The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-07-21 00:00:00

THE DINNER AT THE AMPHITHEATRE.

The dinner, which was advertised to take place at six o'clock
in the evening, at the Amphitheatre, did not commence until
nearly seven o'clock. About, that time his lordship, accom-
panied by his friends, made his appearance, when Mr. James
Brancker took the chair. The- boxes were filled with well-
dressed females, and the number that sat down to dinner might
probably amount to between 31/4)0 and 400.
The cloth having been removed, (and "Non Nobis Dotnini"
forgotten,) the chairman gave the following toasts, which were,
of course, drank in the
_usual manner:—" His Majesty the
King, Duke of Lancaster.;" "The Queen;" "His Majesty's
Ministers ;" "The Lord-Lieutenant of the County ;" "The
Members for the Borough," "That essential component of
good Government, a free and enlightened representation in
Parliament." These toasts being disposed of, --
The CHAIRMAN rose and said that he begged a bumper whilst
he proposed the toast which he considered to be the most im-
portant of the evening. They had now in their presence an
illustrious individual, illustrious, not only to Europe, but to the
world, a matt beloved by his country as the grand. promoter of
education. Fie . meant their distiaguished visitor,—Lord
Brougham. (Cheers.). -
Lord BROUGHAM then wee amidst renewed cheers, and ad-
dressed the compan. asfollowse—Gentlemen, I should attempt
a vain task, were I to endeavour to express my deep sense of the
singular kindness with which you have.received use to-day, as
on many former occasions. It has been to me a singularly
gratifying circumstance' that I have had the opportunity, at
length, of performing a promise which various. accidents pre-
vented me fulfilling some year or two agne-snarriely, of revisit-
ing this place, tor the purpose of observing and becoming more
intimately areetainteil with its Mechanics' and other scien-
tific institutions, and'institutions connected with,education.
(Cheers.) I have at length 'been enabled to pay this long de-
ferred visit, and the highly 'interesting -solemnity at which all
of us,—at least who. constitute the highest and the lowest part of
this assembly—with the exception, perhaps, of the middle and
most interesting portion of the company present—have assisted,
with the same feeling of Satisfaction which the occasion has
inspired in me;— 1 mean in laying the foundation of a
most important, and I trust it is fated to be, a lasting and
flourishing institution. (Loud applause.) it is, indeed, im-
possible to. consider without feelings of the most animating
description, that occasion which drew us together in the morn-
ieg, and is associated, at least, with our assembling here this
evening. I have no hesitation in saying, that of all the improYe-
ments that have been made of late years in the condition of the
people of this.country, the advancement of •intelligence both in
science and the pther branches of knowledgesamongst the in-
dustrious portion of the middle classes, for whose usee mechanics'
institutions are more espeCially'desigued, stande in the very first
rank of the very first of those improvements. (Much cheering.)
Within the last ten or twelve years they have spread_ rapidly
rarer ssia iseasseesy :gar it ix -not len. oretwelise.y veers aloe it is. a
debt of justice and no more than strict justice thaf-Tsh old
remind you—it is not ten or twelve years ago thatris to be taken
as' the date of the origin of these institutions; for though the
London Institution was established principally through the
agency of its'founder and most disinterested and efficient sup-
porter, Dr. Birkbeck, yet it was twenty-two years before that he
had established the first real Mechanics' Institution in the city
of Glasgow, where he first gave scientific lectures to humble
artisans. Having stopped, therefore, to render, as I never fail to
do, as often as I am called to attend a meeting connected
with education—as often, more especially, as I assist at
a meeting connected with mechanics' institutions—having, as is
my constant endeaysur on all these occasions, Tendered this
return, not of gratitude simply, but or strict
,justice, to the
founder of this system—l shall proceed to add that his great
merit dote; not eclipse, and ought not to erase from our minds,
the fame and gratitude due to those who have helped him in his
work and imitated his bright example. (Cheers.) I mean
those who assisted at the ceremony this morning, and those who
are here assembled this evening to celebrate in some sort a
festival connected with it and the subject it relates to—education
—public improvement—public virtue, intimately connected with
education—(hear, hear)—which cannot rest on any basis so
sound as the basis of a goos 4 scientific, moral, sand religious
education, (loud cheers,) and I name these three branches of
instruction in theinverse ratio of their importance; and, more-
over, connected with,this we are celebrating, because the festi-
val of. education, public improvement, and public virtue, the
-festival also of peace and good-will to. mankind—(cheere)—a
cultivation of the arts of
,peace at .home. as contra-dietinguished
from and rising proudly.above, all the arts of the seditious, the
factiot.s, the discontented, the incendiary, the destructive,
(loud cheers,) and the preservation of that greatest of all public
