The Portland daily press., 1879-05-02
Lord LyttOR on America.
An Engiishma as Speech in Praise OF
America and Americaus,

Lord LyttoL's speech at the dinner given to
General Grant at Government House, Calcutta
on March 16, inlproposing the toast, "The Presi-
dent of the United States of America" appears
IA the late London papers. He said:
Ladeis and GentLemsn:-I sincerely bslieve
that there Is no toass uuconnected with our
own country and its institutions which is hon.
ored with greater cordiality by English mel of
all classes and in all of the world than the
toast an now about TO prOoose to you. Because
ladies and gentlemen, VIZ English cannot look
aud never do look upon America a foreign
country, or upon American people as g foreign
people They are flesh of our flesh and oone Of
our bone IL is true, no doubt. that our faith
ers aud their fathers had their family quarrels,
over which they have shaken hands,-fJt quar-
rels will occasionally occur in the best regu-
lated famllles,-but these are quarrels which
trust that neither their children nor our chIl-
dreo will ever have occasion co renew for they
have been practically settled by sepsra ZION Of
political partnership, prolific in substantial
beuetiLs to the best interests of mankind.
Meanwhile, we Englisnmen of the present day
all regard our American klnsfclk as, II may
say so, the rising q neraton, and the most go
ahead representatives of that good old sturdy
family stock which, whls lovingly Loyalty, aud
hope lastingly, honoring aud keeping hOnored
its ancestral rooftree, still sends forth from Its
little island home in the Northern Seas The
hardy off -pring of a race that has planted and
is sDre idiDg in every quarter of the habitable
globe the language IN which Shakespeare
wrote, the liberty tor which WASHINGTON so
nobly labored, the social principles of the code
of Blackstone, and the ethical principles of the
creed of Christianity. Ladies and gentlemen,
the toast L am gong TO propose to you is
that of the President of the United
States of America. This is a toast TO which.
sm sure, you would in any circumstances
respond with cordiality. But 1 am
Confident that IN the circumstances
which have Brought US together this even
log your cordislity will bs quickeued by
the presence of an eminent guest, who has
twice filled with renown the Office we are about
10 honor in the person of its present incum-
bent. That office, ladies and gentlemen, is, [
think, the highest that can possibly be held
the highest that ever has been filled By the
citizen of a free country, and never has that
high office been more w0rthily won or more
worthily filled than by the distinguished sol
dier to whose sword America Is indebted for
the re-estabished union aud permanent peace
of those great sovereign States over whose
united destinies he has twice successfully pre-
sided. 1t was said by the great poet Of our own
commonwealth that "peace hath her victories
no less renowned than war;" and with the vic
tories of peace as well as those of war, am.
persuaded that the name of General Grant will
be associated by a double renown. Ladies aud
gentlemen, it is neither customary nor proper
to couple the name of any private individual,
however eminent he may be, with toasts pro-
pOStu III uOuOE VI Tue power OI u
sovereign State. l am not going TO
infringe that rule, and as regards the
rules of hospitality, think you must all feel
that of hospitality aud of sympathy the best
expression is in deeds, not words. L think,
therefore, that it would be on my part an in-
hospitabe deed if to this toast 1 added any
words which would possibly require from our
honored guest the conventional formality of
reply. But, ladies aud gentlemen: this at
least let me say before sit down: General
4 ~ LII "a oil
seen men and cities in almost every part Of the
world, enlsrging the genius of the states mau
and the soldier by the experiences Of the trav-
eler Let US hops that when he returns to
tn At great empire Of the West which he has
0nce rescued aud twice ruled, he will at least
take with him kindly recollection of his brief
sojourn 10 this empire of the East, where his
visit will be long remem nered with gratihca-
tion by many sincere friends snd We'll w'shers.
Ladies' aud gentlemen, have now to request
that you viii fill your glasses ana drinx with
All honor 10 the Iss5 toast of the evening"
"rhe President Of the united states OF Amsri.