The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-21 00:00:00

ONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 21, t6b7.

11 A.NK OF DEPOSIT,
N.. 3, PALL•MALL EAST, LoNnort.
Established A.D. 1844.
Parties desirous of INVESTING MONEY are requested to
examine the plan of the Bank of Deposit.
Prospectuses and Forms for opening Accounts sent free on appli-
cation.

PETER MORRISON, Managing Director.

t'rt R. W. S. WOODIN'S OLIO of ODDITIES,
f 4 wall New Costumes and v rions Novelties, Vocal and Oh
raetei kilo, every evening (except Saturday) at A MORN-
ING PE it FOR NIA, E every S rIT RDA V, at Three. Private Mixes
and Stalls may be secureAl, without extra charge, at the (lox-office,
Polyzra phie-h all, King William-street, Charing-cross. The hall has
been entirely redecorated.

ARGYLL ROOMS.-LAURENT'S CASINO,
Great Windmill-street, St. James's.— The above elegam
Rooms are now open every evening ror the winter season, with
Lturent's celebrated Orchestra. Principal Comet-a•piston, M.
iloulcourt. The Proprietor begs to inform the public that this
Cashionable place of resort has been entirely redecorated during the
recess. floors open at half-past eight, commence at nine. Admis-
sion One :billing.

By Authority of the Frer.ch Consul-Generd.—Notice is hereby given.
that the following SALE of PRESERVED BEEF will be the last

on account of the French Government.
GALE of FRENCH COMMISSARIAT
SURPLUS STORES, consisting of PRESERVED BOILED
BEEF, of English, Scotch, and Irish manufacture, in tin canisters of
about 6 lb. each, and packed in wooden boxes containing 12 tins.—
Mr. A LEXR. COCK E has been honoured with instructions to Sell by
Aurtirn. at the L ,ndon Commercial Sale Rooms. mincing-lane, on an
early date in April next, of which due notice will be given, several
parcels of the above description of Provisions, composed 01 the manu-
facture of the following celebrated firms, viz ,
Messrs. Henry Powell and Sons, London;
Messrs. John M`Call and Co , Landon ;
Messrs. John Moir and Son, Aberdeen ;
Messrs. D. Hogarth and Co , Aberdeen ; and
Messrs. John Gillon and Co , I.eith. .

All the boxes for sale are being opened and carefully examined for
dama.ed canisters, the whole of which will be selected and replaced
by sound one., and the fact o • the beef having been originally mann-
f ctured in this country under strict in.pcction, expressly for the use
•f the troops in the Crimea, where it gave the highest satisfaction,
added to its being perfectly free from defective tins, will give every
assurance to buyers of its excellent quality and fitness either for
hose consumption or exportation. Packages included in the pur-
chase. The several parcels of beef for sale are now on view at Beal's.
wharf. Tcoley-street, where purchasers may satisfy them-
selves that every care is being taken in removing from the boxes all
canisters unfit for use. Any further information require ti can be
obtained at the office of Mr. Cooke, 2, Old Trinity House. Water-lane,
Tower-street, and catalogues six days previous to the sa`e, at the fol-
lowing places, viz. t--
Commercial Sale Rooms, Mincing-lane;
Corn Exchange,
Garraway's, J.Coffeehouses;
Baltic, and
Jerusa'em
also at the news rooms of the principal inland towns and outports.

141INISTERIAG BANQUET AT THE

MANSION HOUSE.

Last night the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress enter-
tained her Majesty's Ministers and a brilliant and numerous
company of the corps diploneatiquc and the members of both
Houses of Parliament at a splendid banquet at the Man-
sion-house. The occasion derived unusual importance from
the impending dissolution, and it was anticipated that the
Premier would avail himself of his visit to the city to ex-
plain the grounds of the approaching appeal to the coun-
try. This expectation, ai the report of the proceedings
will show, was not wholly disappointed.
The guests began to arrive at half-past six, but the din-
ner did not commence till seven. . • . _

