass of the com-
munity, and especially by those intelligent and
really governing classes of whom we have here an
important portion. Let me say in very few words
that, in my opinion, the position of a public man in
England, although it may be in many respects one
of care and difficulty—for we have a vast, perhaps
too vast, an empire to administer—it yet in many
other respects is a position of 'ingular felicity. For
we serve a Sovereign-whom it is a delight to serve
(cheer); and if in her we have a noble mistress, we
have likewise a noble master in the British nation.
(Renewed cheers.) I have ever felt, under whatever
vicissitudes of public affairs, that we live in a coun-
try where no sincere and honest efforts of a Minister
to perform his public duty in the long run fail to
meet with adequate and ample justice •, and that it
is far more likely that his errors will be overlooked
and unperceived than that they will ever be visited
with an undue severity. (Cheers.) Passing from
the subject of the toast which you, my lord, have
proposed in terms of such peculiar kindness, I avail
myself of the permission I have obtained from you
to submit a toast which has little connexion with
my own personal existence. I have to suggest that
you should drink " Prosperity to the Trading and
Manufacturing Interests of this Connery." (Cheers.)
That prosperity has, as I have said, little to do
with my personal existence, but it has a great deal
to do with my official existence. (" Hear," and a
laugh.) And the comfort of that official existence
—I have lived long enough to know very well—
depends mainly upon the condition of these inte-
rests. I venture to tell you that the last quarter's
revenue presents a return the most satisfactory that
we have witnessed for several years past; and if
you ask me why, I apprehend it was in a very
great degree owing to the activity of trade, that
activity of trade being in turn in a great measure
founded on the very great moderation of the prices
at which the people are procuring their provisions.
(Hear, hear.) We have lived in times of a diversi-
fied character—times in which much has occurred
that may be of a doubtful complexion, but which
on that very account the mind rests with the greater
comfort and satisfaction on all that betokens real
progress in what concerns the interest of mankind.
I do believe that in the whole history of the world
an instance can be found..either of an age or a na-
tion in which it has been graciously conceded to a
Legislature to do so much for the benefit of the
people committed to its charge as it has been given
the British Parliament t do in the present era by
the changes which it has circumspectly and wisely,
but baldly and effectually, introduced into the
whole of our commercial policy. (Cheers.) Per. 1
mit me to quote a few lines written a century
and a-half ago, in a spirit truly prophetic, by
one of our distinguished national poets—l allude
to Pope. In an early work of his termed "Wind-
sor Forest," he penned words which might well
be taken as indicating his prescience of the repeal
and fundamental reconstruction of our navigation
system. Ho says :
" The time shall nine when free as waves or wind,
Unbounded Thames shall flow for all mankind—
Whole nations enter on each swelling tide,
And seas but join the regions they divide ;
Earth's distant ends our glory shall behold,
And the New World launch forth to seek the Old!"
(Cheers.) That which the 'poet thus predicted we
have seen completely realised ; and of that change
in the commercial system of the country, so far as
its laws were concerned, we have beheld this day in
the harbonr of Holyhead the most remarkable and
conspicuous result. (Hear.) No doubt before these
changes were made it was open to both honourable
and intelligent men to questson what their precise
effect might be. But now that they have been con-
summated it is, at all event, beyond all dispute that
since their introduction your commercial marine has
made a progress far more extended and far more
daring thanhs d ever before been dreamt of. (Cheers.)
Itpelot haschange
assumed a novel
character, and it is hardly
el
:chrai bse as
taken a mere
place
ichangen t h ine degreewhole
the
scale
and construction of shipbuilding, and in the manxer
in which our maritime service is conductzd. I am
old enough to recollect when the largest ship that
sailed out of the port Liverpool for a long sea 1
voyage over the Atlantic was only about one-I'urtieth
part of the siv: of the Great Eastern now floating
on your waters. (Cheers.) I trust that those who
have with such noble and lofty enterprise entered
upon this great undertaking will receive the reward
of their labours in an adequate commercial success.
