The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-11 00:00:00

THE LORD MAYOR'S BANQUET.

On Saturday evening a banquet was given in the
Guildhall, with all the customary magnificence and
splendour. The entrance to the building, the
different lobbies, the aldermen's court room, the
council chamber, and the other apartments thrown
open for the use of the guests, were tastefully de-
corated with evergreen and flowering plants, inter-
spersed by beautiful statuary, for which the studios
of some of our principal sculptors had been placed
under contribution. But it was in the great hall
itself, which presented a very brilliant appearance,
that the skill of the City architect, Mr. Bunning, in
the art of decoration was chiefly displayed. At the
eastern end, where stood the Lord Mayor's table, ap-
peared a fine view of the International Exhibition of
1862, painted by Mr. Fenton, having iu front a repre-
sentation of the monument and fountain now being
erected in the Horticultural Society's Gardens to
commemorate the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde-
park. On each side were medallions of the Queen
and the Prince Consort, and above a rich clustre
of Prince of Wales feathers, consisting of several
thousands of miles of spun glass. At the opposite
end of the hall the eye rested on a well-painted
group of England's naval, military, and volunteer
forces, with another glittering medallion of her
Majesty, placed between
two allegorical figures,
with arms extended, holding in their hands palm
branches. The interior was lighted by two massive
coloured chandeliers of peculiar construction, and
by jets of gas following the architectural outlines
on the walls and cornices. Along each side of the
hall at short intervals were placed farther allegori-
cal representations of Peace, holding a wreath in
one hand and a palm branch in the other. Each of
these is 10 feet 6 inches high, and being gracefully
modelled and draped had a very imposing effect. In
each compartment between the statues were medal-
lions, containing bee hives, bearing in conspicuous
letters the word " Peace." Trophies of ancient
armour, flags, and banners of all nations, together
with festoons of flowers and other ornamental ad-
juncts, served still further to augment the attrac-
tions of the gay scene which the noble building pre-
sented.

The guests began to arrive soon after five o'clock,
but it was past seven before they sat down to the
sumptuous repast which the Lord Mayor had pro-
vided. The Duke of Cambridge was received on his
arrival by a guard of honour,composed of members
of the London Rifle Brigade, who gave the usual
military salute, the band striking up the National
Anthem. The cadets of the corps lined the vesti-
bule. His Royal Highness was loudly cheered on
entering the hall, and Lord and Lady Palmerston
were also very enthusiastically greeted by the com-
pany assembled. As the guests arrived they were
introduced to the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress
in the reception room, and in the interval which
elapsed before dinner they occupied themselves in
surveying the various paintings and works of art
with which the corridors and loggias were filled.
The procession to the banquet, which was headed
by the officers of the corporation, and consisted of
the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress and the princi-
pal guests of the evening, passed round the hall to
the top table, while the military band in the gal-
lery played " The Roast Beef of Old England."
The company included the Duke of Cambridge,
Lord and Lady Palmerston, the Duke of Somerset,
the Marquis and Marchioness:of Salisbury, the Earl
and Countess of Aylesford, Lord Stanley of
Alderley, Sir Geo. Grey, the Danish Minister, the
Honduras Minister, the American Minister, the
Prussian Minister, the Swedish Minister, the Right '
Hon. Mr. H. Walpole and Mrs. Walpole, Lord
Colville of Culross, the Right Hon. W. F. Cowper,
Lord Truro, Lord Frederick Paulet, Sir William
Dunbar, Bart., the Right Hon. T. Sotheron
Estcourt, the Right Hon. J. W. Henley, the Right
Hon. Jonathan Peel, Admiral Charles Eden, Capt.
Charles Frederick, Capt. the Hon. J. R. Drummond,
S. Whitbread, Esq., Hon. H. B. W. Brann, G. A.
Hamilton, Esq., Lord Clarence Paget, Arthur Hum-
phreys, Esq., Lord Chief Justice Erle, Vice-Chan-
cellor Stuart, Vice-Chancellor Page Wood, Mr.
Justice Williams, Baron Channell, Mr. Justice
Blackburn, and other gentlemen.
The dinner and wines were supplied by Messrs'
Staples, of the Albion.
Grace from the " Laudi Spirituali" having been
sung by the vocalists in the music gallery, and the
loving cup having passed round,

