The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-22 00:00:00

TtIESUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 22, 1859.

DINNER TO THE GOVERNOR OF THE
all'E GE 6,00_D 11-OTE. 1

Last evening a complimentary dinner was given
to Sir George 'Grey, K.C.B. , Governor of the 'Cape
of Good Hone, at the 'London Tavern, where about,
120 gentlemen, either former residents or commer-
cially interested in the colony, assembled to greet
him. The chais was occupied by Mr. Harrison
Watson.
Grace having been duly- said, and the health of
her Majesty, with that of Prince Albert and the
Royal Family, loyally answered for,
The CHAIRMA.N proposed the toast of " The Im-
perial Legislature," which was briefly acknowledged
by Lord KEANE for the Roust' of Lords, and by Mr.
RUSSELL for the House of Commons. ,
The next toast was " The Army and Navy.'
General TAYLOR returned thanks. •
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the toast of the
evening, " The health cf their honoured guest?'
(Cheers.) The gentlemen Present associated with
the colony would all agree about the, numerous
benefits -derived from his excelleney's govern-
ment. Without making any invidious compari-
son, he would remark that Sir George Grey hav-
ing in 1854 been called on to preside over a
community of mixed races and various condi-
tions actuated by different interests, had, by the
introduction of a new policy, perseveringly ap-
plied, succeeded to a great extent in promoting
the welfare of all classes. The extension of moral
and religious education, the construction of roads
and bridges and other public works, including
railways, had been furthered by his energetic mea-
sures. The great improvements already expe-
rinced were preliminary to those yet to come. Sir
George Grey, in addition to other administrative
qualities, exercised a peculiar social influence. The
abundant regrets of the colonists when he recently
quitted them, and the cordiality With which he had
been received here daring his sojourn, happily a
temporary one, in England were evidence of this.
The acclamations bestowed, on him that evening
would be echoed by the colonhsts on his return:
(Cheers.)
Sir G. GREY sincerely thanked the chairman and
company for this cothpliment, which he ascribed
rather to the colony than to himself. Nothing
could better evince the rising estimation in which
the Cape of Good Hope was now.held. Many good
and worthy men, in different parts of the world,
had rendered him vast assistance, and this tribute
was due less to himself than to their talents, labours
and exertions. He felt that to the courage and skill
of gallant soldiers and sailors, and to the , wise
counsels of excellent statesmen at homeehe was in-
debted for the position he had attained. He spe-
cially mentioned General Taylor and other officers,
who had zealously assisted him at the Cape of Good
Hope. In posts of great danger and difficulty
among the Kaffir chiefs, not one even of the sub-.
ordinate officers had disappointed his expectations.
From the nature of the country there was not so
much to be done by the naval force as in New Zea-
land, of which he was formerly the governor, but
their co-operation, in conveying stoies, exploring
the coast, and ascertaining the capacity of harbours
had been most useful, none more, so than: that
of Captain Nolloth. He also saw there pre-
sent some members of the Colonial Legislature.
During the five years he had administered the
Government, that Parliament had afforded him the
greatest assistance. It was the only instance, he
believed, of a Colonial Parliament when for the
first time called into existence serving the full tent
during which members were permitted by law to
hold their seats, and he was happy to say that the
Cape Parliament had grown more and more into the
affections of the country. Whether, on the whole,
that Parliament was able, under present circum-
stances, fully to represent the interests of all por-
tions of so extensive a colony, was an open question
—and whether some system of federation would
not be a proper measure, was also a question on
which different opinions were held. But it must
be admitted that, circumstanced as it was, the Par-
liament had done its very utmost ; it had aided him
(the governor) most generously, and had given him
counsels which were, upon the whole, wise and pod
—such assistance as it was honourable for the Par-
liament to eive and gratifying for him to receive.
(Cheers.) It was no wonder, then, that the colony
had made considerable progress when such cor-
diality prevailed' between the executive govern-
ment, the legislature, the mercantile bodies, and the
inhabitants generally, all desiring to push on as
rapidly as possible and advance its interests in every
way, all minor differences and sectarian jealousies
being for otters and party Spirit absolutely unknown.
The colony had been rising up of late years at an as-
tonishing- rate, for its age, and considering its former
slow rate of progress. But, passing from the Cape
of Good Hope, he would soy a few words about the
general relationsbetween Greet Britain and her colo-
ni.,ll possessions. He had found not a few -persons who
held that the colonies, instead of being a profit to
Great Britain, were an actual incumbrarice and dis-
advantage to her. He could not comprehend the
grounds of such an opinion. As for taxation, it was
quite tree that the manufacturing people of Great
Britain did in the first instance pay the taxes which
supported our army and navy but that taxation
was put on the price of the commodities which the
colonies consumed. He believed that every indi ri-
dual colonist and the barbarian nations of the lute
nor annually contributed a levee sum to the sup-
port of the armies and navies of 'Great Britain. Not
a blanket, not a saddle, not a pickaxe or an iron
pot could they buy without paying such imperial
taxation ; this was an undoubted fact. He had
heard it said whether or not these countries were
dependencies of the crown of Great Britain, their
inhabitants would equally purchase the articles we
manufactured. But he would answer that experi-
ence showed this idea to be fallacious, and many of
the merchants he saw present might bear him out.
_ _

