The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-10-29 00:00:00

THE DINNER,

Took place at five o'clock in the magnificent banqueting
halt, which we have blready described. The -display, in-
e:uding plate, surpassed an% tlling of the kind ever seen
in this neiAbour:lood. Tliy dinner was ev.'ryllting that
meld he &sired, and added in no small degree to the
already well-earned fame of Mr. Horne, of the Mersey
11(40. On the riglit of the Channrin, the following
distingnislied guests were seated ;—Sir Philip de Ma!pa:.
Grey Egerton, the Ertl of Essex, Lord Bateman, the
lion. Lined Kenyon, Sir Joshua Wahr.slev. C. K. Main-
warily,. Rev. Andrew Knox. J. D. Case, Esq., P. Green-
Al, Col. Clegg, Col, !Mitchell, J. R. Shaw, E.q., J. C.
Ewnrt, Et.A., J. W. Harden, Esq., Col. Challiner, lion.
,Captain Best, If. N.. Thomas Grimsditch, -Esq. M.P.,
Joseph Brotherton, Esq. M.P.; Elev. James Mainwaring,
de Trafford, Esq., 11. Winch, Esq., C. Potts, Esq.
On the left of the chair were, seated Lord 'Alford, W.

Tatton Egerton, Esq., M.P., General Sir. W. Warre, the
Hon. E. S. Stanley, the Hon. Sir Edward Cust, Sir W.
Symonds, the Rev. Archdeacon Clef ke, Joseph Bailey,
ENq , Wm. Ewart, Esq., M.P., Richard Congreve, Esq.,
Thomas Tnoridey, Esq., M.P., J. &Clegg, Esq, Rev.
R. M. Fielden, George C. Legb, Esq., Sir. William
Massey Stanley, Cap. Gerrard, John Stanley, Esq,
Mainwaring. Esq., the Rev. F. Until, Capt. Greig, &c. &c.
The list of invited guests included three hundred noble-
men, gentlemen, members of parliament, merchants,
railway directors, professional men, respectable trades-
men, and others, from Birkenhead and this town, und,
infletd, from all parts of the kingdom.
The greatest novelty of the evening, and one which
added much to the atnusement of the company
was the
introduction of Mr. T. W. Took, the celebrated toast
maser, from the East India-house, London. Quite au
Jail in his business, he succeeded admirably in the diffi-
cult and important task allotted to him. With " at, ex-
quisite and finished air," be gave out the toasts, corn-
tuauded silence, and seemed to think himself the very life
and soul of the meeting. Grace having been said by the
Rev. A Knox, the least commenced, and the erjoyment of
the multitudinous luxuries was protracted till twenty
minutes past six o'clock. Thanks having been returned,
and the tables cleared,
The CHAIRMAN rote and said,—l beg, without any
• remark, to propose the first toast of the evening, " Her
• Majesty, the Queer,". (Three times three, and loud ap-
plause). Air, " God save the Queen."
The CHAIRMAN then gave " Her Majesty the Queen
• Dowager." (Three times three.)
The CHAIRMAN—I beg now to give you " His Royal
Highness Prince Albert, the Earl of Chester, and the
rest of the royal family." (Three times three.)
The CH AIRMAN next called upon the company to join
with him in drinking to " The army and navy ; ' and he
begged also to couple with this test, the names of
General Warre and Captain Bevis. (With three times
three.)
Major-general Sir WILLIAM WARRE acknowledged
the toast. Ile begged to return h's sincere thanks for the
kind and feeling n.anner in which his name bad been
coupled with the toast of the army. Ile could not but
feel deeply gratified for the manner in which this toast
had been received, coupled as it had been with that ser-
vice to a hich had been for many years his pride and glory to
belong. Next to the approbation of their beloved Queen,
whose approbation was their highest stimulus and their
btst reward, the approbation of their fellow-countrymen
was their best stimulus to exertion, and also the greatest
reward which they could receive, next to that of Her
Majesty. (Loud cheers.) It was impossible for him to
witness that morning the imposing ceremony of laying
the first stone of those magnificent works projected at ,
Wallasey without feeling that a new stimulus was imparted
to the erre), to protect—a new object of love and devo-
tion to their country was suggested to his mind. (Au-
plauee ) Whether the army was serving in distant parrs
—he wculd not speak of the navy, because a gentleman
was much better able to advocate the cause of his
profession than he Odd presume to be—but so far as
his own profession was concerned, he could only say it
would always be the delight and pride of the array in
foreign pots to maintain that commerce, the trade of
which was so widely diffused over the globe from both
banks of this river. (hirer, hear, and applause.) When
ahread, it was their duty ta protect their trade, and when
they returned home he trusted that every s-ddier would
feel it was his duty to maiot&n the laws of his country,
and protect those institutions which for centuries bad
been the pride and the glory of every Englishman—those
institutions under which this country had prospered, and
had risen to the high position which she now held among
the nations of the world. A small island it might be—
e small island in the ocean—but it W4IS the most pawed': I
among the nations. It might be the envy of natty, but
it was respected by all. (Hear ) He was not in the
habit of addressing public meetings, and therefore he
craved the indulgence of the company, aed Legged to
return them, in the name of the profession to which he
belonged, his best thanks for the honour done to them.
(Applause.)
Captain BEVIS, R.N., a'so acknowledged the compli-
ment, bet being stated in the vicinity of the vice prece-
dent, and speaking in a low tone of voice, his :em ober-,
s-rvations were not heat d.

