The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-03-21 00:00:00

TIER NA PIER BANQUET, A1).2 SOME

OF ITS CONSEQUENCES.

FEW indeed are the times at which post-prandial
oratory can be invested with even an approach to general
interest ; less frequent still the occasions on which such
saturnalia furnish matter for acrimonious, if not grave, de-
bate in the British senate. Such an event did occur lately,
at, of all places on earth, the most singular for such an
occurrence, the " Reform Club." The occasion was a ban-
quet, given inhonour of Sir CHARLES NA.PIER, prior to his
departure as commander of the Baltic fleet. Political hacks
of the hardest mouths, including Sir JAMES GRAHAM, Sir
W. MOLESWORTH, and other leaders of the Radical team,
formed the staple of the assembly ; yet, strange to say,
neither the miscarried Reform Bill of Lord Joni; nor vote
by ballot lent their dreary lustre to the eloquence. The
gastronomic preparations, as is customary in this temple
devoted to culinary worship, were recherche ; but, as is
not always customary there, the participators in the feast
were hilarious and united. The chair was occupied by
Lord PALMERSTON, and not a few of the assembly, in-
cluding, of course, the gallant guest, were men of mark.
The fine tact of the veteran PAM was displayed with that

usual grace and unincumbered sportiveness which he so
well knows the value of, and by the exercise of which he

reigns supreme over the bonhontnzie of gratified gourmands.
After a few circlings of the generous cup, etiquette, so far
denuded of its starch, remained merely stiff enough to
ensure order to the flow, while it conveyed piquancy to
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the genial humour of the hour. In an address, in which
badinage was yoked to panegyric, and banter tripped the
heels of set encomium, his lordship proposed the health of

the gallant admiral, and recounted his past exploits in
strains which made the hall ring with joyous laughter,
and excited feelings of the loftiest enthusiasm. Now, as
a minister, paying a measured compliment to the heroic
actions of the gallant officer, recounting his noble deeds,
and eulogising his courage ; while commending his pru-
dence,-sympathising with his ardour, and rejoicing in his
success ;—rehearsing, As it might be said, his official
harangues in anticipation of his own appointment as
" Minister of War ;"r-anon as a personal friend indulging
in telling and tolerated jokes, and all so flavoured with
the flow of genial humour as to stimulate good-fellowship,
rouse emulation, and gratify the brave and sagacious war-
rior in whose :honour the festival was celebrated. The