The LORD MAYOR said that, in offering the first
toast to that distinguished assembly, he felt that no
commendation of his was needed, yet he could not
and ought not entirely to refrain from expressing
the sentiments which the mention of the honoured
name of the Queen never failed to awaken. (Loud
cheers.) Their beloved sovereign occupied a posi-
tion which, when considered in reference to the
Test geographical extent of her great empire, the
numbers, wealth, and intelligence of her people, or
the moral influence of her councils among the nations
of the world, might justly be deemed most exalted.
During the period in which her Majesty had so
happily filled the ancient throne of her royal ances-
tors, notwithstanding trials, difficulties, and dan-
gers of no ordinary nature, her great empire had
from time to time been extending, the numbers,
wealth, and intelligence of her people been in-
creasing and their prosperity, under the blessing
of Divine Providence, become more and more secure.
The personal attributes of her Majesty has justly
endeared her to all her people. Their loyalty had
assumed a character of devotedness which never
had been, and never could be, exceeded. Long
might their country continue to enjoy the inestim-
able blessings which had marked her beneficent
and glorious reign. (Loud cheers.)
The toast was enthusiastically drunk, and fol-
lowed by the national anthem.
The LORD MAYOR then gave the " Health of his
Royal Highness the Prince Consort, the Prince
of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family." He
observed that the Prince Consort worthily occupied
a high place in the esteem and regard of the
people of England. His unceasing efforts to
improve their condition, and to develop the means
which tended to their prosperity and comfort, to
raise them in the scale of humanity, to guide their
tastes, and generally to enhance their happiness,
justly entitled him to their affections. (Cheers.)
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales had
on many occasions, and in an eminent degree,
given an earnest of his qualifications and of his
worthiness for that lofty and exalted position in
which Providence had placed him. The nation had
great reason to be proud of the royal family, and
he had therefore great pleasure in giving the toast.
(Cheers.)
The toast having been duly honoured, Miss
Louisa Vining sang with considerable effect Sir H.
Bishop'a beautiful song, " Tell me, my heart."
The Loma, M
AY OR said the next toast he had to
propose wee--" Our National Defenders." The
decorations upon the walls s
11 that evening led the
mind rather to contemplate the continuance of
peace, for their architect had wisely and well done
in offering to them those symbols 'which almost in-
duced them to forget that such a calamity as war
ever afflicted the nations of the earth. Let ns hope
that it might be so. Let us hope that we might
henceforth, for a long time to come atlwele:
couldexempt
from the calamities of war ; but, as
entirely reckon upon that, we owed 11, deep debt
of gratitude to those whe, under the blessings
of Divine Providence, caved us from the miseries
of war. (Hear, hear.) Let them then offer thanks
to the brave men who were represented there that
evening by some of the most distinguished of their
countrymen. His Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge—(hear, hear)—had graciously con-
descended to become the guest of the City of Lon-
don that evening. His Grace the Duke of Somerset,
to whose fostering and energetic care the navy had
been confided, was also there that evening, and an
important branch of our brave defences, the
national rifle volunteers, was there worthily repre-
sented by Lord Colville. (Cheers.) Without any
further observations he would invite them to join
in showing our gratitude to our army, oar navy,
and our volunteers.
, The Duke of CAMBRIDGE, who was greeted with
loud
applause, said—My Lord Mayor, ladies and
spond to the
gentle/nen, I rise in the name of the army, to re-
by the toast 'Which has been so gracefully given
toast
w
and I take this opportunity of

