task and succeeded in any work of our hands, we should banish from our
minds the recollection of the troubles and anxieties which accompanied
its conception and progress, and rejoice not only ourselves in our
success, but ask our neighbours and friends to come and rejoice with us.
We want them to see what we have done, and to share in our satisfaction.
I am grateful to you that you should have thought of including me in the
number of your friends, for I can, I assure you, fully appreciate your
undertaking, and honestly congratulate you on your success.
It must have cost you some hesitation and regret to separate yourselves
from a hall in which your forefathers had feasted the first Kings of the
House of Stuart, and in which they, as well as yourselves, habitually
met for business and recreation. But the marks of man, like the organic
bodies in nature, to be preserved require to be continually renewed, and
thus alone resist the destructive tendency of time; and you determined
(as we see to-day) to follow Nature also in the law of increase, and to
show that you have grown and expanded within these two hundred years.
Your desire to see me amongst you upon this occasion, which I must
attribute to your loyalty to the Queen, and my pleasure in responding to
your call, prove, at the same time, that those feelings of mutual regard
and affection which subsisted two hundred years ago between these great
and wealthy companies, these little independent republics of the City of
London, and the Crown, have withstood the effects of time, are living,
ay—and I trust are even grown in intensity and warmth. In such feelings
we gladly recognize one of the essential conditions of the political and
social life of a free and prosperous nation.
May these blessings be preserved to this favoured land from generation
to generation! and may this Corporation, of which I feel proud to have
by your kindness been admitted to-day as a member, live and prosper on,
as one of the important links which connect succeeding generations with
those which have long passed away!
Let me drink to the health of our Master and Wardens, and Prosperity to
the “Clothworkers’ Company!”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AT THE
BANQUETING-ROOM, ST. JAMES’S PALACE,
ON THE OCCASION OF THE
200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FORMATION
OF THE GRENADIER GUARDS.
[JUNE 16TH, 1860.]
-------
GENTLEMEN,—
1.
“THE QUEEN.”
2.
I am much obliged to Colonel Lewis for the kind terms in which he has
proposed to you to drink my health, and much gratified at the feelings
which you have evinced by the manner in which you have responded to his
proposal.
Gentlemen!—I was justly proud of the distinguished honour conferred upon
me when I was appointed, eight years ago, to succeed the immortal Duke
of Wellington in the command of this regiment, and of having since held
this honourable post, which connects me with you, not only officially,
but on terms of intimate and I hope cordial personal relations; but it
is on an occasion like the present that the consideration must rise to
my mind in its full force,—what honour and distinction is involved in
the title of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.
We are assembled to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the formation of
the Regiment as at present constituted—200 years, which embrace the most
glorious period of the history of our country—and in the most glorious
events of this history the Regiment has borne an important and
distinguished part. It has fought at sea and on land, in most parts of
Europe, in Africa and America; and, whether fighting the French, Dutch,
Spaniards, Moors, Turks, or Russians, it has stood to its colours,
upheld the honour of the British name, and powerfully contributed to
those successes which have, under God’s blessing, made that name stand
proudly forth amongst the nations of the earth.
I need not recall to your recollection its deeds, which must be all
present to your minds, but I cannot forego on such an occasion pointing
at least to some of the most important of the long and uninterrupted
list of victories with which the Grenadier Guards have been associated.
I must point to the celebrated siege and capture of Namur, the first
defence of Gibraltar, the capture of Barcelona and Valencia, the battles
of Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet, the battle of
Bettingen, ay! and of Fontenoy, where, though the victory did not
ultimately remain with the Allies, it was fairly won, as far as the
English were concerned, and that by the conspicuous prowess of the
Grenadier Guards! the capture of Cherbourg, which, just a century ago,
looked grimly across at our shores; the battles in Germany under the
Marquis of Granby; the battle of Lincelles; those of Corunna, Barrosa,
and the Pyrenees; the capture of St. Sebastian; battles of Nive and
Nivelle, and of Waterloo, in which last great struggle with Napoleon the
Regiment acquired the title of Grenadier Guards, from having defeated,
in fair fight, those noble and devoted grenadiers of his Imperial Guard,
who, till met by the British bayonet, had been considered invincible;
and more lately the battles of the Alma and of Inkerman, and the
long-protracted siege of Sevastopol.
These are glorious annals, and proud the corps may well be which can
show the like! But the duty of the soldier unfortunately is not confined
to fighting the foreign enemies of his country, it has at times been his
fate to have to stand in arms against even his own brothers! a mournful
duty, which we may trust never to see again imposed upon a British
soldier. Under such circumstances he is upheld, however, by the
consideration that, while he is implicitly obeying the commands of his
sovereign, to whom he has sworn fidelity, he purchases, by his blood,
for his country, that internal peace and that supremacy of the law upon
which alone are based the liberty as well as the permanent happiness and
prosperity of a nation.
