The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-20 00:00:00

" THE CHANDOS TESTIMONIAL,

" Presented by a very numerous body of farmers of
Buckinghamshire, and other friends connected with agri-
culture, to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Buckingham
and Chandos, K.G., G.C.H., and P.C., on the 18th of
May, 1842, to record their admiration of public princi-
ples steadily maintained in unsettled times, and as a tri-
bute of respect and gratitude for his services whilst
Marquis of Chandos, as one of the Representatives of his
native county in Parliament, where, for upwards of
twenty years, he was the energetic, consistent, and suc-
cessful champion of .the agricultural interests of the
United Kingdom."
The weight of this costly specimen of British. art is
1,800 ounces, its height four feet six inches, and its value
upwards of two thousand pounds.
The chair was taken at half-past three o'clock by the
Right Honourable the Earl of Orkney, supported on his
right by his Grace the Duke of Buckingham, and on his
left by Lord De Lisle ; and at the same table were Sir
Thomas Freernantle, Mr. Joseph Neeld, M.P., Mr. John
Neeld, M.P., Captain Boldero, M.P., Rev. Mr. Gleed,
Mr. Ferrand, M.P., P. I. H. Williams, Esq., Oliver An-
dertlan, Esq., Mr. Scott Murray, M.P., &c. &c.
After the usual lo3al toasts,
The CHAIRMAN then rose and said—My dear Lord
Duke, I cannot say with what feelings of personal delight
and satisfaction I find myself deputed by the farmers of
Buckinghamshire, and other friends attached to agricul-
ture, to present to your Grace the piece of plate which
you now see before you.—(Loud cheers.) Handsome, I
trust, your Grace will think it, but it is, I assure you,
far below our estimate of what your past Services deserve.
At the same time, I do trust that the list of subscribers
will be satisfied. Fortunately it is not left fur me feebly
to praise or to convey to your Grace the opinion which
this county entertains of your character. It is clothed
in most eloquent language in the address which Mr. Tyn-
dall, our Honourary Secretary, will be good enough to
read.—(Cheers.)
Mr. TYNDALL read the Address, which contained high
compliments to his Grace for his uniform consistency
and principle—reverence for ancient institutions—aver-
sion to great changes—and, above all, for the protection
he had ever affbrded to the agricultural interest, justly
entitling him to the epithet of " The Farmers' Friend."
The reading of the Address was interrupted by frequent
burst:: of applause, and, at the conclusion, the cheering
was renewed and continued for several minutes. The
company then roseand drank the Duke of Buckingham's
health, with nine times nine.
The Duke of BUCKINGHAM then rose, and addressed
the meeting nearly as follows :—My Lords and Gentle-
men,—lf on former occasions, in this county, when sur-
rounded by large assemblages of my friends, I have felt
any difficulty in returning thanks for your kindness,what
must I now feel ? My Lords and Gentlemen, when Ilook
round this vast assemblage, and see in this room the wealth,
the power, the influence, and the intelligence of this county
—(Cheers)—when I see around these tables some, who, in
my early days, were the first to cheer my onward course
in political life—when I see also those who have ever
been my firm, consistent, and active friends—(Cheers)
—when I look back to this time four-and-twenty years
ago, when I first, within four days of the present time,
started as candidate for your county, I cannot but feel
difficulty indeed in expressing all that my heart feels on
this occasion. Often, gentleman, as I have addressed
you—often as I have received acts of kindness from
you—l have not power • on this occasion to speak
the sentiments of my heart.—(Hear, hear, hear.) The
manner in which you have drunk my health, the kindness
and approbation with which you have received the ex-
pressions contained in the eloquent Address which has
just been read to you, the splendid and magnificent
tribute of your affectionate regard I now see before me—
all, together create in my mind a mass of gratitude which
it is out of my power to express. With these feelings
animating my heart, and with an anxious desire to put
on record my feelings-towards this country, and to the
friends who surround me, I will, with the permission of
our Noble Chairman, place in your hands, in reply to your '
Address, one from myself, which, when I am gone,
may recall to .your recollection the sentiments
which' I entertain towards you all.—(Great cheering.)
His Grace read the reply in which he adverted to the
topics contained in the Address, and thus concluded :
" And now, gentlemen, alloW me again to repeat my
warmest thanks for the magnificence with which you
have carried out your generous wishes to perpetuate the
remembrance of your esteem and regard by this splendid
tribute, The Chandos Testimonial,' subscribed to by
the highest, as well as the most humble, in this county,
hich will often remind me of absent and esteemed
friends—of days of happiness when active in your
service, and which will be handed down to my successors
as one of their most valued possessions.
" Let me offer you, too, my best acknowledgments for
the flattering expressions contained in your Address—
for the many useful and kind suggestions I have received
from you during many pleasant hours of private inter-
s course, and at our social meetings—for your invariable
indulgence—for your reception of me this day—for the
costly and complete arrangements I see around me—
and the patient attention which you have granted to this,
I fear; imperfect attempt to give utterance to feelings
that have almost overpowered me. May God bless you,
my generous and valued friends, and so far as the best
wishes of the individual who now thanks you for kind-
ness heaped up and running ever' can avail—may all
long enjoy the comforts of a happy home, and live in
the participation of every prosperity under the mild and
benignant sway of our gracious and beloved Sovereign !"
The following toasts were then given in succession :
" The Bishops and Clergy;" " The Lord-Lieutenant and
Magistrates of the County ;" "The Noble Earl in the
Chair;" and " The County and Borough Members."
The Duke of BUCKINGHAM, in proposing the health of
the "British Farmer," said , it has been my good fortune
through life to mix much with that important class of
her Majesty's subjects, and I have felt a proud satisrac-
tion in being associated with a body of men who are dis-
tinguished by a loyalty and patriotism unequalled in the
history of the world. If we look to this splendid country,
our native land, and see the advancement which has been
effected by the British farmer, we must, indeed, be proud
of that class of her Majesty's subjects; and I must say, that
no man has ever received greater marks of kindness from
that body than I have, and those, too, not confined to the
county with which lam connected so closely. It
is not for me, on this occasion, to enter into political dis-
cussions, or to canvass what has been done, or what may
not have been done, but I am proud to have seen the day
when I could appear before my countrymen, and boldly
assert, in the face of Heaven, that I never flinched for a
moment, but always did my utmost in support of the
agricultural interests of this kingdom.—(Loud cheers.)
For I assure you of this, my Lords and Gentlemen, and
the farmer may be assured, that although I have
witnessed days in 'which his hopes and mine have
been disappointed, still I am his wakeful, -and
will ever be, his trusty sentinel.—(Cheers.) I regret
that I am no longer the representative of the farmer's
interests in the lower House of Parliament, but I do
trust that there may be found in the other House
opportunities for protecting those interests. Of this,
however, I can assure you, that the grave shall close
over me ere I shall cease my exertions for the welfare of
the British farmer. I hope we may. both yet see a day in
which we may not be so disappointed as we have been,
for I have lived with the British fariner in his prosperity,
and I trust sincerely that God will restore it to him.
Mr. HORWOOD returned thanks.

