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Jm.T'19, 1851.] g»g Hcafrfr, 676 ^
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PUBLIC FEASTS AND SHOWS. The gaiety of t...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Dlanqui On Trier S. The Free Traders Of ...
M . Blanqui , though not a stranger to the oeconomics of Socialism , ia much too devoted to Free-trade to drop even a hint directly in favour of the principle of concert ; hut this last paragraph which we have qnoted , only , in our estimation , is a further proof of the necessity for such a Federal Union of the Nations , hased upon international concert , as will insure that amelioration of the lot of the greatest number , not only in each nation , but in all , what M . Blanqui so ardently and earnestly desires . It is impossible to get rid of the alternative , Protection or Freetrade , and a long course of commercial prosperity and real national greatness , is equally impossible under either . We respectfully put it to the Hector and Achilles of Protection and Free-trade whether the ends of each would not be answered by a frank adoption of the Principle of Association .
Jm.T'19, 1851.] G»G Hcafrfr, 676 ^
Jm . T' 19 , 1851 . ] g » g Hcafrfr , 676
Public Feasts And Shows. The Gaiety Of T...
PUBLIC FEASTS AND SHOWS . The gaiety of the year 1851 in England is almost unexampled in history . Feasts , balls , shows of all kinds , international gatherings where Europe and America and Asia fairly shake hands , pass by in gorgeous succession . Besides which we have had regal and civic revelries . The Queen gave the final Grand State Ball on Monday . Seventeen hundred invitations were issued . The whole affair was gay and magnificent even for the Palace of Buckingham , and only eclipsed
by the celebrated bal costume . The City tried to give another ball 6 n "Wednesday . Sir Peter Laurie criticised the barbaric festival on Wednesday week rather severely in the council . He said he was obliged to declare , from what he had observed , that although the corporation could get up a dinner in an unrivalled style they could not get up a ball at all . ( "Hear , hear , '' and laughter . ) The ball of Wednesday was for a charitable purpose , and a kind of supplement to the regal ball of last week , as the decorations had not been removed .
Last week Mr . William Brown , M . P ., rivalled the Lord Mayor in point of culinary luxuries , and surpassed him in felicity of conception . Both gave magnificent entertainments , but Mr . William Brown bethought him of feasting his friends on board the mail-steamer Atlantic . Early on Saturday morning , the invited guests arrived at Liverpool by special trains , the foreigners having free passage . These guests were composed of the Royal and Foreign Commissioners , the Executive Committee , and others connected with the Exposition . A pleasure-trip and sight-seeing excursion then took place ; among other things the America , just leaving with the mails for
New York , was inspected ; and thence away to Biikenhead and Woodside . After taking a peep at the Atlantic , the company went on shore , returning again at five o ' clock to partake of the grand banquet set out in the dining saloon of the ship . The dinner is said to have been unexceptionable . When that important operation had finally terminated , and the ueual regal toasts had been given , the Chair man proceeded to make special reference to the more prominent of his guests . And as they were assembled under the American flag , " The
President of the United States " appropriately followed on the heels of royalty . Mr . Davies , the American charg 6 des affaires , responded in a brief speech , full of kindly feeling for the " old country , " and a vindication of the honour of hia own . He would say to those who were sceptical of the wealth of America , " Come to Liverpool ; " look into her docks ; think of the quantity of British merchandise brought up in the United States ; even the ship in which they were was American . Their show at the Exposition might be meagre , but their show at Liverpool was anything but meagre : —
"And when they had looked at all those things , they would say—it might be vanity for him to suggest it' See what the descendants of Englishmen have accomplished . ' ( Loud cheers . ) And he thought also that they would then respond to the cordial wish of every American , that the good relations now established between the two great branches of the Anglo-Saxon race , England and the United States , may long continue to increase and be strengthened . ( Alueh cheering . )"
Lord Grnnville , the orator of the Royal Commissioners , thanked Mr . Brown for the toaat he hnd proposed in their honour . He eulogized the merchant princes of Liverpool ; and ho was particularly delighted with the happy idea of dining in the middle of Liverpool on what ho might call American ground . Referring to local subjects , he spoke of the intimate relations he had witli Liverpool as Viee-PresiiJent of the Board of Trade . Among other things ho alluded to the Gunpowder Bill : —
"At this moment there was a bill before the House of Lords , relating to the removal of the gunpowder mores from the immediate neighbourhood of Liverpool . He would not be rush enough to nay whether it was reasonable or unreasonable in the town of Liverpool to object to the liability of being blown up . ( Laughter . ) Jle thought it would perhaps be kietter not to dwell too much on the io |> ie , lest he should alarm some of their gut-tits who might not be in the habit of sojourning in ho excitable a neighbourhood . ( Laughter . )" When Lord Grunvillo sat down M . Zohrab npoko to , " The ForoignCommiishionent , ' ' inuncntnnrl brief
speech in English . Mr . Cole responded , on behalf of the Executive Committee , to a toast in their honour . He had a secret to reveal , which was , that to Mr . Brown we owed in great part the Exhibition , and then showing that Mr . Brown had been an active and zealous coadjutor of Mr . Rowland Hill in obtaining penny postage ; and as penny postage had so materially assisted the Royal Commissioners and the Executive Committee in carrying out their plans , he thought he might say that the existence of the Exhibition was in great measure owing to the former exertions of Mr . Brown . There was another fact he wished to state . The Belgians made letter-boxes of their street-posts . Why could we not do so ?
