The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-07-04 00:00:00

ENGLISH AND FRENCH ALLIANCE

ON Friday last, a meeting, convened by circular, is-
sued by his worship the Mayor, was held in the Council-
chamber of the Town-hall, for the purpose of taking into con-
sideration the propriety and best means of co-operating
with the general committee in London for inviting the
French municipal authorities to a public celebration in
London, in honour of the friendly union between the two
countries.

J. Buck Lloyd, Esq., the Mayor, presided on the occasion,
and among the gentlemen present were the Yen. Archd.
Brooks, Mr. Edward Banner, vice-president of the Liver-
pool Library, and Messrs. Braithwaite Poole, Thomas
Avison, J. R. M`Guffie, James Woodruff, Adam Gladstone,
J. Newlands (borough engineer), F. A. Clint, Harmood
Banner, T. B. Barclay, Hilton Halhead, Henry Booth,
Charles Booth, George Grant, —Taylor, E. Bradley, C. S.
Parker, C. B. anning (postmaster), Jas. Cunningham, S.
Holme, J. R. Jeffery, T. Wagstaff, S. R. Healey, Wm.
Potter, R. M. Beckwith, John Bigham, R. V. Yates,
James Stitt, R. M'Andrew, J. Fowler, Francis Shand,
Alex. Shand, Thos. E. Moss, Alfred North, Wm. Rath-
bone, Thomas Bold, J. H. Turner, T. Hodson, George
Maxwell, J. Fernihough, Dr. Vose, &c., &c.
His WORSHIP, in opening the meeting, stated that, as
was well known, an idea had been thrown out, and had in
general been favourably entertained, that it was desirable
to invite the heads of the municipal bodies, and the
eminent men of France, to take part in a demonstration
to be held in England in honour of the friendly union
which has fortunately sprung up between that country
and France. It had been first mentioned to him when
lately in London at the opening of the Crystal Palace,
and he had then expressed his general concurrence in the
suggestion. Since then a committee had been formed in
London, and from that committee Sir Joseph Paxton and
Mr. Alderman Moon had that week visited Liverpool as a
deputation to explain the intention of the committee, and
suggest means by which Liverpool could take part in the
national festivity on the present union of England and
France ; and to show this country's strong feeling on that
union, it was decided that an invitation be sent to the
heads of the municipality of France, and eminent men in
science and art connected with that country, to come over
to England to join in that festivity. Me gentlemen
present would, perhaps, remember that two years ago the
municipality of Paris invited the Lord Mayor of London
and others to visit Paris. They were most hospitably
received at the Hotel de Ville, and had every facility ren-
dered to them of seeing the "lions" of Paris. Sir Joseph
Paxton had submitted the resolutions passed at a meeting
of the committee in London, and had also laid before him
a copy of a private note from Lord Palmerston to the Lord
Mayor of London on the subject. Of course the great
anxiety was that it should be taken up as a national
matter; and he believed that, at the present moment, the
city of London and other corporations and towns had
acquiesced in the proposition made, and therefore the
question was not whether it should take place, but
whether Liverpool would join in it. (Hear.) He believed
that was the present position of the matter. What they
proposed to do was to send over to the Emperor of the
French a deputation, and they would receive from him
the names of those eminent men of France who should be
invited ; and upon acceptance of the invitation the plan
would be laid down as to what festivities should be offered
to them. It was not intended, as he understood, that it
was to be confined to the metropolis, but that those who
came over to this country should have an opportunity of
seeing our manufacturing districts, and visiting our ports
and emporiums of commerce. He might mention that 160
members of parliament, with the Speaker, approved of it.
The TOWN CLERK having, at the request of his worship
read the resolution agreed to by the general committee,
giving a general approval to the scheme as likely to pro-
mote the permanency of the alliance between the two
countries, _ .

His Woßsm P then said, if the suggestion met the appro-
bation of the meeting, some gentlemen would, perhaps,
move resolutions embodying that approbation. The great
object, in his opinion, being to obtain a national expression
of sympathy in the proceedings.
Mr. W. RATnBONB moved as thefirst resolution :—" That
the mayor having stated to the meeting the object of the
visit of Sir Joseph Paxton and Alderman Moon, and the
resolutions passed at the meeting at the Mansion-house on
the 14th of August having been read, it is resolved that
this meeting approves of the proposed festival, and is de-
sirous of co-operating therein." In doing which he re-
ferred to the gratification he had experienced in an in-
terview he had held with Marshal Soult, when that dis-
tinguished soldier and statesman was in England, and
remarked upon the favourable impression made upon the
Marshal's mind by an acquaintance with some of the
great of England, and argued that similar impressions
would be extended amongst the French people if they
were more generally acquainted with our enterprise and
our peaceful achievements.
The Yen. Archdeacon BROOKS seconded the resolu-
-1
tion, and in doing so said, it having been suggested to
hiul that it wouldbe desirable that, iu the tawation 1-,,e