Lord and Lady Palmerston were greeted on their arrival
with enthusiastic applause. The company included his
Excellency Ferule Kh en (the Persian Plenipotentiary) and
suit, who have just arrive fin London, and whose Oriental
aspect and picturesque appointments made them objects of
peculiar interest.
Among the other guests were the French Ambassador,
the Turkish Ambassador and Madame Musurus, the Bel-
gian Minister and Madame Van de Weyer, the Bavarian
Minister, the Marquis d'Azeglio, the Greek Minister and
Madame Tricoupi, Count Bernstorff, Baron Rothschild,
Count Apponyi, Count de Vitzthum, Don Gonzales Bravo,
Maleum Khan, the Lord Chancellor, Lady Eardley, Earl
and Countess Granville, Earl of Harrowby and Miss Wort-
ley, the Lord Bishop of London, the Right Hon. Sir Geo.
Grey and Lady Grey, the Earl and Countess of Clarendon,
Lord Panwure, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lady
Theresa Lewis and Miss Lister, the Right Hon. Sir Charles
Wood s n 1 Its ly Mary Wood, the Right Hon. Mr. and Mrp.
Vernon Smith and Miss Thellusion, the Duke of Argyll, the
Marquis of Lansdowne, the Marquis of Bread dbane, Lord
Stanley of Alderley and the Hon. Miss Stanley, the Right
Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Talbot Baines, the Right Hon. Sir
Benjamin Hall, M.P., &c.
The musical arrangements were under the direction of
Mr. Bates, assisted by Mr. Alfred Gilbert, Mrs. Clara
Hepworth, Miss Cole, Mr. Wiltby Cooper, Mr. Seymour,
and Mr. Lawler.
Covers were laid in the Egyptian Hall for 300, and the
dinner was served by Messrs. Ring and Bryiner.
The loving cup having circulated, the healths of her
Majesty the Queen, Prince Albert, Albert Prince of
Wales, and the rest of the Royal family were severally
given from the chair, and received with the usual manifes-
tations of loyalty.
The L,,RD MAYOR then rose and said—The next toast
which I shall have the honour of introducing to your notice
is one which will be received with the most grateful and
cordial feelings. It is to those brave soldiers and sailors
who have so nobly fought the fatties of our country, and
shed their best blood for the purpose of upholding the
honour of the British flag in every part of the world.
(Cheers.) We aro this evening honoured with the company
of many distinguished heroes of both services who are en-
titled to our wa-neest thanks, and it affords me the greatest
pleasure to propose their health. With this sentiment I
shall connect Lord Panroure and the army, and Sir Charles
Wood with the navy. (Cheers.)
Sir W. F. WILLIAMS, in returning thanks for the army,
referred to the unwise reduction which had been made in
those subsidiary establishments upon which the strength of
our army depended before the late war, and expressed his
satisfaction that, under the auspices of the present Com-
mander-in-Chief, and of the noble lord at the head of the
War Department, these important branches of the service
were being restored to efficiency awl vigour. There was
great danger in carrying retrenchment too far, for, unless
iwtselslafpertyepilendacfood,r defence, a wealthy country like ours,
with a population of 30,(,00,000, would at all times find
its peace endangered, and its honour
threatened.
Sir C. WOOD—My Lord Mayor, my Lords, Ladies, and
Gentlemen,—lt is with great pride and pleasure that I find
myself called upon to return thanks for the navy. It is
with pride that I find my name associated with that noble
profession over which I have the honour in some measure
to preside. And never do I feel that pride and pleasure
greater than within these walls, where at all times and on
all occasions the services of the navy are so justly and so
liberally appreciated. (Cheers.) I will not refer to the
events of the late war, but to that service in which
the navy in peace, no less than in war, is employed
—namely, the protection of the commerce of this em-
pire. That is the bond which connects the navy more
especially with this great city, the centre and focus of our
trade. It is our boast that there is uo part of the
globe so distant that our trade does not extend to it,
and it is our pride likewise that wherever that trade
extends it finds the protection of the navy, under which it
flourishes and expands. (Cheers.) Now, it is in the
p otection of our trade that the navy has been engaged in
!hose hostilities which have formed the great subject of de-
