The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-01
EARL GREY'S GIFT TOAMERICA
RETURNS FRANKLIN PICTURE
HIS ANCESTOR TOOK.
Governor General OF Canada thanked by
Choate at Dinner OF the Pllgrlms-SnSS
the North Country Has No Desire for
AnnexatiOn-RoOt Another Speaker.

night, at which he was the guest Of honor
that he had returned to this country a
picture OF Benjamin Franklin which had
been in the possession of his family since
his great-grandfather, Major-Gen. Charles
Grey, was quartered in Franklin's house in
Philadelphia in ITO.
The Pilgrims and their guests assembled
in the Astor Gallery a little before s o'clock,
Morris X. Jesup, vice-president of the
Pilgrims, who presided in the absence Of
Bishop Potter. the president, received the
guests, together with Joseph II. Choate,
Gen. Horace Porter, w. Butler Duncan and
George T. Wilson. For al hour before tho
trumpets sounded the signal for the march
to the grand ballroom, the Aston Gallery
was crowded with Americans whose names
are household words.
Mr.. Choate met Lord Grey, Col. Hamburg
Williams, the Earl's military secretary;
Arthur Sladen, his private secretary, and the
Hon. Sir Frederick w. Borden Of the Cana
dian Parliament, at the entrance Of the Aston
Gallery.
"Ah," said Mr.. Choate with a twinkle in
his eye, $50 glad you came over tonight
Earl Grey, with Mr.. Jesup and Mr.. Choate,
walked into the Aston Gallery, where this
Earl was introduced to Gov. Frank w.
Higgins, Gen. Porter, Major-Gen. Frederick
D. Grant, Admiral Coghlan and others.
While they were talking the Secretary Of
State entered, pushed through the crowd
and grasped the Earl's hand. Lord Grey.
Mr.. Root, Mr.. .Choate, Gen. Porter and Mr..
Jesup talked animatedly until the signal
for the march TO the banquet hall was
sounded.
N NOTABLE GUEsTs.
At the toastmaster's table were Lord
Grey, Archbishop Farley, Mr.. Choate,
Gen. Porter, Leslie NJ. Shaw, Secretary Of
the Treasury; Police Commiss ioner Bing-
ham, who broke the rule he made some
time ago not to accept dinner invitations;
Comptroller Metz, Maior-Gen. James F
Wade, United States Judge Holt, the Hon
Robert Bacon, First Assistant SeCretary
of State; Robert Shaw Oliver, Col. Han
bury-Williams, Major-Gen. Grant, Admiral
Coghlan, Gov. Higgins, Lieut.-Gov. NJ
Linn Bruce, DR.. 8. Weir Mitchell, Seth Low,
Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke, william X
Wilcox, Postmaster OF this city; the Rev
DR.. Silverman, DR.. John H Finley, presi-
dent of the College of the City of New
York; Robert F.. Munro of the St Andrews
Society, Z. F. Darrell of st. Georges
Society and Provost Charles G. Harrison.
The only absentees among the guests
Of honor were Mark Twain, who was ex-
peoted until the last minute; Gen. Albert
l.. Mills, James B. Reynolds and Levi p
Morton. The President Of the United
States would have been there, no doubt.
the Pilgrims said, if it were possible for
the President to play second fiddle even to
the Governor General of Canada Mr.,
Root, therefore, represented the Presi-
dent. The Secretary of the Treasury was
not expected to be present. He came a
little late.
The wall Of the grand ballroom back OF
| the table of honor was a solid mass of bril-
liant color from oor to ceiling. A central
design was woven from the intertwined
Union Jack, American flag and Colonial
| flag of the Dominion of Canada. 1t looked
like a gigantic red, white and blue eagle
with wings half raised. The centre piece
was fanked with smaller decorations, all
| Of the combined flags Of the three coun-
tries, the shield of the United States form
ing the oentrepiece for looped banners,
FOUL HUNDRED GUEsTs THERE.
The 400 diners we're seated at forty round
tables similarly decorated. The tables
comfortably filed the grand ballroom
The moment the b%anqueters marched in
| from the Aston Gallery and took their places
Archbishop Farley, who wore his purple
| vestments, pronounced the simplest Of
blessings.
The speeohmaking began when Toast
mae.er Jesup arose.
MIR. Jesup complimented Lord Grey and
assured him Of the happiness the Pilgrims
felt in having the honor to entertain him.
When Mr. Jesu ceased taIking he turned
the post of postmaster over TO Mr.. Choate.
II was Mr.. Choate who secured the consent
of Lord Grey to attending the dinner, and
| the dinner, in a sense, was a testimonial
Of the affection in which NJ % Chcate is held
by the Pilgrims.
Mr.. cHoATE's GREETING.
His Excellency, the Right Honorable
| Earl Grey, Governor General Of Canada
WAS the toast to which the former Ambas-
sador responded.
Il hope that Lord Grey understands and
appreciates VINO these gentlemen are Tor
whom ] have been made the m~outhpiece,'
said Mr.. Choate. 1These are the Four
Hundred of New York, with a sprinkling
of about forty others from Philadelphia.
Boston, Europe and other outlying parts
of the earth. We welcome him not only in
a personal but in a public capacity. He il
not a stranger to the United States and
he left behind him on his last visit a host
Of admiring friends.
I'VE welcome him on public grounds, be-
cause he is the fitting personal representa-
tive of his august sovereign, the King of
England, who ever since he came among us
as a oomely youth in 1850 has been a stead
fast friend OF the United States, and who
since his accession 10 the throne has lost no
opportunity to show his appreciation of
our Government, our country and our
people. lApplause.l
I'm the presence of the Secretary Of
State [applausel | speak with bated breath.
But as / no longer live under his ~instruc-
ions or by his will laughter, can for the
first time in many years be In his presence
feeling that | can say what | think and feel.
The Dominion Of Canada IL a nation with
which we should live in perpetual peaoa.
but all remaining questions should be
settled as soon as possible, She ia not onlv