The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-29 00:00:00

mandate requiring the ports, towns, and their limits
to send representatives to the Court was read by the
Seneschal. The quaint and antique phraseology of
this document drew a smile from some of the specta-
tors. It began by reciting the style and titles of his
Lordship as "Henry John Temple, Viscount Palmer-
ston, Constable of the Castle of Dover, Lord Warden,
Chancellor, and Admiral of the Cinque Ports, two
ancient towns, and their members," &c. It was ad-
dressed thus :—" To all and singular the Mayor and
Bailiffs of the Cinque Ports, Iwo ancient towns, and
members of the said Cinque Ports, and to every one
of them greeting." It then declared that for " cer-
tain good reasons and considerations him thereunto
especially moving," his Lordship notified to them
that he " purposed and resolved, by God's grace, to
be at Bredenstone-hill, within the liberty of the
town and port of Dover, on the 28th day of August
inst., then and there to hold a Grand Court of
Shepway, according to the ancient usage and cus-
toms of the said Cinque Ports, and there to take
upon himself the duties of the said office." It ac-
cordingly" straightly charged and commanded them
and every of them to give good summons and lawful
warning unto six, five, or four of the best and most
discreet corporate corn-barons,' " from each port,
&c., to attend him at the time and place aforesaid,
together with the Mayors and bailiffs or their
.de-
puties, " to do as to them hath been accustomed and
belongeth."
The returns to the writ were next made, from
which it appeared that 14 different corporations
sent delegates.

The original five ports, the two ancient towns and
their " limbs" or members, were represented as fol-
lows :—Dover, by the Mayor, the Deputy-Mayor,
two aldermen, and two town councillors ; Sandwich
by its Mayor, two aldermen, and three councillors;
New Romney, by its Mayor, two jurats, and
four freemen and commoners ; Hastings, by
its Mayor and seven aldermen and coun-
cillors ; Hythe, by its Mayor and four
members of its council ; Rye, by its Mayor, two
aldermen, and five councillors ; Winchelsea, by its
Mayor and three jurats ; Folkestone, by its Mayor,
four aldermen, and two councillors; Feversham, by
its Mayor, one alderman, and four councillors ;
Deal, by its Mayor, three aldermen, and three
commoners ; Tenterden, by five members of its cor-
poration ; Pevensey, by six ditto ; Seaford, by its
bailiff, three jurats, and one freeman ; Lydd, by its
bailiff and five jurats. Fordwich (a decayed " limb"
of Sandwich, with only 237 inhabitants by the
Census of 1851) sent no representative.
The Seneschal then called over the roll, when the
corn-barons summoned answered to their names in
the order of the precedence belonging to the diffe-
rent ports. He then reported to his lordship that
returns had been made from all the towns within
the liberties of the Cinque Ports excepting Ford-
wich.

Lord PALMERSTON then said,—The Court having
been formed, I have now to declare that, having
been nominated by her Most Gracious Majesty to
the office of Constable of the Castle of Dover, Lord
Warden, Admiral, and Chancellor of the Cinque
Ports, two ancient towns and their members, an
office vacant by the lamented death of the most
noble the Marquis of Dalhousie, I have summoned
the Grand Court of Shipway, pursuant to ancient
usage and custom, on entering upon the office
aforesaid, and in testimony of my nomination
thereto I request that my patent of office may be
read by the Seneschal.

The patent was read accordingly, conferring on
his lordship the remnant of the ancient jurisdiction
attached to his office, together with the right to all
wrecks of flotsam, jetsam, and lagen, or lost mer-
chandise, and all things taken up, gotten, or reco-
vered from the sea, either by himself, his deputies,
or agents of all the ports or creeks, as well by land
as water, within the precincts and liberties of the
Cinque Ports, the office to continue for life.
The Mayor of HYTHE, the Speaker of the Ports
for this year—a post which falls to the chief magis-
trate of each port in annual rotation—then requested
his lordship to take charge of the ports, waiving the
usual request that he would take the oath binding
him to maintain their special rights and immuni-
ties, which no longer exist.
According to the oath the Lord Warden shall
hold up his right hand breast high, and shall say,
4‘ Yea, if God will, I shall to my power." As there
are now no great privileges to conserve and protect
the oath or serment was not administered.

