The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-29 00:00:00

Earl Granville in Shropshire.

On Thursday evening the directors of the Lilles-
hall Iron and Coal Company entertained a distin-
guished company to dinner in celebration of the late
discovery of a rich coal-field on their estates at
Prior's Lee. The banquet was held in a pavilion
erected on an embankment at the mouth of the coal
pit, and among the guests were Earl Granville (who
presided), the lion. F. Leveson Gower, M.P., IL
Jasper More, M.P., and a large number of the
leading gentry of the locality.
Iu reply to the toast of his health,
Earl GIIANVILLE, after making the mottoes and
legends with which the tent was decorated the texts
for some happy remarks upon the special occasion of
the dinner, referred to his own family motto,
" Frangas non flectes," which occupied a prominent
place on the walls. He had had, he said, many
playful discussions:with the late Lord Palmerston as
to which of their family mottoes was die better,
and the one of which the bearer had most reason
to be proud. Lord Palmerston's motto—" Flectes
non frangas"— was precisely the reverse of his,
and signified that he might be bent but could not
be broken. Ile (the noble speaker) used to say
that his motto was the best, because it implied
that the bearer could not be persuaded to do
that which he did not think was the right
thing to do, and could only be turned aside
by superior physical force. (Laughter.) But Lord
Palmerston contended that his was the best, because
it told the world that, though the bearer was open to
the acts of persuasion and argument, no other force
could move him against his own convictions. (Cheers
and laughter.) If the company would bear with him
he should like to tell them what he fancied was the
origin of those two mottoes. (Applause.) They
would remember that the crests of two ancient
Italian families—the Orsini and the Colonna—were
respectively a column and a bear, and he had in-
dulged in the fancy that the Temple family and his
own were indebted to those, the arts, for their
mottoes, the bear saying " You may bend me, but
you cannot break me," and the column signifying
" You may break me, but you cannot bend me."
(Laughter and Cheers.) He must confess, however,
that on the occasion when he was expected to say
something about that material, the discovery of
which in the neighbourhood they were met to cele-
brate, Lord P.'s motto would have been the most
appropriate for him to have borne. They might
certainly break coal by physical force, but in order
to bend it to the great uses by which it had changed
the face of the world and developed powers of which
a century ago no mortal ever dreamed they require
the persuasive force of intellect and brains. (Cheers.)
A great deal had been said lately about the possi-
bility of England decaying from the exhaustion of
her coal supply. Now that was a very serious ques-
tion, and one which had been brought prominently
before the people's mind by men of great scientific
attainments. Take Mr. Jones, and men of great
learning and philosophical research, like Mr. John
Stuart Mill, and lastly, by the late Chancellor of the
Exchequer. (Cheers.) With respect to whom, he
must say that he agreed with every word of praise
which a previous speaker had used in connection
with his name. (Cheers.) As for his speedy return
to power, to which the speaker had so hopefully re-
ferred, it was not for him to utter a wish—(laughter)
—but he was at liberty to speak of the great benefit
which the nation at large had derived from Mr.
Gladstone's tenure of office—(cheers)--and to bear
testimony to his talent as a public man, and to his
worth as a private gentleman. (Great cheering.)
But returning to the question of our future coal
supply, it was one on which he hardly cared to give
an opinion. It was one with respect to which the
Crown had acted very wisely by appointing a com-
mission of inquiry, and he had not the slightest
doubt that the commission would bring to light an
amount of information which would prove of the
highest value. (Hear, hear.) As to how far they
would be able to arrive at a complete and satisfac-
tory conclusion he had, however, some doubt. No
one felt more respect than he for the opinions of
geologists, but it must be remembered that, not-
standing the groat progress it had made within the
last few years, geology was still a young and in-
complete science. Geologists, like other men, were
apt to arrive at wrong conclusions from the pre-
mises before them. lie remembered an old friend
of his telling him that a distinguished geologist once
called upon him at his house, and standing at his
drawing-room window, admired the prospect before
him, praising the beauty of the garden, the pic-
turesqueness of the ornamental lake, and the gene-
ral loveliness of the situation. But his chief congra-
tulations were reserved for his host in the matter of
the geological character of the ground, which, he
said, showed to a certainty that rich strata of coal
lay under their feet. His host pressing him for par-
ticulars, the geologist pointed to a piece of rock
on the margin of the lake, which he declared was
a never-failing indication of coal, and it was not
till he was informed that the rock bad been
carted from a distance of ten miles that he
gave up his theory of the existence of coal be-

neath his friend's drawing-room floor. (Laughter
and applatlse.) Now, he (Earl Granville) did
not by the relation of that true story mean to imply
any disrespect for the science of geology, but he
merely wished to show that it was not wise to rely
altogether upon the diction of geologists with re-
spect to the exhaustion of our coal mines. Ile
heartily hoped, however, that the prediction of the
geologists with regard to the Prior's Lee Coal Mine
would be amply realised, and that it would continue

to yield a rich harvest for 50 years to come, adding
largely to the national wealth and to the prosperity
of the county of Salop. (Loud cheers.)
In reply to the toast of " The members of Parlia-
ment for the southern division of the county,"
Mr. R. J. MORE, M.P., said it was the question-
able practices at the public dinners in that county,
which afforded the members of the House of Com-

mons almost the sole opportunity of meeting their
constituents, for politics to be excluded from the

after-dinner speeches, and the members were ex-

petted to talk about the very thing of which the pro-
babilities were they knew less than any one in the
room, viz., agriculture. (Cheers and laughter.) He
remembered when in his Eclogues Virgil had been
singing through a great many lines about sheep and
shepherds, brooks and pastures, he said, " Let us
try a little higher strain"-(laughter)—and he (Mr.
More) thought that a little higher strain was then
suggested by the presence among them of Earl Gran-
ville to partake in the celebration of a discovery
which promised continued and increased prosperity
to Shropshire (Cheers.) With regard to what a
_ _ _

rev. speaker had hinted as to his (Mr. More's) views
about a reform bill introduced by Lord Derby, he
could only say that great as would be the disappoin t-

ment to some portions of the Liberals if their own
party had not the honour of introducing that reform
the necessity of which was conceded on all sides, yet

he believed that if Lord Derby's Government brought
forward an honest reform bill, the majority of the

Liberal party would be found following the advice

given by Mr. Gladstone on a late occasion at Salis-
bury by offering to the bill no factious opposition.
(hear.) The bill would be judged upon its own
merits, and if when its provisions became known bis

constituents would like to meet him and discuss the

matter, nothing would give him more pleasure than

to accept their invitation. (Cheers.) It had been

said that he, like the Lilleshall Company, had dis-
covered a new mine in Shropshire—a mine of Libe-

ralism; but he had only opened up an old vein. (A
laugh and cheers.) The Lilleshall Company, he was

glad to see, were looking for an immediaterecoin-

pense of their labour for the past four years, but he

looked for a futurereturn--(laughter and cheers)--
and he hoped that the electors of Shropshire would
continue to take an intelligent interest in the exer-
cise of their privilege, and that they whom they re-
turned to represent them would intelligently take

their due share in the conduct of public affairs.
(Loud cheers.)

Earl GRANVILLE proposed in flattering terms the
health of Mr. Horton, the managing partner of the
Lilleshall Company, which was duly acknowledged,
other toasts of a local and private character succeed-
ing.

The mail from Guayaquil has brought a re-
mittance of £546 Ds. 3J. on account of the
dividends ou the debt of Ecuador.