The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-03 00:00:00

INAUGURATION DINNER OF "THE
SHERIFFS OF LONDON AND MIDDLESEX.
• The new Sheriff's (Alderman Hooper and Mr.
Jeremiah Pilcher) gave their inauguration dinner on
Friday, at Vintners' Hall. The entertainment, which
wa7 provided and superintended by Messrs. Breach
and Bathe, of the London Tavern, was not only
splendid, but abounded with those comforts which are
often looked for in vain at large banquets. • Nearly
200 gentlemen sat down to dinner in the great room,
in which were the banner and armorial bearings of the
Vintners' and the Haberdashers' Companies, to which
the Sheriffs respectively below,. Amongst them were
the Lord Mayor Elect, M.P., the Cursitor
M.P., the • Recorder, M.P., Mr. Masterman; M.P.,
Mr. Lyall, M.P.; Aldermen Lucas, Farebrother, Sir
Peter Laurie, Magnay, John Johnsen, Sir C. Mar-
shall, Thomas Wood, Sir George Carroll, Sir John
Key, Bart., Gibbs, and Farncombe ; several mer-
cantile men of eminence; the Courts of the Companies
to which the Sheriffs belong; all• the principal -City
officers ; Mr. R. L. Jones and the other Chairmen 0;
"the Corporation Committees ; Mr. W. D. Harvey,
the Commissioner of the City Police, &c., &c.
The Sheriffs officiated alternately as Chairman, very'
much to the satisfaction of the company.
After the loving cup had taken its round, and the
'• toasts of the -Queen, the Queen Dowager; and Prince
1' Albert, the •Prince of Wales, and the other branches
of the Royal Family, and Prosperity to the City •of
London, had been. drank with the highest honours,
Sheriff. IloorEa rose to propose her Majesty's
Ministers. He observed that whomsoever her Ma-
jesty, in the exercise of the Royal prerogative, might
be pleased to call to her councils, such personages, in
One elevated position they occupied, were at all times
entitled to the respect and consideration of the coun-
try, and he, therefore, felt much pleasure in proposing
the toast.—(Cheers.)
Sheriff FILCHER felt high gratification in proposing
the health of the-Lord Mayor, with whose 'merits the
company were so well acquainted, both in his public
and private capacity, that it became unnecessary to
use the language of description-in speaking of so ex•
cellent a man.—(Cheers.) It was much to be regret-•
ted that his Lordship was not able to take the chair
on the occasion upon which they assembled, but the
labour and anxiety which he had undergone, inter-
fered with the earnest wish he -had expressed to be.
present. His Lordship had, on the preceding day,
-received from his fellow-citizens, in. an unanimous
vote of thanks, the strongest assurance of their estimate
of his -worth, and it was with peculiar satisfaction the
Sheriffs reiterated the sentiment in Vintners' Hall. '
Sheriff HOOPER said it was with much pleasure he
proposed .the health . of Alderman Humphery, Lord
Mayor Elect. That gentleman had been before the
public for several years in the character of Sheriff,
Alderman, and Member of 'Parliament, and it might
be confidently stated that in all those capacities he
hal secured the esteem and confidence of his fellow-
citizens ; in confirmation of which they had just con-
ferred upon him the highest distinctionin their power,
by electing him to the important office of Chief Ma-
gistrate of this great city. He -(Sheriff Hooper) was
quite satisfied that if Providence blessed the Lord
-Mayor. Elect with health and strength, the various
' important duties of the elevated office would he dis-
charged most effectively and satisfactorily in the en-
suing year.—(Cheers.) •
The LORD MAYOR ELECT returned thanks. He
deeply felt the compliment which had been just paid
to him by the numerous and highly-respectable com-
pany by whom he was surrounded. The horiour to
which the Sheriff had alluded so forcibly was one
which he considered to be the greatest that could be
conferred upon any individual, and he assured those
whose approbation he had received, that he should, by
making the most strenuous efforts in his power, show
that he was anxious to carry out their hopes and ex-
pectations.—(Cheers.) To please all was impossible ;
but the exertions to deserve unanimous respect for
good intention should not be wanting upon his part,
and he knew would be properly appreciated by his
fellow-citizens. There was one thing which he should
promise, and which he was convinced would be most
acceptable to those whose opinions ought 'to be re-
spected. No man should, during his Mayoralty, be
able to guess, from the performance of his Magisterial
duties, by what political feelings he was actuated.
Sheriff HOOPER begged to propose the health of a
distinguished person, who had given the Sheriffs the
honour of his company upon the present occasion—
" The Cursitor Baron." The Sheriff had to return
him thanks for the very favourable reception with
which they had met from him in the representation
of her Majesty at 'Westminster, and for the kindness
with which he had accepted their invitation.