Lord PALMERSTON rose and said—l have great
pleasure in accepting the office conferred upon me
by the Queen, and ratified by this Court. I shall
feel it my duty to fulfil all that belongs to that
ancient and honourable office. (Hear.)
(This announcement was received with loud ap-
plause, instantaneously followed by a salute of 19
guns from the adjacent battery.)
Dr. PHILLIMORE then addressed the Lord War-
den as follows :—My Lord Viscount Palmerston,
Constable of Dover, Lord Warden of Dover, Sand-
wich, Romney, Hastings, and Hythe, of the mem-
ber towns Winchelsea and Rye, and the other tri-
butaries,—Time-honoured custom casts upon the
holder of my office the duty—l should, perhaps,
more correctly say invests him with the privilege—
of addressing a few sentences on behalf of the
mayors, bailiffs, barons, and other inhabitants of the
Cinque Ports, to the Lord Warden on the occasion
of his installation, at this his first grand Court of
Shipway. I find, my Lord Warden, that according
to ancient precedent the speaker on this occasion
ought to confine himself to two topics—he ought to
congratulate the Lord Warden upon the high dignity
and emoluments of his office, and he ought also, after
the fashion of free subjects addressing a constitu-
tional Sovereign, gently to remind the Lord Warden
that his subjects have rights which he is bound to
protect and privileges which he is bound to main-
tain. To former speakers, my Lord Warden, these
topics were somewhat more fruitful than, unfortu-
nately, they can be to me. The ruthless hand of
an unromantic Legislature has made much havoc
with the substantial emoluments of the Lord War-
den's office, and with the rights and privile,..es of
those over whom he is appointed to rule. Enough,
however, of this ancient institution happily remains
to preserve the relations between the Lord Warden
and the inhabitants of the Cinque Ports, and to
justify the present solemnity. Not to mention other
privileges, the rights oethe Lord Warden to jetsam,
flotsam, and lagan still remain intact, and the Ad-
miralty Court, over which I have the honour to pre-
side, and from which there is but one appeal—to
the Crown, still retains its jurisdiction from the
shore beacon on the coast of Essex to the red cliffs
by Seaford on the coast of Sussex. Time is indeed
a great destroyer and a great innovator ; he lays his
withering hand upon the outward form and visible
fabric of many a goodly institution; but if the in-
stitution e
r b
thate foundedupon
a true and sound p
cpivrin
power; it is indestructible;
ieo he has
no p
it escapes from his grasp ; it survives the outward
form ; it may assume another shape; it may animate,
like the Dervish in the Eastern fable, another body;
but it survives, it is not extinguished. Let ale ap.
ply this observation to the present status of the
Cinque Ports. What though no more these havens
equip 57 ships at the command of theiroS otvheereign?
What though no more—as in the time f
Plan-
tagenets—they anticipate the order of the State, and
unbidden, make war to avenge an insult offered to
the national flag ? What though no more—as in the
time of the Tudors—the navy of the Cinque Ports
enables the Sovereign to think foul scorn that a
foreign force should invade the borders of England ?
What though those times and their peculiar exigen-
cies have passed away—and the burden of main-
taining the maritime defences of Great Britain he

LOW wisely apportioned over the whole kingdom ;
yet the spirit of loyalty to the Throne and of
love to the country which once animated the crews
of the Cinque Ports galleys still survive. Witness
the magnificent spectacle of this day—of that gal-
lant force of Volunteers which has sprung into
sudden existence at the shadow of a shade of a
menace offered to our fatherland; of that force
whose remarkable characteristic it is that the pri-
vate soldier is often, in refinement of nurture and
gentleness of birth, not inferior to the officer who
commands him ; of that force which recalls to our
•ecollections the classical lines—
" Egreditur miles castris generosus ab iisdem
E queis dux fuero quilibet aptus erat ;-"

of a _ .
,at noble army of patriots no part of her Ma-