blessings after internal peace—l mean peace with all the world
.---(cheers)—peace with America, our kindred country—(cheers)
peace with Ireland, our brother—(cheers)—peace with the
great and enlightened, and now, thank God, free people of
France—(loud cheers)—our nearest neighbour, and, therefore,
as even our sordid interests are concerned, our best customer
and best market, if nations were but wise, and if our govern-
inent. and their government would only learn that the nearest
neighbour is the most profitable customer; this is the kind of
festival which, connected with the morning's operations, we are
this evening met to celebrate; to which must be added, though
least of all its other accompaniments, the toast vou have been
pleased so cordially to receive in conneetion with My name,—
not only the cause of education, but, as a corollary from that, the
blessings of good civil and 'religious government. (Mitch
applause.) In pressing upon you the obligation of giving your
hearty, effectual, and speedy encouragement to the greatinsti-
tution that has been founded, I ant happy to inform you that a
most admirable beginning has been made by an individual who
-conceals his name under the three last letters of the alphabet,
but whom I could *not sufficiently praise were I to take the
whole and combine them into any form of words into which I
have the power to throw them; that individual has this day. tra ns-
witted the munificent donation of £lOO. (Applause.) And
now I might better take my leave of you, but that there are one
or two things that press so forcibly on my mind that I cannot
forbear detaining you a little. longer to express the feelings
they have engeedered. Having crone for the first time
in my life .by the magnificent work which unites Manches-
ter and Liverpool,
.and which, as it were, by a thiracti-
: Inns interposition ofehumen art under. the blessing of divine
Previdence, has overcome the distance which separates the two
towns, and brought-eManehester close to its great outlet into
the commerce of the werld—l have wit been able to keep my
thitid front constantly reflecting on the impressions which this
short journey,' thongh over a long distance, has left upon me :
and when I call to mind that all this innocent, peaceful, usefnl
triumph of man over the elements, andeven over nature herself,
-has cost a million only of money, while fifteen hundred millions
:have been squandered•in bloodshed—(loud applause)—in
turalising barbarism over the world—making bloodshed tinge-
.the soil of every country under the sun—making war the curse
of. the human race and the greatest crime that man can commit,
because it involves every other crime within its accureed name,
and all in the wretched, bud I thank God, we maynow say, the
utterly frustrated, as it always was a vain attempt, to crush the
liberties of the human race—(great applause)—then, I say,' I
look back with shame,. -with regret unspeakable, with incligua-
lion I in vain attempt to give utterance to, at that course of
.policy from which we. are happily now ton well informed and
too well intentioned ever to fall into, at least while we lire—
(hear)—and think that if one hundred, and but one hundred
of that fifteen hundred millions had been employed in pro-
moting the acts of peace and the• progress of Civilization, and
wealth, and prosperity amongst us, instead of that other em-
ployment which is trio horrid to think of, and almost, nowa-
days, too disgusting to speak of, and I hope we shall shall see
the day when we shall look back and find it impossible to be.
lieve that it ever happened.; we should, I say, instead of being
burdened with eight hundred millions of debt, and having spent.
seven hundred millions more, have seen the whole country co-
vered with such works as that between Liverpool and Manches-
ter, and peace uninterrupted attended, during thirty or forty
yeers, with the blessings which a-steady, honest, industrious,
and persevering people deserve. (Loud cheers.) Tithe will
not allow the to dwell at large upon all the gratifying and en-
couraging tokens of improvement that r have witnessed- in your
town, even since my last visit, which was for a short time about
five years ago. I will therefore pass on briefly to notice one or
two points which personally concern myself. (Hear, hear.)—
It has been objected to me—and I dare say it will with reference
to the present instance, but I care not—that I have offended
against the rules of propriety by attending public meetings in
various parts of the country. ExCept the dinner to Lord Grey
at Edinburgh. which I attended in order to do away with a must
absurd—a most senseless and ridiculous calumny, that 1 had
concerned with Lord Althorpto turn Lord Grey out of the go-
vernment—with this except mops, the only eotertaiument that I
volnutarily attended in Scotland was one given by my friend
Mr. Bannerman at A berdeee. (Hear.) Yet it was said, "Oh,
Such a thing was never seen in (be world ! What ! A Lord
Chancellor ? Who ever heard of such a thing ?" (Laughter.)
I really expected next to hear, " Did ever any mortal breathing
hear of a Lord Chancellor dining at home ?" '(C.heers and
laughter.) But really time charge is so grave and serious to
public men going to public dinners that .1 feel' it due tci my
order, if I may so speak, as a public man, to defend the living

