Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-28
ENGLAND AND AMERICA.
Banquet at the Mansion House I'm
LOndOn-Speeeh by the American
Minister,

AbaAQuCt ~ ~ EAhnsNOH AGOuSC III
LOndOn-Speeeh by b American
Minister.
The civic state banquet, usually given
OF Easter Monday by the Lord Mayor of
London, was held at the Mansion House
on the 9th inst, a very distinguished COM
pany being present. After to%asting the
Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Ar
my and Navy, the Lord Mayor proposed
as follows the health Of the American
Minister, who was present:
awe are honored tonight with the
presence of q distinguished American citi-
zen and statesman, the representative Of
the United States in this country. Cheers.
His Excellency Mr.. Adams has fer some
years resided among US, and has by his
urbanity and courtesy won our esteem and
respect. [Cheers. l had hoped and ex-
pected that another distinguished citizen
of those States-my reverend and hon
ored friend Mr.. Peabody [cheersl-would
have honored US upon this occasion but
that modesty which always accompanies
real merit rather deferred him from meet
ing what, l may take the liberty to call,
his fellow-citizens in this ancient and hon
ored hall. The name of Mr.. George Pea
body will always live in the afeCtionate
remembrance of the people of England,
Cheers. 1t is q name that will ever Be
honored and respected. His life never
can be forgotten, for it IS sublime in its
simplicity, in its enetgy, in its honor and
in its affections. LChsers. We were all,
l am sure to a man, touched with that
graceful and eloquent letter which Her
Most Gracious Majesty condescended to
write to him, expressing, as it did, the SEN
timents and the feelings of the people.
ICheers.] Nj. Peabody assured me that
letter was dearer 10 him thar all the titles
of nobility-that he should treasure it to
the latest hour of his life, and that he
should leave 1t as a proud and priceless
inheritance to his noble countrymen.
TCheers. Passing from these illustrious
men to the great American Republic, l
need scarcely say in the presence of its
distinguished representative how deeply
and with what emotion lhe people of Eng
land watched the struggles of the past,
and how they hailed with joy and glad
ness the glorious return Of peace and hap
piness. [Cheers We deplored, not alone
in this country, but in the civilized world,
the lamented death of that able and dis
,inguisbed statesman, Mr.. Lincoln but l
believe Providence watches over the Gov
eminent Of America, for in his place there
has been raised up n whose moral worth,
whose courage, whose forbearanee, and
whose honesty must be the means of re-
storing to his country and his c%ountrymen
the blessings of peace, of prosperity, and
of happiness. [Cheers.1 No one could
have read the past without feeling a deep
regard for the President of the United
Sates-without seeing in him the man Of
all others suited to the moment, and bless
ed with powers of mind, with q spirit of
Cancellation, with a love of Justice, with
an admiration for truth-that combination
of mercy, of ehrrity and of the truest
philanthropy which a statesman can show,
namely, to secure the happiness and to con-
solidate all those true principles which
give security to a State and happiness to
q people. ICheers. Let us hope that
the happiness and prosperity of the Uni
ted States may continue unimpaired, and
that the friendly feeling, the cordiality
that has evor existed between the States
of America and this country, may be pre-
served uninterruptedly, to improve our
commerce, to strengthen our friendships,
to bless US with peace and prosperity, and
shed the lustre of hope throughout the
civilized world. 1 have great pleasure in
giving you The health of his Excellencv,
the American Minister"
The toast was drank with great eordi-
atty.
His Excellency the American Minister
said:
Ny LORD MAYOR, MY LORDS, LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN 1t has been some
where said by an author, in regard to a
person in my situation, that it is his duty
to keep his eyes open and his ears open.
but his mouth shut. l should desire to do
so if it were possible under the very kind
and eloquent and feeling manifestations
Of goodwill, as well to myself as to nv
country, which have been made by nv
Lord Mayor. [Cheers.l 1 desire to thank
you and to thank him most earnestly fer
the complimentary manner in which he
has alluded to myself, but still more for
the manner in which he has done what
seems to me justice to my country and to
the person whom 1 represent. TCheers.
l have also to thank him and thank YOU
for the need which has been paid to an
individual who, though he is an American
by birth, | think may now be claimed as
common property by Englishmen.
[Cheers. Mr.. Peabody Is a gentleman of
whom, If he were present, as my Lord
Mayor expected he would be, Ishould not
venture to say what l propose to say of
him now-he is an individual who has the
whole Of the republican spirit of his own
country, and yet he feels honored by the
fattering notice that he has received from
the Sovereign Of this country. ICheers.7
He is q man of remarkable character
being, l might almost say, a species bv
himself; for he has a large ambition, and
yet 1t is an ambition which, in all my ac-
.quaintance with the history of man in the
past, l have never known to be enter
tanned by anybody but him. The COM
mon custom with regard to persons who
passed their lives in accommodating
property is to hold on to it to the end, and
1t is no more of any service TO them
are very willing to give it to those they
choose. But Mr.. z, having passed his
life in accommodating money, being a man
the utmost simplicity of character him
ELI, has no sort of feeling or affection for
III the ordinary toys which please and
tickle most men who arrive at wealth; !
accumulated a large fortune, it is
low the sole business and main end of his .
lie to see that it is properly distributed to !
.thers. lCheers In this distribution, Z
Ilso, his ambition is peculiar. He dis '
ributes a large sum here in London,
where he has resided and where he has
made a considerable portion of his for
une; and he resolves to himself to dis
ribute an equally large sum on the other
lde OF the Atlantic, where he was born
nd spent the earlier part OF his life. :
thus he proposes to himself to obtain
hat fame which comes from the tribute of
latitude of millions of the human race
qually on both sides of the Atlantic to
be latest end of time, [Cheers.l AS an !
american, l viii say that it gives me the y
possible pleasure to see the mag :
ihcent tribute which has been paid to Il
i'm by Her Majesty, [cheers, a tribute O
-hich it was as becoming in her to pay on v
lie part of her subjects as it was in him
receive US q republican citizen of the az
'nited States. lCheers And here, sir, 1 :
eg leave to close. Without going into -
further examination o. the question a
hich you have opened in regard to the .
,ndition Of the United States, I will end
? merely expressing a hope that the r.
'untry which l represent viii speedily
assume that position of a peaceful and Co
'osperous nation that it has had so many ~
'ars, and that it will be ready to meet in VI
march in the spirit of perfect recipro-