" We had an axiom in this country that one good turn deserves another ; and as he thought we owed the Exhibition in a great measure to penny postage , and as penny postage hadstill a good many points to realize , he would state what the Exhibition would return in favour of penny postage . He had to tnnounce , as he considered legitimately proceeding from the Exhibition , that an association had been formed to carry out the spirit of international communication and concord by introducing a cheap universal rate of postage . ( Cheers . ) The representative of France , Baron Dupin ; the representative of RusfiiaM . de Berjue ; ' and the representative of
, Austria , M . Wolowski ; and Lord Ashburton , Mr . W . Brown , and others ; had engaged ,-each in his own country , to promote this most desirable object , and to impress on their own Governments , and on all Governments , the advantages that would arise from perfect freedom of international communication by means of letters . ( Cheers . ) Each of the gentlemen who were here the representatives of foreign countries , and who had engaged in this matter , would [ carry back to his own nation an earnest desire to forward the good work of friendship already begun , by means of a sure and facile mode of letter communication . ( Cheers . )"
Dr . Herman , acknowledging " the jurors , said , ' in the working of the juries he had seen the display of that quality which had given England her greatness—untiring energy in the concentration of will and skill upon a particular point . " Mr . Brown then proposed a set of sentiments which constituted the most distinguishing feature of the gathering : — " ' Success to the undertakings of all men of letters and science , engineers and mechanics , whose heads and whose hands have added immeasurably to the social comforts of mankind . ' * Peaceful Commerce—may it ever nourish , to carry religion and civilization into the remotest corners of the world . ' ' The armies and navies
of the great nations of the earth—may they ever meet as friends , not as foes , to cooperate for some great public good . ' ' The world ' s commercial fleet—may it continue to navigate the ocean , free from war ' s alarms . These sentiments were briefly spoken to by M . Wolowski ( France ) , Colonel Johnson ( United States ) , and M . Leucisca ( Sardinia ) . The whole speechmaking wound up with an address from Mr . Brown in acknowledgment of his own health proposed by Lord Granville . He spoke chiefly about the material progress of Liverpool . The best thing , he said , consisted in the suggestion of a new name for the Exposition— " The Palace of Peace " : —
" In the reign of Charles II . they had but fifteen vessels sailing from the Mersey , the total tonnage of these being only 25 C 0 tons . In the time of Queen Anne their vessels had increased only to the number of 170 . The number of vessels they now could boast of every gentleman had an opportunity of ascertaining- in the course of that day . { Cheers . ) In 1756 their dock dues only amounted to £ 2200 . in 1801 they had risen to £ 28 , 000 , and , last year , they amounted to £ 230 , 000 . Their docks now covered between two and three hundred acres , and had been built at a cost of £ 10 , 000 , 000 . ( Cheers . ) In 1700 the population of the whole county
was but 170 , 000 . Lancashire , now , had a population above 2 , 000 , 000 . The increase in Liverpool itself had bf en even still more remarkable . In 1700 the population was only G 000 . In 1801 it was 78 , 000- In 1851 it was about half a million . ( Cheers ' In 1760 it took four days to go by coach from Liverpool to London . In 1851 Liverpool was only six hours distant from London ; and not more than ten days' distance from New York . ( Cheers . ) Commerce had effected this , and all that had followed this . He believed that commerce was , in this country , suggesting new international relations in the world ; and he hoped that the new spirit would be daily strengthened . ( Cheers )"
The whole company went ashore about nine o ' clock , and were entertained for the rest of the evening by the Mayor of Liverpool , in the Town Hall . The Royal Agricultural Association held their annual exposition of implements and cattle , in the Home-park , Windsor , on Monday last . The Queen and Prince Albert left town , and proceeded to Windsor Castle , for the purpose of attending the bIjow . It is reported to have been more than UHunlly
successful in the live department , especially in " SouthdowiiH , short-horns , Herefords , and- pigs . " One grazier , Mr . Webb , of Cambridgeshire , carried off seven prizes for Southdowns ; but the implement show was not bo great as uhuhI , owing to the bent implements having been sent to the Exposition in Hyde-park . The show continued on Tuesday , caneluding on Wednesday with the customary dinner , over which the Duke of Richmond presided , and at which Prince Albert was the moot distinguished visitor . He responded to the toast of his own health
and that of the Queen . He gave them a hearty welcome to the Home-Park , and he contrasted the " encampment" of the society with the meeting of the barons on Runnymede : — " They came then clad in steel , with lance and warhorse . You appear ^ in a more peaceful attire , and the animals you bring with you to the meeting are the tokens of your successful cultivation of the arts of peace . ( Loud cheers . ) King John came trembling amongst his subjects , unwillingly compelled to sign that great charter which has ever since been your birthright . ( Great cheering . ) Your Sovereign came confidingly among her loyal and loving people ; she came to admire the results of them to in