and departed greatness of the country, and the class of public
meu thus abused and misrepresented in my person. (Lauugter.)
feel not only for such men as your late representative, Mr.
Huskisson. but I feel also for your other late representative, Mr.
Canning, both cf whom were in the habit of attendinw public
diapers, and making speeches there. I feel for the great Wil-
liam Pitt, who in the Guildhall,London,jssued a kind of counter-
:manifesto against Napoleon, by drinking, it a dinner there-given,
the Least of "Ships, colonies, and commerce." (Cheers.) I feel
for my venerable and learned friend•and predecessor, the Earl
of Eldon, who was in .the habit of annually delivering an im-
pressive and notes very short speech, at a dintier given by Pitt's
friends in honour of Pitt's birthday. (Loud cheers.) liating
thus defended these illustrious persons, suffer me to'add that it
has been at all times, in my hurable,opinion, not only the privi•
lege of public men to meet their fellow-citizens on snub occa-
sions, but a privilege of the people to have public men con-
stantly coming before them freely and without ceremony, and
without the nonsense and hauteur with Whieh they would choose
to invest public Character, by way of evading responsibility. to
the people. (Rapturous applause.) It has also been said of me
that I hold opinions different when out of office to those which
I held when in. There never was a charge more ridiculous and
and unfounded. What were the opinions I held when I was in
office? I expressed my belief that during the two years after
the passing of the reform bill the government had gone on fast.
enough.- Have I shown any symptoms of change by my con-
duct subseqUently-to that period? On the contrary; for if there
was one thing on earth on which I was more intent than
anetherif any two subjects on which I stood more pledged to go
on, with than another, or two which I could. more easily have
proceeded with, inasmuch as everything was prepared for 'bring-
ing them in .at one hour's notice, :they were, -the two great re-
forma of local courts all-over the country, to bring justice cheap
to every Man's dwelling, and the abolishing, at one blow, the
pluralities and non-residence of clergy. (Loud cheers.) Yet.
what haye,l done ? I have abstained front bringing them, for-
ward this session—from saying a word on the subject—from -
urging the' gnyernrnent be any endeavours of mine either in
or out of parliament; to bring fOrward or even turn their latex'.
tion to these two subjects, simply because, in reforming muni-
cipal corporations (loud cheers), and beginning the reform, ail
I believe it is, of the Irish church, we were doing enough for
one short session of parliament; and I dO net wish them to go
oue.sfep faster, or one point further, than .is perfectly suitable
and min Venient to themselves. (Applause.) Thais have I prac-
tised in 183,5 the doctrines that I preached in 1814. (Cheers.)
And I say still, that digestion is as essential as. food. I say still,.
be not rash, be not precipitate, be nut. impatient, when you see
that honest men have hold of the helm of the state (applause)
and when important measures are in progress, Ishallgetiinpatient
too if I find them flag; I shall get suspicious, if I perceive them
flinch; and I shall be, as I am at present, one of the hudiblest,
and possibly a most superfluous—certainly a most zealous de-
fender-of them in a house were, perhaps, aid is not altogether.
supeefluous, (cheers and laughter,) and in which;.frOm having
been by accidental'cirdumstatices better known to, and longer
acquainted with them, I shall be, as I always have been., their'
supporter, in doors .and oat of doors, till they give toe cause to
leave theirs;, and then, when I leave -them, I shall not do so
(H-ear, hear,, and applante,) When I leave them, if
will be because they have left the peelire (Ind-whether, iir4iskto
case, the people will cling to them or_ to me is a question whith.l
I will hot ilelav a moment to ail:. (Cheers.) His lerdsbip,l
then entered into a very touching, but not very intelligible. tie-
scriptiou the miseries attendant upon office, and the blessings
which he had regained-by shaking himself free from its tram-
mels and toils, and, after some further observations,in praise of
education and the march of intel ect,lie'resumed his seat amidst
much cheering..
The'health of the gentlemen proMoters of .mechanics' insti-
tutions having been given,

