The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-10 00:00:00

THE BELPIAN MINISTER ON TilE
INDIAN MUTINY.

The annual ploughing-match and exhibition of
cattle and roots in connection with the Royal East
Berks Agricultural Asssociation, took place on
Tuesday, on Strood Farm, near Maidenhead.
In the evening the dinner took place in the Town-
hall, and as many as 150 gentlemen and farmers
attended. His Excellency the Belgian Minister
presided, supported by the Hon. Colonel Hood,
Mr. Vansittart, M.P., Captain Vernon, Captain
Seymour, Captain Halford, Rev. H. Hooper, Mr,
Sawyer, a county magistrate, &c. ; Mr. Palmer,
M.P., was the vice-president.

The " Health of the Queen" and other loyal
toasts were proposed and drunk._

His Fxceldency the BELGIAN MINISTER proposed
" The Health of _ the Army and Navy." He said
upon ordinary occasions he should consider it hi,
duty to expatiate upon the qualities which distin-
guish the British soldier ; upon his indomitable
energy, his undoubted courage, his fortitude
under every trial, his manly devotion to his country
and his Queen. (Cheers.) But when he reflected
upon the wonderful military achievements which
have taken place since the beginning of this awful
Indian crisis, he felt that he could not find word's
adequate to express the deep feeling—the solemn feel-
ing of admiration and respect which such glorious
deeds aroused in his soul. (Cheers.) He felt that he
could not do justice to the heroism of that great and
good man, General Havelock—that man who with
a handful of brave warriors, as opposed to a most
treacherous and barbarous enemy, had offered the
noblest resistance that had ever been recorded in the
military annals of any country. (Cheery.) His brave
soldiers were not only fighting for the regaining and
maintaining a power in India, they were fighting for
a cause in which all free and enlighten-d nations
were interested, and for the success of which they
must all devoutly pray. (Hear, hear.) They were,
-indeed, fighting the battle of civilisation itself.
Listen to the insolent language of the. enemies of
England abroad—of those who are the enemies of all
civil and religious liberty. Already are they rejoic-
ing upon what they call England's humiliation and
degradation ; already are they boldly predicting the
downfall of England and of that hateful constitu-
tional government. (Hear.) In the face of such dap-
tiers, in the presence of a crisis of which it would be
childish to diminish the extent and probable dura-
tion, they (the meeting) would, he was sure, feel
and think with him that they were to testify their
admiration for the English army and navy not only
bypatriotic sympathetic effusions, not only by toasts
and cheers, not only by words, however eloquent or
stirring, but by the strongest and most useful corn-
15ination of all possible means to increase that noble
hand of defenders. (Cheers.) Let them all put their
shoulders to the wheel, let them put their hands and
heads together; let them appeal in a practical way to
the sterling sense of the one and to the pound ster-
ling of the other; let every hand that can be spared
from the field and farm be employed in wreaking
vengeance upon the butchers of innocent people.
(Cheers.) Henceforth let every one of them say to
the man who complains he can find no employ-
ment, that he can lend a helping hand to his Chris-
tian brethren in India—tell the labourers that they,
the farmers and yeomanry, would assist in sending
hem over; that they would find at this moment
the noblest employment that an Englishman could
wish for—an employment in which they would reap
the gratitude of their country, the admiration of a
civilised world, and upon which they would, as
with one voice, call down the blessing of God. He
begged to apologise for having spoken with some
warmth upon the subject, but he really felt upon it
as if he were a true-born Englishman. (Cheers.)