bate for some weeks past. It is in the vindication of the
outraged merchant flag of England—in the maintenance of
those immnhities without which our commerce cannot
exist—that the navy has been called upon to act in the
waters of China—(cheers)—and I am proud to s ty that the
navy has there displayed its usual skill and valour. (Con-
tinued cheering.) I gladly embrace this public opportunity
of expressing my opinion that, in spite of some assertions
to the contrary, which I utterly disbelieve, the navy has
likewise displayed that other quality for which the British
sailor is no less distinguished than for his bravery—l mean
his humanity. (Cheers.) I have seen with indignation the
statement that unnecessary cruelty has been shown towards
an unoffending people. I utterly disbelieve that accusation.
I believe that no hostilities have been committed except
against those bearing arms against us, and for purposes
necessarily connected with the defence of the position we
held. I know the utmost pains were taken to spare the in-
habitants of Canton—that officers werelanded to warn them
to remove with their property from the scene of operations
—and that when the Chinese soldiers were deserted by their
own officers and left to perish they were rescued from a
watery grave by British sailors. (Loud cheers.) My lord,
I hope I may be forgiven for speaking warmly ou this sub-
ject, because I feel strongly the unjustifiable and calumnious
imputations which have been cast upon the navy. That ser-
vice has at all times been distinguished alkio for bravery and
humanity, and I believe that it has on this occasion in no
respect fallen short of the high character which it has en-
joyed. (Loud cheers.)
The LORD MAY said—We are this day honoured with
the presence of the Prime Minister of this country, and we
the citizens of London feel it a proud privilege to have the
opportunity of assembling ambassadors, noblemen, and
the great commercial interests of the country in this hall.
(Hear, hear.) The occasion upon which' we have met is
to express the confidence we have in the nobleman at the
head of her Majesty's Government, who has upon so many
occasions in times of great difficulty nobly stood forward,
weathered the storm and brought affairs to a successful
issue. (Cheers.) I am sure I shall be supported. when I
sailors are not oneo
tb et
htoor
0E4%1
when unexpectedly called on to take decisive measures on
laynds
uwphpeonr
teodu rb
yb thesoldiers
Government
any groat emergency. The noble Premier is about to ap-
peal to the nation to express its opinion on the course he
has adopted, and every lover of his country looks with con-
fidence to the result. I therefore propose to you " The
Health of Viscount Palmerston, and may he long be spared
to guide the councils of our laud." (Loud and prolonged
cheering.)
Lord PautensToN, who was received with loud cheers,
said—My Lord Mayor, Ladies, and Gentlemen, often as it
has been our good fortune to partake of the splendid hos-
pitalities of the City of London, I may certainly say that
it never fell to the lot of any Administration to receive
those testimonies of courtesy and goodwill upon a more
important and interesting occasion than the present.
We are not deceiving ourselves, my Lord Mayor, when we
interpret the manner in which you have been pleased to
propose our health as a renewal of that expression of con-
fidence and goodwill towards her Majesty's Ministers which
I had the honour of receiving not many days ago from
your lordship, as evidencing the feelings and opinions of
the citizens of this groat metropolis. (Cheers.) We were
not long ago, as is well known, placed in a minority in the
House of Cornmens upon a question which involved a cen-
sure upon her Majesty's Government. I know very well
that some of those who honoured us with their general
support, viewing that question merely as a simple expres-
sion of judgment on a particular transaction which bad
taken place at the antipodes some months before, persuaded
themselves that in giving their votes against the Govern-
ment they were not pronouncing a censure up the Adminis-
tration ; an some of those non. gentlemen assured me--
I am convinced with great sincerity—that they did not
intend by the votes they gave to withdraw from the Go-
vernment the general confidence they had hitherto ex-

