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

THE LiVERPOUL §TANbAttii,

Tatton Egerton, Esq.,P
M.
ettu
lion. E. S. Stanley, the •
Ci
„ns Sir
.Edward Cost,Warre, Sir W.
e—ti.eral Sir. W. the
Symonds, the Rev.
..a
s Tno
Wrin. Ewae. eOlotleacon Claike, Joseph Bailey,
Thoma
It. M. F: r ''{¢l, Esae., M.P., J. B. Clegg, Esq., Rev.
ra.tn, M.P., Richard Congreve, E.sq.,
Nlassey ,e4.1e0, George C. Legh, Esq., Sir. William
ms, Iftivrt!e`e, Cap. Gerrard, John Stanley, Esq., Js
.ast‘Saiarini.g, Esq., the Rev. °add, Capt. Greig, &c. eec.
Trtit list of invited guests ineiekd three hundred noble-
?Atli, gentlemen, members of ,ar!iament, merchants,
railway directors, professional mess, respectable trades-
men, and others, from Birkenhead acrd this town, and,
indeed, from all parts of the kingd-Ota.
The greatest novelty of the evening, and one which
added much to the amusement of the company was the
introduction of Mr. T. W. Toole, the celebrated toast
maser, from the East India-house, London. Quite au
fait in his. business, he succeeded admirably in thretliffi
cult and important task allotted to him. With "an ex-
quisite and finished air," he gave out the toasts, com-
manded silence, and seemed to think himself the very life
and soul of the meeting. Grace having been said by the
Rev. A Knox, the feast commenced, and the enjoyment of
the multitudinous luxuries was protracted till twenty
minutes past six o'clock. Thanks basing been returned,
and the tables cleared,
The CHAIRMAN rote and said —I beg, without any
remark, to propose the first toast of the evening, " Her
Majesty, the Queen". (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-1 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 CHAIRMAN next called upon the company to join
with him in drinking to " The army and navy ; ' and he
begged also to couple with this toast, the names of
General Warre and Captain Bevis. (With three times
three.)
Major-general Sir WILLIAM WARRE acknowledged
the toast. He begged to return his sincere thanks for the
kind and feeling manner in which his name had 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 which 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
best 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 army to protect—a new object of love and devo-
tion to their country was suggested to his "mind. (Ap-
plause ) Whether the army was serving in distant parts
—be would not speak of the navy, because a gefitlesnan
was much better able to advocate the cause of his
profession than he could 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 army in
foreign parts to maintain that commerce, the trade of
which was so widely diffused over the globe from both
banks of this river. (Hear, hear, and applause.) When
abroad, it was their duty to protect their trade, and when
they returned home he trusted that every soldier would
feel it was his duty to maintain the laws of his country,
and protect those institutions which for centuries had
been the pride arid 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—
a small island in the ocean—but it was the most powerfel
among the nations. It might be the envy of really, but
it was respected by all. (Hear.) Ile was not in the
habit of addressing public meetings, and therefore he
craved the indulgence of the company, and begged 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., also acknowledged the compli-
ment, but being seated in the vicinity of the vice presie.
dent, and speaking in a low tone of voice, his re.v ober-
ssrvations were not heard.