The CHAIRMAN u en gave "The Bishop and Clergy
of the diocese." lie said he had seen his Lordship on
Monday last, and he expressed bis great reel.. t that his
official (lutes in a distant part of the county would pre-
vent him from being there that day, because he wished to
sanction by his presence the great undertaking of that
day. Ile (the Chairman) wished to join with this toast
the name of a gentleman who had been resident in BT.
kenhead for the last 17 Yeats, and who, erery day of those
17 years, had grown in the respect of the peop'e of Birken-
h ad, he meant the Rev. A. Knox. (Three times three and
and one cheer more.

The Rev. Mr. KNOX returned thanks in a suitable
address.

The Cu AIRMAN, in giving Sir P. -1-i:grton's health, ex-
pressed the obliotions which he and all other parties in
any way interested in the public business pertaining to this
lo!ality were under to that hon. gen'leman. He alluded
at some 1 ngth to the exertions refrrred to in connexion
with the park. public improvements. and other local bills,
the whole of which he had advanced, not hccause of their
local or individual bearing, but because of their utility
(.111 efficicney ns contributory to the gent rat good and tin-
va icement of the intere,ts of the public at large•. The

P EGeouroar acid,—l would take this opportunity,
although I eraaes not suite in the right line, of returaii g
my warmest and sincerest thanks to the commissioners of
Birkenhead, for the distinguished honour which the/ hat e
this day confat red on me, in requestirg n e to take the
first Fart in that most interesting ceremony which you
have witnessed. I could have wished that that duty tad
ben entrusted to one mot e distinguished for rank, station,
or talent. I could have wished that the ceremonial of
this day had been graced by the presence of Royalty
(hear, hear) ; but 1 take this opportunity of stating, and
1 am happy to have the pleasure of doing it, that the
refusal of Prince Albert to attend has been dictated by
that ei-e delicacy and that great discretion of feeling
which have guided every action of his since we had the
pleasure of hailing him as the consort of our beloved So-
vereign. (Cheers.) I have ever considered it as one of
the proudest features of my Parliamentary career, that 1
should have been called on to represtnt the county of
Chester during that pet ice' in which Birkenhead has made
the greatest progress in the path of civilization. (Much
cheering.) I can say most sincerely that the interests of
Lvapoool are near and dear to me, sa they must be to
every Cheshire man. If ever I have been accused of
taking a part adverse to their interests, it can only have
been in instances where I have imagined that the hole-
some and just rivalry which ought to exist between two
communities has been supplan,ed by a jealousy which I
might have thought rather unfair to those on this side of
the river, and rather unworthy of the inhabitants
.on the .
other. (Much cheering.) I hope most sincerely that all
those feelings of jealousy are now at an end, and that we
shall go on hand iu hand, attempting only to rival one
another in one thing, namely, which can most peomote
the commercial interests of the port of Liverpool. (Great
cheering.) I alluded to-day to the advantages which this
locality possesses for the construction of docks and other
works. (Cheers.) Now I may say that it is my positive
convection that these capabilities would long have re-
mained dormant had you not had amongst you some of
those distinimished and uwerprising individuals to whom
you are indebted for all those great works that surround
you. (k.hcers.) It has been my fortune to transact bu-
siness wth the commissioners of Birkenhead for some
years, and I never in my life transacted business with a
sit of men so public-spirited, so disinterested, and so en-