voted
te d. (Cheers.)
heei) But
perfectly e.
~ e
itith
egroat
politicall na
rjor i ofmp etthotes who
their
votes. The resolution was that the proceedings which the
Government have approved were unjustifiable; arid if the
Government have approved unjustifiable proceedings, they
have followed a course which deservedly must incur the
e.nsurs of the Parliament and the people of Englan 1. We
wore persna led, on the c eitiary, thus those proceedings
ere right and necessary. We felt that great wrone had
b een lir Meted upon this country. We felt that our fellow-
countrymen in a distant part of the glebe heel been ex-
posed to every sort of insult, outrage, and atrocity— (loud
cheers) ;—that a treaty with this country had been broken ;
end that those who were locally charged with .the de-
fence of our interests were not only justified in resorting,
but were bound to resort, as far as the means at'their
corrituaed enabled them, to the measures requisite for
their vindication. We fel.t that we should have been
basely b repaying a ti oat which our Sovereign and the
country ha. l reensed us if we had not approved
proceedings which wo thought right, and which if
we had been placed iu similar circumstances we shield
certainly have deemed it our duty to adopt. (Cheers.)
Well, my Lord Mayor, in ordinary eases, when the House
of Commons censures a Government, that Government has
but one course to pursue—namely, to retire, especially, if
it thinks that the country at large shares the opinion pro-
nounced by its representatives; but on the present occa-
sion our belief was different. We did not believe that the
country at large shared their opinions. (Prolonged cheer-
ing.) I took the liberty, during the last debate, of saying
to the House of Commons that I was sure their vote, if it
were adverse to us, would not be ratified by the opinion of
the conntry, and the result has prove.i how entirely we
were justified in entertaining that conviction. We have
even now, before the constituencies have had an oppor-
tunity of recording their votes, had numerous expressions
of opinion from all parts of the United Kingdom—edi tresses
from men of all ranks of society, and of all shades of poli-
tics— from Whigs, Tories, and Radicals—declaring it right
that when the interests of the country are at stake party
differences should be forgotten, and the whole empire
should rally together to vindicate the honour of the em-
pire. (Cheers.) We know—cur fellow-countrymen know
well—that such will be the result of the appeal we are
about to make, and even now, although the time when
that appeal can practically be answered has not yet arrived,
we have proof that the heart of the country is sound, and
that it will reverse the censure which was passed upon us
the other day by the House of Commons. (Cheers.) It
seems that it is not permitted to me to talk of coalitions
or combinations, because they have been distinctly repu-
diated ; but there was, if I am obliged to say so, an acci-
dental concurrence of the leaders of opposite parties in
the lobby against us. (Laughter.) In that lobby there
were the elements of a Government which expected to
succeed to power by making the humiliation and degra-
dation of their country a stepping-stone to office.
spirit and p trty
t(?ehseearrse.)eseWenettaarletterutlhyetwoledrkthinagt
opfarttlyw
nrtish constitu-
tion. Some party ties were remembered on that occasion,
but one party tie was wholly forgotten—tee tie that ought
to bind every Englishman to the interests, the honour, and
the glory of his country. (Cheers.) If those who voted
against us had risen to power, what ought they to have
done as the logical and inevitable consequence of their vote?
They asserted that our proceedings were unjustifiable.
They were bound, therefore, in the event of their success,
to have apologised to the Chinese barbariaes for the wrongs
we had done—to have rebuilt the forts which our gallant
sailors bad destroyed—to have sent from Woolwich new
cannon in lien of those which our brave seamen had ren-
dered unserviceable—and at the same time, in order to
complete the measure of redress, they must have paid the
rewards which had been given for the heads of our mer-
chants, and the cost of the arsenic m hich had been used in
oi
cannots o n ln g
envyour f
theel l
feelings
w•s u bj
of tc I s at 1,
min who could
Kong. Gentletuen4,
wit-
nessl
with calmness the heads of respectable British mer-