When first we assumed the celetry of the Cape of
Good. Hope from Holland a very large amount of
Dutch and German goods was consumed there ; but
since then English tastes and fashions had;been in-
troduced, and at present no sale could be obtained
there for Dutch or German commodities, but all the
imports came from England. He could go further,
and say- that, if those young countries did not be-
long to Great Britain, they would belong to some
other European power, and then the trade would
be restricted, and British manufactures could not
he export3l thither. What trade had we mow
with the Dutch or French dependencies?
Tie therefore considered that this view 'of
the colonies as a burthen and loss to us was a great
mistake. As for their situation in time of war, he
would remark that before the volunteer corpS be-
gan to be formed in this'country the colonies formed
them, although they feared no invasion ; for, so long
as a British force commanded the seas, no foreign
force could get into the country. The colonists would
ask no protection from this country except that of
the navy, which was required for our com-
merce. If we had no colonies, we should not re-
quire one ship the less to protect our trade. But
having the colonies, our fleets, when engaged in
distant operations anywhere on the globe, had har-
bours, and supplies, and a hearty welcome ready
for them, while the. fleets of a hostile power could
enter none of those ports without having to fight
for it. He had been much struck with one fact he
witnessed during the Crimean war. The moment.
it was known that Queen Victoria, desired a collec-
tion. to be made for the sufferers in our army, the
people of every race in South Africa came forward,
to contilbute to it. Numbers of poor Fingoesf quite,
poor men in the villages of that barbarian race, at
once gave their penny apiece, and Fingoe women
came with their baskets of produce on their heads;
they were disappointed when they found it could
not be taken, and then they went about the vil-
lages to sell it for what they could, and brought
the money. Even in the republics beyond
our borders, the very men we had. cast off sent
their subscriptions, which were not inconsiderable
for their numbers and their means. He was there-
fore convinced . that our colonies were not a dis-
advantage to us. In the year 1819 or 1820,
body of settlers were sent out from this country
to the Cape of Good Hope, and great complaints had '
been made that that emigration cost £50,000; but
ne was qnite satisfied that those very settlers and
their. reiatives had sent back more than £50,000 to
England in the purchase of British goods.. Homes
had been found there for thousands, and many had
acquired wealth ; an immense quantity of wool was
grown for our manufactures, and a great mumber
of our ships employed in the carriage. There were
per Sons now in the colony'w.ho went out in 1819,
and oorflehs w
ofof i own
nn oicould repay that surn •
pocket, without making
4imself a poor man.. Having been 50 long and so
intimately connected with the colonies, lie (Sir G.
Grey) had been anxious to remove the pernicious'
errar to which hv had just alluded from the mill&
of the veoplt, of this cOuntry. in c- '-• .1"s
. u
was inc_a cordially el:cored, and
en announced, had been honoured
ppla-aso, thanked the company
alth of the chairman, the
17_ establishment at Cape

,vhoe

with el:t

li anJ

'eat comme

ITARRIsW

ackn

Chairman) having

Mr. COPLONTON, 0
absence of Mr. George Wood, Opp°
lature of the Cape of Good TlGpe.
Mr. J. R. THOMSON then proposed the toast of
" Prosperity to the Cape of Good Hope and its
dependencies," which was acknowledged by Mr.
J. Ansdell, Mr. Godlonton, and the Rev. J. Harsant,
all of them stating facts to illustrido the marked
improvement of the country.
The festivities ended at a rather late, hour.

in. the
sed the I..egis-

LORD PALMERSTON AT ROMSEY.