assuring this large assembly of the citizens of Lon-
don, that the army is proud of the handsome
and flattering manner in which its , ame is
always received by the citizens of London (Hear,
hear.) It is a high compliment to any p 'cfession to
be appreciated by their fellow-country men, and I
am persuaded that no body of our countrymen gives
the true meed of praise to the army more readily
and freely than the citizens of London. (Hear, hear.)
Gentlemen, we are considered not a warlike people,
and 1 am reminded by the Lord Mayor and the
architect of the City of London on this occasion that
peace is an emblem that is most desired and looked
upon. (Cheers.) I cordially enter into the senti-
ment thus expressed, but at the same time I ob-
served on entering this hall, at the other end, the
words "Defence, not defiance. (Hear, hear.) That,
gentleman, I believe is exactly what the people of
England always desire, and it is with this feeling
that the citizens of London, in combination with the
people of England, desire to see the various services
efficiently maintained. (Hear.) And, my lord mayor
and gentlemen, though we may not be w hat, in the
common acceptation of the term, is called a military
nation, we are on that account not less true
to the military spirit than any other nation, On the
contrary, I think of late years we have seen evinced
among us a noble spirit such as no country certainly
has surpassed, and few if any have equalled.
(Cheers.) The Lord Mayor has alluded to the volun-
teers. That is part of the toast which will be re-
sponded to by a noble friend ; but I cannot help re-
marking the noble spirit in which the citizens of
London have come forward in this great national
movement. (Cheers.) I have seen it lately observed
that the volunteers may take the place of the regular
army. Ido not for one moment believe that either
the volunteers themselves or the people of England
have any such idea. The ordinary sentiment ex-
pressed is, that the volunteers of England form the
most admirable auxiliary force to the army that
any country in the world could produce ; but if you
were to attempt to allow the volunteers to take the
place of the army the whole volunteer system would,
in my opinion, break down. That is the sentiment
entertained by the volunteers themselves, and I am
sure it is participated in by the people of England
generally. (Cheers.) On the part of the army, I
can only say we have been highly flattered by the
distinguished compliment which has been paid to
us on this andso many other occasions, and I beg to
assure you that it is my earnest and anxious desire,
with the concurrence of the Government, which has
so liberally supported me on every occasion, to
maintain the service I am connected with in that
high state of efficiency, which will enable it to do
its duty to the country if, unfortunately, it should
again be called upon to take the field. (Cheers.)
The Duke of SOMERSET said that in returning
thanks on the part of the Navy, he felt he was
speaking on behalf of a body whose services were
required in every sea to which British commerce
extended. The labours and difficulties of that noble
service were now considerably increased, because
an Englishman wherever he was settled—and
Englishmen were to be found in every part of the
globe, from Vancouver's Island to Van Diemen's
Land, and from Japan to Peru—expected to enjoy
the protection of the British flag. Last year when
he had to thank his lordship for proposing the same
toast, the Britislifleet had then, in conjunction
with the army, just brought to a successful close
the operations in China. Now the services of the
navy were likely again to be called in requisition
in conjunction with that of other maritime powers
in the Gulf of Mexico, not for the purpose of oppres-
sion or conquest, bat in order ~ to vindicate our
rights, to obtain reparation for the wrongs inflicted
upon British subjects, and to secure the due per-
formance of those engagements which had been
solemnly made but repeatedly violated. For that
object the British navy was again likely to be called
into action, and he was satisfied that whatever might
be the result, the navy would continue to deserve
the confidence and support of Englishmen. (Cheers.)
Lord COLVILLE said that having had the honour
to command the Honourable Artillery Company of
London—a volunteer corps which had existed up-
wards of three hundred years—he had great plea-
sure in returning thanks on behalf of the Volun-
teers. They ought, indeed, to feel proud they had
a volunteer force of 150,000 men ; but he trusted
the day was very far distant when the existence of
such a force might be considered as a pretext for
the reduction of a single man of the standing army
of this country.
The LORD MAYOR then proposed " Prosperity to
the City of London and its Trade," observing that
as the City was the great mart of the commerce of
the country the toast was rather a national than a
local one, and; he should therefore not call upon
any one to respond.
The toast having been drunk,
The LORD MAYOR again rose, and said he had to
propose the health of a distinguished body, whose
mission was the most exalted which could be com-
mitted to man. To those gentlemen was committed
the charge of preserving the peace of the world.
He alluded to the diplomatic body. But for their
exertions, their talents, their ability, and their tact,
there had been hundreds of occasions during the last
50 years in which we might have been involved in
war. They were honoured that night by the pre-
sence of several gentlemen, the elite of their respec-
tive countries, chosen for their great ability and
learning and their knowledge of history and of
human nature, who were sent there to represent
their respective countries, to negotiate all questions,
difficult or easy, and to save us from that resource
which would land us in great calamities. He was
about to associate the toast with the name of a gen-
tleman whose mind must
,necessarily, under the
circumstances, be occupied much with the affairs of
his own country, which unhappily at that moment
was in a condition to require the sympathies of the
whole world. There was no country in which that
sympathy would be more readily felt for the coun-
try to which he alluded than this. (Hear, hear.)
He referred to America, and he would associate the
toast with the name of the American Minister
He could assure him—taking upon himself for the
moment to be the exponent of the feelings and the
sentiments of that great city, over which he had the
honour to preside—he could assure him of the entire
sympathy of the citizens of London, and he thought
he might say the whole of the British people. He
felt satisfied that it was their most earnest desire to
see the day when the difficulties which now beset
that great and free country should be entirely era-
dicated
from the soil.