chants on the walls of Canton, or the murders and ass tssi-
nations and poisonings perpetrated on our fellow-country-
men abroad, and who, instead of feeling their blood boil
with indignation at such proceedings, would have had us
make au abject submission to the b rbarians by whom
these atrocities were committed. (Cheers.) But we ere
told by others that we are addicted- to war. We are told
that while we direct affairs this country will always be em-
broiled with other nations. Why, sir, our conduct is a
refutation of that charge. Some of the men wire are now
foremost in advocating these doctrines of peace were among
those who concurred in engaging the country in that ne-
cessary war—the first great struggle in which we have
been engaged during the last 40 years. These men, how-
ever, forgot to help us' to carry that war through to a suc-
cessful termination ; they did not assist us in obta'ning,
in conjunction with our glorious allies, the French, the
Sardinians, and the Turk that safe and honourable peace
the conditions of which these men had before pronounced
to be unreasonable to ask and hopeless to obtain. They
forgot to assist us in that, and when they accuse
us of an inveterate propensity for war they overlook the
fact that we succeeded in restoring peace to Europe.
(Cheers.) We, too, are for peace abroad and for progres-
sive improvement at home, but the peace which we want
is peace with honour, peace with safety, peace with the
maintenance of our national rights, peace with security to
our fellow countrymen abroad. (elerrs.) We believe
that that is also the opinion of the British nation, and as
long as the nation regards those as the priuciples upon
which the government of the country is to be conducted
as long as it shall continue to honour us with its confi-
dence, so long shall we feel pride im.iliseluargiog the duty,
hosrOver liboricm• areeetesrierierrible it-may- be, which our
Sovereign and her people intrust to us. -(Cheers.) If the
day should come when a different doctrine shall prevail—
when peace is to be sought by humiliation and degradation, ,
the country must look elsewhere—l will not now say ,
where---(laughter and cheers) ; the country, I say, must ,
look elsewhere for the instruments of the national dishon-
our and disgrace. (Cheers.) My Lord Mayor and gentle.
men, I again beg to assure you that we feel proud, justly
proud, of the noble spirit which the country has exhibited
upon the present occasion ; a spirit which it will always
display when national interests are at stake. We feel
doubly proud of being the instruments of the national will,
and as long as we feel that we are so backed up, we shall
set at defiance the accidental concurrence--(laughter)—of
unconcerting and uncommunicatiug gentlemen— (renewed
laughter)—who by a strange fatality
may find themselves
united in a vote to turn out the Government of the day.
I
(Enthusiastic and prolonged cheering )
The Loan MAYOR said—The presence of the foreign Am- ,
bassadors and Ministers in this hall gives us an assurance
of the support and cordiality of feeling which exists be-
tween the great powers of Europe and other parts of the
world, and we are anxious to take every opportunity of no-
tifying to them the pleasure we feel in their presencs, and
the deep interest we take in the progress and
"the health
prosperity of
the great nations they represent. I propose
of the foreign Ambassadors and ifinustera who have
honoured us with their company," end couple the toast
with the illustrious name of Count Pereigny." (Cheers.)
behalf His E
ofxtcheelleenarcies,aCntdoipuloh3aPtEicittaßeeNiav
Frreteuarezdeftwhahniekhs
theon
following is a translation :—My Lord Mayor and gentle-
men,—Permit me, in the naure of the corps diplonvatique,
to thank you for the honour which you have done us.
To-day, when all Europe is reconciled, it is Witte most
lively satisfaction that we find ourselves again in the midst
of you, on such a solemn occasion, for nothing can be more
worthy of interest than the spectacle which is here pre-
sented. When we behold united at this table the repre-
sentatives of two distinct worlds—one the inheritor of
glorious traditions, which has for its mission the preserva-
tion of those virtues requisite for the government of
society ; the other exercising qualities not. less necessary
to the happiness of the people, and which are the founda-
tion of the credit and riches of tho state; when we take