But of this I am quite certain, that they will feel
that their daring has been beyond the measure of
all ordinary daring, and in that very fact they
have at once borne testimony to the character of our
national spirit, and have themselves deliberately
chosen to become one of its most striking illustra-
tions on record. (Hear, hear.) It has been said
that " the age of chivalry is gone," but there is

-------
something even of chivalry in the manly resolu-
tion with which the projectors of this great scheme
determined to confront all risk and difficulty, and
to see whether they could not achieve something
not only greater but far_greater than has yet been
conceived in natal architecture, on behalf of their
country and of mankind. (Cheers.) For there can-
not be a doubt that if success is to attend their en-
terprise much will have been accomplished both for
their country and for mankind ; as, on the other
hand, there can be as little doubt that if success is
to be withheld or delayed, even failure in such an
undertaking can entail no discredit. (Hear, hear.)
The prosperity of the trading and manufacturing
interests of this country is indeed much too vast a
subject to he handled in detail, even with all the
latitude that your patience and indulgence might
accord. But I feel it is a high honour to be called
upon to touch on such a theme in connection with the
stage at which the enterprise of the Great Eastern
has arrived, and the hopeful prospect ; which I trust
we may say it presents, as well as in connection
with the fact that we are assembled as the guests
of the first railway company in the world, and
under the presidency of a man who enjoys the con-
fidence of that body, and is an honour to the order
to which he belongs. (Hear.) Comment has been
made on the treatment of railway companies by the
House of Commons, and no doubt that is a subject
which the historian will hereafter have to discuss.
(A laugh.) Some people say that the House of
Commons is in fault; some that the railway com-
panies themselves are in fault. I, for my part—
especially at a moment like this, consecrated to
festivity and good humour—should be exceedingly
sorry to imply that anybody had been in fault.
(Laughter.) But, be that as it may, there are
certain facts upon record, and among them this
one, that in this country from £300,000,000 to
£400,000,000 have been laid out in railway
enterprise ; that the outlay of this vast sum has
produced enormous benefit to every interest,
i
without exception, n the kingdom. That bene-
fit is not confined within the bounds of these
kingdoms, but has, on hehalf of every country in
the world, solved the whole problem of its internal
communication, and shown it the way in which it
ought to walk. (Cheers.) So that we have, in
point of fact, paid the cost of all the errors and
blunders which other nations must have committed
in their endeavours to gain experience 'for them-
selves. (Hear.) As much as that is undeniable,
and I confess I think it matter of regret that that
being the case, the average return on railway capi-
tal up to the present moment has been so low. I
lay no blame upon anybody. But lam firmly con-
vinced that in an enterprise of this kind, novel,
and therefore, in one of its aspects, necessarily
speculative, it would have been much better, not
only for the shareholders, but for the country at
large, if a more liberal profit had been realised on
the money thus invested than it had been the
good or bad fortune of their proprietors to re-
ceive. Dr. Johnson says—and I have great respect
for all that fell from that authority—that what-
ever induces a man to live more in the future and
less in the present, exalts him in the scale of crea-
tion. (A laugh.) Well, if that be so—and lam in-
clined to believe that it is—then the position of the
railway shareholder is an exalted one. (Laughter.)
The past, undoubtedly, has not smiled upon him ;
the present has no very extravagant attractions;
and if he really expects any very great things they
must lie in the future. It is an additional comfort,
therefore, to him to know that in looking forward
he is by that very fact elevated in the scale of being.
(Renewed laughter.) I regret, on another ground,
the comparative slenderness of the interest payable
on railway property. It is a fact of curious signi-
ficance, the like of which I believe does not stand
on record, that the great social, commercial, and
economical change brought about by railways was
introduced into the world by private enterprise, with-
out the advantage of any very .great and immediate
premiums being held out to their projectors. And as
one who is not ashamed to own that he feels a strong
interest in the economical administration of the
public resources, r am sorry to say that in my offi-
cial capacity I have reason to believe that this in-
adequate return upon railway investments has had
no small effect in producing a tendency in the
public mind which in this country is in a great
degree novel—and I am bound to add, it is also in
my opinion in a g-eat degree mischievous—the
tendency, I mean, when a great enterprise is about
to be undertaken to effect some useful object, for its
1 originators immediately t i resort to an assault upon
the public purse. (" Hear," and a laugh.) I know
not in what measure I am entitled to ask for your
sympathy,in this matter; but I believe the prin-
ciple on which we have long acted in England, al-
though it has been greatly departed from of late
years,—viz , that the assistance of the Govern-
ment should never be extended to, private
enterprise unless under circumstances of rigid
and extreme necessity was a principle
sound alike with regard to finance, with
regard to the security of 'your insitu-
tions, with regard to the purity of the public cha-
racter, and with regard to the maintenance of that
spirit of bold and, I will say, daring enterprise,
which at all times, whether of peace or war, has
been a leading characteristic of Englishmen.
