40 THE COUNTY AND BOROUGH MAGISTRATES.

may appear harsh, and a cry is raised that there is one law for the rich and another for the poor; but, depend upon it, that those who raise the cry do it with erroneous philanthropy, not knowing every particular as it is made known to the magistrate, and of which the public is ignorant. Those complaints have not had to be made in this district, where the proceedings of the Court are watched by a well-conducted press; but depend upon it, that should justice miscarry at any time, the blame will be attributable to an error in judgment, and not to any desire to depart from an oath to administer the law without fear, favour, or affection.

Response.-" "THE BOROUGH MAGISTRATES."

MR. CHAIRMAN,-In returning thanks for the Borough Magistrates, I shall be very brief, because of the hour, for I must remind those present that, by a recent Act of Parliament, drinking is not allowed after one o'clock, and they are not "allowed" to be drunk on the premises. But should any gentleman present find himself, "owing to circumstances over which he had no control," placed before me in the morning, I shall be most happy to lend him five shillings to enable me to fine him. I should not like to be the cause of your breaking the law, and I will therefore not detain you longer; but I must testify to the kind and cordial assistance which I and my brother Magistrates have at all times received from past Mayors, and which, I have no doubt, we shall receive from the present

one.

"Yet I shall temper so

Justice with mercy, as may illustrate most

Them fully satisfy'd, and thee appease."

Equal punishment to the ragged rascal and the rich villain.

May the misfortunes of others be always examined as the chart of our own conduct.

May they be as ready to correct their own faults as to punish the faults of others.

May our thoughts never mislead our judgment.

May justice and mercy ever be entwined.

Speeches at a Village Festival on the Occasion of the Coming of Age or Marriage of the young Lord or Esquire, with Responses.

and

MY LORD, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN,-I have to propose to you a toast which I am sure has only to be mentioned in order to be received with enthusiasm. It is "The health, long life, and happiness of the young of In looking to his future career, gentlemen, we naturally connect him with a long line of noble ancestors, who have ever taken a leading part in the events of their time, and left behind them a name for loyalty and devotion to their country's good. Happily, the days have now passed away when the love of our country must be shown by deeds of arms, and deeds of martial prowess. Should those dark days ever come back again -which God forbid !-I doubt not that the would still be found true to their principles, and be ready to lay aside the gentler pursuits of modern refinement, at the call of duty, for the hardier exploits of the camp and the field. But it is by nobler and better means that the of later times have proved themselves worthy of the names they bear. As great landed proprietors, living among their tenantry; as large employers of labour, taking a lively interest in those whom they employ; they have won, and deservedly won, the esteem of those around them. It has been my lot, since I have lived here, to mix familiarly with all classes of society, and, whether it be from high or low, from rich or poor, and I may add from men of all shades of political opinion, I have heard the family, and every member of it, spoken of with honour and respect. These are the deeds which, in our days, are worthy of emulation; and if I may venture some friendly advice to the I would most earnestly recommend him to tread in the steps of his forefathers. There is another subject which I cannot forbear to mention, though I feel, in speaking of it, that I am treading on somewhat delicate ground. I dare say all of us have heard that the has lately formed a happy matrimonial engagement-an engagement which has been joyfully welcomed by his family. We cannot, therefore, think of his future prospects and his future happiness without connecting them with the lady of his choice; and I am sure I am uttering the sentiments of every one in this room, when I say that we wish them a long and happy life, to be spent amongst their friends and future tenantry, mutually helping one another to do good to those around them; and I may add that I hope an heir will never be wanting to the house of and we will drink it, if you please, with the

usual honours.

MY LORD AND Gentlemen,-I have the honour to propose the next toast, and it is one which I am sure every gentleman present will drink with great pleasure. I have to propose the health of the

of

For about

years my Lord has been the lord in possession of and I will venture to say, through the whole of that time his generosity of spirit, his justice, his easiness of access, his love of his tenantry, and his desire to serve his

neighbours, have been acknowledged by everybody. It is, indeed, a proud thing to be descended from a long and distinguished line of ancestors, in whose escutcheons scarcely a blot may be seen; and, gentlemen, I do not hesitate to say that in a very long life, approaching now to evening, my Lord has won on no side anything but affection and esteem. Generation passes after generation; the future has spoken to you. Gentlemen, the if he were in this room, with his honoured years off his shoulders, would have seen a gleam of sunshine when he viewed the face of his descendant standing before you and receiving that esteem and honour of which, trust, he will show himself deserving in his future career. When I last saw the heir of the he was standing beside his grandfather in the ball-room, and I thought, as they stood side by side-bald age and sturdy, hopeful youth-I thought, there stood the last representatives of those knightly -s who for hundred years had their home upon these Hills. I am sure that my Lord would have been delighted to have met his tenantry, and his immediate friends and neighbours, some of whom were present at the rejoicings after his own marriage, to bring back associations of many a past year, and to take that solace to himself which an honourable and noble-minded man can take; for, when it comes to the last, he has the confidence of an irreproachable life with which he can meet his friends and neighbours. I will not dwell further on this subject. I beg to propose the health of the -. Take the cheer from me, and we will make it ring

round these old walls of

would

MR. CHAIRMAN,-I was in hopes that my brother have been here this evening. It had been intended that he should have responded to the toast which my friend Mr. has just proposed; but, at the same time, I cannot regret that the task has fallen upon myself, for no one has more right than I have to return thanks in my father's name. Mr. has alluded to his age. He

is now years beyond the threescore and ten of men, and during the whole of that time he has lived in the presence of his neighbours at - ——, and has to the best of his ability laboured to do his duty, not in an ostentatious way, but day by day doing that which each day he had given him to do. Part of the time he represented the borough of in Parliament, until he succeeded to his father, or I should rather say to his mother, who was the representative of thoses to whom Mr. has alluded. When my grandfather succeeded to the -s, he devoted himself to endeavouring to develop the industry of this district, so far as was in his power. He had a great deal to do in supporting the construction of canals, promoting ironworks and collieries; and, in fact, he foresaw to a great degree the grand development which the enterprise of the present century would produce in this district. After his time, when my father came into possession, he endeavoured to carry out his father's plans, modifying them as circumstances rendered it expedient; and during the greater part of that time he was aided by the great genius and talent of my lamented friend Mr. whose son now worthily fills the office of

