The Monitor., 1885-07-31
HARGOTRT SMILING AT GRIEF.

Among the toaStS proposed at the an
nversary banquet of the Trinity House
Corporation. London, on June 13. was that
Of ''IIer Maiestys Ministers The mas
ter. the Duke of Edinburgh, in proposing
this toast coupled with it the name
Of Sir William Hareourt. In responding
that gentleman said: THAT a minister
who has resigned. and whose resignation
has been accepted, should return thanks
for the health of her Majesty's ministers is
as admirable an anomaly as can we'll be
imagined. Laughter. There it an old
French proyerb which says that you should
not speak of a rope in the house of a man
who has been hanged, and to propose to a
morbuud individual to return thanks for
his health seems to me rather to initiate
against the principle of that proverb.
When | saw my name put down on this
list to respond for this toast | naturally
thought wha in the world | could say.
past in review all the celebrated funeral
oratons Of antiquity. ! thought first of
delivering the Grafton of Pericles over the
famous men who died for their country.
but | was deferred from doing so, partly
because | have forgotten every word of it,
and also because | had a suspicion that,
unless it be Prince George of Wales
there would be nobody able to construe it
at sight. | then thought the Grafton ofthe
Roman to his countrymen might do, and
that | might say i come to bury Caesar,
not to praise him. and then occurred to
me the line the evil that men do lives
after them. SO let it be with-our sue
cessors. Laughter. Therefore | aban-
doned these classic orations. But | could
not help thinking of the difficulty in which
you were, and if it were not treason in
this room to say SO should think You had
possibly made a mistake Ii reminded me
of story | had heard which happened in
the country to which Lord Hamilton be-
longs, of a company who Were travelling
and who came to small roadside inn
There was but little bed accommodation
and one of the men found that the only
place in which he could sleep was bed
which was already occupied by a negro.
He, being very fatigued, lay down with
the negro, and his companions i'll order to
embarrass him-her Majosty's ministers
are sometimes embarrassed laughter !
-blackened his face, and when he awoke
in the morning he went to shave himself
and, looking in the mirror, was Mortified
OF tl,a o,,aafa,Ia apJ ba;o,r borr;faJ "a
spectacle he cried out: Why. by Jove.
they have called the wrong man. Laugh
ter. | cannot help thinking that you
have made a mistake something of that
character, and I think see sitting by the
Lord Mayor of London some one (Sir Stat
ford Northcote) upon whom you should
have called instead of me. Well, Of these
melancholy occasions. these funeral feasts
it may be said with reference to ministers
as in Hamlet The funeral baked meats
do coldly furnish forth the marriage table
for another party. In England, and be
lieve in Scotland too, funeral festivities are
sad; but believe Lord Hamilton would
say it is not the case in Ireland and We
may regard this splendid festivty prop
ably as wake. (But would warn you
not to be too uproarious. for fear you
might resuscitate the dead. Laughter. ]
Well, upon this sad occasion all can say
is hope her Maiesty's government have
shown qualities which ought to distinguish
deathbed. | am afraid I cannot claim
for them the principal of all the virtues
that of repentance: but this | will claim
for them, that they will meet their fate
with resignation and they will look for
ward to the future with confidence and
hope. Cheers and laughter