ROMSEY, WEDNESDAY

The Rorasey Labourers' Encouragement Associa-
tion held its. anniversary this afternoon, when -prizes
were awarded for long servitude, ploughing, thatch-
ing, and almost every, description of agricultural
Lord Palmerston, the president of
employment,
the association, was present, and personally distri-
buted the prizes to the successful candidates in the
Town-hall.
The awards leaving been made,
Lord PALITEB.,-3ION addressed the labourers as fol-
lows :—My Friends,—Perhaps you will allow me to
address a few words to you to express the great plea-
sure which I have derived from having to hand over
to so many deserving men and women in this neigh-
bourhood these prizes—prizes which are not in-
tended, I need hardly say, as rewards, but as tokens
and memorials of your good conduct in your several
,vocations. I need hardier say that they are not re-
wards, because no man is ea foolish as to think that
these tokens of good conduct which are given are in-
tended to be SU bstant ial rewards for the con duct on ac-
csunt of which they are bestowed. This is not the
principle upon which decorations and memorials and
tokens are given to mankind for their meritorious
conduct. (Hear.) The soldier who hazards his life
upon the field of battle, and who has attracted the
attention of his superiors and of his comrades by dis-
tinguished and heroic bravery, is , rewarded-by a
cross, very insignificant in intrinsic value, but which
he wears on his breast as a token, and a record of
that good conduct which has obtained for him that
which is a real reward—namely, the esteem and re-
spect of all around him. (Cheers.) In the same way
in other classes of life, men who perform distin-
guished services to the State are rewarded by a little
riband.which they wear in their button-hole or over
their Shoulder, but nobody imagines that half a
yard or two yards of red or blue riband are, in
themselves intrinsic rewards-. TheY are tokens and
records-of that geed conduct in the life of those on
whom they ar&bestowed which testify to mankind
that they gave de.e'drved well of their' country. There-
fore, my friends,
I am delighted that so many, of
,
' you have have received these tokens of your good
conduct in your eespective vocations, and I am glad
to say that these rewards have been given for.
almost every kind of service which an- agricultural
labourer is capable of performing. We have had
prizes for ploughmen, for thatchers, for drill-men,
for team-men, for the culivation of gardens, for keep-
ing cottages neat, and for good service in the fami-
lies where labourers have been employed. And, my
friends, without saying anything to flatter you,.
you may have the satisfaction of reflecting that you
belong to a class most deserving of the esteem and.
respect of your fellow-countryinen, because the
labour in whieh you-are employed is at the root and
kundation of the wealth and prosperity of a country:
(Cheers.) It would be a homely saying, to tell you a
truism,—that men cannot work unless they are fed;
and that is the last thing I should deem necessary to
inculcate in the state of the tables I novi; look
upon s but it is evident that unless the soil, by
the labour of those employed upon it, shall pro-
duce wherewith to maintain those who are occupied
in other employments—manufactUres, the mechani-
cal arts, the higher arts and professions,—that un-
less the soil produces an abundance, it would be in
vain that industry and ingenuity should combine to
increase'the wealth and prosperity of the country.
("Hear "and cheers.) Therefore, my friends, you
may Walk among your fellow-countrymen with a
proud and satisfactory consciousness that you are
one of the most useful of the classes of the nation, and
that without you the superstructetre would fall to the
ground. Now, my friends, it ha pleased Providence
to instil into the minds of men a desire to contribute
to their temporal and future wellbeing, and there
are few feelings that are mord useful than the love of
approbation and the fear of censure. But that ap-
probation-which men most value on the part of others
is the approbation of those who knowthem—of those
who have seen what they have done or are capable
of j udging of their merits, of men who come into daily
and constant contact with them, and yet testify by
their bet-ging the approbation which their conduct
has inspired. (Hear, hear.) Well, then, the prizes
which have been given to-day are not only a grati-
fying memorial to every man when he sees his card
stock up over his cottage fireplace, but they are
tokens which show publicly to all his neighbour-
hood that-he enjoys the esteem and respect of his
fellow-citizens. The fear of censure is also a deter-
ring action, and I am sure that those who are pro-
perly inspired with a .due love of approbation will
never require to be guided in their conduct by the
fear of censure from their neighbours e but although
there is great value attached to the approbation of
others; yet, believe me, there is no approbation
which a man who has a proper estimate of things
will more highly value than his own approbation.
Other men may be mistaken ; they may unduly
appreciate conduct which, after all, when its motives
