The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-08 00:00:00

AN, LONDON, MONDAY, JrNE 8, 1835,

Watch Ministers Every Ministry, good, bad, or indifferent,
otight to have a dose and vigilant eye kept on their proceed-
ings. The best men, however excellent their iniention§, *tie
not a whit the worse for being well watched, and none
such could be offended at it.--(Cheers.) When in office
he had always challenged inquiry, only bespeaking a candid
examination, and in his present position he retained the same
decided opinion of the necessity of the people exercising a vi-
gilance of watchfulness over all the Members of the Govern-
ment—still claiming that it should be carried on in a fair and
candid spirit. These few political apophthegms which—
visionary though he had been called—he thought had a suffi-
cient practical tendency—( A laugh)—he would conclude by
proposing, " His Majesty's Ministers, and the prosperity of
the London Alms-Houses."
The toast was drunk with three times three.
The Noble CHAIRMAN then proposed the next toast ; " The
Poople, and may they never forget their duty to themselves
and their posterity."—( Cheers.) He looked upon the people
as the source of all power, and in the proper and legitimate
exercise of that power they were ever omnipotent. It was to
the people that we should look to defend the rights and privi-
leges which belonged to the citizens of a free State. Of their
protection from foreign invasion he thanked God there was no
longer need.—( Cheers.) Of invasion the British nation had
never had occasion to fear, but from a country to which hap-
pily we are now allied by the closest ties of kindred and con-
nection, the great, generous, and enlightened people of
France.— (Loud cheers.) He had lately sojourned in several
of the provinces of that fine country, and he had everywhere
had the delight of finding that there existed the warmest and
most generous kindness towards England. The monstrous,
un-Christian, and insensate feeling of mutual jealousy and
hatred which had for so many centuries prevailed between the
two countries, with such dreadful consequences to both, was
now happily at an end, and whatever little differences still
prevailed, he was sure were easy of reconcilement ; and he
was sure that the present enlightened Government of either
country, acting on sound principles, would hasten to put an
end to the slight remnant of unpleasant feeling which still mu-
tually existed. So far from England and France being the
natural enemies of each other, as had been pretended, the in-
terests of both countries were closely identified.—( Cheers.)
The toast proposed by the Noble Chairman was then drunk
with enthusiastic applause.
The next toast was, " The Liberty of the Press, and the im-
mediate repeal of the most pernicious of all taxes, the Taxes
on Knowledge." The Noble Chairman said this toast had
formerly been often drunk in Westminster, in the following
form—" The Liberty of the Press—it is like the, air wo
breathe—if we have it not, we perish."—( Cheers ) It was,
true that the air in question in some cases partook of the na-
ture of an east wind ohat it was sometimes impregnated with
the most noxious vapours, and conveyed to the ear harsh and
grating sounds, disgusting falsehoods, contagious, pestilential,
and slanderous indecency—( Cheers)—yet no man out of St.
Luke's or Bedlam would abuse the air because the exceptions