The regiment, originally sprung from those loyalists who had clung to
Charles the Second in exile, has never failed in its duty to its
Sovereign: it fought for James the Second against Monmouth on the field
of Sedgemoor; and struggled during five years heroically, although
finally in vain, to preserve to George the Third his revolted American
colonies.
Gentlemen! That same discipline which has made this regiment ever ready
and terrible in war, has enabled it to pass long periods of peace in the
midst of all the temptations of a luxurious metropolis without loss in
vigour and energy,—to live in harmony and good fellowship with its
brother citizens,—and to point to the remarkable fact, that the
Household troops have now for 200 years formed the permanent garrison of
London, have always been at the command of the civil power to support
law and order, but have never themselves disturbed that order, or given
cause of complaint either by insolence or licentiousness.
Let us hope that for centuries to come these noble qualities may still
shine forth, and that the Almighty will continue to shield and favour
this little band of devoted soldiers; let us on our part manfully do our
duty, mindful of the deeds of our predecessors, loyal to our Sovereign,
and jealous of the honour of our country.
I propose to you to drink “Prosperity to the Grenadier Guards, and to
the health of Colonel Lewis, for so many years an honoured member of the
corps, and now its zealous and able commander, and to the officers and
men of the regiment.”
3.
I have to propose to you “The Health of the Prince of Wales, and the
other members of the Royal Family.”
The Prince was admitted into the army a year and a half ago, on his
seventeenth birthday; and although his studies have as yet prevented his
taking upon himself any military duty, he has while staying in Edinburgh
tried to make himself acquainted with the evolutions of the cavalry by
joining regularly in the drill of the 16th Lancers, quartered there at
the time of his residence.
4.
The toast I wish now to propose is that of our sister-service—“The
Navy.”
The wooden walls of Old England have at all times been the chief defence
of our country, the protection of our commerce, and constitute the link
which holds together our vast and widely scattered empire. Modern
science has effected greater changes in this service than perhaps in any
other human pursuit, and foreign nations have, as it were, started
afresh with us from the same point of departure in the race of naval
preparation; but there is in Englishmen that confidence in their
superiority on the unstable element, which has powerful influence in
creating and maintaining it, and gives assurance of success. I believe
at the same time the service never to have been in a higher state of
efficiency.
5.
Let us drink to “The Army.”
That army, of which the brigade of Guards, and this Regiment in it, form
only a small but integral part,—integral not only from its organization,
but from its spirit and feeling. The country has no less reason to be
proud of its Army than of its Navy; and if in point of numbers it cannot
boast of a supremacy, nay, even a comparison with other countries, it
yields to none in those qualities of courage, discipline, and endurance
which constitute the essential virtues of the soldier. The duties which
this army has to perform in peace as well as in war could not, I make
bold to say, be rendered by any other army in the world; and although it
is a common doctrine that the British nation is not a military nation, I
totally disbelieve that any other could furnish such an army, composed
entirely of volunteers as it is.
I beg to couple this toast with the health of my dear relative, our
gallant Commander-in-Chief, who is indefatigable in his solicitude to
maintain, and where possible to increase, its efficiency; and of the
Queen’s Secretary of State, who so ably presides over the civil
administration of the Army, and has not only the sinews of war to
prepare, but also that material by which science strives to reduce the
individual power of man as an element in the attainment of victory, and
on the superiority of which so much in war must in future depend.
“The Army, the Duke of Cambridge, and Mr. Sidney Herbert.”
6.
We are honoured by the presence of the Commanders of the other
Regiments, both of cavalry and infantry, composing the Household Troops,
whose services will live with yours in history, and render them worthy
to be the body-guard of the Sovereign of these realms. We most painfully
feel, however, the absence of one of these Commanders, whose name had
been associated with the glories of the Guards in many a well-fought
field. He has been called away from this temporary scene to an eternal
and better world; but the memory of Sir John Byng (the Earl of
Strafford) will ever be cherished by his brother officers.
The Scots Fusiliers, my personal connection with whom during ten years
will always remain a proud and most pleasing recollection to me, will in
a few days celebrate their jubilee as we are now doing; while the
Coldstreams, true to their motto, have gained a march upon us in having
had their jubilee some years before us, counting their creation from the
time of the Commonwealth, when they formed General Monk’s Regiment.