are known, may not deserve the approbation which
' it has received. Men may unduly blame others, not
knowing exactly the truth of the conduct which
they blame, ancfnot being aware of all the circum-
stances which might explain or excuse that
which they think fit to condemn ; but a man's
own conscience never misleads him. (Hear, hear,
and cheers.) He knows full well whether he de.
servo praise or censure ; and if he is conscious that
ke is deserving of commendation and praise he may
bear with calmness the accents of praise from others,
and with composure the censure which he feelS not
to have deserved. (Hear.) Now, my friends, iii is
needless, among se many who have distinguished
themselves in their different vocations, to give ad-
vice as to their future ,conduct.; You have only to
continue to tread in the same path which has led
you to be prizemen upon this and upon former
occasions. I would, however, remairid you that
there are perhaps functions of life and 'duties not
precisely connected with those kinds of conduct
which have distinguished you upon this occasion,
but which. nevertheless are greatly conducive to
your well-being and to the respect which you would
wish to receive from others. I would particularly
impress upon you the great importance of attend-
ing to the manner in which you rear your children.
(Cheers.) Impressions made in early life we all
know are lasting, and there are no impressions that
go deeper into the mind of a child than those which
he received from his parents in his tender years.
(Hear, hear.) Bend the, twig as you like, and so
the tree will grow. Probably those who are em-
ployed out of doors all day long have fewer oppor-
tunities than others of attending to the instruction
of their children, but you, all of you, have moments
which you can give to that purpose, and you should
not omit any opportunity which family intercourse
affords you to impress strongly upon your children
the distinction between right and wrong. (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) You may be sure that if you
attend to the moral and religious instruction of
the family that surrounds you you will find them
grow up to be an
.honour to yourselves and a eoni-
fort to you to the latest days of your life. (Cheers.)
I am not aware, my friends, that I have anything
else to say to you. I am sure that those who
have earned these prizes to-day need no advice
from others as to the course which they ought to
pursue, because I am certain that men who are
so much masters of their conduct, of their pas-
sions; and of their inclinations as to have obtained,
by a strict attention to their agricultural dnties, the
rewards which it has been my good fortune to dis-
tribute must also have those high feelings—that deep
sense of right and wronge-4hose high principles of
morality and religion which will lead them to attend
to the rearing of their families and to their inter-
course with their neighbours without any advice or
recommeedatioe from anybody, save, perhaps, from
their religious pastor and-preceptor. (Hear.) Again
I congratulate you upon the prizes you have obtained,
and i have no doubt that nest year many who have
not been successful competitors to-daiwill put them-
selves upon the list of prizemen. (Loud cheers.)
• Mr: 'GEORGE called upon the labourers for three
cheers for Lady Palmerston, which was cordially
responded to. •
Lord PALMERSTON, in acknowledging the compli-
ment, said—l beg to thank you sincerely for the
kind and hearty manner in which you have re-
sponded to the call just made upon you. I can assure
you that these opportunities of meeting familiarly
with those whom one does not meet every day in
the year are most gratifying to me, and must be to
every rightminded man. The'' fabric of society is con-
structed by an infinite gradation of ranks and con-
ditions, and those who arc, perhaps, separated from
each other, and have not often an occasion of meet-
ing, when the opportunities do occur should meet in
order that • they may reciprocally understand each
other. I am sure that all classes of Englinmen if
they do understand each other will value and love
each other. I am not led away by any national vanity
in that opinion, but I have that conviction witlyre
gta.rd to the, character of my ebuntrymen I ant sure
tne oftener the different classes of society meet to-
gether the more.the whole fabric of society ill be
eemented4 the stroue•er
the nation will be, and the
more each class will look to the other without jea-
lousy, -without suspicion, without enmity—with a
' but that the interestv:.(.7l:Lar,iet bound up in one
'convictiim teat there a
general aggregate;
m11011;1(1
cheois )le.
antagonistic interests,
interests of the
period of the day ih
White
of the
country at large.
A t a later members '
association dined together at the NeV
Lord Palmerston presided, and was supported Horse Inn.
Lord
7.
the Hon: It: Dutton?. M.P., the Rev. C.
A.
(vicar. Romsey), Mr. Eyre, Mr. Anderson, the
Mayor of Romsey, Mr. Lordan, the Revs: G. Mason,
T. IL•Tragett, W. Bachelpr, &c.
The usual loyal toasts having been given,
The CuAißmsx said—lire. have already drunk
" The Ministers of Peace," .bnt peace cannot be
reckoned upon for ever, and it is possible that it