to its utility were so numerous.—( Cheers.) He had just re-
commended them, as the means to attain good government, to
keep a watchful eye on whatever Ministry was in office ; the
same vigilance would procure for them a free and a pure
press. When they found a newspaper become corrupt, let
them treat it with the indifferdisce, contempt, or indignation it
deserved : they would soon find the remedy effective.—
On the other hand, let them not fail to support that portion
of the press which did its duty manfully and honestly, even in
some cases in opposition to its own interest. The taxes on
knowledge were described on the toast-paper as pernicious :
pernicious was an expression hardly strong enough: he should
call them infamous—he was going to say infernal.—( Cheers
and laughter.) It was not very easy, however, to get this
view of the case before the public, for the newspapers them-
selves were, in most cases, very careful in saying nothing about
the matter : " not that they cared about it on their account ;
oh, no ; they were quite disinterested parties--( A laugh)—all
that they feared was, that if the tax were taken off, the public
would be shocked with the appearance of blasphemous, ob-
scene, and seditious papers !"—( Renewed laughter.) Now
he ( Lord B.) very much doubted whether any change of cir-
cumstances could increase the number of obscene, seditious,
and blasphemous, certainly not of slanderous papers ; indeed,
if Ministers would take off this tax, he would guarantee them
against any increase in such publications. Some of the most
ably conducted papers, with a disinterested honesty and man-
liness which did them honour, even now strongly advocated
the repeal of the tax. The tax on newspapers was the more
to be deplored, because it poisoned the source of that which
as most important to the people—political knowledge. If,
instead of six or seven, there were sixty or seventy daily news-
papers, all ignorance on political subjects would be at an end.
The cost of a daily London newspaper nearly amounted to a
poor man's income ; but that was not the worst of the mono-
poly. It gave to six or seven persons the privilege of usher.
mg their opinions to the world, shutting out the lights of those
who, but for the itiposition of this tax, would render the most
important service to society. The whole of the tax should be
removed ; for if half remained, the mischief would be very
little diminished,—(The toast was drunk with great enthu-
siasm.)
Mr. CRAWFORD, one of the Members for the City, then pro-
posed " The health of Lord Brougham and the Cause of
Universal Education," which produced several rounds of
applause.
The Noble CHAIRMAN said that he was exceedingly touched
by the kindness with which the toast had been received; but
he was so accustomed to experience kindness in the city of
London, that he was not surprised to meet it on the present
occasion. If he was presumptuous, the fault was not his, it
was their own. But this was not the only occasion which
made him exult and glory in being a freeman of the city of
London, which had ever been the cradle of civil and religious
liberty.—(Cheers.) The proudest and most exalted man
might be vain of belonging to that city. In the long and dark
and dreary time of oppression—the time of terror, as it was
properly called—when men were persecuted, and about to be
delivered over to the executioner, then it was that London ju-
ries stood between the patriot and the oppressor; in the pre-
sent day those tyrannies would not be attempted—the influ-
ence of popular opinion, and the increased intelligence of the
people, would deter any Ministry from attempting such pro-
secutions, either in England or Scotland, or even in Ireland,
which, as some gentlemen could testify, had been long conse-
irated to persecution. This spirit, he was proud to say, was
not confined to our own country—he saw in other countries a
spirit springing up which would burst the fetters of despotism.
When he looked at home, and considered the sentiments ut-
tered only the night before in the House of Commons by a
leading Conservative, on a question affecting the existence of
the strongholds of Toryism, he could not but think that not
only Tory power, but Tory opinion was on the wane.
(Cheers.) This being the case, he thought it would be fac-
tious—almost factious—to reject the converts.
Mr. Write then read a list of the subscribers and donors to
the Institution, the aggregate of whose contributions amount-