(Cheers.) Under these circumstances Ido not feel
myself peepared to make any distinct answer what-
ever to the appeal addressed to me in so winning,
I might almost say so cajoling a manner—by my
right hon. friend the late First Lord of the Ad-
miralty—(a laugh)—on the subject of the liberality
of the House of Commons in the expenditure upon
refuge harbours. Harbours are, no doubt, most
admirable things, and serve the most useful of pur-
poses ; but as to the sources from which the funds
are to proceed whence their construction 'all round
your coasts is to he provided for, on that point I must
pray your permission to maintain a judicious silence
on these occasions. (" Hear." and a laugh.) No doubt
it is the effect of convivial assemblies to open the
heart and set free the tongue ; and certainly at such
a board, at so interesting a gathering, and before
such incomparable company, it is to me painful
beyond measure to feel obliged to plead for myself
and claim the benefit of this general rule. (Laugh-
ter.) Nevertheless, I throw myself on your indul-
gence; and believing, as I do, thit a too ready re-
sort to the public purse in matters with respect to
which it is often subsequently found that the use
of that purse has been mischievous, and has ope-
rated as an absolute discouragement to enterprise,
is a great public evil, I say it is one—and a conspi-
cuous one—among the various merits of the pro-
moters of this great undertaking, that when they
were attempting something entirely without prece-
dent and out of the common course, both as to its
extent and its cost, they nevertheless chose to
rely on their private resources. That, ii
I understood my right hon. friend the
Chairman of the Great Ship Company, is the
principle to which he gives his sanction. (Hear.)
I venture, gentle:net, humbly but sincerely, to as-
sure you that I have at least this qualification for
asking you to drink to the prosperity of our trade
and manufactures, that my own life and exertions
are cordially devoted to that object; that, amid all
the difficulties of politics, amid all the vicissitudes
and disappointments of life, amid the uncertainty
which attends all our speculations, I find a comfort
and satisfaction in thinking that it is in our power,
if we will sedulously set ourselves about it, by a
judicious economy and an enlightened legislation,
to do something, at least towards raising the condi-
tion of the masses of our fellow.countrymen and
providing that there shall be some lightening of the
burden which human life entails on the noble-
minded artisans and peasantry of England.
(Cheers.) That, in my opinion, is a solid ground
of satisfaction ; for that I think it an honour and
a delight to labour. And, confident in your sym-
pathies, I ask you heartily to unite with me
in good wishes and earnest anxiety fur that exten-
sion of enterprise and that remuneration of capital
in the trade and manufactures of this country, of
which we know that a main part of the fruit and
the profit will redound to the advantage of the.
labourers whom they employ. (Loud cheers.) The
right hon. gentleman then proposed "Prosperity to
our Trading and Manufacturing Classes."
Mr. T. Bazley, M.P. for Manchester, Mr. Bushell,
of Liverpool, Mr. Akroyd, of Yorkshire, and Mr.
Muntz, of Birmingham, severally acknowledged
the toast.
Sir J. PAKINGTON rose to propose a toast which
at all times and under all circumstances commanded
the sympathy of Englishmen, but which was never
more appropriate than in that assembly. He
meant " Our Colonial Empire." (Hear, hear.)
He wholly dissented front the opinion en-
tertained by some that that empire was of
.no
value to us, but might be any day reltn-
qu'shed without diminishing our prosperity. Never
was there a moment when the attachment of the
colonies to the mother country was stronger than at
present, as was evidenced by the manner in which
the former had offered to contribute, not money
merely, but men also to meet the exigencies of the
parent State. Canada had nobly raised a regiment
for service in Isidia. Every improvement in nautical
science tended to draw closer the bonds which united
the colonies and the mother country, and the hap-
it)ii.easltiarte.is.ounlit sGornai:ylist—be augured from the day when
the Great Eastern would reduce the passage to Aus-
lsateceaisexsoilspdnlao:tl
rrNhitihlaoeaoennfss
experience,
3e
tO:
3. a
appalAsll n
oh leis
itoosiusiPbegi
doubt
cti tsotehl: :ia,otiti(nloa,L 1 friendnilrsaotiit
os had truly
ttlaNrtv.naol
ne.f.
inft:atoegmnEittixuneci
etogofutteihii.ne:Nß,
when
intrusted;ieintieilieo suchlednaluetdtthiteins:i•iaiainsssceilsahoi
another department, proved that the task of con-
ducting the affairg of our Colonial-office was (rreatlY
facilitated and lightened by the talents Lind the
ratriOtisil of the distinguished men who took a

whl

leading part in the provincial Governments of our
colonies. (Hear, hear.) The right hon. baronet
concluded by giving "Prosperity to our Colonies,"
was drunk with much cordiality.