may be succeeded in all countries by war.
.Thereal
fore I now propose to you the health and success of!
those establishments which defend us in -war and
enable us to regain the blessings of peace. I pro-
pose to you " The Army and Navy," and I am proud
to say that I believe there never was a moment—a
moment of peace at least—in which both. of those
services were in a condition of greater efficiency
than they Ire at the present time. (Lend cheers.)
I am sure that the country is deeply convinced that
the best method of preservin.g peace is to show that
you are capable of defending yourselves in the
event of being attacked. (Cheers.) I trust that there
is no likelihood in the present state of affairs that
our army and navy will have to perform with the
same distinction those defies which their prede-
cessors have already performed. The spirit which
the country has recently shown by the immense
extent of volunteer organisation has produced a
great effect not only in this country, but all over
the world. (Loud cheers.) It has tended to inspire
i that respect which all nations feel for a country
which, without any aggressive, intentions, shows
that it is determined to hold its own, and to defend
itself aped/Ist' all comers. (Cheers.) Again I say
that I trust there is nothing in the present state
of things 'that betokens the• likelihood of any
occasion for that martial spirit to be displayed
otherwise than by showing that we are ready
to defend our shores ; but it must be a great satis-
faction to all of us to know that the army and
navy are in a state of complete efficiency accord-
ing to the numbers to which in a time of peace
they can be carried, and that there are means
in the country by which—if unfortunately unfore-
seen events should render it necessary that we
should increase our armaments—those armaments
might be rapidly increased to whatever the exigen-
cies of the moment might require. I beg to give
you " The Army and Navy." (Loud cheers.)
Mr. EYRE briefly responded.
The CHAIRMAN next gave "The health of the
Members for the County:.
The Hon. RALPH BUTTON, M.P., in responding,
said that, after the able address which had been de-
livered by Lord Palmerston to the labourers; he
would confine his remarks to subjects affecting only
the employers of labour. The Romsey Association
had been before the public for some years. It had
been as it were on trial, and what good had it done
to benefit the condition of the labourer ? For his
own part, he believed that it had accomplished a
vast amount of good—not so much directly as in-
directly; inasmuch as it had turned men's minds
into the right channel, and had induced them to
pay more attention than formerly to the condition
of those whom they employed as labourers. (Hear,
hear.) Now, he would ask, what was the condition
of the English labourer? He was born to his work
like a horse, and the harder he worked the sooner
he was worn out. It was clearly, then, the duty of
`those to whom the Almighty had given a higher
station to provide for the labourer in his lifetime,
and for his old age also. It could be accomplished
in a very simple manner—namely, by giving the
labourer good cottages, fair wages, and ensuring
him wale • throughout the winter. In that way
alone the employer could keep his staff of labourers
about him. (Hear, hear.) He knew he might be
met by the remark that the supply and demand
ought always to regulate each other, but they must
remember that that precious text of the political
economist almost depriyed the farmers of labour
last harvest when they wanted it most. (Hear.)
He had himself seen many crops standing throughout
the hot weather, losing from 25 to 50 per cent. of
their value from want of labour to get them in, and
in his opinion it all arose, in a great measure, from
the evil of not employing a sufficient number of
labourers throughout the winter. He believed that
'there was no outlay upon the land so judiciouti 'as
the employment of capital liberally. Cottages were
now being improved, the labourers were getting
fair wages, and he had no doubt that this associa-
tion, by turning the minds of the employers of la-
balm in that direction, had been the means of doing
much good. It would always give him great plea-
sure to give his humble assistance to that and simi-
lar institutions. He believed that the duty of a
county member was not merely to attend in his
place in Parliament and add his voice to the coun-
cils of the State, but to go among his constituents
to listen to the suggestions they might have to
make, and to encourage those societies which had
for their aim. and end the social elevation of the
people. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN—I now rise to propose to you
Prosperity to the Romsey Association for the En-
couragement of Labourers." It would be a repeti-
tion of that which has already been so well said if
I were to expatiate on the advantages resulting
from associations of this kind, but I think that
those who even for the first time witnessed to-day
the ardent countenances of those who received the
prizes must see the effect which these rewards
must produce on the minds of the labouring classes.
But we are here met as a body of employers, and I
hold that these associations affect the interests of
the employer quite as much as they do the interests
of those who are employed; for it is:manifest that
no agriculturist can pursue his avocation with ad-
vantage if he does not inspire in the minds of those
be employs zeal in their calling, energy, industry,
and especially good conduct. Agriculture has un-
dergone a great change in the last few years. It
Used to be a practice—it is now raised to the condi—
tion of a science, and no man can be a successful
agriculturist who does not raise his mind beyond
the mere-traditions of those who went before him,
and who does not study the principles on which
success -in agriculture must mainly depend. A
farmer ought to know now something, and
perhaps not a little of chemistry. He ought
to know what - are the ingredients of the
soil which different crops take out for their
nourishment. He ought eto know how, by
varioue manures and by various processes, to restore
to the soil those ingredients essential to the growth
91 plants which former crops have taken out. He
ought also to a certain extent to know the funda-
mental principles of political economy, and to be
aware that he does not prosper by grinding down
those who labour on his farm—that it is no real
saving to give inadequate wages to those who work
for him ; that he gains nothing by avoiding.to em-
ploy labour in the winter months; and that, in fact,
there is no more advantageous and profitable invest-
ment in the cultivation of the land than labour.
(Cheers.) It is quite true that the ineenuity of
mechanics has of late years introduced a great
number of machines, which to some extent are sub.
stitutes for the work of the hands; but a farmer
ought to know that the use of these machines is not
to supersede the employment of • labour, but to
enable him to divert labour from those processes to
which machinery is applicable, and to employ it
profitably in other occupations. (Hear.) A groat
improvement has been made in the intelligence of
the labouring classes. Some of us are old enough to
remember, the time when threshing machines were
held in hatred by the labourer, when all sorts of
improvements in machinery were thought to be
,means for taking bread out of the mouths of the
labourers. But they are now wise enough to know
that those processes and machines, instead of super-
seding labour, are simply an addition to labour.
We all know the story of the farmer who, on his
deathbed, told his two sons that he had a great
treasure buried in a certain field, and that if they
only dug over it they would find it. The sons, did
dig for it. Money they found not, but money's.
• worth they did find, and the increased produce of
the field by the application of manual labour repaid
them amply for their exertion. That story is ap-
plicable to all farming occupations. I am sure
that'l aui now addressinssian enlightened audience,
most of you practical °farmers, who must have
discovered that it is no economy to spare labour
on year farms—that the more labour you
are able to employ the more advantage you will
derive from the crops ; but the labour cannot
be useful Unless the labourer is well looked to, well
housed, well fed, and well cared for. (Cheers.)
When the employers of labour bestow proper at-
tention upon their labourers they engender a feel-
ing of reciprocal regard; and it is in human nature
that a man will, work better for an employer he
loves, and who treats him well, than for a man who
is niggardly and churlish; who just 'pays him as
much as will keep body and soul together, and
neglects him in other respects: (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HENDERSON proposed "The Health of the
Chairman," and alluded to the efforts the noble lord
had already made to improve the condition of his
tenantry and labourers.