terprising as the commissioners of Birkenhead : to whom
we owe a step of at least e century in advance of the or-
. dinary progre,sion of communities.
The VICE-CHAIRMAN (Mr. Jackson) said, 14 years
ago, when the individual whose likeness was then before
them (Mr. John Laird, see.) first propagated the great
sc'teme which they were now likely to carry out, he was
treated as a wild enthusiast and speculator—nay, he was
denounced as a fool ; but his sons had lived to carry out,
not only the project of the docks,.but they had also lived
to see the very plan originally sugeested by their father's
mind carried into full effect. (Hear, hear.) They had
hut one object in forming these docks, and that object
was. to benefit the port of Liverpool—to take a fair share
of the trade which was inrreasina—to endeavour' to aid
and assist the port of Liverpool, in giving additional ac-
commodation to commerce—to give the 'ships, as they
arrived, ample accommodation—to reduce the charges, if
possible, upon merchandise, and, by such reductions, to
et:able the poor man to get his calico shut. if it was only
3d., at less than at present. (Hear.) Let them hope
that when times in which they could not expect to exist
presented to the readers of sefuture age the page of his-
tory. the name of Birkenhead might be therein recorded,
and that, when read, she might be lauded for her honesty
and purity, and that her sons might go forth from that
port—to t he east and to the west, the spicy islands of the
' south, and frozen regions of the north--,nl take with
them the character of honest men. (Loud cheers.)
Such was their hope, such was their intention; and let
them hope that they might not be deceived even by their
descendants. But should they have been in their present
proud position bad it not been for those who had the charge
of the county interests in their hands ? No. If there
was one representative more than another who had gained
the esteem and regard of his constituents at Birkenhead,
that man was Sir Philip Egerton (great applause); who
was indeed the cock of Cheshire. (Hear, and a laugh.)
He proposed the healths of the members for the county.
(The toast was drunk with ail the honours.)
Mr. I'. EGeterox, M.P. said, I always looked forward
to the time when the docks of Liverpool would be scarcely
sufficient for the rapidly increasibg commerce of this
country—when the river Mersey would be only the high-
way for nations between the—not rival, but sister ports of
Liverpool nbd Birkenhead. But, gentlemen, so gigantic
a project as that of which we have this day laid the f un-
detion stone never entered my imagination-8 project
which does reflect the highest credit on the head that con-
ceived it, and those publ,c-spirited and disinterested indi-
viduals who have followed it up ; andathat not with a view
to their own interests, as in these present days we see too
commonly the case, but for the benefit of their fellow-
townsmen, their county, and their country at large.
(Cheers.) In travelling in foreign countries I have often
been struck with the singular contrast between that pre-
sented by this couetre fled theirs with respect to pualic
here,weik everythingTr:er eiv:triyieth‘ivnogrki so
fthiendwi
individuals.
. Government(
applause.) In that we see a perfect example ofCtiri‘etitnit‘:teid.
ring energy, perseverance, and industry of England. which
peoplehale attahlrlotuigmh evesaenr(yl in all parts of the world carried its
foreign climes could difficuhave lty.thewic'.ehresmomoneyof,:ll''i(el'ewirel
have this day witnessed. If they had been told that a
township which, as my worthy colleague told you, some
.few years ago numbered hut a few inhabitants, should
now, after the lapse of a few years, put forward and be
ready to eel/Thee undettakinas alms st unrivalled in the
world, they would certainly have cause for wonder. We,