their industry , and to encourage persevere their exertions ; and the gratification which the Queen has felt at the sight of your splendid collection must , I am sure , be participated in by all who examine it . Cheers . ) " He drank " Prosperity to the Royal Agricultural Society . " The remainder of the speechmaking consisted of a similar interchange of complimentary toasts ; the Duke of Richmond proposing The Foreign Ministers ; " and M . Van de Weyer , Belgian Minister , who responded , naming " The Duke of Richmond . " In proposing " Agriculture , Manufacture , and Commerce , " Lord Portman eloquently pointed out how the three were linked together , and exclaimed : —
" All in that unity they admired—all in that unity they respected ; but he felt , as he believed they all did , as the child loved his mother best of all , so they all loved the earth . ( Great cheering . ) They loved it as their first love ; they loved it as the source whence they sprang ; and they regarded it , after the cares and sorrows of the world were over , as their last home . ( Cheers . )" Mr . Lawrance , the American Minister , proposed " The Mayor and Corporation of Windsor ; " and Mr . Miles , M . P ., " The Stewards of the Yard and the Judges of the Show ; . " and , these being properly acknowledged , Lord Ashburton , in a remarkable speech , named " The Agricultural Labourers . " Deprived of the labourer they would be like a general without his soldiers ; and he elaborately traced the
inter-dependence of man upon man : — " And yet there were those who thought lightly of the labourer , who called him rude and boorish , who made his ignorance a byword . They said he was uneducated because he knew little of things which did not concern his own calling , but , above all , because he was taught to do , and he was not taught to talk ; because in this land , where we choose members of Parliament by their talk and Cabinet Ministers by their talk , a false test of ability , a false test of knowledge , a false test of education , had been setup , and by this false test the labourer had been judged . But it was not by this test , it was not by his
words , that they should judge him . Let them try him by what he did , and not by what he said . Let them try him by what he knew of his own business , not by what h « knew of his neighbour ' s . Put a plough into his hands ; he could not define a straight line like others taught by rule in set forms of speech , but he could run a furrow mathematically exact between its extreme points , though they might be as distant as eye could reach . Was there no education there ? Did they hold that only to be education which was to be gained in books ?—that only to be knowledge which was the development of abstract rules and general ideas ?
He enumerated the kinds of natural knowledge in which he gaid the labourer was skilled ; and yet , he added , the labourer was held to be a boor because he could not talk . Whatever they might approve in Parliament , they had never chosen their shepherd for his talk . 11 They judged the agricultural labourer by what he could do , they loved him for his honest worth , they reverenced him for his sagacity , for the genius of his instincts ; and now , when they were met together in this
high festival , with the magnates of the land , with the distinguished in arts and literature of the civilized worldnow that they had expressed their loyalty to the throne , their respect for the illustrious Prince , their patron and the patron of all that elevated society—now that they had expressed their gratitude to their distinguished giiesta for their presence , to their especial leaders and benefactors for their services—they find no toast so satisfactory to their judgment , so grateful to their feelings , as the toast of the lubourer , even though he could not talk . "
It will be remarked , that no cheers followed this extraordinary series of observations . Perhaps the gentlemen present , the chief of whom could talk as well as Lord Ashburton , did not take his remarks either as a compliment to themselves , or to tho labourer h . Tho last noticeable toast was , "TheSister Societies of Agriculture , " intrusted to Mr . Evelyn Dcnisou , M . P ., and . the point to be remarked chiefly , was tho uproariouM and hearty cheering which greeted tho name of " Lord Stanley—the Earl of Derby . " mentioned in connection with the origin of the urn ; ot guano as a manure . M . Van de Weyer in his speech , had said , the " red boxes" of the diplomatist now , instead of containing " despatches , " often held only remarks upon the iigriculturo and stock of Hngland . Upon this Mr . Dcninon humouisly commented : —
44 One advantage hail resulted to uh from the visit of a distinguished foreign Minister this evening . They have been led into Home State secrets . ( Laughter . ) I hose mysterious boxes , those- sealed bags , which issued forth with bo much Holenwity from the bureaus of Minintera , big , as they supposed , with the fate of empires , they now
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 19, 1851, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_19071851/page/7/
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