The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-09 00:00:00

THE DINNER.

For the purpose of paying the greater respect to I
the event which we have already described, the
Lord Mayor gave a grand dinner at the Mansion-
house to the Right Hon. Gentleman, to which all
his Majesty's Ministers were invited, and at which
the greater part of the Corporation attended.
On the removal of the cloth, after a dinner got up
on a scale of magnificence that astonished even the
most experienced diners-out of the city itself,
" Non nobis Domine" was sung by Messrs. E. Tay-
lor, Jolly, Fitzwilliam, and Pyne.
After the usual toasts had been drunk,
The LORD MAYOR rose for the purpose of pro-:
posing the health of his Right Hon, Guest. His
Lordsh►p observed that the city had always been,
justly tenacious of their municipal hunours, feeling.

that they ought not to be conferred, except in such
instances as were calculated to command particular
respect. The consequence was, that the names of
many illustrious men were enrolled on the list ; but
he was satisfied that among them all there was no
name of which they had more reason to be proud
than that of his Right Hon. Friend, which had that

day been added to the list, because there was no
one who had made such great sacrifices, or who had
shown a greater degree of courage in his public con-
duct.—(Applanse.)—These were the sentiments
which had influenced the Corporation of London
in what they had done; and for himself, he wished
to express his confidence, that what his Right Hon.
Friend, in conjunction with his Noble and Right
Hon. Colleagues, had advised his Majesty to recom-

mend, as to the removal of all civil disabilities from

the Roman Catholics, was the most wise, statesman-

like, and humane course that could have been
adopted.—(Cheers.)—A sufficient proof of what
was the feeling elsewhere on this head was evinced
by the vast majorities which had supported the
measure in both Houses of Parliament,—(Hear,

hear;)— and he had net heard of any one being
bold enough to say that the claims of the Catholics
ought:to be resisted by force, the necessary conse-
quence of which must be a civil war. He felt
that the subject was one of vast importance, but he
would not trespass banger on their time, as that was
not perhaps the fittest occasion. To have passed
the subject over in silence, however, would have
been impossible. He would not say more than
that he believed that his Right Hon. Friend, in ad-
vising his Majesty as ho had, had been the means
of restoring religious peace, charity, and confideace
between the Protestants and Catholics, and had
thereby consulted the good of all parties, and the
strength of the British Empire.—(Cheers.)—lle
therefore called confidently on every one present to
drink the health of their illustrious fellow-citizen—
" The Right Hon. Robert Peel"—(Loud applause,
which continued for some time after the toast had
been drank with three times three.)

Mr. PEEL—My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen, I
feel grateful beyond measure and the power of ex-
pression, at the manner in which this company has
been pleased to receive the toast which has been
proposed by. my Right Hon. Friend.—(Applause.)
—I consider it as confirmatory in these convivial
moments (when truth is supposed to have peculiar
sway), of the honours which at an earlier period of
the day were conferred upon me.—(Cheers.)-1
consider it as a proof of the cordiality and goodwill
with which you have received me into the bosom of
the Corporation.---(Cheers.)--Gentlemen, although
I am the youngest member of this Corporation, I
assure you that I will yield to no man in feeling the
warmest interest for the honour and prosperity of

. _
it.—(Applause.)—l have many ties, private and
public, that entitle me to entertain this feeling. 1
belong to that respectable class of which so many
of you are members—to that class which, by the
exertion of honest industry, and by the blessing of
a free Constitution, opens the way for all to dis-
tinction and rank.—(Cheers.)—Gentlemen, no em-
ployment in public life—no civil trust or distinction
with which I may be honoured, can diminish the
pride which I derive from this circumstance; and I
turn with peculiar pleasure to the honour which I
this day received, because I know that the city of
London may be looked upon as the centre of that
moral influence and character, which take their ori-
gin from the class to which I have alluded.—(Ap-
p!ause.)—l have also the honour to fill that depart-
ment of the State which brings me in peculiar con-
tact with the municipal powers of the city, and I
am always proud of embracing an opportunity that
permits me to bear testimony to the manner in which
those duties ure discharged, and to the advantage
which the city and the State derive from the gra-
tuitous application of their time and authority to
the public service.—(Hear, hear.)---These motives,
which I previously possessed, have this day been in-
creased by the honour which you have conferred
upon me in admitting me to the freedom of this
city.—(Applause.)--My Right Hon. Friend has
referred to the particular reasons which he thought
entitled me to this honour. This, however, is not