Mr. LAWRaNCE Has WORTH rose to return thanks, and said
that he felt that the compliment which had been paid was not
personal, for those who had proposed the toast were evidently
persons who had the interest of the institution at heart, and he
hoped they would all be stiniulared td extra exertion in the
cause a education. There were those who professed to scoff at
the institution, who called themselves religious, -but he was
1- happy to say that mechanics' institutions not only cultivated
the-human mind, but every religious principle. Mr. Heyworth
having concluded,
Lord Baoun SI rose to propose a toast-which he said-need
scarely be coupled with a single observation, as those who knew
their worthy chairman and the services he had rendered, not
only to the present festival, but to the great cause which he
might say had brought them together, could appreciate his ser-
vices. (Cheers.) lie had great, pleasure iu Proposing the
health of James Brancker; Esq.
Mr. JAMES BRA NCK ER then rose, and in return thanked the
noble lord for proposing his health, and the company present
for the manner in which it had been received. He, was :proud
to see so distinguished en individual as Lord Brougham meet
so many of his fellow.townsmen, and so many ladies of the town
on the occasion, and he was sure that when the ladies were so
actively engaged in the cause that it would prosper. (Cheers.)
So far as he was concerned, be could assure his friends that his
services, whatever they were, were willingly given either in the
capacity of chairmanl or in any way in which he could serve the
interests of his fellow-townsmen. Mr. Brancker concluded by--
stating, that Mr. .Egerton Smith, Who usually usurped .the
office of Poet Laureate on all occasions of a similar kind, had
written an appropriate song, Which that gentleman would give
them.

. Mr: EGERTON SAILTit rose and said that he should claim the
same privilege which Lord Broug,hatu frequently had done,
which was doing things by proxy, and a gentleman, if, the com-
pany had no objection, would sing for bird. (Cheers.) Lord
Brougham-was fond of acting by proxy, and no doubt he had at
that time a proxy in the House of Peers, where he wished him
to be then. • (Cheers and latighter.)
A Mr. DAVIS then sung the song -alluded to, which was in-
tended to have bCen a comic one, bnt, as t WAS somewhere about
thirty verses long, and 4 tragically chaunted, the compan) were
in doubt. The burthen of it was, that'a great schoolmaster was
abroad anxious to increase the nuniber of his pupils.
The CHAIRMAN then-proposed the health of. Mr. John Smith
Radcliffe,.whom he designated as the talented secretary of the
Mechanics' Institute, to whose- exertions the institution was
mainly indebted for its prosperity.
Mr. J. SMITH RA DCLIFFE returned thanks, and in 'doing so
took occasion to eulogize the character of Lord Brougham;
who he believed had that- day laid the foundation of a future
college._

The, CHAIRMAN rose and said, that as there were several
einEe 'brit •Unitad-States-presentr avid -it,: being their iihjegt.
to cultivate, as their noble guest had expressed it, gobd fellow-7
ship and harmony between the two countries, he begged leave
to propose the health of Dr. Springfellow and the United States.
The band in the gallery, by Way of a compliment, immedi-
ately struck up the air of " Yankee doodle," which caused
much merriment.

Dr. STRINGFELLOW then rose and gave a history of the sys-
tem (bt education in America, the names of the teachers em-.
ployed, how the pupils were taught, and so forth. By this time
the company appeared more inclined to atu.use themselves by
drinking than in listening to prosing Speeches, and as svmp-
touts of impatience were manifested, the doctor suddenly
ceased.

Lord BROUGHA M here rose to take his departhre, but before
he' did so he said he had to propose the health of a gentleman
win) he was sure had the good wishes of them all. He consi-
dered it unnecessary to describe the services of that gentleman
in promoting ciril and religious liberty, as they were so well
'known. Without ftirther preface he need oily say that he
drank to the better health of Dr. Shepherd, who, he was
sorry tosay, was prevented by illness from attending. (Cheers.)
The ti►ast was then drank; and his lordship having toasted
" The Lancashire Witches," departed.
31r. Aiken was subsequently appointed to the chair, and a
portion of the company retrained till elate hour.

• LICENSED VICTUALLERS' SOCIETY.—The annual dinner of
this society will take place to-morrow at Party's Hotel, Sea-
combe, and the dinner will be followed by a ball in the evening.
We cordially wish them a merry meeting and many returns of
their charitable festival.

ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE THE DUKE OF SAXE-WEIMAII.
—An attempt wait made" to 'assassinate the Duke of Saxe
Weimar, at the camp of Revell, on Wednesday, the 15th inst.,
but it was unsuccessful, and the assassin was seized. It would
seem that the man was insane. Amsterdam continued to be
tranquil, but the government was using the utmost precautions
to keep it quiet. It is the intention of government natio press
the payment of the obuoxiouk tax, and forgive all arrears. The
Belgian papers are much elated by the disturbances in -Holland,
and predict that the King will soon lose alt his popularity.
They lookiforward to serious political changes, but all their
speculations are dictated by their wishes rather than from what
can be fairly deduced from the facts.—Standard..---[The Duke
is brOther•iii4aw to the Queen'of England.] .

SUICIME kT ROCHDALE.—On Thursday week a'voung woman
of the name of Mary Casey put an end to her existence under
the 'following extraordinary circumstances :—She" and her
mother lodged at a house in Blackwater .itreet, Rochdale, and
on the above•day a child was interred from the house, and on
the family, including her mother, going to the church, .she told
them to lock the door and take the key, fur she should remain
at home; they accordingly did sO,andon their return her
mother went up stairs and found ler-dead in bed with a hand-
kerchief wrapped round her ucck and. tied ot.three knots so as to
produce strangulation. Verdict, "Temporary insanity."

CAUTION TO BOATMEN, FISHERMEN, • -WRECKER/I,' AND
OTHERS.—About a month meet; a respectable firm, whose office
. is inCrown•Chambers, liecleroSs-street, received from Belfast
four cases of printed calicoes, Which they shipped in the brig
Huron, for Pernambucco, which vessel was, on her passage out,
wrecked on the horse-bank, Southport. •• 'horn the -cases above
mentioned it was found that 180 pieeeti wee missing, the pro-;
prittors having only recovered 20 pieces.. On Wednesday morn-.
tug last M`Malson, of the nightly. watch, in consequence of some
information which he had received, went to the ludging-room of
Edward. Meredith, a fisherman, who resided in the -house of
Robert Basson, in Chadwick-street. Here he found a bag con-
taining a number of pieces of calico. As Basson had heard that.
his lodger had taken the goods from a wreck, atm had given in
formation of the circumstance, the -watchman instantly
.took
Meredith into custody. He was produced before the Magistrates
on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, during which
days the case was fully investigated. The merehants showed
their pattern books, which agreed with the pieees'of caliee pro-.
diced, and left no doubt on the minds of the Magistrates, that:
the property was part of the caigo of the Huron. On Saturday,
however, it was found that the most material witness,.s.- in the.
case would not mine forward. The prisoner stated, that-he had
a wife and a large family, and declared, that he had erred
through ignorance. The merchants declared, that they did not
wish to prosecute under the circumstances,- their principal ob-
ject being to show the prisoper that his conduct had been il-
legal. Alderman I'. Bourne said, that a deli& was provided for
the reception of property picked. up frotiv wrecked vessels; and
that those who neglected to deposit such property -there- -were.
guilty, in the eye of the law, of' a veryleilious offence, render-
ing them-liable to a hc,avy punishineni. The prisoner expres-
sed much contrition, and the Magistrates, having,exacted froth
him a promise that he -wonicl.neyer offend against the law in fu-
ture, discharged him. . .

CArtiouc litors.---rhere was a serious riot • at Airdree, on:
Monday, arising from the Orangemen walking quietly in pro-
cession in commemoration of the battle of the. !topic, when
the, were attacked by the Roman Catholics. The military were
called out, but no lives were lost.—Glasgow Courier.

• ,
SINGULAR ITAPRISoNAIENT.—ITII36I., King Edward-I. order-
ed the Countess of Buchan to. be placed in a wooden cage in
the shnpe of a crown, and shpt up in one of the towers of Ber-
wick Castle for crowning Robert Bruce, at Scone. She was at-
tended by two Englishwomen, and remained six years In this
confinement.

. .
..,Airs. Clipperton and Mrs. Sparrowe (the itires'uf the two
gentlemen stilt in Newgate on account of the kite Ipswich elec,;.
lion) had an audience of Lord John Russell at the flume or:
lice on Friday,

Mr. AnEnctt:►MnlF.—Thr preltnt s'peake'r of he :House of
Commons was one a pupil under Mr. Molineaux, at MSecles-
field .school, where he was entertained as a boarder in July,
1781. He was known at the school as Abercrombie miniani.:.
His elder brothels, George anti John; entered iu 'laundry,
1780, the first being called Abercrombie nerr.jtif,"aud the second
Abercrombie minor.