The CURSITOR BARON, in returning thanks, said
the office he had the honour to fill, laid upon him the
extremely pleasant duty of conveying from the SoVe-
reign the ratification of the exercise of the privi-
leges of the citizens of London, by confirming those
rights and privileges which they had- for so many
'
centuries enjoyed and used, of electing from' their
own body the Sheriffs of the City of London and
county of Middlesex.---(Cheers.) All the- credit he
could claim, -arose from the sincere gratifiCation he
felt in conveying to the Sheriff's the Royal approba-
tion of the choice of the citizens of London. He had
been many years in the habit of expressing the sanc-
tion of the Sovereign to the choice made by
the citizens of London, and had, as a matter.
of Course, addressed himself to individuals of all
shades and degrees of politics, but he had uniformly
come in contact with the utmost kindness and con-
sideration ; he had always found the hospitality and
the kindness of the citizens of London unchanged, and
he believed they were unchangeable.—(Cheers.) It
was with no small pride they would look back • upon
the past year in reference to the transactions which
had occurred elsewhere. While the municipal autho-
rities were admitted to have failed in different parts
of the country in ;quelling the spirit of tumult and
insubordination, London, by the admirable exercise
of its inherent powers, completely dissipated all
attempts to excite the public, and set an example
which had the most beneficial results all over the
nation.—(Cheers.) He felt the warmest-regard for
the City of London and its institutions. It would
be presumption in him to offer his exertions in Par-
liament upon any occasion -on -which the privileges of
that great. Community were brought into discussion,.
as the City was protected so ably by its own Mem-
bers, by -its principal Law Officer, by the Lord Mayor
Elect,.and others who were connected with the cor-
poration, but_he certainly should. add his:fceble voice
to the able talents which the City could. at all times.
command •to protect functions so important to the
public at large.—(Cheers.) • •
Sheriff-PmexEst proposed "Alderman Lucas, and
the Magistrates of the City of London." He felt real,
unaffected pleasure, in drinking the .Aldermen of Lon-
don, with the venerable Alderman at their head, who
was so much beloved and respected. Of the advan-
tageous labours of the City Magistrates their fellow-
citizens were well aware. The duties which they had
to perform, and which were of an exceedingly onerous
nature, demanded a great portion of their time and
attention, and were executed with qinflexible impar-
tiality, and a regard for justice, in which compassion
was a predominant ingredient.—(Cheers.)
Alderman LUCAS said he was convinced his brother
Magistrates would feel with him most grateful for the
reception which the toast had met. with. The Ma-
gistrates of the City of London were not without their
faults—(Laughter)—but in everything connected
with the administration of justice, he was sure they
deserved the approbation of their fellow-citizens.—
(Cheers.) It was frequently said that there were
more clever Justices in the surrounding counties. He
did not care for that. The Magistrates of the City of
London had experience and good sense to guide them,
and they had consciences too; and so long as they
acted conscientiously, they would act rightly
and judiciously.—(Cheers.) For himself he felt
most warmly the honour conferred upon him,
and he heartily wished he deserved the approbation of
the company half as well as many of his brother Ma-
gistrates deserved it.—(Cheers and laughter) He
knew, however, that some allowance would be made
for a man on the wrong side of eighty.—(Loud
cheers) He could assure those who had just cheered
him that his heart was in the right place, and it was
his highest pride that he had lived and would die an
honest Englishman.—(Cheers)
Sir PETER LAURIE rose and said, he had •
quested to propose the principal toast of the evening—
". The health of the Sheriffs."—(Cheers.) That most
pleasing duty devolved, according to custom, to the
Lord Mayor Elect, but his Honourable Friend. hav-
ing already addressed the company on a very interest-
ing topic, complimented him with the office of calling
the attention of the company to the two gentlemen
who presided and he willingly obeyed the command
of one whom he was happy to see in great authority.
It was quite a delightful task to present the names of
two such sensible,• upright, and honourable men to the
notice of the company.—(Cheers.) Alderman Hooper
had long been in the Common Council, and was greatly
respected there, and so highly was he esteemed by his
own ward, that he was unanimously elected Alderman
by its constituency. He (Sir Peter Laurie) had had
some experience as a Magistrate, and be felt no hesi-
tation in stating that although Mr. Hooper was modest
and retiring, as a Magistrate he was firm and judicious.
Certainly every day's experience proved that a mer-
cantile man possessed of knowledge of the world was
the most fit person to be a Magistrate, for a Magis-
trate (eonsidering the character in its• most enlarged
and
.most useful. signifleation) had constantly to
grapple with the craft and cunning of designing men.
—(Cheers.) As the class- of knaves.-whose sum ss
diaßndeci upon their heads was:greatly on the. increase,
Fe was happy to have Alderman- Hooper as, a brother
Magistrate.—(Cheers.) The name of Mr. Filcher,
the other Sheriff, had long been before the Livery,
associated with all the qualities necessary to distin-
pish him in the high capacity ; but. he did not ask
the suffrages of the Livery till his sons were able to
conduct his large mercantile attars, and, thus allow
him to devote the whole of his time to the important