Colonel YYSE proposed " The health of the Marquis
of Chandos," which was received with loud applause.
The Marquis of CHANDOS said he could not adequately
express his gratitude for the manner in which his health
had been received by the distinguished assemblage he
saw around him. If anything were wanting to stimulate
him to a patriotic course, that want would be supplied by
the acclamations with which his father's health had been
received, and the readiness with which his services to the
farmers had been acknowledged. He (the Marquis of
Chandos) trusted that he might live to exhibit the same
zeal, and to ears the same gratitude, by advocating the
same principles.—(Hear, hear.)
The other toasts w ere then disposed of, and the meeti
ing broke up shortly after nine o'clock.

DE. REID'S LECTURES ON CHEMISTRY.—Dr. Reid
delivered another lecture at Exeter-hall, on Wednesday,
which opened with a disquisition upon the properties of
stoves in general, more especially Dr. Arnott's. The
subject of spontaneous combustion led to some enter-
taining memoranda upon the readiness of fibrous and
spongy matters, over laid with oil or similar fluid sub-
stances, to ignite spontaneously, when acted upon by the
oxygen of the air. Combustible substances were stated,
by the lecturer, to lurk to an incredible extent in whole
ranges of the older houses of London ; from some of
them in the city, he had himself removed ten tons of in-
flammable matter in the shape of small shavings of wood;
and he gave it as his opinion that there ought to be a
law of inspection instituted, whereby scientific men
should be appointed in the cases of all new buildings, to
remove such matter antecedent to their being inhabited.
Some excellent experiments on the nature of phosphorus
and sulphur concluded the evening's lecture.
REMARKABLE BIRD'S NEST.—In the Bell Tavern
at Eton College, there is at the present time a very re-
markable jackdaw's nest, and doubtless one of the largest
ever seen. It completely blocks up the tower stairs, oc-
cupies fourteen_ steps, and is 8 feet 10 inches- in height.
It is only partially lined, as the birds, owing to the num-
ber of visitors, have since forsaken it. The whole of the
material with which it has been built, was conveyed by
the industrious pair through a loop-hole in the tower
twenty-four inches by seven inches, and some of the twigs
employed in its formation are twenty-two inches long.