The CHAIRMAN ti en gave " The Bishop and Clergy
of the diocese." lie said he had seen his Lordship on
Monday last, and he expressed his great regr:•t that his
official duCes 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. He (the Chairman) wished t) join with this toast
the name of a gentleman who had been resident in Bir-
kenhead for the last 17 years, and who, every day of those
17 years, had grown in the respect of the people of Birken-
head, 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 CHAIRMAN, in giving Sir P. Fgerton's health, ex-
pressed the obligations which he and all other parties in
any way interested in the public business pertaining to this
locality were under to that bon. gentleman. He alluded
at some l•ngth to the exertions referred to in connexion
with the park, public improvements, and other local bills,
the whole of which he had advanced, not because of their
local or individual hearing, but because of their utility
end efficiency as contributory to the general good and ad-
va icement of the interests of the public at large. The
to tit was received with vehement applause.
Sir P EGERTON said,—l would take this opportunity,
although F er,iaps not quite in the right line, of retur g
my warmest and sincerest thanks to the commissioners of
Birkenhead, for the distinguished honour which the'', have
this day conferred on me, in requestirg rue to take the
first part in that most interesting ceremony which ydu
have witnessed. I could have wished that that duty lad
been entrusted to one mote 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
I am happy to have the pleasure of doing it, that the
refusal of Prince Albert to attend has been dictated by
that ni •e delicacy and that great discretion of feeling
which have guided every action of his since we had she
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 I
should have been called on to represent the county of
Chester during that period in which Birkenhead has made
the greatest progress in the path of civilization. (Much
cheering ) I can say most sincerely that the interests of
Livepoool. are near and dear to me, as 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 whole-
some and just rivalry which ought to exist between two-
communities has been supplanted 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 bind in hand, attempting only to rival one
another in one thing, namely, which can most promote
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
conviction that these capabilities would long have re-
mained dormant had you not had amongst you some of
those distinguished and en•erprising individuals to whom
you are indebted for ail those great works that surround
you. • ((leers.) It has been my fortune to transact bu-
siness w.th the commissioners of Birkenhead for some
years, and I never in my life transacted business with a
set 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 a _century in advance of the or-
dinary progre,sion of communities.

The VICEXTIAIRMAN (Mr. Jackson) said, 14 years
aeo, when the individeal whose likeness was then before
them (Mr. John Laird, sen.) first propagated the great
teleme which they were now likely to carry out, he was
treated as a wild enthusiast and seeculevor—nay,•he was
denounced as a fool; but his eons had lived to carry out,
not only the project of the docks, but they had also lived
to see the very plan originally suggested by their father's
mind carried into full -effect. (Hear, hear.) They had
but one object in forming these docks, and that object
was, to benefit the pert of Liverpool—to take a fair share
of the trade which was increasing—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
enable the poor man to get his calico shirt, if it was only
3d., at less than at present. (Hear.) Let them hope
that when times in which they could net expect to exist
presented to the readers of a future 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 Coati from that
port—t.) the east and to the west, the spicy islands of the
south, and frozen regions of the norte—,ind take with
them ithe character of honest men. (Loud cheers.)
Such was their hope, such was their intention ; and let
them hope that they might not be deetived even by their
descendants. Bot should they have been in their p ent
proud position had 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 gtined
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, anti a laugh.)
He proposed the healthy of the members for the county.
(The toast was drunk with ail the honours.)
Mr. T. EosaroN, 17. P, sad, I always looked forward
to the time when the docks of Liverpool would be scarcely
sufficient for the rapidly increasing commerce of this
country—when the river Mersey would he only the high-
way for nations between the—not titre', but sister ports of
Liverpool and Birkenhead. But, gentlemen, so gigantic
a protect as that of which we have this day laid the trn.
dation stone never entered my imagination—a project
which does reflect the higheret credit on the brad that con-
ceived it, And those public-spirited and disinterested indi-
viduals who have followed it up.; and that not with a view
to their own interests, as in thew 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
'b-an strmck with the singular contrast between that pre-
sented by this country and theirs with respect to pulAie
weeks, There everything is the work of Government ;
here, everything is the work of individuals. (Continued
applause.) In that we see a perfect example of the unti-
riegenergy, perseverance. ;earl industry of England, which
have at all, times and in all parts of the world carried its
people through .every difficulty. I wish some of those in
foreign climes ,could have seen the ceremony which we
have this day witreeesed. If they had been told that
township which, as my werlby colleeieeee told you. time
few years ago numbeued but a few itilar:hitante, shank:
teoav ,y after trnh
le ic.:;el”conodfeartafkewim)s.e-e3rlasin put
forward and he
ri,esn:„.ll in the
world, they uti
wottbi cettal.dy have eisiWe 1:94. FPOSkre We,