HiNcKs, Governor of Barbadoes, and Mr.
Ross President of the Executive Council of Canada,
briefly responded to the toast. "The Shipping
Interest of England" was next given by the latter
gentleman, and suitably acknowledged by Mr.
M'lvon and Mr. MACKIE.

The health of Captain Harrison, commander of
the Great Eastern, and that of Mr. 0. Stanley,
M.P., were next drunk amid much applause, and
also duly acknowledged.
Mr. STANLEY took occasion, in the course of his
remarks, to complain of the niggardliness of the
House of Commons in regard to the works at
Holyhead.
The CHAIRMAN gave the health of Lord C. Paget,
Secretary to the Admiralty, for which
Lord C. PAGET returned thanks. As financial
officer of the Admiralty, he said he felt grateful for
the many excellent suggestions which had been
made that night. He had recently come from in-
specting Portland, where a very strong representa-
tion had been made to him that the works of that
harbour should be enlarged. Other gentlemen had
urged on him the necessity of increasing the sub-
sidies to the steam-packets. Now, he looked with
considerable jealousy on the heavy expenditure in-
curred on objects of that kind, however important
in themselves ; and he honoured the sentiment that
night expressed, that undertakings such as the one
they were met to celebrate should be carried out
from private resources. (A laugh.) While admit-
ting that there were many faults of construction in
the works at Holyhead, he believed that whenever
a good case was fairly and boldly stated to the
House of Commons that assembly was not back-
ward in voting the requisite supplies to meet it.
Proper confidence had not been reposed in the
House of Commons by persons who went before it
to ask for a small grant at first, in order to get the
votes increased afterwards, instead of honestly
making known from the beginning the entire sum
which would be necessary to complete the works.
It was with pride as an English sailor that he had
seen the noble vessel then in that harbour, and a
debt of national gratitude was due to the chairman
and directors for the bold manner in which they
had overcome all difficulties and put the ship to sea.
A high meed of praise was also due to Capt. Harri-
son for the great coolness and presence of mind he
displayed on the occurrence of the recent lamentable
accident.
Several other toasts of a purely complimentary
character followed, and the party broke up at mid-
ht.

TILE STATE OF NAPLES:

A letter from Naples, dated Oct. 15, says :—ln
answer to those who deplore the system of centra-
lisation and of absolutism which is adopted here,
I have often heard the municipal institutions of the
country brought forward to prove that the people
are in the'enjoyment of a certain amount of liberty.
The assertion, of course, is by many readily re-
ceived, for the very word " municipal" is expres-
sive of liberty. It is well, therefore, to state what
is the law of the case, and the observer of current
and past events can readily imagine how even
that law has been narrowed in its action. It dates
from 12th December, 1816, and ordains that lists of
those who are eligible for civil offices shall be made
out in every commune, such eligibility to depend on
the amount of land-tax paid by each individual. Out
of these lists the Intendenti choose three, whose
names are presented to the King by means of his
Minister of the Interior, and, receiving the approval
of his Majesty, are named the Decurionati of the
commune. Again, the Decurionato of each commune
out of the same lists of " eligible" parsons selects
the names of three to fill the office of Syndic. These
names are given to the Intendente, who passes them
on to the Minister of the Interior, by whom again
they arc laid before the King for the nomination of
one. So far, therefore, from the Syndic being elected
by the people of the Two Sicilies, and the power of
the Crown being limited, every civil, as well as every
military and political office, emanates from the head
of the State, and the Government of this country is
a pure absolutism. Among the precautions which
the law allows for the choice of good.imen and true,
the Inteudente may refuse to accept the list drawn
up by the Decurionato, and require new lists two
several times. And, even then, if not satisfied, they
may, after the opinion of his Council of Intendenza,
and with the approbation of the Minister of the
Interior, form a new list themselves and present it
as before stated. In order to ascertain the charac-
ters of those who are suited to his purpose the In-
tendente comes to the Giudice Regio, to the parish
priest, to military authorities, if there be any, for
information, and thus every one whose name is set
before the King hcts been sifted over and over again,
and ascertained to be of the same political colour
with the government of the day.