His Excellency the AMERICAN MINISTER (Mr.
Adams), who wore a dark blue suit richly trimmed
with gold lace, resembling the Windsor uniform,
and was loudly cheered on rising, replied as fol-
lows :—ln responding to the toasts in behalf of the
body with which I am connected, I have to express
their thanks for the high compliment which has
been paid to them by the Lord Mayor. I am proud
of being one of that body, not from any trifling
personal distinction, but because I believe it to be
strictly what the Lord Mayor described it—follow-
ing a noble mission of peace. (Cheers.) Diplomacy
is an invention of comparatively modern times. In
antiquity, when nations quarrelled their practice
was to go at once to war, and the sword was the
only negotiator, the victorious general as a rule
dictating his terms of peace to the conquered. But
in modern times this has been entirely
changed, and war always follows rather
than precedes negotiation. The vocation of
the diplomatic minister is to prevent war, and the
system of exchanging representatives among vari-
ous nations of the earth has given to each, when
misunderstandings take place, means to prevent
their coming to a head, and it enables them, when
mischief-makers are abroad to try to irritate the
.tepr always
.
when
e
people of one country against
no
at hand to explain matters, to rectify' to
misinterpre-
tations, be n
tations, and to smooth the waves of contention r
they threaten even to break out into open violence.
(Cheers.) There is also another feature of di-
plomacy, which is rather the feature of the present
than of past times. It has been often charged upon
the former schools of diplomacy that they were in
reality schools of duplicity, and that diplomacy was
the channel through which individuals might carry
on intrigue in order to disseminate mischief, and it
was urged that the chief talent of a diplomatist was
to tell falsehoods in such a manner that they should
seem to be truths. Those sertiments were often

avowed. An anecdote is told of Talleyrand, that
when it was said he had gained the reputation of
never telling the truth, he replied that it was his
uniform practice to tell the truth, because then he
knew that most certainly nobody would ever be-
lieve him. (Laughter.) As I have said, in modern
times this has been much changed, and for the truth
of what I have said I can appeal to the testimony of
one of your diplomatists of the highest position,
and who, having laboured for a long course of years
in the cause of his country, has at length returned
home to enjoy the reward of his labours in the gra-
titude of his countrymen. I allude to Lord Strat-
ford de Redcliffe, who, in a statement which he
made to the House of Lords, distinctly said :
" The practice of diplomacy was the practice of
direct, straightforward, fair remonstrance ; and that
in his experience, which had been so long and so
varied, he had generally seen in the various relations
between the great powers nothing but what is gene-
rally practised amongst honest men in the manage-
ment of their private affairs." (Cheers.) I must
say that I am very glad that this is the case, be-
cause I must say that I should have shrunk from
the responsibility of filling a post of this kind if it
were supposed that I could only properly fulfil its
duties by being guilty of deception. (Cheers.) We,
in America, are generally esteemed but tco open,
too free, too careless in the expression of our
opinions; and, for my own part, I confess that I am
so much embued with that spirit that I could not
by any means come here and tell her Majesty's
Ministers things which I do not really mean.
I am, therefore, only too glad to be present on this
occasion, and to say publicly that my mission here
is to continue and perpetuate those friendly rela-
tions which have so long existed between the two
countries. (Cheers.) It is very possible that there
may bo differences of opinion between the people of
the two countries upon minor subjects. Yon may
not like the system of democracy which exists
amongst us. We may not like your system of
aristocracy and governing by ranks. You may
think we are sometimes too free in our manners.
We, on the contrary, may think the various forms
of society in this country too formal and stringent.
But, my lord, these differences of opinion can never
while the wide Atlantic flows between us, lead to
mischief, and I trust sincerely that there may never
be more serious differences than those I have indi-
cated. (Cheers.) For the past 80 years there has
been for America a great and glorious history ; but
at the same time, let me add, we take almost as much
pride as you in the traditions of England. (Loud
cheers.) Indeed, we claim to take the deepest
interest in everything that relates to the
past and present of this great country. It
was only the other day, when an effort was
made to perpetuate some memorial of the garden
of the immortal Shakspere, that I saw there
was a greater proportion of Americans who went as
pilgrims to that spot than of his own countrymen.
(Cheers.) The names of your great men are as
familiar to us as to you; and there is not an act of
heroism performed here that does not awaken a re-
sponsive feeling in the hearts of my countrymen.
(Cheers.) We have the story of Grace Darling
adorning the walls of public buildings in America,
and I assure you that the name of Florence Night-
ingale is held in ashigh honour in the United States
as it possibly can be here. (Cheers.) To allude to
a still higher name, I will, in conclusion, say that
the name of her Majesty the Queen of England is
honoured in the remotest hamlets of America ; not
because she is Queen of England—for there have
been a great many queens whose names we do not
honour—but she is honoured in America as a
pattern daughter, as a pattern of a mother and wife,
and, above all, as the Christian sovereign of a noble
people. (Cheers.) lam sure I echo the common
sentiment of all in my country and in England
when I say, Peace here, peace there, peace every-
where. (Loud cheers.)

