The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-05 00:00:00

yet nobler services in the cause of charity and in the
arts of peace. (Cheering.)
The Duke of CAIKBRIDGB, who on rising was received
with loud and prolonged cheering, said,—My Lord
Mayor, it becomes my duty to express to your Lord-
ship and this Court my sense of the honour which has
just been conferred upon me in such flattering terms by
the city of London. Gentlemen, I can assure you that
I am deeply sensible of the compliment and the distinc
tion paid to me, and although I do not for one moment
think that I have any right to be mentioned with the
illustrious names which have been brought under your
notice by the kindness and favour of the Chamberlain
who has just addressed you, the very fact of my name
being coupled with such men as a Chatham, a Nelson.
or a Wellington, in itself constitutes a distinction of
which any man, whatever his feelings may be, may, I
think, be justly proud. (Cheers.) My Lord Mayor, I
naturally ask myselt,how it it is that I have attained the
proud distinction which has thus been conferred upon
me by my 'snow-citizens of the metropolis of London—l
think I may fairly say one of the greatest, if not the
greatest commercial city in the world. Gentlemen, I
have merely performed my duty to the best of my ability.
(Cheers.) From the commencement of my career I have
endeavoured to do so, and it is the simple perform-
ance of that duty which has now p'aced me in the proud
position in which I feel myself—not alene as the head of
the army, through the favour of my Sovereign, but at this
moment as your honoured guest, as a fellow-citizen of
the citizens of London. (Loud cheering.) But, gentle-
men, I cannot but think that in placing this great, this
distinguished mark of your good opinion upon myself as
an individual, it has occurred to the citizen), of London
that in doing honeureto m% they were at the same time
paying me the greatest compliment in their power by
paying a compliment to , the honour of the army.
(Cheers.) Gentlemen, I stover can forget that, although
individually from es aeogitiCelnly.hiestay., have obtained
the esteem, the affection, and the regard of my fellow citi-
zens and of the country, it is to the army that I owe the
high and distinguished position in which I feel myself
placed. (Cheers.) Therefore, any compliment that the
citizens of Lon lon are disposed to pay to the army, it it
is in my person, I can only esteem as a double and a most
graceful favour. (Cheer].) Gentlemen, it will hardly be
expected on your part, and it wculd iii become me it I
ventured in any respect to allude to the very limited and
bumble services which I have performed on various occa-
sious in different parts of the world. The worthy Cham-
berlain has alluded to those services in terms which I
really think go beyond the merit which they deserve—
(cries of " No, no —for after all what I have done is
that which would be done by, I think, any one who had
the feelings of a man and who bad the interests and the
honour of his country at heart. (Much cheering.) I
therefore pass over those events. which have now become
matters of history, and which will, no doubt, be recorded
in their proper light for ages to come. That I should have
had the advantage—the honour cf participating in these
great events, I certainly now look back upon as one of
the greatest pleasures and one of the greatest satisfactions
that I can possibly experience. But such as these ser-
vices were they certainly were not of a character to place
me alone in the proud position in which I find myself, for
I venture to hope that in various other ways I have also
deserved and obtained the esteem and approbation of my
fellow-citiz us. From an early period, taking the
example of one most dear to noysedf—most dear I believe
to the citizens of London—my heneured father—(cheer,)
—I have endeavoured on all occasions to assist and pro-
mote as far as I could the interests and the welfare of my
fellow-citizens and those unfortunate persons of various
grades in life who call for the assistance and support of
their neighbours and fellow kinsmen. The endeavour,
I am glad to find, has been in many respects successful ;
in every respect I have met with the hearty and zealous
support of the citizens of London. As far as I can 1
shall continue, in spite of the very different position in
whice I am placed, to add my mite and my humble en-
deavour to the furtherance of the great institutions,
not only of this metrop di., but of the country at large.
