The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-12 00:00:00

SIR CRARLES WOOD ON PUBLIC

AFFAIRS.

--
The Lord Mayor of York gave a banquet on
Thursday, at which some of the magnates of U.

county were present.
Sir CHARLES WOOD also attended; and replied
to the toast of her Majesty's Ministers. He
said he might be :permitted, he hoped, with no
undue pride, to refer to the success of those mea-
sures which, during their short tenure of office,
they had been able to pass. In that county of
York, where so much depended upon prosperity,
and where agricultural prosperity depended upon
that of manufacturers, he might, he hoped, refer to
the success of those efforts for the opening of trade
with our neighbours over the Channel, developing
the sources of our manufacturing industry by open-
ing to them the markets of France. He had seed
with satisfaction in recent returns the result of
that measure; but he confessed that he considerol
that the value of the treaty consisted more in the
opening of intercourse between the two countries
than in developing their industry. The greater
their intercourse, the greater evil was the interrup-
tion of that intercourse, and he believed that in the
extension of commerce, and in the interchange of
productions, we should have the surest guarantee
for those amicable relations upon which the peace
of the two countries and the peace of Europe
depended. (Cheers.) He believed that the exten-
sion of commerce was the best security for goodwill
and peace among nations. That was the main
object of the treaty of last year, and he believed
that they had contributed to the progress of
humanity and peace by that measure. But they
were not, as his noble friend said, such warm advo-
cates of peace that they were unaware of the neces-
sity of being prepared for war, and nothing had
been of greater importance than the measures of
defence which had been taken for the country, pro-
posed by the Government and supported by the
House of Commons and the people. (Cheers.)
After those measures depending upon the regular
forces of the country, nothing had been seremark-
able as the volunteer movement which had been
alluded to. The movement was in its
infancy when the present Ministry took office.
Every pains had been taken to develope it
in every part of the country, and he would
wish to pay a just tribute to Lord de Grey and
Ripon, who had done all he could to bring that
movement to its present state of perfection. Now,
owing to the voluntary and patriotic spirit of the
country, we had a volunteer army little short in
force of the regular army, whieh had placed this
country in such a position as it had not occupied
for years. (Cheers.) He was not one of those who
ever anticipated much danger of seeing a hostile
foot planted on English soil; but this he knew, that
those who were alarmists were now reassured, and
those who once talked of the possibility of invasion
now looked upon it as an impossibility. (Cheers.)
He would only further congratulate that meeting
and the country on the termination of hostilities in
China. He had been a member of two Govern-
ments which had been engaged in Chinese wars,
and they had run some risk in maintaining what
they believed to be the honour and interests of
this country. In the first war the Government
appealed to the country. The country decided they
were right, and he trusted that he might now con-
gratulate the country upon having brought those
hostilities to a final conclusion. Cruelty and ,
treachery had marked the conduct of the Chinese
from first to last ; but the united skill and gallantry
of our troops had exacted retribution for their Con-
duct, and had, he hoped, impressed upon them a
lesson which would preserve uninterrupted our rela-
tions withtlthat country for some time to come.
(Hear.) Hitherto some petty mandarin had dealt
with the barbarians, and reported what he pleased to
the Emperor ; but we had at last shown the supre-
macy of our power in the smoky ruins of the
Emperor's palace, and had proved to the Emperor
and the people that it was our forbearance
alone that prevented the destruction of that
empire. The Chinese could no longer treat
us with insolent contempt ; and he trusted that
they would respect the articles of that moderate
treaty which had recently been agreed to. In all
that concerned this country, at home and in our
own immediate dependencies and relations, we com-
menced the year with tranquillity and prosperity.
He wished he could say that in looking abroad the
prosperity and tranquillity was as great. We had.
sympathised with the efforts of the people of dif-
ferent parts of Italy to relieve themselves from the
most grinding tyranny that ever existed, and we
had admired their efforts to consolidate as it were
their liberty. We had proclaimed aloud that no
foreign interference ought to prevent the efforts of
a people to win their liberty. He trusted the other
Powers would act upon that principle, and that we
should see that nation whose historical recollec-
tions were ao proud, vindicate for itself a place
among the nations of Europe, and regain a portion
of the glory which in former ages belonged to it.
It was somewhat surprising, that whilst in Italy
different people had been struggling for liberty and
unity, on the other side of the Atlantic a great and
free nation was abusing its liberty to effect a sepa-
ration of the Union. It seemed to him too early at
present to look forward to what the issue of that
straggle might be. All we could do was to express
our hope that among a nation of kinsmen the soil
might not bo polluted by civil intestine war and.
bloodshed. Thank God we had removed some time
ago the stain and curse of the slave trade, and the
inhabitants of that bounty of York had taken no
small part in effecting that triumph of humanity,
which had been profitable to ourselves, as we might
see by the example of those who had not done so.
(Hear, hear.) In the last century Yorkshire returned
one of the greatest champions for the abolition of
slavery--Wilberforce—and on the last occasion
when the united country sent members to Parlia-
ment, they returned another champion in the per-
son of Henry Brougham. (Loud cheers.)