The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-25 00:00:00

ADDRESS TO SIB JOHN LAWRENCE.

Yesterday afturnoon, a public meeting was
held at Willis's Rooms, King-street, St. James's,
to present an address to the Right Honourable
Sir John L awrence, Bart., G.C.8.. There
was a very large and influential attendance.
Amongst the 'gentlemen on the platform were the
following nolalemen and gentlemen :—The Bishop
of London,. the Bishop of Durham, Marquis of
Westminster, Earl Bandon, Earl Dude, Earl of
Shaftesbury, Lord Kinnaird, Rev. Jamokßagge,
W. J. Maxwell, Robert Hanbury, M.P., Rev. J.
W. Reeve, J. H. Bracebridge, Rev. S. Minton, Sir
John Ogilvy, Bart., M.P., Rev. John Hodgson,
.
Canon Miller, E. M'Naughten, Rev. H. Bean:Lush,
William Long, Earl Sandon, Lord Lyttelton, L.
H. H. Oliphant, Admiral Trotter, T. Nisbet, M.P.,
Canon Dale, Rev. H. Venn, Rev. Albert Rogers,
Sir Andrew Agnew, Bart., M.P., A. Haldane, T.
Meadows White, Colonel Macdonald, Sir Culling
Eardley, Bart., J. M. Strachan, Lord Duncan,
M.P., Admiral Harcourt, Joseph Hoare, M.P., A.
Lefroy, M.P., Rev. Dr. Cumming, Monckton
Mikes, M.P., Sir John Logan, T. O'Malley, Q.C.,
J. Farish, Abel Smith, Esq., M.P., General Alex-.
ander, Sir J. Kennaway, Rev. H. Latrobe, Hon.
A. Kinnaird, M.P., and Arthur Mills, M.P.
The Lord Bishop of London presided.
The meeting having been opened with prayer,

Sir CIILLIN-G EARD-LEY explained the circum.
stances of the address. He had only a few observa-
tions to make, which would not detain them more
than a few minutes. He was requested by those
who had convened this meeting to state a few facts.
The number of signatures appended to the address
was between 7,000 and 8,000, almost all of them
being the signatures of persons of education, and
capable of forming an opinion on the subject.
(Hear.) Amongst the signatures were those of three
archbishops, 20 bishops, 28 peers. of the realm and no-
blemen, and 71 members of Parliament. (Cheers.) In
connexion -with the classes now referred to, it was
right to mention that the circular issued to the mem-
bers of both Houses of Parliament was only sent
out the day before yesterday, and that conse-
quently there were many answers not yet received.
A large number of persons in the military and
naval services, and in a public position, had signed
the address. There was one element in the signa-
tures—namely, that there were those of lord
mayors, mayors, and provosts, of 300,places in the
United Kingdom, who had all, with the' greatest
readiness and alacrity, desired that their names
might be appended to this document. (Cheers.) If
it was desired to collect the public opinion of the
country, there were no better means than by ob-
taining the signatures of the chief municipal autho-
rities. The chief authorities of the boroughs and
counties had also contributed their quota of signa-
tures. He was also requested to state that the
document was signed by men of all shades of poli-
tical opinions, and by ecclesiastical persons of every
denomination. (Cheers.) The unanimity of all
classes upon this subject far exceeded anything of
the sort that he had. seen within his experience.
(Cheers.) Indeed, many had expressed their warmest
gratitude for the opportunity of thus expressing
their appreciation of Sir John Lawrence's brilliant
services. Others had stated that they virtually
represented hundreds and thousands of their coun-
trymen. The following extracts were only from a
few of the letters he had received :

From the Mayor of Durham. After expressing
great pleasure, he says :
" His (Sir John Lawrence's) conduct in India deserves
the thanks of every Briton, and especially for the enuncia-
tion of that great Christian principle, the removal of the
interdict under which God's Holy Word is placed by the
Government."
From the Mayor of Wells :
"He will, indeed, feel proud to add his mite of acknow-
ledgment of the noble patriotism, chivalric valour, and in-
domitable andjpeisevermg courage and ability of Sir John
Lawrence, to which, under God, we probably owe the pre-
servation of our Indian Empire."
From a place in the county of Meath :
"Enclosed is the address to Sir John Lawrence, from his
hearty well-wishers."
From the Vicar of Wellingborough :
"I trust every Christian in England will sign it. Eng-
land may justly be proud of such a man."
From Sir Brooke Brydges
" I beg to thank you for forwarding me a copy of the
most excellent and valuable address proposed to be pre-
sented to Sir John Lawrence."
From the Rev. J. 0. Routh :
"Havins a great admiration for Sir John Lawrence, and
fully coinciding in the admirable address to him which has
just reached me for signature, I have much pleasure in
signing it."
From a gentleman at Bake well :

"With the most respectable names in Bakewell, I trust
this small but hearty expression of esteem for the noble
gentleman to whom it is addressed will not be unaccept-
able."

