a father, and a husband; and in each and every phase he is exemplary. He has the happy knack, if I may be allowed to use the expression, of rendering himself agreeable and useful, and I can safely say, that

"My friend is the man you should copy through life; He harbours no mischief, he causes no strife. Content in his station,

He minds his occupation,"

and is, "taking him for all in all," a very first-class fellow. I have therefore much pleasure in proposing the health of Mr. our Vice-Chairman,

Toast.-"The Vice-Chairman."

GENTLEMEN—I rise to propose the health of a Gentleman whose services have been very valuable to us to-day, and to whom, in conjunction with our Chairman, we are indebted for the very admirable arrangements made for our comfort. I mean the Vice-Chairman. Not only has he by his admirable conduct contributed to the harmony of the day, but by his urbanity he has conciliated every antagonistic element, thereby lessening considerably the labours of the chair, to whom he has been a firm and consistent support, and thereby earned our thanks. With your permission, then, I propose the health of the Vice-Chairman.

Toast.-"The Host and Hostess."

MR. CHAIRMAN, VICE-CHAIRMAN, AND GENTLEMEN -It seems to me that a very important part of tonight's duty stands a very fair chance of being neglected, and I am sure no gentleman here would willingly forget this duty. In order, then, that we

may not be found wanting I have obtained from the chair permission to give a toast.

Gentlemen, I shall have no difficulty in my task; I shall only have to ask you to remember how we have been regaled to-day; to think of the splendid banquet laid before us; unlike Macbeth's, ours had no ghost, nor is the "order of our going, go at once."

Looking round I see in every face the index of the wearer's mind, jovial and jolly-jovial and jolly. Now this jollity is due to something, and I shall not be far wrong if I at once attribute it to the good things our careful host has furnished us with to-day, and in the selection of which he may be fairly termed Prince of Caterers. But not to him alone would I award the whole of the great meed of praise so justly earned; there is another person, and that no less a person than our hostess, whom I would associate with him in my toast; for, as the labour has been shared by her, so indeed should the laurels be. To her good taste we owe the decorations of our table, and to their joint efforts the success that has attended our festive meeting. To the host and hostess, then, I call on you to drink, with the wish that both may live many years to enjoy the reward of their industry and perseverance, and that we may meet again for many years to come, to partake of such good cheer.

Toast.-"The Health of the worthy Host and Hostess."

GENTLEMEN.-I rise to propose a toast which I am sure will meet with the cordial support at your hands the subjects of it so deservingly merit. Eng

lishmen are proverbial for their love of a good dinner; and in speaking on that subject the late popular writer, Douglas Jerrold, said, "that if the world was to come to an end he had no doubt that a few Englishmen would meet together and find some little corner wherein they could have a good dinner to celebrate the event." This, coming as it does from so keen an observer of men and manners, justifies me in using the remark that we all love a good dinner. But, Gentlemen, what is the use of the provisions for a good dinner if they are not well cooked and well served up, and placed before us with all those necessary adjuncts which tempt the appetite and please the palate; and to please and tempt the appetites of a large party like that assembled on this occasion, is no sinecure, for "Doth not the appetite alter? A man loves the meat at his youth that he cannot endure in his age." But for all that I think you will agree with me that the manner in which Mr. and Mrs. have placed

the various viands before us to-day is deserving of our praise and thanks. I have ever found our worthy Host ready and willing to oblige, and meet the wishes of his friends and customers. And I am happy to say that he has from his general good conduct and urbanity won for himself the support and esteem of a large portion of the inhabitants of this district. The house and all appertaining to it has very much improved under his management; he has proved himself to be a good caterer for the general public-no mean task-and the public have in return appreciated his efforts, and have rallied around him morning, noon, and night-in fact, he has proved himself to be "the right man in the right place. Now it is said that it is "not in mortals to command success;" but he has done more, he has

deserved it, and been thereby rewarded. Boswell,
in writing to Dr. Johnson, in 1776, says, "There is
nothing which has yet been contrived by man by
which so much happiness is produced, as by a good
tavern or inn." It would really appear that "There
is no new thing under the sun." Boswell wrote his
remarks nearly a hundred years ago. But if John
Smith, of Pentonville and the City, had been writ-
ing home from Brighton, or any other watering place,
there and back for so much, to his Hannah Maria
only as last week, could he have said anything different
or better than Boswell? I say, no! unless the fer-
tile brain of my friend, John Smith-I suppose you
have all heard that name before?—a capital fellow,
John Smith.-Well, he might have written thus,
"There is nothing which has yet been contrived by
man by which so much happiness is produced, as by
a good tavern or inn," particularly when it is kept
by a man like Mr.
our Host. That John
Smith might have added. Now there was a "jolly
old clergyman" named Shenstone; he was evidently
fond of the good things of this life, and had found
out where to get them, for he wrote-

Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round,
Where'er his stages may have been,
May sigh to think he still has found,
The warmest welcome at an inn.

You see the Clergyman and Poet knew How, When, and Where the creature comforts are to be found. George Combe, the author of "Dr. Syntax," who was fond of his pipe and glass-" as all good fellows should "-wrote

Along the varying road of life,
In calm content, in toil or strife,
At morn or noon, by night or day,
As time conducts him on the way,
How oft doth man by care oppress'd,
Find at an inn a place of rest.

Again he says

Where'er his fancy bids him roam,
In ev'ry inn he finds a home;
Will not an inn his cares beguile,

Where on each face he sees a smile?

I will at once conclude, as I fear I have wearied your patience, by proposing to you long life, health, and happiness to our respected host and hostess Mr. and Mrs.hip, hip, hurrah; and one cheer more for the little ones, for they are jolly good fellows, which nobody can deny.

A Reply of a Host to the last Toast.

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,-I rise to return thanks to a toast which my worthy friend Mr. informs me has been drunk during my absence, and that, Mr. Chairman, as I am given to understand, was my health, and that of my wife and family. Some poet has said, "Save oh! save me from my candid friends." I say so, too, sir, for had my friend, Mr. saved me on this occasion it would have saved me the trouble of making a speech -at which I am but a very poor hand-and it would have saved you the trouble and annoyance of listening to it; so that we should all in some way or the other been saved, and a save-all we know is a very useful thing in a poor man's kitchen. But, gentlemen, I think the best thing I can do now will be to save your time, for we all know it "flies fast."

Mr. Chairman and gentlemen,-When I was a boy we had a saying amongst us that "when you are in a mess the best way was to get out of it as soon as possible"-that is my intention on the present occasion; therefore, gentlemen, for the very kind and considerate manner in which you have drunk