Lord PALMERSTON' responded. He said—l can
assure you from the bottom of my heart that I am
deeply grateful for the kindness with which this
toast has been proposed, and for the manner in
which it 'has been received. Nothing can be
more gratifying.to a man than to hear these ex-
pressions of goodwill on
,the part of those tiMon,,
whom he lives, who must know him sufficiently to
form an estimate of his character. I can assure.
you that it affords me very sincere pl,:asure to
preside at meetings of this kind ; and I would just
briefly advert to one topic which has been alluded
to this afternoon—l mean the lodging-of the labour-
ing classes. Now, it is quite true that Mr. Dutton
and myself have built some very good double cot-
tages for the labourers on our own respective pro-
perties, but I have heard it said by many that it is
all very well for us to 'do that, but that these build-
ings are altogether too expensive, that they do not
pay, and that other people could not afford to erect
ttih
oei to bNeofwoUnindetdheonfilaistfapnldaacme,
elnhtaolldefrtihoalt..
verhvean-
n I
build a cottage for a labourer on a
expect it to pay in money. When I buildarm a do
good not
farm-house for a tenant I do not expect rent en for
that house separate from the farm.
Well, the cot-
tage for the labourer ought to be looked
upon
as

part of the appurtenances of a farm just as much as
the buildings for cattle, or any of those ether erec-
tions essential to the cultivation of the land. Hew
can the land be well cultivated if the labourers are
not well housed ? if they are obliged to trudge 3 or
4 miles iii (seder to get at their work, and the same
distance home again ? It is manifest that they must
be 'not only exhausted physically, but that their
time must be wasted in walking to and from their
work, and that the farmer does not get from them
his money's worth for the wages he pays. (Hear.)
Therefore I consider that in providing a farm with
accommodation for the number of labourera* to be
employed on it you are giving facilities to the tenant
to cultivate his farm, and increasing the value of
the, farm which you let to a good tenant. If you
get a shilling a week from the labourer it is more
to impress upon his mind that he is earning the ac-
commodation you give him rather than from any
idea that it is to repay the expense of the erection.
It is not like building houses in a town which are
built to be let as a profitable investment, but it is
an addition to the value of the farm : and depend.
upon it a good tenant will give you more rent for a
farm which he can cultivate to advantage. (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) Then as to the expense of these
cottages. Now, the cottages which Mr. Dutton
and myself have built contain really no more ac-
commodation than a decent family ought to have.
They have simply one room to live in, a back
kitchen, and what is of the utmost importance,
three sleeping places. No cottage ought to be
without three sleeping places—one for the man and
his Wife, another for the girls, and another for the
boys. It is not necessary to pull down old cottages
to build new ones. A great deal can be done at a
moderate ,expense in improving old ones. All you
require is to put a little porch in front of the door,
which costs little; to give them' a boarded floor
instead of bricks ; to make the walls air-tight and
the roof water tight ; to give three sleeping-rooms,
and to put up a sort of shoaling at the back, with a
little place below for a wood house. It is quite a
mistake to suppose, then, that nothing real and
essential can be done in improving the dwellings of
the labouring classes short of pulling down the old
ones and erecting new ones. The effect of improv-
ing those dwellings is almost marvellous. In the
first place, you know that the comfort of a man's
house depends upon the tidiness of his wife and the
mods in which she tries to make him comfortable ;
but there is a temper of the human mind which is
denominated recklessness. ' When a thing seems
impossible it is given up in despair. When a cot-
tage is in such a rainshackle state that it is impos-
sible for the wife to keep it clean she becomes a
slattern, everything goes to ruin, the man is dis-
gusted, and flies to the beershop. (Hear, hear.) If,
on the contrary, the wife feels that she can by a
little exertion make the cottage decent and respec-
table she does so, and then the man enjoys the com-
fort and. happiness of his home, stays away from
the beershop, and the sum of money he would spend.
in liquor goes to the benefit of his wife and chil-
dren. (Hear, and cheers.) I had an example of
that in a double cottage of my own. It was in a
dreadful state ; the walls were not air-tight, it had
a brick floor, a bad roof, and. everything uncomfor-
table. The people who occupied them were slovens
and slatterns, and quarrelsome ill-neighbours., At
a small expense it was made tidy ; boarded floors
put down ; a little porch erected, with a wood house
and other conveniences, and from that moment these
people iiltered entirely their character, altered en-
tirely their conduct, became well-conditioned people
and good neighbours, which they had never been be-
fore. (Hear, and heers.) 'Therefore, I entreat
everybody not to run away with the notion that
nothing can be done to improve the dwellings of
the poor, short of building cottages which they may
think too expensive for their means. Depend upon
it that a very great deal can be done, at a moderate
expense, towards making old cottages decent and
habitable. (Loud cheers.)
The Hon. R. DUTTON gave " the health of Lady
Palmerston," which was cordially responded to.
Lord PALMERSTON then proposed the last toast
—lle said, I rise to do homage to that which may
properly be said to be one of the wonders of modern
civilisation. I:mean " The Press." (Cheers.) If
any man compares now a newspaper published. in
the last century with one of those wonderful sheets
we read everyday, the contrast is the most striking
that the mind of man can imagine. The quantity
of information, the talent of dissertation, the amount
of news of every kind which we now find in almost
every newspaper we meet with is really one of the
most striking proofs of the progress which the
human intellect has made in the days in which we
live. It may really be put in competition with the
steam engine and the electric telegraph, but there
is one part of the functions of the press which, be-
yond all others, has improved of late years. I have
heard that towards the end of the last century there
was a man named Woodall who used to publish
debates; and how did. he do it ? It is said that he
used to go to the gallery of the Douse of Commons,
*listen attentively with his face in his hands to what
passed, go home, drink two pots of porter, go to
Led, get up next morning, and from his dreams and
his recollections make out what he called a report of
a debate. (Cheers.) Now-a-days, so marvellous is
the ability and sowonderful the rapidity with which
reporters take down what men say that if speakers
are not very careful the reporters take down what
:they had much better not to have said. (Laughter.)
I remember a very worthy 31. P., an Irish M.P.,
Mr. Richard-Keene, who once complained that the
reporters in the gallery had not done him full jus-
tice to a speech he had made the night before. The
reply he received had, perhaps, more of sharpness
than civility in it, for it was—" Mr. Keene, we made
the best speech we could for you; but, if you are not
satisfied with our endeavours, the next time we
will report what you do say—(loud laughter)—
and whatever you may think of it, we suspect your
friends will hardly relish the infliction." (Laughter)
Now, it is quite marvellous to see the accuracy with
which debates in the Reuse of Commons are re-
ported. When the speeches are such as are calcu-
lated to attract attention they are reported word for
word as they are uttered, and how it is possible for
the human hand to follow with such rapidity and
such exactness I am at a loss to conceive. I once, as
many oilers have done, began to learn shorthand,
but I confess that I found out two difficulties which
turned out to be quite insurmountable. The one was
to write it—(laughter)—and the next and greatest
;toa.ead it when it was written. (Loud laughter.) I
beg now to propose that institution to which the
progress of civilisation and all the interests of the
country are so deeply indebted, " The Press."
(Cheers.)
The proceedings then terminated. _

