The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-17 00:00:00

A CRIMEAN BANQUET AT PARIS.

The Momiteur of yesterday publishes the follow-
ing account of a banquet given at the Palais Bop,'
by Prince Napoleon, on the 14th inst., to those
General officers actually at Paris who took part in
the war in the East
Among the guests were Admiral Hamelin, the
Duke of Malakhoff, Marshal Canrobert, Marshal
Bosquet, Generals Regnatui de Saint Jean d'Angely,
De Salles, Niel, De MacMahon, Thiry, Dalesme.
There were 52 guests present.
Prince Napoleon had asked Prince Jerome to
preside at this military assembly, ameng whom
were nine officers of the first Empire, nearly all of
them Waterloo men.
At dessert his Imperial Highness Prince Jerome
rose and proposed the following toast :
"To the Emperor, to the Empress, and to the Prince
Imperial ! to whom I wish, for the welfare of our be-
loved country which he is called upon to govern, the
courage, the wisdom, and cleverness of his august father.
The health of the Emperor !
His Imperial Highness Prince Napoleon then
rose and said :
" Gentlemen,—l propose the health of the Command
ers-in-Chief of the army in the Crimea—of those men of
arms who have had the glory of adding new victories
to our military annals—of Mai shal St Arnaud, that bold
soldier, who died after the Alma, having for a winding
sheet the tricolor fig of regenerated France —of
Marshal Canrobert, who knew how to keep up the
army under most difficult circumstance 9, and handed
over to his successor, as he himself expressed it, an army
hardened by war and ready for any enterprise—of Mar-
shal Pelissier, Duke of Malakhoff, who has immortalised
himself by the capture of Sebestopol, and knew how, by
his persevering energy, to triumph over difficulties aid
obstacles which surrounded him on all sides. Allow me,
gentlemen, to recall with a sad emotion our brothers in
arms who have died like worthy sons of France. The
bitter regret we feel at their loss is lessened only by
the results that have been obtained. Ido not wish to
talk politics at this meeting of comrades of the
battle-field. I only wish to recall the military results of
the war. They are great, because the present army
has shown itself worthy of our fathers ; the glorious
traditions of the Republic and of the first Empire have
been renewed by you. Posterity will say that at Mos-
cow our fathers vanquished the Russians, but were com-
pelled to give it to the elements ; while at Sebastopol
you have overcome the elements, and vanquished the
Russians. In history 1354 will respond to 1812 ! The
immense advantage of the war, I say it with pride, is
that you have proved that France still has her Grand
army.' "
The Marshal Duke of Malakhoff replied as fol-
lows :

" Monseigneur, it is for me to reply to the toast which
your Imperial Highness has just given to the army in
the Crimea, and to thank you for having assembled us
around the brother of the Emperor Napoleon 1., the
most illustrious of the last representatives of his immor-
tal time ; his presence here reminds us that the army of
which your Imperial Highness has just praised the prow-
ess has nobly followed the great examples bequeathed by
its predecessors. The praises which your Imperial High.
ness has bestowed upon the army which I had the hon-
our of commanding will be the more appreciated by it
because it remembers with happiness that your Imperial
Highness shared its labours and contributed valiantly to
its first successes. Your Imperial Highness responded
to the thoughts of us all by recalling in this allusion to
glorious remembrances the companions in arms that we
have lost, and I thank you for having honoured their
memory by associating them so nobly with our regrets.
I propose, Monseigneur, your health and that of his
Imperial Highness Prince Jerome Napoleon."

His Imperial Highness Prince Jerome responded
as follows :

" I thank Marshal Palissier for having associated my
name with the remembrance of the Grand Army. I
am happy to be able to respond to it by proposing a toast
to our brave army and navy, and especially to our
glorious army of the Crimea, which, with the rapidity
of the eagle, seized upon the first opportunity of placing
itself worthily by the side of the old phalanxes of
Marengo, Austerlitz, and Jena. The health of the
Army and Navy of the Crimea 1"

The last toast was proposed by Marshal Canro-
bert. He said :
" Monseigneur,—Called upon as a former General-in-
Chief of the army of the East to respond to a toast given
by your Imperial Highness to that army, I beg of you to
allow me to commence by paying here a just tribute of
praise and regret to my illustrious predecessor, Marshal
St. Arnaud, who, falling enshrouded, as it were, in his
triumph of the Alma, was happy enough to make known
to the world the glorious part which your Imperial
Highness took in that deed of arms. Allow me, also,
Monseigneur, to call to mind here the noble support
which you gave to all the severe and dangerous labours
at the commencement of the siege of Sebastopol ;
and allow him who had the honour of being your
second General-in-Chief to mention here that on the
16th of Oct., when the assaulting columns were preparing
for the attack of the morrow upon the town, if the ex-
pected result of the double fire by land and sea should
render the assault necessary, your Imperial Highness
insisted upon having the honour of leading them. At
a later period, Monseigneur, when a cruel illness com-
pelled you to leave the army, your Imperial Highness
never ceased to show that you were always present
there in your heart, and, availing yourself of your
exalted position, you succeeded in relieving the victims
of war, over whom you never ceased to watch. I thank
you, then, Monseigneur, in the name of the army of the
East, whose Generals, my glorious and dear companions
in arms, assembled by your Imperial Highness round
your august father, will heartily join with me in propos-
ing, with the health of the Emperor-, that of your Im-
perial Highness."