From a gentleman in Dublin :
" I return it with a few respectable signatures. However,
if it were necessary, or even desirable, hundreds more
might be very easily added."
In connexion with the circulars that had just been
sent to members of Parliament, he would read an
extract from the reply of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer :--
" Downing-street, Whitehall, June 23, 1859.
"My Dear Sir,—l thank you for your letter of the 20th
inst.; and beg to assure you that I should be happy to join,
were I now able to act in my individual capacity, in any
testimonial expressive of the most profound respect and re-
gard for Sir John Lawrence ; but I think that my official
position renders it inexpedient for me to sign any address
relating to public affairs, on which I may have to deliberate
in another capacity.
" Believe me, my dear sir, yours very faithfully,
" Sir Culling Eardley, Bart." " W. GLADSTONE.

The committee had reqnested him to state to his
lordship that the box he held in his hand. contained
the address, engrossed on vellum, which they de-
sired he would present to Sir John Lawrence. It
also -contained the signatures of persons of every
class in the three kingdoms, who had requested
their names might be attached to that document.
His lordship's signature would be attached to it,
as chairman of that meeting. (Cheers.) There
was one more thing he was requested to state, that
in presenting this document to this noble and dis.
tinguished man, Sir John Lawrence, they had two
objects in view—the one was to do personal honour
to a man who occupied as great a position in public
estimation and respect as any man living—(loud
cheers)—on account of the services he had rendered
to his country, and especially of his services to the
cause of Christianity in that portion of the country
he had so admirably administered. (Cheers.) But
while they wished to do -honour to the man, they
wished also to do honour to the cause ; and he was
desired to state on their behalf that they desire to
administer the Government of India in a manner
that would do honour to God and maintain the
honour of the country in India. (Cheers.) There
was no opinion more general than, whoever was'in
office, India should be administered in a manner to
show that England was not ashamed of her colours,
and that the policy of Sir John Lawrence had
supported was one to which all desired to give
their most cordial adhesion. (Loud cheers.) He
had been requested to say these few words, and
having said them he should resume his seat.
The Bishop of LONDON then rose and said—Sir
John Lawrence, I believe I shall best consult your
feelings, as certainly I shall best consult my own, by
being very brief in what I shall say on this occa-
sion. lam deputed by 7,000 of your fellow-coun-
trymen to express our. thankfulness to God for
your safe return to your native country—(cheers)
—also our thankfulness for the services you have
been enabled to perform in that difficult period of
your country's history which, thank God, we may
now say is ended. (Hear, hear.) It would ill be-
come me to enter into any enumeration of your
services. These are already matters of history,
and they have already been brought before the
British community in the two most august assem-
blies in the civilised world, by those whose privi-
lege it is to award the praise and the honours as-
signed to, meritorious individuals by the Sovereign
of the country. I should only fail if I attempted
to follow in the enumeration of the services which
you have performed, but, perhaps, if we do look
back for a moment at what you have been privi-
leged to do, we shall be best fulfilling our part, and
act. more in sympathy with your feelings, if we say
that we are anxious on this occasion to express our
thanks, not to you, but to the Supreme Ruler of all
events, who, having placed you in the position you.
occupied in India in that momentous crisis, used
you as the instrument by which Christian power
was to be maintained on a large portion of that
continent. (Cheers.) When we look back to the
Particular services you were able to perform—when
we turn our eyes a few years backwards, and ob-
serve that the country in which you were placed
was the battle-field of India—when we consider
how those tremendous armaments of India threat-
ened the very existence of the British name in that
country some ten years ago—how the existence
and the organisation of those armaments were—
I will not say a terror to tEngland, but a cause of
great anxiety, that if England were not fully
awake to the existence of that organisation,
the Sikh power might destroy the power
we
of England in India ; when remember that at
the commencement of the mutiny it was said that
one of the causes of our weakness- was the necessity
of concentrating the British forces to keep the Sikh
territory in order—when we remember that through
ui•instrumentality that land which as our terror
became our strength—when we remember that in
the Punjaub, owing to the prudence of your ar-
rangements, you were enabled to dispense • with the
British force, and send that force for the re-capture
of Delhi, and that twat weapon which at one time
was deemed likely to deal a serious blow to British
power, became, when wielded by your strong hand,
ono of our greatest defence.; when we remember