Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-08-03
MIR. Colfnx and Party at Victoria.

pleasure among nearly all our citizens,
while visiting Oregon and Washington
Territory, were invited to also visit our
British cousins in British Columbia, of
which courtesy they availed themselves.
and were really and handsomely enter
tanned by the civic and military authori-
ties Of Victoria. A grand banquet was
gotten up for their special benefit. which
was largely attended, and in response to
sentiment offered, Messrs. Bross, Bowles
and Richardson responded in their hap
piest style. The leading speech of the
evening, however, was that Of Mr.. Colfax,
which we car not help copying, as we
find it reported in the Victoria Chronicle
of last Friday. 1t was in response to the
following toast:
Our Guea.-The Chairman in proposing
this toast, said he was proud to bee the cor.
dial welcome extended to our distinguished
guest, both by the American residents and
6y their English cousins. Received by three
hearty cheers. Band, Hail to the Chief"
Mr.. Colfax rose and said-Mr. President
and Gentlemen: No one can be happier than
myself to meet such a reception, forty.fve
hundred miles from nv Nations Capital, on n
foreign soil and under a foreign flag. You
have afforded me q welcome that is truly
gratifying. l see around me not only Ameri-
can citizens, but the officials, civil and mill
tary, and the subjects Of that good woman,
Queen Victoria. lCheers. or all the invi
tations I have ever received, I confess the
one which came from the American Consul
in this city gave me the most sincere graft.
f~cation. Although it was the intention Of
myself and friends to have extended our
Journey to Vancouver Island, the invitation
thus given made US feel moro than ever wei
come. I resolved before l left home to visit
these colonies on the Pacific, and / am glad
this night of having an opportunity Of join
ing in hearty cheers for your noble Queen,
TCheers.1 Although I am a republican in
every sinew and fibre [cheers], I never think
of Queen Victoria without my heart warming
with gratitude. When our country was in
imminent peril, and when Great Britain and
America-the representatives. Of a common
lineage, q common language, and, If such 1t
can be called a common religion - were
almost embroiled in mortal conflict on the
Trent difficulty, Queen Victoria demanded Of
her ministers that the character Of their mis-
sives should be conciliatory; that it should
not be repulsivc to the United States, but
should enable the American people to com.
ply with the request without any sacrifice Of
honor. [Cheers,1 On that occasion she
proved her wisdom, her sagacity, and her
kindness. (Checrs.l You all know that
there are very many people in the United
States in favor Of the next great war-even
more so after the last four years Of victori'
Gus strife-but you will bear me witness that
on both sides OF the Sierra Nevadas / have
spuken in depreciation and condemnation ola
war between our nation and any other nation
On the globe. / am one Of those men who
believe in the fatherhood Of God, and TIT
brotherhood Of men. tApplauSe. Although
the position Of countries il often that Of an.
tagonism, I do not believe in drawing the
red sword, unless as a last resort and in de
Tense Of the national honor. tCheers. !
I'm now and ever have been in favor OF peace.
It is only by peace that the greatness Of n
country can be developed-prosperity is, in
fact, its handmade. I believe, in the word
If our Savior in his sermon on the Mount,
" Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall
be called the children OF God" / know
there are difficulties between the United
States and the nations on the other sid o.
the Atlantic, but these can be safely contded
to the sagacity and wisdom Of the respective
Governments. or all things | deprecate any.
thing like hostilities with that great nation
which is so well represented at this table to.
night. We Americans should never forget,
so long as we speak the same tongue, how
much we owe to the people Of the British
lsles-in science and art, in history and lit.
eratue, in poesy and song. We claim an
equal share in the fame Of Shakespeare and
Milton, Newton and Rose. We owe to the
scientific mind Of England moro than l can
express. For sixty centuries the moon hH>
turned upon our earth her pule and varying
face; all generations have looked upon her
as she rolled in circling course around our
planet; but 1t was reserved to the mighty
telescope OF Rossc to read her mysteries and
solve her hidden problcms-to examine her
hills and valleys, as they roll on in their eter.
nal course through time and space.
Then we come to that frail but mighty wire
which chains Jove's thunderbolts, and which
is about to be laid beneath the depths Of the
ocean, to bring, | trust, the two great ma
tons in closer proximity and. firmer friend.
ship through all the centuries yet to come.
fGreat applause. / know came here in an
suspicious period Of our country's history
I have come over a long journey-I have
passed the eternal snow-crowned monarch>
Of the mountains-Shasta, Hood, RegnieI
and Baker-and l know why, in looking on
the faces Of my American friends, they are
80 happy and so radiant. They have seen
the great country which has conferred upon
them the honor Of citizenship, pass through
days without a sun, apd nights without u
star, and emerge after all the darkness into
the bright effulgcncc Of noon, with no stain
upon its escutcheon, no slave within its Dor
ders. Is there q person present who has had
sands Of life ebbing quickly away? Is there
4 person here whose child, stretched on u
bed of pain, wavers in the scales Of life and
death I But il Providence gives health and
vigor to the child, we love it ten times more
through the perils it has passed. So with
our country-we never knew how much WE
loved her till the trial Came we never knew
how priceless was her citizenship until the
assassins strove to rend her asunder. AS ]
look upon that flag now, encircled by the en-
signs Of Great Britain and France-an en-.
blem, let me hope, Of perpetual amity-l
feel that it's hour Of trial has passed-that il
is once more in the halcyon days Of prosper.
ity, famed BY the gentle zephyrS Of peace.
lCheers.1 Ihad always an abiding faith in
the success of the Union. I knew that 4
cause with its cornerstone based on broken
oaths and the shackles Of slavery could never
meet with the appreciation Of God. I knew
that the storms and gloom which overshad-
owed our land would give way to the sun
shine Of prosperity. (Applausc.l At last
we have triumphed. But what an ordeal |!
We had hoped with an unrestricted freedom
with an open ballot.box, to change at will
the rulers OF the country-we were safe from
the horrors Of internal strife: but the historic
page should have taught US that no nation
could hope to escape the deep red sea Of civil
war. The experience Of Great Britain,
France, Spain, Russia, and every other great
nation, has taught usthat through this ordeal
we must all pass. But this rebellion Of ours
has exceeded in infamy every other revolt
since the world began. While members Of
our Cabinet, with the batons Of power still in
their ~grasp-while Senators in our Legisla.
~ture-while representatives with the oaths
fresh upon their lips-these men turned their
n,rr;c;daI hand. on.;nst the nation they had