(Cucere.) I have been a member for some time of one
of the greatest corporate bodies of the city—the Mer-
chant Taylors— who, by a deputation, have tele day
done me the honour of introduchteg me to the Lord
Mayor—a compliment which I highly prize. lam gra-
tified to be a member of that body. I have the further
gratification of being at the head of one of the noblest
institutions of this metropolis. I assure yon, gentlemen,
that although I am a soldier at heart and love the army,
I confess I have the deepest interest and affection for
my young friends over whom I preside at Christ's Hos-
pita'. lam merely stating these things to prove that a
man although a soldier may at the saran time be a citi-
zen, and I trust that from being a soldier he is not on
that account a less good citizen. I therefore hope that
his lordship wilt find that the honour, the high compli-
ment which he with the citizens of London has conferred
upon me they will not have reason to lament, for I as-
sure them that they will find me just as devout, as obe-
dient, and as good a citizen as they have complimented
me upon to ng a soldier. Gentlemen, I again repeat that
the honour teat has been conferred upon sue is one of
which any man may be justly proud whatever his sta-
tion or position in life ; that I am justly proud of that
• from all quarters, that that honour is
sal ea 'Mont, from the kind expressions
chwoohnnifcoehur
rrie ;
dr thateene: Ine n s
not because of the official position
which I occupy, but because, in various ways, and
through the adventayes which I have derived, I have
been enabled to obtain the esteem, the affection, and the
regard of n.y fellow-countrymen. Gentlemen, it is upon
these conditions chiefly that I feel proud in finding my-
self placed in that position, and it is my anxious hope
and desire, as long as I continue a public man, that I
shall continue to merit the favour of my Sovereign and
the approbation of my country : and my anxious desire
will he to promote, by every means in my power, the
lay downeffieitncy my
and
rulethe may
sown of the army, so that when I
f
done my ditty to the ceuntereyl,tahn3 vidcothnatelti'hil haavtent I
otghiavven
up the important trust committed to my hands in
a less efficient state than when it was first confided
t ) me. (Load cheers.) My Lord Mayor and
Gentlemen, I am highly flattered by the distinction that
has been conferred upon toe, and shall never forget to
the last days of my life the kindness and cordiality of my
reception by the citizens of London. (11. is Royal High-
ness resume d his seat amid loud and prolonged cheering.)
The sword was a chaste and magnificent weapon, rich
in design, yet finished with such good taste and care as
to be in all respects within the limits assigned to regula-
tion swords of general officers. The handle was of carved
ivory, studded with carbuncle—the hilt of gold, richly
chased, and set with uncut emeralds and brilliants. On
the cross of the hilt were the insignia of a Field-Marshal
in brilliant,, surrounded with a wreath of oak leaves and
acorns, formed by einer Aids acid brilliants, beautifully
set. On
,the scabbard was the Duke's cypher in brilliants,
and the city arm) carved in carbuncle, and set with
rubies. Coo the blade was inscribed—

- - -
" The freedom of the oity of London, together wi h this
sword, was presented to his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge,
—•, Commander-in-Chief of the British
army, by the Corporation of London, in testimony of their
high estimation of his distingui, hod character aril services.
A.D. 1.87)7."
On the scabbard, amid elaborate cha,ings, which showed
such finished workmanship as only comes from Han-
cock's of Bruton-street, were inscribed the words—
,. Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol.
The Duke of Cambridge shook bands with the Lord
Mayor, Alderman Wire, Alderman
he was surrounded, and left the hall amid hearty accla•
rathe-distinguished' visitors by whom
DRaostieo,
na the
antci proceedomLa at, dyy b,ae
o Y
to the dinner at the Maneion-house.
The arrangements connected with the fitting up of the
hall were intrusted to the Lands Committee, of
which Mr. It. C. Bneknall is chairman, and ware in
every respect unexceptionable.
The Duke of Cambridge and his suite ware met at
Temple-bar by the blaster and Wardens of the Merchant
Taylors' Company, and conducted to Guildhall.