The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-17 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL PRE& LIBRARY AND

111t7Sr;r7ar.

LIVERPOOL, APRIL M.
The hat:Tact given by the town to Mr. BroWn,
some mark of its appreciation of the munificence
played by that gentleman by his princely gift, was held
at St. George's-hail. Upwards of 800 persons were pre-
sent, the principal table being occupied by Lord Stanley,
General Sir Harry Sinith, Lord Talbot, Sir J. Paking-
ton, Mr. M. Milnes, Mr. N. Hawthorne, the Bishop of
Chester, Sir J. P. K. Shuttlewortb, Major-General the
Hon. Sir E ward Cast, Mr. J. C. E wart, 'Mr. J.
Ch:etham, Mr. T. B. Hor-fall, .&c. Mr. James Holrne
again officiated for the Mayor, Mr. Shand, who was
prevented by illness from belig present.
Grace having been said 1,3, the Rev. Mr. CAMPBELL,
the Rector of, Liverpool,
The CHAIRMAN read the following letter which had
been received from the Earl of Derby :
" Lord Derby presents his compliments to the Mayor of
Liverpool, and regrets that his absence from home for the .re-
mainder of this week will prevent his having the pleasure of
attending the ceremony of laying the first stone of the new
Museum, on Wednesday, and the dinner afterwards at the
St. George's•hall. He regrets this the more, as indepen-
dently of the personal interest which be cannot but feel in
the occasion, he would have bad lunch pleasure in paying, by
his attendance, a well-merited tribute of respect to Mr,
Brown for his liberal munificence and public spirit ; and lie
will be greatly obliged to the Mayor if he wi,l have he good-
ness to`offer to that gentleman this expres:.ion of his feeling,.
Knowsley, April 13."
Tile DEP UTY-111A TOR gave "The Queen," wishing her
Majesty a speedy recovery. (Cheers.)
Air :—" God save the Queen,"
" Prince A;hert, Albert Prince of \Vale; and the rest
of the Royal Family," was also received with enthu-
siasm.
"The Healrh of the Bishop and Clergy of the Dio-
cese". was given from the chair.
The Lord Bishop of CHESTER, in responding, spoke
thus of Mr. ilnown and his gift beg him to be-
lieve that there is not any person present here who agrees
more cordially than inyiself in all the publ c testi-
monies of honour and respect paid him by ail clasFes
of Liverpool this day, on an occasion which, let me
say, interests all classes--4 say, it interests all classes.
A public library had become a public want ; and I am
glad to bear it, for it is the necessary, the happy re
sult of the progress of education among the people. I
know very.will that the education of our people falls
short of the point which we wish it should reach ; and
many men, prominent in station, have turned their minds
to devise some practical plans to extend the benefits of
education, and no one indeed more than our distinguished
visitor with whose company we are now honoured—Sir
John Pakiogton—(oheers)—one who, if he has shared the
fate of many philanthropists—if he has not been able to
gain universal assent for his own particular plan, has cer-
tainly gained universal respect and honour for the enlight-
ened philanthropy which has prompted his energies and
his efforts. (Hear, hear.) But let the defects 4 education
be what they way, I may say that even in my own me-
mory education has made great advances in this country
—great advances iu almost all classes—but I am going
to mention only one—l speak of the class of superior ar-
tisans, mechanics, and working men. (Hear, hear.) The
persons who compose that class are most of them we