part in the friendly communion between the chiefs of a
great government and the representatiuee of a city whose
commerce embraces the whole world ; when we consider,
moreover, the union of the aristocratic and governing with
the industrious and commercial classes of this country, all
animated by the same spirit, and who, far from imitating
the fatal struggles of Plebeians and Patricians of ancient
Rome, only manifest for each other respect and sym-
pathy ; when again we recognise the eagerness with
which the great of this laud come here to mingle
with the Medicis of this new Florence then,
indeed, gentlemen, we have no need to seek further for the
Pre arl. it°ll
(Cheers.) wee.rs know
Now, b
secret of the grandeur and power of your country ; and
whatever may leo the nature of your internal debates and
your political preoccu elogreenhtalnetml
eta, that
I
must respond, as the Ambassador of France, to the wishes
your prosperity is assured.
expressed by the Lord Mayor for the continued communion
of interests of England and France. This sentiment of
the City of London has, to my oyes, a great significance,
because it recals to me the consequences of an analogous
wish which was presented four yearn ago to my Sovereign
under the form of au address, signed by four thousand houses
of this powerful city. At that epoch, circumstances ap-
peared serious. Ardent politicians sought to arouse aecient
national hatreds by representing the re-establishment of
the Empire as the sign of a new war between the two
countries. On each side of the Channel minds were agi-
tated by dangerous anticipations ; when all at once the
voice of the City of London made itself hoard, announcing
loudly that the English nation desired the friendship of
France, and from that day the Anglo-French alliance
dates. (Cheers.) With the practical genius for affairs
that characterises this country, the City of London
admirably appreciated the relative situation of the two
peoples. It had seen before all the world, that between
the two Powers, one more especially military, and the
other more especially maritime, there existed no longer
any real subject of rivalry—that from the moment
when England was in full possession of the advantages
that Providence seems to have reserved for her by her insu-
lar position, her mineral riches and the particular oharacter
of her inhabitants; that from the moment, indeed, when
she had acquired supremacy industrial and commercial,
colonial and maritime, she had nothing to gain in a coalition
against France, but she had, on the contrary, every advan-
tage in seeking her friendship. The City of Loudon per-
ceived, also that France, being capable of again exciting
the anxieties of Europe by her historical recollec-
tions, revolutionary or conquering, had not less in-
terest in gaining the friendship of England ; for from
the time when by an intimate alliance with the first mari-
time power of Europe France became mistress of the seas,
she had nothing to fear from a continental coalition, and
her frontiers were no longer menaced. At this day, gen-
tlemen, these facts h rvo become common place, but at
that epoch it was a real political discovery. The City of
London, by its address to the Emperor, performed a great
action, and I am happy to day, as the representative of my
Sovereign and my country, to take this solemn occasion of
thanking you for it. (Loud cheers.)
The LORD MA.TOR said—The House of Lords has ever
proved itself one of the greatest bulwarks of oar constitu-
tion. In all times of di'flculty it has proved itself the
champion of true liberty and the sincere friend of the peo-
ple. I rise, therefore, with feelings of the most profound
respect to propose " The health of the Peers of England,"
Rd with it I will mention the name of Lord Granville—
(cheers)— who is always ready to unite with us in all that
affects the happiness of mankind. (Cheers.)
Earl GnANVILLE--My Lord, ladies, and gentleden, I
rise to return thsnke, first on behalf of the peers who aroe
present, and next for the assembly to which we belong, fr
the Lonour %liar you have done us in drinking our health,.
Speaking for those who are press nt I beg to return you
OUT most sincere acknowledgments for the cordial welcome
which you have given us this deer, fur the occasion on
which you have summoned us to meet you—(cheers)—and
I may perhaps be allowed to add for the very excellent
dinner which
we have just enjoyed—(a laugb)—and in