the place or occasion for touching upon the discor.
dant strings of party strife.,--(Hear, hear.)—There
may be in this assembly different opinions as to the
policy of the measure which has been proposed; but
there is one point in which I am certain that we
shall all be unanimous—that whatever may be the
opinions of individuals as to its policy, this city
will (as soon as the measure shall have once become
an Act) set an example, by which every benefit
that it is possible to obtain from this measure will
be insured.—(Applause),--Gentlemen, these Acts
of Parliament must be dead letters, unless they are
enforced and confirmed by the spirit of the people
(Hear, hear)--and I, therefore, make no doubt that
as soon as these Bills shall have passed into laws,
you will be disposed to hold out the right hand of
fellowship towards the Catholics—that you will
forget all causes of past anizeosity—that you will
obliterate the recollection of past violence—and that
you will be willing to admit, in the coolness of re-
flection, that if you of the Protestant party had been
placed in the situation of the Roman Catholics,
your spirit would have borne their grievances and
deprivations with the same reluctance that they have
evinced.—(Cheers.)-1 believe that there are per-
sons connected with that part of the empire to
which this measure particularly applies, here pre-
sent. I um glad of it; and I trust that their re-
port of the proceedings of this day will tend to
confirm that disposition to peace and conciliation
which has already been manifested in Ireland
to a much greater degree than the most sanguine
well-wisher of the measure could have expected.
(Cheers.)—In this respect the conduct of the City
of London will act powerfully on all parts of the
community ; and you yourselves, conscious of the
privileges you enjoy under the British Constitution,
and under that peculiar form of municipal Govern-
ment which pervades this City, will gladly embrace
this opportunity of admitting your fellow-citizens
to the enjoyment of the same privileges, without
distinction of party or religion.—(Loud cheers.)—
Whatever may be your opinion of the policy of, ad-
mitting the Roman Catholics, there will at least be
one unanimous and anxious desire of consolidating
the force of this great Empire, and of promoting the
general cause of harmony and good feeling.—(Ap-
plause.)—My Lord Mayor, and Gentlemen, I cor-
dially thank you for the honour which you have this
day conferred upon me, and fer the manner in which
you have received the health of the humble indivi-
dual who now stands among you as one of your fel-
low-citizens.—(Great cheers.)
The LORD .MAYOR regretted the absence of the
Noble Duke at the head of his Majesty's Govern-
ment, which was attributable solely to business ab-
solutely requiring his attendance in the House of
Lords, as a letter he had received from his Grace
that morning informed him. He begged to propose
" The health of the Illustrious Duke, and the rest of
his Majesty's Ministera."—(Cheers.)
The toast having been drunk with loud applause,
Mr. PEEL said, that if any thing could have cast a
cloud over the proceedings of that day, it was the
absence of his Illustrious Friend, the Duke of Wel-
lington.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Peel) was bound
more than others to lament it,because in consequence
of that absence it fell to his lot to return the com-
pany, on the part of the Government, the expression
of that gratitude which would have come with such
peculiar grace from the Noble Duke.—(Applause.)
—But the cause of this absence was one which at
once excused and justified it—(cheers) ;--it was the
attendance of his public duties, to which he sacri-
ficed every other consideration—even the honour
and satisfaction of meeting that company. For the
Noble Duke's military services, and the glory of his
career, the Corporation of the City of London had
already .exhausted every means of marking their
gratitude ; but he (Mr. Peel) was confident that it
would have been a peculiar satisfaction to his Noble
Friend to have received on this occasion that testi-
mony which he was sure they would have been most
willing to bestow.—(Applause.)
Mr. PEEL, in a neat speech, proposed" thehealth

of the Lady Mayoress t" it was drunk with great
applause; and—
The .LORD MAYOR assured the company, that it
was the anxious wish of. her Ladyship to .support
the proper dignity of her situation, and to take Care
that, while she remained in the Mansion house,
tte
hospitality should not appear on the decline.
" Prosperity to Ireland" having been drunk, Lord
F. L. GOWER shortly returned thanks.
The CIIANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, thatt
he wished to propose to the company the " !wilt"
of the Lord Mayor."—(Great applause.)

The LORD MAYOR returned thanks. -
Mr. PEaL said that he had been requested by hi'
Lordship to propose " The Corporation of the-City
of London ;" but he thought that this was hardly
fair, now that he had become one amonithemr"
(a laugh)—he, however, begged to propose C the
toast, and to add the name of Sir Richard arr
Glynn, the father of the City.
Sir R. C. GLYNN shortly returned thanks.
Other toasts were then drunk, and the effint'ani
did not separate till an advanced hour.