nstruoted in the elementary parts of learning, and are
natural:y eager to increase their stock of knowledge.
There has been latterly an intellectual appetite and taste
created in them which seeks for intellectual food. A new
class has been added to the reading public of this coun-
try. But the classes of which lam speaking—the per-
sons composing those classes are not in a condition to
afford libraries in their own homes. God be thanked,
every one of them can have at home one book-worth all
the boolis in the world beside ; he can have the Bible at
home to call his own to bless and sanctify his household
and all that it contains. But for other books, if he is to
have access to them, he must depend upon public libra-
ries for the supply—libraries where men of his class can
go and borrow works for the payment of a small sum,
or without any payment. Now, our worthy friend has
come forward at this moment to supply what I have de-
signated as a public want—a free library for Liverpool.
(Cheers.) Things have been tending to this point. All
things were in a prosperous turn for the last step, which
we have now reached, for a large collection of books had
been already formed, and was ready for the public use
through the enlightened liberality of the corporation of
Liverpool. The experiment has been tried far more than
a year—more than two years—and has been found emi-
nently successful. Multitudes have flocked to profit by
the opportunities thus afforded for their intellectual im-
provement, and I rejoice from my heart in that success.
But one thing was still wanting—a building fit to receive
that collection of books, with such additions to it as will
from time to time be necessary, in order to keep pace
with the progress of literature and knowledge. That
want has been supplied also, and I rejoice that my-friend
has been the man to come forward to do himself and
Liverpool the honour of erecting the Free Library and
Museum for Liverpool. It will contain a store of use-
ful, instructive, and entertaining books in every depart-
ment of our literature. No doubt care will be taken to
exclude all immoral, all improper books ; care will be
taken to do that. I grieve to say that I have seen it
stated in the public prints that vast numbers of such im-
moral works are continually issuing from the press. I
grieve, I say, if this be so. But if it be there is one
comfort, that the foul and loathsome publications shun
the light of day—that they hide themselves away with
the consciouste-s of guilt and shame upon them. The
Free Library supplies an antidote to these—a store of
wholesooae, healthful general literature, such as will foi-
ter good principles and generous sentiments and manly
spirit, such as, under God's blessing, will not only en-
large the understanding, but improve and purify and
elevate the heart. I rejoice that we are on the way to
see the accomplishment of this great work. I rejoice at
the step that has been taken to-day, and I rejoice also to
understand that the building, when completed, will re-
ceive that magnificent collection of objects of natural his-
tory which was presented to the town by the Earl of
Derby. (Cheers.)
The CuernetAN next gave "The Army and Navy,"
coupling with the toast the names of Lieut.-General Sir
Harry Smith and Lord Talbot. (Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with enthusiasm, the band play-
ing " The British Grenadiers" and " Rule, Britannia."
Sir HARRY SMITH rose amid great cheering. Be said
Mr. Mayor, my lords, and gentlemen, the honour you
have conferred upon me in associating my name and
deeds with the British army is one for which I gratefully
thank you. This is not the first occasion upon which I
have been indebted to the borough of Liverpool. When
in command in India, and when I was fortunately suc-
cessful by the gallantry of the soldiers under me, I re-
ceived a most complimentary and congratulatory address
upon my victory. I have, it is true, been almost all over
the world ; and proud am I to say that I never heard
the name of the British merchant mentioned but as a
man of integrity, honour, and enterprise. (Applause.)
Happy am I to be here now among you to record that
feeling which I individually possess, and which I have
so universally heard expressed. (Applause.) And now,
gentlemen, we will revert to the army. It is now under
the energetic command of his Royal Highness the Duke
of •Cambridge ; it is progressing favourably in every
way ; and, as this is an occasion upon which education
is the princip:4l subject, I will mention that upon a re-
cent inspection of the 2.5 th Regiment there were 310 of
that regiment voluntarily attending the school, and pro•
gressing in the higher' branches of architecture and in
practical knowledge. ,(Applause.) Since the days of
old, when our army was ever successful and considered
highly honourable, thearchers of those days were thought
the best soldiers in the worbl, so now may I say are our
infantry considered. We are advancing rapidly in the
improvement of the arm called the Minis rifle, and the
distant fire is more exact than I can well describe ; but
I trust that the eld system of gaining victories by the
bayonet, which, in other words, is a rush of gallant men
upon a given point, keeping before them their enemies,
will not be lost eight of, and that English soldiers will
still learn to grapple with their enemies. (Loud ap-
plause.) Our gallant army, as you well know, has
recently returned from a most severe and arduous
campaign, having added additional laurels to their
standard and to the glory of their country. A consi-
derable portion of that army is now about to embark,
or has •embarked, for foreign service, to carry on a dis-
tant and costly war—a war which, I trust, will soon
and speedily be terminated ; for, however unfortunately
it may have commenced, it is one'-which must be sup-
ported. (Applause.) If England does not support her
Majesty's representatives and her officers in authority
thus distantly situated, I say England's glory must dimi-
nish ; and had the person I allude to referred 10,000
miles off fot instructions, I say there is not a man in
England, on such an occasion, who would not have con-
demned him. (Applause.) British soldiers are ever
ready to fight, nor do- they split straws or dwell upon
legal technicalities. (Laughter, and "Hear !") England
is insulted ; her honour is tarnished, and redress must
be achieved. They go to work humanely but manfully,
and never more so than upon an occasion when the flag
of her Majesty the Queen is insulted and the national.
honour of England defiled. (Applause.) It has bee?
my misfortune, I may say, to have been placed in a simi-
lar position to the person I allude to. And when
awle.
see the enemy, whose duty it is to preserve paste,
ing with contempt the person who has been entrusted
by his country to suppress rebellion or to destroy the
foe, then I say that we feel that he is
who placed in a
distant and responsible situation demands and will re-
ceive, Ido believe, the support of his country. (The
gallant general resumed his seat amid enthusiastic
cheering.)
Earl TALBOT replied in a spirited speech on behalf of
the navy.
After " The, health of the Lord-Lieutenant of the
county,"
The CHAIRMAN Proposed the toast of the evening,—
" the health of William Brown." He said—My lords and
gentlemen, I now approach with some diffidencethe toast,
of the evening, because I feel my inability to do full
justice to it ; but I therefore ask you, gentlemen, to do
an act of justice to yourselves, as well as to the distin-
guished gentlematt on my right hand, who is well worthy
of your warmest regards. For neatly 50 years as a Liver-
pool merchant his name has been among us a household
term, and he is yet-spared to crown a long and active
life by a princely act, which is an example to others,
and will perpetuate his name to future ages. (Applause.)
I claim Mr. Brown as one who sprung from the
middle classes of life—as one who was early cast upon
the ocean of business, and most manfully, most success-
fully, and most honourably has he played his part. (Ap-
plause.) He is a proof of what may be effected with
individual enterprise, with individual honesty, and indi-
vidual integrity, in a country which was blessed with
free institutions, where every man is permitted to reap.
the fruit of his own industry, and to employ the fruit of
that industry for the purpose of blessing his fellow-men
—(cheers)—and extending the benefits of education, and
in promoting those numerous institutions which, blessed
be God, undr the Christian principles of England, are
scattered like bright gems over the face of our land