which you have combined the old traditional dishes of the
city with the most modern inventions of the art of cookery.
I happened the other day to cast rny eye over some adver-
tisements, and among thorn I saw an announcement of a
new sauce of peculiar excellence. (A. laugh.) It was stated
greatest
ttietsht
zest
antilu ostspexiluitso the
iteflavvioaunri,ir be
might
be used. The name of this sauce was the " Pelineii•isgobeit
sauce," arid I vent urn to think that eon have givi n us an
opporoonty ef testing tho genuine al tiel,l in th:l glk a' oit
possiblo perftction. (Cheers and laugh ter. ) I aet sure
Oat this compeny, composed of well-cdtweted Enelihintsri,
perhaps as well acnuaiuted as we are with the institutions
of our country, will not expect me to deliver it constitu-
tional essay upon the Hone° of Lsrtle— (a laugh) —but
there are sumo advantages ari big from the existence of
that assembly which are univerie.kly recognised, told to
which 1 may, without impropriety, refer. Alt hough ours,
is not the roost important bratieli of the 14 .gislat.u:e, yet,
witloubtodly, it is that which those centitiies which have
adopted our repriesehtetive institutioes hate faint it lutist
difficult to imitate; and it is worthy of relea: le that this
hones is so open to talent and ability of all descriptions
that any citizen of Loudon who gives his child a good edu-
cation may feel that it is quite within the verge of pi ssi-
bility that his son may take his seat among the most ancient
peers of the realm. (Cheers.) The Hous© of Lords has
sometimes done good service, not by finally stopping mea-
sures which have been demanded by the people, but by
interposing a useful delay during which the House of
Commons and the nation at large might refloat and fully
make up their minds upon the import of these measures.
(Cheers.) On a late occasion there was under discussion a
question, not of legislation, but of the action of the Exe-
cutive Government. On that occasion the House of Lords
was very severely tested. Some of the most eloquent
speeches which were ever heard within the walls of Par-
liament were then delivered. To the spiritual peers appeals
were mule which seemed to threaten them with the cen-
sure of their fellow-countrymen if they voted according to
their corisctettc;eiTandeit Savour of the Government:- Thoses4
spiritual lords, or at least the great majority of then), dis-
regarded these appeals, and resolved to act only in accord-
ance with the dictates of their own judgment. In the
adoption of that coarse they must have felt that an excel-
lent example had been set them by their humbler but
most use fel brethren who are engaged in spreading the
gospel in a distant laud, and who had the fullest know-
ledge of the facts and merits of the case recently so much
agitated. (Heare•hear.) We were toffl that we could not
in this instance trust to the opinion of those merchants
who were most interested in the question, but, although
only some half dozen of us are directly interested iu the
trade and manufactures of this country, wo felt that
our relations with China consisted chiefly of commer-
cial intercourse, and that we could depend upon
the ju %plea of those honourable and enlightened
men who wore engaged in such avocations, at who, in-
stead of consulting their own interests, were actually
making great pecuniary sacrifices, because they thought
that the placing our relations on a more satisfactory foot-
ing would lead to such an extension of commerce as would
be beneficial not only to ourselves, but also and at least
equally to the subjects of the Emperor of China. (Cheers.)
The noble viscount (Palmerston) has referred to the fact
that the House of Commons has come to a different de-
cision ; but I do feel some confidence that the country,
which is now about to be consulted, will think, as I rejoice
to find this assembly does, that in this instance the house
of Lords has been the most faithful exponent of the wishes
and feelings of the people, and I venture to say that all
who are present to-night will think that wo had et) good
reasons for the course which we took, and that, notwith-
standing your liberal feelingsand associations; you will with
all sincerity repeat the sentiment of a Tory peer, " Thank
God ! we have a House of Lords." (L nd cheers.)
The LORD MAYOR said, —Nations are like individuals,
strengthens d and upheld by the confidence feltin them, and
the uprightness with which they deed with others. 'The
public relations of this country to other States aro of the
highest importance to its dignity and welfare, whether
viewed as regards the benefits yielded by commerce, the
advantage of social intercourse, or the maintenance of
those relations of friendship by which the progress of
society and the improvement of mankind are gr dually de-
veloped. England occupies a proud position in the eyes
of the world, and her foreign relations are consequently
placed at all times in the hands of statesmen of great
ability and high character. In the present instance
we have a nobleman conducting our foreign relations
who bears one of the great names of English history,
and who has proved by his ability and energy in times
of trial that ho can maintain the reputation of a great I,
title. -(Cheers.) By his care and watchfulness difficult
questions affecting the peace and tranquillity of Europe
are dealt with, and I propose with peculiar satisfaction ,
that the cordial expression of the feelings of this assembly
be offered to Lord Clerendon,' with their best wishes that i
he may long continue to atlininister the foreign relations of
this country, so as to maintain its honour and preserve the
peace of the world. (Loud cheers.)
The Earl of CLARENDON, on rising to acknowledge the
toast, was received with great cheering. Ile said, My ,
Lord Mayor, my Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen, 1 am
truly grateful to the Lord Mayor for having coupled my
name with the toast which he has just proposed to this
distinguished assembly. The success sled permanence of
our foreign relations involve considerations the importance
of which it is impossible to over estimate, and no one who
fills the office which I have the honour to hold can fail to
be sensible of the responsibility of the Government to the
country far the manner in which -its -policy is conducted ;
or, on the ntlipv hn.iai, can question the right of ilk, coun-
try to inquire whether the Government; while upholding
the honour, the dignity, and the interests of England, is
careful at the same time to respect the honour and dignity
of other Powers, and does nothing to lessen -the esteem of
our allies, or to endanger the permanence of peace.
(Cheers.) Such have been the principles upon which our