The LORD MAYOR said the citizens of London
felt it was always a high honour to be allowed to
entertain any of her Majesty's Ministers, but they
had great reason to rejoice when amongst those
distinguished persons who administered the govern-
ment of the country they included as a guest her
Majesty's Prime Minister. (Hear, hear.) The name
of Lord Palmerston could never be uttered in that
hall without eliciting such a burst of applause,
and all of them rejoiced in the knowledge that
he possessed the excellent health which he now
exhibited. Long might he continue to enjoy that
health. (Hear.) Her Majesty's Ministers were
at all times charged with duties involving great re-
sponsibilities, great anxieties, and great labour.
So long as things went on smoothly a Minister
might be happy, but woe betide him if they went
wrong. (Laughter.) The anxious days and nights
which they must necessarily endure were but poorly
compensated for by the honours of office and the
applause they received. He, therefore, thought'
that in proposing "Her Majesty's Ministers,"
coupled with the name of Lord Palmerston, he did
what would meet with a general response. (Loud
cheers.)
The toast having been responded to with much
enthusiasm,

Lord PALMERSTON, who on rising was greeted
with loud and prolonged cheering, said—My Lord
Mayor, my lords, ladies, and gentlemen, for myself
and my colleagues, I beg you to accept our most
heartfelt thanks for the honour you have done us
by so accepting the health which the Lord Mayor
has proposed. I can assure you, gentlemen, that it
is always a matter of sincere pleasure to those who
are engaged, as we are, in the turmoils and labours
of public life, to mix here with those who are en-
gaged in laying the foundations for the wealth and
prosperity and happiness of the country, by carry-
ing on, in the way in which the citizens of this
great commercial metropolis of the world do carry
on, those commercial transactions, of which their
fellow-countrymen are so justly proud. It is also
a great pleasure to those who are engaged in the
strife of political life occasionally to be invited to
these social boards, where they meet in friendly
association those to whom they may be opposed in
the active scenes of their public occupation. And
this is, indeed, more easy at the present time than
it might have been in former periods of our political
history. There were periods, not now so long dis-
tant, when those who were engaged on opposite
sides in public life, combined with political anta-
gonism the strongest personal antipathies. Those
days are happily over. Those who differ in pub-
lic life may sometimes differ in regard to
the principles of action ; they may sometimes
differ as to the way in which the common principles
professed by both are to be carried into action ; but
their differences, though they may tend to political
antagonism, never lead to personal enmity or dislike.
(Cheers.) Indeed, amongst those who are most dis-
tinguished on each side of those tables which are
spread—not in this convivial manner—in the Houses
of Parliament, with materials for mental consump-
tion—(laughter)—those, I say, who sit upon oppo-
site sides of those tables are men who, at different
periods of their lives, have been united by personal
friendship, and whose regard has outlived their po-
litical separation. (Cheers.) Therefore, I say, gen-
tlemen, that it is far more easy, and far more agree-
able now than it might have been in former periods
of our history, for men of different political senti-
ments to meet, as we are meeting to-night, in the
association of social harmony, to enjoy the festivity
which the magnificence of this great city affords.
You have, my Lord Mayor, alluded to the decora-
tions which adorn these walls. I may say that these
walls may be assumed as an emblem of the state of
feeling of the country. (Cheers.) You have pointed
out that this interior abounds with emblems of
peace, indicative of the anxious desire of the coun-
try to preserve to itself the blessings of peace. But,
as we entered these walls we saw at the portals
armed men—volunteers. (Cheers.) Aye, volunteers,
who are the emblems of the resolution of the coun-
try, to bar the entrance of the land to any who
might wish, with rude and profane steps, to disturb
the peace
alv
and tranquillity which reigns within.
l‘T
(Cheers.)
of feeling
tl ban
o
of
f volunteersthe coun was
country as
becausenotle s s
cmblematic
it consisted of men of mature age and of boys hardly
yet able to wield the musket which they had upon
their shoulders. A proof, therefore, that young and
old combine in this country in a firm determination
to guard the entrance to the land and to preserve
that peace which we all so anxiously desire to main-