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

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY 1 EVENING, NOVEMBER 11, 1861.

avowed. An anecdote is told of Talleyrand, that •
when it was said he had gained the reputation of
never telling the truth, ho 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 ease, 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 be differences of opinion between the people of
the two countries upon minor subjects. You 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.
W:), 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.

tain. (Loud cheers.) My lord and gentlemen,l may
also say that we have here peace and plenty toge-
ther. (Laughter.) I trust that the present condition

of the country is not un-analogous to that state, for
we have had a harvest which, generally speaking,has
been good, and the condition of our revenue is alto-
gether satisfactory—(cheers)—and although circum-
stances beyond our control may threaten for a time
to interfere with the full supply of that article
which is so necessary for the industry—the pro-
ductive industry of the country, yet no doubt the
temporary evil will be productive of permanent
good, and we shall find in various quarters of the
globe, a sure, a certain, and an ample supply, which
will render us no longer dependent upon one source
of production for that cotton which is so necessary
to the welfare of the country. (Loud cheers.)
Gentlemen, when we look abroad, we see, no doubt,
in many parts of Europe circumstances which, if
not dealt with by prudence and discretion, may
lead to local disturbances, but I trust they will not
extend themselves to bring us within their range.
(Hear, hear.) On the other side of the Atlantic
we witness with the deepest affliction—with an
affliction which no words can expressr---differences
of the most lamentable kind amongst those whom
we call our cousins and relations. (Hear, hear.)
It is not for us to pass judgment on these disputes.
It is enough for us to offer a fervent prayer that
those differences may not be of long continuance,
and that they may speedily be succeeded by a re-
storation of harmony and peace. (Cheers.) Gen-
tlemen, I will not longer detain you. I will only
assure you for myself and my colleagues that we
feel proud of being invited to meet you on these oc-
casions, that we are proud of the manifestations of
goodwill on the part of so large and powerful a por-
tion of our fellow-countrymen, and that we look
upon the day when we are permitted to meet you
in this hall as one of those which are the most
agreeable and the most houuurable of the year.
(Loud cheers.) _

Council," replied to by Alderman Rose ; and the
" Members for the City of London," responded to
by Mr. Crawford, the proceedings of this splendid
feast came to a close, and the company departed.
The musical arrangements were under the direc-

tion of Mr. R. Glenn Wesley, Wesley, assisted by Madame
Louisa Vinning, Miss Martin, Mr. A. Lester, Mr.
B. Frend, Mr. Lewis Thomas, and a glee and mad-
rigal choir.