policy has been founded, and we may confidently appeal
to facts notorious to the whole world whether iu our
hands the honour of England has been sullied, her dignity
lowered, or her interests impaired. (Cheers.) No one
who listened to the able and eloquent address of the repro-
sentative of France can have any fear for the friendliness
'of our relations with that and other countries. (Meas.)
Among the numerous foreign Ministers who are present to-
night I have great pleasure in seeing the Persian Ambas-
sador, who has been received by her Majesty in order that
he might present to her the credentials with which he had
been furnished by his own Sovereign in anticpation of an
event which has lien happily realised in the conclusion of I,
a just, honourable, and satisfactory peace. (Cheers.) But
we are told that our foreign policy is " turbulent and
aggressive." Although it may be difficult to prove I
a uegative' I think that that policy is not " turbu-
lent" which has been conducted with an extreme re-
luctance to go to war, awl which, within twelve months,
has been signalised by the conclusion of two treaties of
peace ; nor can that policy be called " aggressive" which
sought no territorial aggrandisement, which desired no ex-
clusive advantages, and which was not oven led by success
to demand anything beyond the objects for which hostili-
ties wore undertaken. Perhaps at no poi iod of our history
has so great a mass of official corr spoudence concocted
with foreign affairs been laid before the public as within
the last three or four years, and I will ask any one whe-
ther—although we have felt bound to uphold interests
which we thought just—we have injured our cause by
adopting any course to which the term "braggadocia"
can be truly applied ? (Cheer'.) Nevertheless, we were told
that we have alienated our friends, and that our alliances
are not permanent. We were lately told that wo were
willing to sacrifice even the French alliance for a worth-
less object by our obstinate pertinacity. Well, you have
heard the French Ambassador testify to the state of our
alliance with the country which he reprosents—(cheers)—
and if wo ever had any difference with France, it has been
that honest difference which may take place between
friends, and when such a diffence has existed we have
sought for and have found an honourable solution. (Hear,
hear.) The cons: quence has been the maintenance in all its
integrity mind cordiality of that alliance which has been so
beneficial to both countries, and the increase of that mu-
tual respect and esteem, without which no alliance and no
friendship, be it between individuals or nations, can be
either solid or enduring. (Cheers.) I may also observe of
that country with which we have lately been at war, and
which we esteem and respect as a noble foe, that the differ-
ences which have occurred since the signature of the treaty
'of peace have all disappeared. They have all been set-
tled in an honourable and satisfactory manner—a luau-
nor which, I trait, will leave no sorete se or ill-feeling
behind. Time alone and a 'very abort tune, too,
I am convinced is necessary in order to knit
together in alliance two countries having so many
interests in common. (Hear, hear.) I will not venture to
trespass on your patience by travelling in our justification,
as I should like to do, over the map of Europe; I will only
say I believe that at no time in recent years has there ex-
isted so thoroughly sound and wholesome a feeling as now
prevails between the people of this country and tee United
States, who, understanding their reciprocal interests, feel
a determination that those interests shall not be disturbed
by quarrels and disagreements, which may partially de-
range, though they do not interrupt, our friendly commu-
nications. I believe that this amicable feeling is shared
as well by the Government of the United States as by the
Government of her Majesty, and we have this advantage,
that the eminent man who has now bsen raised ny the
voice of his countrymen to preside over the destinies of
those States has but recently left our shores, has lived
among us, has mixed with all cleseesof our people, and has
been able to appreciate the esteem and respect felt for his
country by all sections in these kingdoms. (Hear.) Before
I sit down I cannot help adverting to what fell from the
First Lord of the Admiralty with regard to China—a ques-
tion which has lately engrossed all men's minds, and which
has produced results so widely different from those which
were anticipated by parties who did not coalesce or com-
bine, but who happened to unite—(a laugh) —in censuring
the Government for doing that which any Government
must have done in their place—(cheers)—if they believed,
as wo did, that a deliberate insult had been offered to the
British flag, and if they knew, as we did, that upon the
protection which that flag affords depends the safety of
every British interest. My right hon. friend has made
a most just and true defence of Sir Michael Seymour,
and I wish also to add that in my opinion Sir J. Bowr-
jug has been most unfairly treated. (Cheers.) Every
species of vituperation and abuse has been poured upon
him, and I am convinced that Sir Michael Seymour,
like every brave and honourable man, will not only ex-
pect, but will claim, to share the responsibility with Sir J.
Bowring. (Renewed cheers.) It is impossible that officers
far from home, and without instructions, should not as-
sume a certain amount of responsibility ; and when they
do so, and act to the best of their judgment and ability, I
think it is cruel awl ungenerous, and I mans sure it is im-
politic, not to put the best construction upon their motives
and conduct, and not to believe that men placed in such
difficult circumstances must be the most competent judges
of the requirements of the emergency. (Hear, hoar.) We
approved the conduct of our officers. For that we have
been censured by the House of Commons ; and thereupon
my noble friend at the head of the Government has deter-
mined to ascertain whether the country agrees in that cen-
sure. The manner in which that appeal has been responded
to, and, above all, the enthusiastic manner in which my
noble friend has been received by this assembly, are the
best justification of our conduct, and the bast proof that
we should have acted unjustly towards our officers if we
had not upheld their proceedings and maintained the
nsur of the British flag. (Hear, hoar.)
_ _

The LORD MAYOR then piopoe,;d " the Church," coup-
ling with the toast the name of the Bishop of London.
The right rev. PRELATE briefly returned thanks.
Lora PALMERSTON, in complimentary terms, gave " the