reply of the valiant "tar" was characteristic of the man
and werthref the occasion—short, curt, and pointed ; full
of aspiratidn, redolent of hope, and confident in fixed reli-
ance on the efficiency of the means placed at his disposal.
The good 'humour of the hour was quite infectious, and
even the ;KNIGHT of NETHERBT, casting aside his usual
ascerbits, joined heartily in the semi=official "high jinks ;"
while -Sir W. Mot.Hswoarn, dropping his eye-glass and
forgetting his dandyism, threw aside his cloak of demo-
cratic patriotism, and became a rational after-dinner
speeChifier. The meeting was, indeed, a convivial one,
• partaking as little of- the portentous or the gloomy as if
it Thad been initiatory to a Ideasure yachting excursion,
instead of the prelude to a Scree and deadly strife. Thus
tended the first act of the Grahamo-Palmerstonian farce.
In the second act, the seene was transferred to St. Ste-
phen's, and, after an iriterval 'of nearly a week, on Tuesday
last, the rising of the arteeurtain revealed the 'leading cha-
racters, no longer hilarious over their wine, but seated in
solemn array upon thelministerial benches—the lights of
the banquet-hall extingnished-ethe guest departed—the
reckoning come- Is opposition, if not 'also in the as-
cendant, stood the anIGHT broad-brim of Manchester,
arrayed as the *Leming angel, looking dreadfully vir-
tuous and awfully -sage ; 'at 'his elbow,'the man of un-
adorned eloquenee,,Whom 'his ci 'defiant 'friend and pet;
Sonsavitus,•ehaes •with not having as yet paid the
price of his cratnniirig, ready to' back the onslaught of the
pugnacious preadher of peace. Having ;an insuperable
objection to dinners he is not invited to partake of, and a
mortal antiothytto speeches he does not ;himself deliver,
the Manche Ster 'Pet, 'to 'use the -clasiic !language of the
prize-ring,:" mideliimself up for mischief," .and let fly at
the Hone Settangesnr, in retaliation for presiding at the
dinner. To show ehis dexterity inocombat,he caught the
Finer lionnoT"the ADMIHALTV "a-baCkl-branded blow,"
intended, as .hesaid, to shorten the:jawing tackle of that
right honeurablelametionary ; and; in the veu prodigality
of his -fighting zeal; he administered t slight tap to Sir W.
Molatsweawrzofor'being present at the' feed. Pugnacity
from the .peace tnember so • unexpected as this took the
spectators by-surprise, but did little in the way of discom-
fittinglaisadversathies. The vetersallcemn SECRETARY was
too•oliLve.hamPion to permit the application of the favour,
which hueleverly parried, and made such diversion in
return; that the stfiemn gravity of his assmiant was sent
}ore cortibtit, amidst roars of laughter from the
applauding -.bystanders. This prostration iff his, friend
-coned:the `'...homely orator" to his legs in defence of his
coadjutor, add; pielEng up 'his man, h© shoutoc: "unfair,"
and appealed to the speaker; bat. in vain ;' the mean-
time, the Tiverton favourite, who evidently half it all his
own way, -playfully repeated ids hits, and &Hy extin-
gui4hed tis antagonist ; the Carlisle trimmer patting
him :on the back, *line " Forester Bill;" oggling --the scene
with amazement ani delight, exclaimed that the punish-
maeritmap riehlytmeraed and happily applied.
In •adber earnestness, all the acting parties appear at
disadvantage inseonmxion with this affair. It le a ques-
tion, invelsing more than mended:4, which . is eaised as
to the propriety.of:great public events: being instagurated
by rejcikings of the -.kind referred 40, and that doubt is
vastly ;augmented importance when the matter con-
templated 4.nvolves -.whet cannot ;be „other than serious
calamity to nanny of oar-countrymen. A suceessfaliresult
to nur armaments is, no/doubt, confidently anticipated and
desired of every rank and oraer, except the Man-
chester Utilitarians s still the British, ough a brave, is
not avaunting people, amt the feeling is general that so mo-
mentous an-affair as engaging in arduous, hostilities is not
to he initiated :by festivehDarity, nor preludised by orataly
open to the auspicion of, Vinous influence. The . practice
heretofore has been withus, as with our Others, to 'pass
the wine-cup in celebration of success, not 'to indulge •in
wassail ere the,fight begin ; and many hearts as dauntless
as that whichaninaated, Sir CHana,ss-Xarag or his pot-
valiant contpations,- on the occasion referredito, condemn
the ceremony as ontworthy.of e great and brave people.
Even those, however, who:are loudest in expressing disaP-
probation of the scene and its. concomitants do not see that
the affair is improved in its aspect •by being tulle a topic
~of angry and recriminative debate in our hall of legislation.
eublic feeling is deoidedly hostile to, such petulant gemarks
..as those delivered by Mr.: BRIGHT, on Tuesday evening, in
. the House of Commons. All men feel that such an .arena
isaiot the place for ,critieising after-dinner oratory.; , and
• meat of them feet grieved to -think that public men,iike
. Sir JAMES GRAHAM and Sir WILLIA.I% MOLESWOEg7i,
shoes be reduced to theNVO.e necessity,of excusing their
Publie.conduct by holding,it .up as unworthy of observa-
tion— -Ava the result, in shortrof after-dinner excitement.
While feeling thus sore, however, they are in no condition
to :sympathise with one who,-like an efficieus:booby, directs
attention'to what they would ;willingly see buried in obli-
vion bepee the little mercy shown to Mr. Bal-oxer when
pummelled :.1?y Lord PALMERSTON gen Tuesday evening—
was,nokthat their dislike of the bfinquet-haii,proceed-
•ings was not ,great, but that theirdlisliko to
.have them
again paraded Vlore the public was greater still. But
the .question is a wider one than as it WAS put by Mr.
131144-31X,•and repeated by Mr. COIIDEIC. tis not (Me, of
conduct so much as of national feeling, anLd,
however deeply the pMion may regret the indiscretion of
the ministerial display, -to a man, with it may be adm,it-
ted, the triding.exceptiok of the Manchester raviners, the
people re,eeho the sentiments they uttered, and pray for
success to the armament Whose departure from our shores
was the cause of the assembly.

THE LATE MR, JUSTICE TALFOURD,

To think that those
Who in the plenitude of (manly) life
Art now before me, ere the sun decline,
Perhaps in one short hour, shall lie cold, cold,
To speak, smile, bless no more

TirEsE words, with a single alteration, are taken from
the " Ion" of the late Sir THOS. NOON TILFGURD. How
strangely, and how sadly, is the vision of the poet realised
in the fate of the man ! When so much has been said,
and so well and so worthily said, on this event, by those
who knew the departed judge, it may seem almost pre-
sumptuous in a distant stranger—an humble wanderer in
the field of literature—who, though long fantiliar with
his form and featuies, only knew his mind through his
works, to add his tribute too. But he would fain essay
to do so, with what skill and grace lie may.
The public reputation of the late Mr. Justice TALFOURD
was based upon his eminence as a lawyer, 'an orator, and a
man of letters. In each of these departments it may be
possible to point to higher names than his ; but, in the
combination of these several &notions, he attained to an
,excellence which is without a parallel. Into every one of
them he took what was more excellent still—a gentleness
and a goodness which procured for him such " honour,
love, . . . , and troops of friends," as are well evidenced
by the universal sorrow which his untimely death has
occasioned.
$o man was =re happy In depicting the graces of