After this time

to

he had the advantage of the assistance of my friend Mr. whom we all have owed so much. During this time he did not, as far as he was able, neglect the land, and he had the most able and kind assistance in my friend Mr. Gentlemen, Commerce and Agriculture are twin sisters, whose statues should always be sculptured with their arms entwined above the portal of the Temple of Industry. My father, after the labour and heat of the day, is now reposing in the contented happiness of old age; he gives himself little concern as regards the necessities of life, and is content to enjoy the many pleasures which are within his reach. The society of his grandchildren is one of his greatest delights, and he still enjoys his drives, still enjoys the accomplishment of drawing, which he was accustomed to make his amusement in youth, and which is the solace of his old age. A more contented and happy, a more cheerful old age, I do not know. My friend Mr. alluded very gracefully to the gleam of sunshine which came to cheer this inclement evening, and I may carry out the allusion, and say that my father's old age at present resembles what we have seen recently-those beautifully prolonged summer evenings, in which the sun, instead of exactly setting, lingers long on the horizon. I hope his life will still continue to hover long over the future. Before I conclude, I must express my great gratification at the manner in which you received the health of my son on this occasion. It is a great gratification to me to see him welcomed in this manner by men in whose society he has grown up, and who will be the kindly yet watchful observers of his future career. I may say one word as regards his mother and myself, that his choice has fallen upon one belonging to this country. We have known her family for many, very many, years; she is everything that is charming; and I am sure, when you come to know her, you will recognize in her a lovely lass of the first water.

I

Toast.-"THE TENANTRY." GENTLEMEN,-In proposing "The Tenantry," it is many years since I was a resident in this place, and therefore I may presume that many whom I knew twenty years ago are no longer living, for many of my friends at that time were men advanced in years. have no hesitation in saying, that a more honest and thoroughly loyal set of men did not exist in the world. In those days, I think you will agree with me, agriculture was at a very low ebb, and it was about that time-indeed rather longer since than that, for it would be about twenty-five years ago—that a small association was formed here for the purpose of promoting agriculture, its revival and development. Since that time the whole face of the country has undergone a wonderful change, and I am sure many of you will remember in what state a vast number of the farmers were, not only here, but everywhere else. The science of agriculture had not at that time been much studied, and farmers were in the habit of following the customs of their forefathers, without taking into account the best measures for improving the land, and making it

produce those beautiful crops which now can be seen in almost every direction. I mention these circumstances because I think it well that you should remember the past. In my opinion, very much credit was due to my friend Mr. for the very skilful manner I see that Mr. is to return thanks, and that reminds me that the toast is not to be confined to the tenantry of the land, but is to include that part of the tenantry connected with manufactures and with scientific pursuits. It follows, therefore, that the intention of those who drew up the list of toasts was to connect the two-Agriculture and Science as twin sisters. I trust they will always remain so, as I believe it is by the union of the two that progress is to be made in the material happiness of our fellow-creatures. In conclusion, I give

in which he has led the improvements at

the toast of The Tenantry."

Response.-By a Tenant-Farmer.

of

no one can

of

MR. CHAIRMan, and GenTLEMEN,—I rise as one of the oldest tenants on the estates to respond to the toast of the "Tenants," and it affords me great pleasure to see so many of them here on this occasion-this festive occasion, I may add-also an occasion that will happen but once-or at most twice-in an ordinary life. This is one of the happiest days of my life, and one which I have looked forward to for twenty years; and it is a source of gratification to find my anticipations realized at last. I have much pleasure in attending this festival, and I feel much obliged for the kind and flattering manner in which the tenant-farmers have been spoken of. I can but wish that we had more frequent opportunities of meeting; but as it is said that "we do not kill a pig every day," so it may be said that we cannot have a young (lord, duke, or squire) come of age (or married) every year. Gentlemen, that we have liberal landlords in the deny, and under the auspices of our present we can fully anticipate that he will maintain that character, and that he will be prepared to continue those good examples şet before him and handed down by his Again thanking you for the kind and handsome manner in which you have proposed, and the company have drunk, to the "Tenants," I will conclude, and call on you, as one of the oldest tenants, to join me in drinking health, long life, and prosperity to — and to accept our hearty congratulations on his obtaining his majority. The s have figured so long in history, occupying therein so prominent a position, that for me to say anything about them would be quite superfluous. For years my father and I have been tenants on the and have always been treated with kindness, and with a most liberal feeling. And I am sure that we may anticipate the same distinguishing characteristics in our presentcommon duties to perform as and as the head of the family of

And, in doing so, I ask

The

estates,

has no

as a large landed proprietor, But I feel assured that

will not fail to add lustre to the name ofyou to drink health, long life, and prosperity to the