I beg to propose to you to drink the health of the Household Troops, and
to connect with the toast the name of that gallant and distinguished
general, Field Marshal Viscount Combermere.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOAST GIVEN AT
THE DINNER OF THE TRINITY HOUSE.
[JUNE 23RD, 1860.]
-------
1.
“THE QUEEN.”
2.
I propose to drink to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the
rest of the Royal Family. The younger members of the Royal Family are
rapidly growing up. The Princess Royal has already become the founder of
a new family, destined to mount the throne of Prussia. The Prince of
Wales is following his academic course at Oxford, which he intends to
complete at the sister University, Cambridge; while his younger brother
has, by the prescribed apprenticeship, earned his rating as Midshipman,
and serves zealously as such in the Fleet. It will be a curious
coincidence, that nearly at the same time—a few weeks hence—though
almost at the opposite poles, the Prince of Wales will inaugurate, in
the Queen’s name, that stupendous work, the great bridge over the St.
Lawrence in Canada, while Prince Alfred will lay the foundation stone of
the breakwater for the harbour of Cape Town. What vast considerations,
as regards our country, are brought to our minds in this simple fact!
What present greatness! what past history! what future hopes! and how
important and beneficent is the part given to the Royal Family of
England to act in the development of those distant and rising countries,
who recognize in the British Crown, and their allegiance to it, their
supreme bond of union with the mother country and with each other!
3.
Gentlemen,—The standing toast, after that of the Royal Family, at all
our public dinners, is “The Army and Navy;” and it is never given
without calling forth proud and grateful feelings, for Englishmen have
reason to be proud of the condition of these services, and of the deeds
which they have achieved, and cause to be grateful for the benefits
which have been secured to them by their soldiers and sailors, who have
been drawn from all ranks and classes of society, and have devoted their
lives to their country. We hear sometimes complaints of the expense
which these services entail, and must certainly regret that such
sacrifices should be necessary; but on the whole the public spirit with
which the nation is determined, through good and evil report, to
maintain the efficiency of these establishments, is a most gratifying
proof of its soundness at heart and the shrewdness of its instinct. It
has lately come forward, and placed at the service of the Queen,
Volunteer Corps to act as an auxiliary to the regular Army and Militia,
in case of danger to our shores; and the rapidity with which this
movement has developed itself has been the subject of universal and just
admiration. We have witnessed this day a scene which will never fade
from the memory of those who had the good fortune to be present—the
representatives of the independence, education, and industry of this
country in arms, to testify their devotion to their country, and their
readiness to lay down their lives in its defence. The Volunteer force
exceeds already 130,000 men; and to what extent this country is capable
of exerting itself in real danger is shown by the number of Volunteers,
which in 1804 reached the extraordinary figure of 479,000! We are apt to
forget, however, that, in contrast with every other country of the
world, all our services are composed exclusively of volunteers: the
Navy, Coast-Guard, Coast Volunteers, Army, Militia, Yeomanry,
Constabulary. May the noble and patriotic spirit which such a fact
reveals remain ever unimpaired! And may God’s blessing, of which this
nation has seen such unmistakable evidence, continue to rest upon these
voluntary services! I beg to couple the toast with the names of the
First Lord of the Admiralty the Duke of Somerset, and Sir John Burgoyne.
4.
I am much obliged to you for your kindness in drinking my health. I feel
proud to have, by the vote of this distinguished Corporation, been
re-elected its Master—an office of annual tenure, which does not tax
very hard the energies of the holder, as the real work is admirably done
by the Deputy Master and the Elder Brethren; but which is of the highest
interest to whoever reflects upon the important and useful duties which
are performed by the Corporation, the proper performance of which has so
great an influence on the commercial prosperity not only of this
metropolis, but of the country at large.
I cannot meet you to-day without having one recalled to my memory who
used to sit on my left hand on all former occasions, and who was
honoured and beloved by this Corporation, and justly so, as its Deputy
Master. Captain Shepheard was one of those unobtrusive but noble
characters whose sterling qualities of head and heart secured to him the
confidence of all who knew him; and I can appeal to no greater proof of
the estimation in which he was held than the fact that he was at once
Deputy Master of this Corporation, Chairman of the East India Company,
and Chairman of the Hudson’s Bay Company. His successor, like himself,
is an Aberdeenshire man, but, unlike him, has passed his life in the
Royal Navy, and not the merchant service. I can wish him no better
success than to possess the approbation of his brethren in an equal
degree with his predecessor! I propose to you to drink his health, and
Prosperity to the Corporation of the Trinity House.
5.