ed to a considerable extent. Among them we noticed the
Corporation of London, donors of 1,5001.—( Immense cheer-
ing) ; Mr. G. Alliston, 1001. ; J. Bish, Esq., M.P., 201. ;
Wynn Ellis, Esq., 10 guineas ; George Grote, Esq., M. P.,
20/. ; Alderman Harmer, 10 guineas ; Sir John Key, 1001. ;
Alderman Lainson, 101. ; Alderman Pirie, 20 guineas ; Mr.
Peck, 20/. ; Lord John Russell, 10 guineas ; Mr. Sheriff Ra-
phael, 20 guineas ; Alderman Wood, 201; Alderman Wilson,
20 guineas, &c. &c.
The CHAIRMAN proposed the healths of—" The Members
for the City," which, he said, had never before been so ably
and fairly represented.
Mr. PATTESON returned thanks, and expressed his regret
at the unavoidable absence of Messrs. Grote and Alderman
\Vood.
Mr. CRAWFORD, in returning thanks, said that, although
he had the other night voted against the Ballot, he should
still narrowly watch the course of events ; and, if circum-
stances should arise to induce him to alter his opinion on the
subject, he was still open to conviction. In what he had done,
as in what he should do, he acted solely upon his own judg-
ment.—( Cheers. )
The CHAIRMAN said the next toast he had to propose re-
lated to the situation of the sister country.—( Cheers.) He
might venture to say that in Parliament or out of Parliament,
in power or out of power, no man had laboured more in
stating and deploring the wrongs of Ireland than himself. He
could venture to say that no man, in or out of Parliament,
had, through a long series of years, laboured to the same ex-
tent as he had done in enforcing and submitting to the public
consideration the woes and wrongs under which Ireland had
so long suffered. There might be differences of opinion as
to the extent of those wrongs—there might be differences of
opinion as to their remedies ; but he held it to be self-evident
that many wrongs were in existence—deep, injurious, anii,
long-felt—which still afflicted Ireland. That such was the
case no man could deny. He had, however, now that con-
solatory and confident hope, that a different state of 'things
was likely to ensue, and that some remedy for those grievances
was at hand. The present Ministry, he was confident, would
speedily redress all the wrongs of Ireland, and that, too, in
such a way as to get rid of the question of the repeal of the
Union, respecting which he and his Hon. and Learned Friend
the Member for Dublin differed so completely. In conclusion,
the Noble Lord proposed "The health of Daniel O'Connell,
Esq. ; redress of the wrongs of Ireland, and happiness to her
people." The toast was hailed with vehement and long-con-
tinued cheering.
Mr. O'CONNELL, in returning thanks, said the Noble Lord
had coupled two topics with his name—" Redress of the
wrongs of Ireland, and happiness to her people." Now, if
Government would take care of the one, they need not trouble
themselves about the other, for the Irish people were quite
sufficiently inclined to happiness if their neighbours would let
them.—( Hear, hear.) The wrongs of Ireland indeed called
for redress ; they were neither inflicted by Nature nor Nature's
God ; her soil was rich and fruitful ; her people well disposed,
brave, and industrious ; yet for centuries had their lot been
the depth of misery and oppression.—( Hear, hear.) Her
wrongs had hitherto been but partially understood here, for
her oppressors had been not the English people, but English
Governments.—( Cheers.) Now, however, these wrongs began
to be felt and protested against by the great and generous
English nation, and the hope of speedy restoration to freedom
and happiness began to dawn upon the Irish people. The
claims of the Irish representatives on the kind and grateful
feelings of the English people were manifold ; in no case had
they ever neglected, either by voice or vote, to promote the
cause of civil and religious liberty. It was to the 68 Irish Mem-
bers that the nation mainly owed the final triumph of the great
Reform measure. As to the repeal of the Union, all he de-
sired was such justice to Ireland as would render that mea-
sure unnecessary. Let but the Irish people participate in the
benefits of the Reform Bill, and all repeal agitation would
cease for ever.—(Cheers.) One great step towards this,
would be to extend to Ireland the advantages of the glorious
Corporation Reform measure which Lord John Russell had
the night before brought forward in a speech of such com-
prehensive eloquence and manly simplicity.—( Cheers.) The