THE POPE IN THE PRESENT CRISIS.

Under the above head, the Cork Examiner pub-
lishes the following passages taken from a letter
received by the knightly member for Dungarvan
from a gentleman of high position in Rome. It is
dated the 10th December :

" I am happy to say that the Holy Father is
perfectly well, and is very grateful for the sym-
pathy manifested for him by the Catholics
all over the world. The pastorals of the Irish
nishops,•and the great meetings held in Dublin,
and the sentiments elicited there, have been to him
a source of much consolation. Although it is for him
a Moment of great trial and anxiety, yet he bears
his troubles with the greatest resignation,, patience,
and equanimity, and every one remarks how cheer-
ful he is in the midst of his sufferings. Rome was
never more quiet than it iaatthis -moment,, and if
you were, here you would not see any difference
from what it was last year. Of course we are look-
ing forward anxiously to the Congress. England,
no doubt, will be the great antagonist to the Holy
Father ; but I entertain a confident hope that the
majority of the representatives will be in his favour."
The organ of Mr. Maguire is sadly perplexed with
regard to the abortive meeting of Irish members on
Thursday last, and by a roundabout process of cal-
culation endeavours to make it'appear that not 11,
but 18 representatives, may be said to' have aided in
the movement. The balance of seven, it is argued,
•although not present in the body, were virtually
there in spirit ; and, setting out with this comforting
assurance, the-Examiner proceeds in this strain :
"These resolutions may be objected to by some as
being rather too moderate in their tone; but while
they may, with those, be open to objection on that
ground, others will commend them -for their concilia-
tory spirit, and admire them for their prudence. To
those who may think they do not go far enough,
our answer is this—were they too strong they
would prevent a certain class of gentlemen from
adopting them—and there is noliecessity for strong
resolutions from men whose policy is already
known, and whose conduct does not depend upon
letters or phrases, but upon. their principles and
their convictions. Let us illustrate our meaning
by a resolution in point, It is that having refe-
i ence to the Holy Father and the temporal power.
It says, That any Government which attempts to
interfere with or to countenance an attack upon
the temporal sovereignty of the Father is un*orthy
of the confidence of the Irish people and the sup.
port of their representative-. Sonic gentlemen
may not desire to commit themselves to a stronger
resolution or to a more decided policy than this ;
but there is not a Catholic of true independent pc-
Hey who, whether he adopts it or does not
adopt it, will not resent by every legitimate means
in his power, and at the best possible opportunity,
any attempts against the Holy Father, whether
made by the Government or -by its agents.
It is not necessary that we should explain
tend
butthe am e evteirng,
pionor
aWethe s hcoQuml
d
Whiy certain Catholic members did not at,