We are honoured by the presence of Her Majesty’s Ministers. The
Corporation is much gratified at their having found it possible, amidst
the many avocations and duties which so peculiarly press upon them
during the Parliamentary season, to devote an evening to the Trinity
House. I propose to you to drink their health. We can wish them nothing
better than good health, to enable them to withstand the fatigues of
their laborious and harassing life; and by making the fullest use of
their talents and energies, to gain that public recognition and
confidence upon which so much of their success and usefulness must
depend. This is not a political meeting, and we cautiously abstain from
alluding to politics; whilst, therefore, the Ministers escape our
criticism, they must also forego our praise; but we can give them what
may be more valuable to them than either—the expression of our esteem
and good will.
“Lord Palmerston and Her Majesty’s Ministers.”
6.
We must not omit to acknowledge the presence of some of our Honorary
Brethren, whose admission to our body sheds lustre upon the Corporation.
The known presence of their names upon our Roll gives the public an
assurance that we are well thought of and well looked after by some of
the best in the land.
I beg to drink to the health of Lord Derby and the Honorary Brethren.
7.
Brethren of the Trinity House,—Let us, before separating, thank our
guests for the honour they have done and the pleasure they have given us
by their presence at our annual dinner; and let us drink to their health
and happiness. I beg to couple this toast with the name of the Duke of
Newcastle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ON OPENING THE
INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL CONGRESS.
[HELD IN LONDON, JULY 16TH, 1860.]
-------
GENTLEMEN,—
The Statistical Congress of All Nations has been invited by the
Government to hold its fourth meeting in this metropolis, in conformity
with the wishes expressed by the late Congress held at Vienna in 1857.
Although under these circumstances it would have been more properly
within the province of a member of the Government, and Minister of the
Crown, to fill this Chair, and open the proceedings of the day, as has
been the case in previous meetings of the Congress in other places, the
nature of the institutions and the habits of the people of the country
in which this Assembly was to take place could not fail to make itself
felt and to influence its organization. We are a people possessing and
enjoying the most intense political life, in which every question of
interest or importance to the nation is publicly canvassed and debated;
the whole nation, as it were, from the highest to the lowest, takes an
active part in these debates, and arrives at a judgment with regard to
them, on the collective result of the thoughts and opinions thus called
forth.
This Congress could therefore only be either a private meeting of the
delegates of different Governments, discussing special questions of
interest in the midst of the general bustle of political activity, or it
had to assume a public and a national character, addressing itself to
the public at large, and inviting its co-operation. The Government have
chosen the latter alternative, and have been met by the readiest
response from all sides. They have, I think, wisely chosen; for it is of
the utmost importance to the object the Congress has in view—namely, not
only the diffusion of statistical information, but also the acquisition
of a general acknowledgment of the usefulness and importance of this
branch of human knowledge—that the public, as a whole, should take up
the questions which are intended to be investigated, and should lend its
powerful aid.
Gentlemen, this explains, and must serve as an apology for, my presuming
to hold the post of your President, for which I otherwise feel full well
my unworthiness. When, however, the Commissioners for the organization
of the Congress expressed to me their desire that I should do so, I felt
it incumbent upon me not to withhold my individual co-operation,
carrying with it, as it would, an assurance to the British people that
the object of the Meeting was one which had enlisted the sympathy of
their Queen, and testifying to the foreign delegates the esteem in which
she holds them personally, and her appreciation of the science which
they serve.
Let me now welcome them to this country, and welcome them on behalf of
this country. It is here that the idea of an International Statistical
Congress took its origin, when delegates and visitors from all nations
had assembled to exhibit in noble rivalry the products of their science,
skill, and industry, in the Great Exhibition of 1851; it is here that
Statistical Science was earliest developed; and Dr. Farr has well
reminded us that England has been called, by no less an authority than
Bernoulli, “the cradle of political arithmetic,” and that we may even
appeal to our Domesday Book as one of the most ancient and complete
monuments of the science in existence. It is this country also which
will and must derive the greatest benefits from the achievements of this
science, and which will consequently have most cause to be grateful to
you for the result of your labours.
Gentlemen, old as your science is, and undeniable as are the benefits
which it has rendered to mankind, it is yet little understood by the
multitude, new in its acknowledged position amongst the other sciences,
and still subject to many vulgar prejudices.
It is little understood; for it is dry and unpalatable to the general
public in its simple arithmetical expressions, representing living facts
(which, as such, are capable of arousing the liveliest sympathy) in dry
figures and tables for comparison. Much labour is required to wade
through endless columns of figures, much patience to master them, and
some skill to draw any definite and safe conclusions from the mass of
material which it presents to the student; while the value of the
information offered depends exactly upon its bulk, increasing in
proportion with its quantity and comprehensiveness.