The recent souvenirs of the war kept up the con-
viviality of this family fete, destined to strengthen
the bonds of fraternity which unite the commanders
as well as the men of the army.

A meeting of the boot and shoe trade is called for
the 19th inst., at the Freemasons' Tavern, " to consider
the necessity of advancing the prices of boots and shoes,
in consequence of the extraordinary and continued rise
in the price of leather."

MILITARY BALL.—The non-commissioned officers of
the Ist Life Guards gave their annual ball at the Town-
hall, Windsor, on Thursday evening last, when there
were about 250 present, including several non-commi s-
stoned officers of the 2d Life Guards from Regent's-park
Barracks, also from the Royal Horse Guards at
Knightsbridge, the Royal Artillery, the 3d Light Dra-
goons, and Coldstream Guards.
We understand that the directors of the Bank of
Egypt propose shortly calling a meeting of the share-
holders, who in the meantime are required to sign the
deed of settlement and exchange their scrip for shares.
The latest date allowed for this is the 24th inst.
It was stated yesterday, during the trial of Redpath,
that it is a custom in a stockbroker's office to attest
the signature of persons to transfer deeds without re-
quiring them to be present. All knowledge, however,
of such an improbable practice is absolutely denied
by every member of the Stock Exchange professing to
carry on his business with the slightest regard to pru-
dence and regularity.
PASSENGERS' BAGGAGE AT THE EAST INDIA AND
LONDON DOCKS.—It cannot be too generally known
that passengers who arrive from abroad, at the East
India Docks and the London Docks, can pay duty on
articles in their baggage liable thereto. The Board of
her Majesty's Custor_ts have ordered a clerk to be
stationed at the baggage warehouse of the above-men-
tioned docks for the purpose of receiving the duty on
such goods as are liable. This ii a very great boon
to passengers, saving them considerable delay and ex-
pense, and should become generally known to be more
properly appreciated.—Civil Service Gazette.
THE SERIOUS ILLNESS OF MR. CHARLES MATHEWS.—
We are glad to be able to state that Mr. Mathews is
making rapid progress towards recovery. He has been
confined to his bed for the last month from the effects of
an accident he met with in the Manchester Theatre.
An abscess was brought on, aggravated by erysipela4,
the symptoms being so alarming at one time a 4 to threaten
the loss of his right arm. However, after four opera-
tions, skilfully performed by Drs. Pettigrew and Ree,
and borne with much fortitude by Mr. Mathews, the
malady at length gave way, and it is hoped that in a
few days he will be able to resume his professional avo-
cations.

THE FALL OP A HOUSE IN SPITALPIELDS. —Yesterday

(Friday) Mr. Wm. Baker, the coroner f.r the eastern
division of Middlesex, held an inquest at the London
Hospital on the body of M`Stacey, aged 14 months, who
was killed by the falling of a stack of chimneys in
Dorset-street, Spitalfields, on Sunday last. The evidence
showed that the two stacks of chimneys had yielded from
each other, and the rain having settled in the opening
had rotted the brickwork, and thereby caused it to fall.
The investigation was adjourned in order that some
person from the Board of Works might be in attend-

ance.
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETT.—A. deputation
from the executive committee of the Conservative Land
Society, consisting of Viscount Ranelagh, Colonel
Brownlow Knox, M.P., Mr. Steven, Mr. C. E. Lewis,
Mr. Morgan, and Mr. Gruneisen, attended a public
meeting in the commissioners' rooms, Kentish-town,
on Thursday evening, to explain the system of the
society, and particularly the mode of allotment of the
Kentish-town estate, which is to be offered to the
members on the 22d inst. Viscount Ranelagh pre-
sided. There was a numerous attendanoe. A cordial

..,...___ -. __. __........
vote of thanks to the deputation for their clear and
frank explanations, eulogising at the same time the
honourable principles with which the affairs had bee❑
conducted, was unanimously agreed to. Lord Rane-
lagh returned thankF, and the meeting broke up at a
late hour.

THE AUSTRIAN NATIONAL BANK.—VIENNA, Jan. 14.
—The balance-sheet of the National Bank, for the year
1856, has been published, and on the whole it is not
unsatisfactory. The stock of silver is 87,240,609 fl and
the paper circulation 380,181,085f1. Out of the .50,000 new
shares, at 700f1., for the establishment of a mortgage
bank, 47,500 have been paid up. The sum received was
33,250,000 ff.; but as some of the shares were paid in
paper instead of silver, the subscriber had to pay the dif-
ference, which amounted to 2,483,15411. The bank direc-
tion announces that a further increase in the stock of
specie will lake place " without in any way affecting the
revenue of the bank." The meaning of the phrase
probably is, that silver has already been purchased
abroad. The least favourable part of the account given
by the direction of the bank is, that only 4,751,300f1.
out of the above-mentioned 33,250,000f1, was lent on
mortgage, " as satisfactory security was not to be ob-
tained."