4 i'l.~ ~ r. ~.. 'p

mon sense of the Inch people if we atterapted
to explain that which is as transparent as glass to
the public eye,. It is -,,vefl !mown that every engine
—and governments hal.° many such at their dis-
posal—has been put in operation to prevent signa-
tures being attached to the requisition, and to pre-
vent attendance at the meeting."
On the other hand, the Reporter—the organ of
Liber,al Romanisra— deals rather irreverently with
the 11 lay bottle-holders of the venerated hierarchy,
and actually makes merry with the recent demon-
stration of its co-religionists :
" The Eleven of Ireland' will henceforth be a
title associated wth the most ludicrous ideas of ex-
travagant anticipations and boastings, ending in
most lame and impotent' failure, The O'Donoghue
and Mr. Maguire—there is no denying the fact—
have made a mull of it.' In their zeal for Catho-
licism—and their own glorification they have
placed the Roman Catholic episcopal body in Ire-
land in a painfully false position. People might
have felt astonishment, regret, humiliation even, at
some of the propositions and demands put forth in
the pastoral ; but it was impossible not to feel that
the document itself, signed by 28 Catholic archbi-
shops and bishops, and professing to represent the
unanimous opinions and resolves of the whole Irish
Catholic hierarchy, was one to which a certain
weight and importance (not to say dignity) attached.
Prima f‘eie, it looked like the expression-of the
universal Catholic opinion of the country, for the
ecclesiastical dignitaries presiding over every dio-
cese in the island had affixed to it their signatures,
and even those who disputed its authority could not
deny its ostensible claim to represent populax feel-
ing on some very important social questionSl but,
thought Mr. Maguire and The O'Donoghue, this
pastoral, after all, is a secondary sort of affair. The
bishops were well enough in their way, but all the
world knows that they have little weight compared
with M.P.'s—that is to say, M.P.'s of a certain class,
patriotic, virtuous, self-sacrificing, independent
Opposition' M.P.'s We must not allow these esti-
mable men to go unaided. We must give thOm a
helping hand. Alas! the responses to the summons
were feW and tardy—while, if they were presented
to the world, it would be found that some'of them
were equivocal in their expressions of adhesion.
That phrase, factious opposition,' in the preliminary
resolution looks very suspicious, in connection with
some things that have reached our ears. Certainly,
bnt for the repudiation of such opposition, even the
nine M.P.'s who have signed all the seven resolu-
tions, at the chat round the fender on the 15th, in
the little room at the Northumberland, would not
have done so. But, equivocal or not, the adhesions
by letter reached, we believe, 14. That, however,
was not the strength of the party—oh, no—when
the day of meeting arrived many would attend who
had not given their signatures. Such were the
words of promise to the ear. But they were vain
and deceitful words ; for when the day of meeting
came even the 14 on paper had dwindled to 11 in
the flesh. Two counties out of 32 sent both their
members ; four counties sent one each ; the Irish
boroughs were modestly represented by three, one
of the three being the great mover of the scheme,
the hon. member for Dungarvan. Such is the Par-
liamentary phalanx that offers its services to sus-
tain the pastoral of the 28 Archbishops and Bishops,
on the vital questions of education, tenant right,
and the rest. We need make no comment upon this
break down. It is a significant proof of the folly of
seeking for what is unreasonable. Thelrish Catholic
body would have sustained their Bishops in any
reasonable, perhaps in many unreasonable, de-
mands. But the pastoral was too much for men of
common sense to stomach, and the less that is said
about it henceforth the better for the reputation of
its authors."

The Times complains that the Irish Ultramontan es
promise to do all and everything for the Pope, pro-
vided that no appeal is made to the breeches pee,ket.
Hitherto there seemed to be good founda.t4.on for
the complaint; but the slur has been removed, and
the chivalrous Father Daly has been the first to
come forward with a proposition to recruit the trea-
sury of the Holy Father. At the Galway meeting
on Sunday the rev. gentleman, in the course of a-
long speech, said :

did not believe that the Holy Father needed
any material proof of their sympathy, but if he did
he was sure that they were all agreed with him
that he should have it. (Loud cries of Yes !') If
it should so happen that material aid should be re-.
quircd during his (Mr. Daly's) life, or after his
death, he should set apart a sum of £5O towards
giving that aid, if ever it should be wanted."
ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.