I repeat, therefore, that the political institutions
of the Two Sicilies, so far from being popular insti-
tutions, are part and parcel of a system of centrali-
sation and absolutism, and, so far from conferring,
or gi.aranteeing liberty, are a most effective machi-
nery in the hands of the Government for working
out its will. During the last few years, when a great
portion of the respectable classes of the kingdom
have been among the attendibili, or suspects, all
kinds of tag-rag and bob-tail have been introduced
into the municipalities of the kingdom. Common
sailors have been converted into mayors, and, as if
to save the dignity of the office, the appointment
has been called iwovisorio. In fact, such is at pre-
sent the state of most of these institutions. The
ignorant and the worthless have come upwards,
and by them the Government is and has been ser-
vilely obeyed and the people kept down.
• The sketch -which I send you may be of some in-
terest at a time when not merely current events in
Italy are attracting attention, but when political
institutions are being canvassed in their character
and results, and in their adaptation to the wants of
a people.
That which is most interesting to the Neapolitans
at the present moment is the movement of tneir
own troops, and, so great is the anxiety with
which they regard the possibility of any collision
between them and the forces of the Liberals of
Central Italy, that we are here deluged at times
with reports, one half of which may be set down
as false. Thus, the "ewe publica," that shameless
exaggerator, has already sent the Neapolitan troops
over the border—they were to have crossed on the
sth, we were told ; then we heard of a conflict, and
of deserters, and I know not what else. All that I
can assure you is, that troops are being constantly
sent to the frontiers, and there seems to be no suffi-
cient reason for such an expedition, unless it is re-
solved, as is more strongly reported this week, that
they shall occupy the Marches and Umbria, in order
to back up his Holiness. In military circles it is
stated, also, that a considerable park of artillery
will be sent to the frontiers. I think that such a
move, whatever may be the very serious objections
to it, is not at all unlikely to meet with the hearty
approbation of the King, for two reasons. In the
first place, like his father, he is a devoted son of the
Church, and would consider it a high religious duty
to defend the patrimony of St. Peter, with whose
descendant, moreover, he has had so many friendly
relations. Secondly, he is persuaded, as must be
all men of the slightest degree of discernment, that
the greatest danger to the present system of this
country is threatened from the north. As to the
great body of the army, both officers and men, there
can be no doubt that, like most of their priest-rid-
den nation, they are much under the domination of
superstition, and, to a certain extent, would sympa-
thise with their Sovereign, though the fear of Gari-
baldi, the infection of political liberty, and discontent
with the state of their country would produce terrible
effects on their loyalty and piety. The Neapolitans
pray fur a collision, and would await the event with
confidence. On Tuesday last were sent off rat
the
latest reinforcements to the frontier, and a g
deal of despatch was used in getting them off.
A perfect calm, to all appearance, has succeeded
the agitation which lately existed in the city ; a
calm which indicates, as the Neapolitans say, that
the country has fallen back upon itself to resolve
on the attitude which is to be observed during
events which are likely to follow. 'These agitations,
however, appear to me very like storms in a basin
of water—as easily lulled as they are got up, and
leaving no effects behind. As usual, there is great
talk here, but no results. The Tolcd ) is full of
policemen in undress, and great vexations are prac-
tised towards the lower classes, as if with a view
to create tumult, and thus to divert the public at-
tention from other objects.
Provisions are very dear, and it is the opinion of
well-informed persons that they will rise to famine
prices—a bad prospect for the Government at this
political crisis. To meet the difficulty it has, as it
is reported, bought 500,000 tomoli of grain in the
Black Sea, with the inttntior of selling it at a less
in this country in order to provide the poor with
cheap bread. It is unnecessary for me to point out
how such a system as this must paralyze the ope-
rations of individuals, and increase th very evils
which it is int eaded to remove. Were the trade
free, merchants would buy in all parts of the world,
and the supply be always equal to the demand. As
it is, Government turns merchant at a loss, and
pays heavily for a state of things which false com-
mercial principles have produced. Thefof the army,
msery which
is the consequence of dearness provisions h a
driven many hundreds into the ranks
where bread alone is sought, f ort as to glory, that
is, of course, never dreamt of in the Neapolitan
army ; and, as for patriotism, it would send them u
in any other direction. the last batch of those
who were cith2r menaced or arrested, the advocates