The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-08-30 00:00:00

THE S

LIVERPOOL.

GRAND DINNER IN THE TOWN-HALL.

On MOWday evening the Chief Magistrate, Wm. Mo!Tom,
Esq. entertained a party of *bolt eighty Gentlemen to dinner,
in the Town-hall. Amongst the company there were the Right
Honourable George Canning, the Right Honourable William
Huskisson, Lord George Renaud ; Mr. Hughes, Charge d'Af-
faires from the United States of America to Sweden ; Lord
Blaney, Prince Sapieha, Joseph Birch, Esq. M.P. John Glad-
stone. Esq. M.P. Edward Bootie Wilbraham, Esq. M.P. John
Blackburn, Esq. M.P., John Ireland Blackburn, Esq. M.P.
Sir Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh, Bart. Arthur Heywood, Esq.
and 'Thomas Booth, Esq. The Earl of Derby, Lord Stanley,
the Earl of Sefton, and Lord Molyneux, were Invited ; but the
two former Noblemen were prevented from attending by other
engagements, and the two latter had not arrived from London.
Amongst the toasts drunk in the course of the seeming were
the following:—
" His Majesty, the Duke of Laneester."
" The Duke of York and the Army."
" The Duke of Clarence and the Navy."
"The Lord Lieutenant of the County. '
"The Right lion. George Canning.'
Mr. Canning returned thanks% a complimentary speech
of some length : after which was drank " Tie Right Hon. i
William Huskisson." Mr. Huskisson expressed his ac-
knowledgement for the honours conferred on him by the
company and by the town, and to many gentlemen then
present, for the assistance and reserved communication's,
upon several important questions which bad been under
the consideration of the Board of Trade during the last
session of Parliament. He could not sit down without a,-
suring them, that among the ninny gratifications which he
had received during the last week which be had spent in
Liverpool, there was none which he had priced more than
the indications which this gre tt town afforded, in every
quarter, that all the great interests which connected its
industry anti the comfort of its cumerous population with
the general prosperity of the country, were in a most
thriviog state. With this view of the present situation of
affairs, which could not, he was convinced, be controverted
by any fair man of any political party, and with an ardent
wish that the streams of that prosperity might continue to
flow uninterruptedly towards the " good old town of Liver.
pool," he sat down, once more thanking the company for
the honour conferred upon him.
" General Gascoyne' was then given, and Mr. Hnskis-
son, in the absence of his colleague, returned thanks for
him, and concluded by proposing the health of the Mayor,
which was drank with marked applause. His Worship
duly expressed his acknowledgments, and concluded by
giving the " Junior Burgess of Liverpool."
Mr. 111.1SKIS8PS returned thanks for the honour which
bad been conferred upon him, by enrolling lii.s name
among thole freemen to whose kindness he was so much
indebted.
Mr. CANNING said, that with the kind permission of the
Chair, he rose to propose a toast which be felt confident
would he received 'by the company with the most sincere
and cordial satisfaction. He alluded to the health of the
distinguished stranger near him, who was on his way to
Sweden. as the representative of his country, the United
States of America. lie was most happy to avail himself
of this opportunity, amidst so large an assemblage of some
of the first merchants of Fngland, of congratulating that
Gentleman on the full and uninterrupted intercourse which
stow existed between his country anti our own; an inter.
course, of which the value could be nowhere so well under-
stood as in this great town, which was, both in point of
local situation and of spirit and cnterprize, so preeminently
qualified to derive front that intercourse every possible
advantage. On such an occasion he might be permitted
to express the gratification, which he felt, in common with
the great mass of the intelligent and liberal men of both
eountries, to see the animosities necessarily attendant on a
state of hostility so rapidly wearing away, and giving place
so feelings so much more consonant to the true interests of
two nations united by a common language, a common
spirit of commercial enterprise, and a common regard
for well regulated liberty. It appeared to him, that of two
such States the relative position was not wholly unlike that
which occasionally occurred in families; where, a child hav-
ing, perhaps, displeased a parent—a daughter, for instance, in
contracting a connection vii ensive to that parent's feelings,
some estrangement wool:: fora while necessarily ensue; but
after a lapse of time the irritation is forgotten, the force of
blood again prevails, and the daughter and the mother staid
together against the world. That all causes of dissension may
have now ceased for ever between two countries so strongly
bound to each other, and with so clear a community of inter-
ests, he most sincerely hoped ; and he trusted, that in whatever
part of the world Mr. Hughes might represent his country, he
would feel that in no part of it could that country's merits be
more truly appreciated titan in this.
The toast was drunk with marked applause, and
Mr. HUGHES returned thanks in nearly the following
terms:—" Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen—l shall not presume
to take up more of your time than may he barely sufficient
for the expression ol* my sincere and heartfelt thanks, for
the flattering reception and welcome wills which I am ho-
noured on this occasion ; a reception and a welcome so far
above the claims of an humble and unimportant individual
such as I am, that 1 delight to ascribe 'them exeltisirely to
the friendly feelings of the inhabitants of Liverpool fur the
country to which 1 belong, and which I have so recently
left; and I can earne-tly assure the distinguished and en•
lightened company here assemblerl,that there is not a reflect-
ing man among my countrymen who dues not feel con-
vinced, that such " are the proper and the only feelings"
that should be inculcated, and that should subsist between
the British and the American people; and I can add to this
assurance my sincere persuasion, that both my country's
Government and its citizens are animated by the lirmest re-
solution to neglect no honourable means of avoiding
all pernicious political discrepancies, anti of maintain-,
ing the happy footing of peace and confidence, which
is the present basis of our relations with Great Britain,—'
a basis more solid and more sure, perhaps, at this mo-
ment than at any former period of our short history.—
Though not an ofd man, 19m old enough to have witnessed
many an unhappy and many a lamentable misunderstand-
ing between the two nations; and to have seen, with feel-
ings of the deepest sorrow, that no effort of wisdom and
moderation; no dictate of peace and affection, sentiments so
natural and so proper to nations the common offspring
of one common stock; nay, no motive, even of
interest, has been sufficiently powerful to preserve
them from the common and fatal error of war, front the
wretched and unnatural struggle "of trying to do each
other the most harm." But I have also seen that war hap-
pily terrain .ted ; and Ms the happiest incident of my life
to have hail a share, " though a very humble one," in the
lapours of that Congress of 1814, that had the merit and
the glory of gutting an end to that unnatural and cruel
struggle, and of restoring the two nations to the more
wise and humane disposition of " trying to do each other
the most good." Long and sincerely may this disposi.
tion be cherished! Long may the noble and unrivalled works
constructed by this great and public spirited town, for
the accommodation of comm.irce—vour vast and capacious
docks, present to the eye of the philanthropist, the busy,
and the cheering scene that they now exhibit—a scene that
I have visited this day under circumstances the memory. of
which I shall always cherish • [bowing to Mr. Canning
and Mr. Huskisson] • a scene made up of thick and almost
impervious forests Of English and American masts, topped