Hon. and Learned Gentleman concluded with a few other ob-
servations, amidst load applause.
The next toast was, " The City of London—its Municipal
Institutions; and its Commercial Interests."—(Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN then proposed " The - Memory of William
Smith, and the cause of Civil and Religious Liberty," which
was drunk in silence.
The " Healtbs of the President, Vice- President, and Offi-
cers of the Institution," were then drunk, and thanks were
returned by Mr. Warwick Weston and Mr. Schoolbridge.
The Health of the Stewards" was the last toast proposed,
after which the Chairman retired amidst immense cheering,
and the company separated.

HARROW SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY.

The annual dinner of Noblemen and Gentlemen educated at
Harrow School took place on Saturday, at Willis's Rooms,
King-street, St. James's, and was more numerously attended
than on any preceding occasion, principally owing to its being
understood that Sir Robert Peel would fill the Chair. Nearly
100 Noblemen and Gentlemen, all having been educated at
Harrow, were present.
Shortly before eight o'clock the company sat down to a
sumptuous dinner, after which, the health of the " King;" the
" Queen," "the Princess Victoria, and the rest of the Royal
Family," were severally drunk, accompanied with the warmest
demonstrations of loyalty.
Sir ROBERT PEEL, in proposing the next toast, the " Gover-
nors of Harrow School," observed that, although they wore
self-elected, he believed they stood in no need of reform.—
( Cheers. )
The Marquis of ABERCORN said that it having devolved upon
him to return thanks, he felt it quite unnecessary to expatiate on
the merits of the school, they had only to turn their eyes to the
illustrious statesman who filled the chair.—( Loud cheers.) No
argument was needed to point out what might be the future
results of Harrow School—all that was necessary was to ex-
press his conviction that it had done its duty in sending forth
so great a man.—( Loud cheers.)
Sir ROBERT PEEL in proposing the health of Dr. Longley
(head master of Harrow School), passed a high eulogium on
the talents and merits of that distinguished scholar.
Dr. LONGLEY returned thanks. He wished the toast which
he had to propose had fallen into more able hands than his own ;
he felt quite inadequate to expatiate on the merits of the dis-
tinguished individual to whom he alluded, but he took courage
from the circumstance that no encomiums were necessary to
attract their attention; he need hardly say that he was about
to propose the health of the Right Hon. Gentleman who filled
the Chair. —( Loud and long-continued cheers, with waving of
handkerchiefs, which continued for several minutes.) It would
be very presumptuous in him (Dr. L.) to attempt giving the
slightest sketch of the bright career of the illustrious States-
man who had reflected so much honour on Harrow School—
( Renewed cheers)—who, by his upright and independent
coneuct, and splendid talents, had, he could most safely say,
gained the confidence of the country.—( Cheers.)
The health of Sir Robert Peel was then drunk with three
times three, " one cheer more," and accompanied with the
loudest cheers.
Sir ROBERT PEEL rose amidst renewed cheers. Considering
that to be a day set apart for a festive purpose, he would avoid
any reference to political topics.—( Loud cheers.) He felt it
important to future anniversaries to avoid any allusion to such
questions, but, as in past-gone times, to have one day's rest,
and to obliterate political dissensions.—( Cheers.) The Right
Hon. Baronet then proceeded to express the satisfaction be
had experienced on revisiting Harrow School on Thursday
last, when the speeches were delivered, and the reminiscences
to which it gave rise. He had the honour of being on the
same form with the greatest poet of modern times. He felt
proud in so stating, that he was a competitor with him in a
strenuous but generous rivalry. He need hardly say that he
alluded to an illustrious Harrovian, Lord Byron.—( Cheers.)

He recollected perfectly well when that eminent poet was in
the speech room, and felt all that bashfulness or diffidence for
which he is so well known, had to recite passages from the
" 2Eneid," and in the dialogue between Tronus and Latinus he
( Sir Robert Peel) personified the latter, and to encourage his
drooping spirits, told him—
" Et opes Italum belloque intacta juventas."
—( Cheers.) In conclusion, he could not but recall to mind
the powerful influence of early impressions—prejudices they
might be called by some—but he never could not forget the
words of the poet, who, in allusion to our national feelings,
observed that they
" Float in the very atmosphere of our public schools."
—( Cheers.) The Right Hon. Baronet concluded by drinking
" Prosperity to the Harrow School," which was drunk amidst
long and continued cheers.
Dr. DRURY returned thanks.
A variety of other toasts were given ; when, upon Sir
Robert Peel retiring from the Chair, he was greeted with
every mark of respect, and the company separated shortly after
11 o'cloek.