Speech of the Mayor of Portsmouth at the Visit of the French Fleet, Sept. 1, 1865. GENTLEMEN.—I rise to ask your kind attention while I give you the first toast-a toast which I shall have the honour of giving you for the first time in my life; and I can say, without any hesitation, it affords me greater pleasure than any other I shall have the honour of giving you, for reasons I shall express to you in a few words. The toast is— "The Health of the Emperor of the French." Gentlemen, I knew the enthusiasm and warmth Iwith which the mention of that toast would be received; but before I give it you in the usual terms, I desire first to express to you the gratification with which we have received the visit of the French fleet to these shores. Gentlemen, it marks an era in the history of our country, and I do not hesitate to say that those feelings have been gradually growing and increasing; and have, by these mutual visits on both sides of the Channel, tended to strengthen and cement that kindly and brotherly feeling which exists between us. It is not very long ago that the Emperor said at Bordeaux that "the Empire is peace;" and when he has permitted those interchanges of good feeling and these visits that have recently taken place, it is one of the many proofs we have received of his loyalty to the British nation. Gentlemen, that magnificent fleet we see assembled at Spithead indicates something more than an every-day occurrence; it indicates the warmth of that friendship which exists between the two countries; it shows that whereas in times past we were at enmity with each other, now we are in the warmest bonds of friendship. Gentlemen, when I passed through the fleet at Spithead the day before yesterday, and tendered my welcome on the part of the inhabitants of the port to the admirals and officers of the French fleet, I confess I was struck with the magnitude of the vessels and the immense power they possessed. That fleet has assembled there not even in defence, nor in defiance; but it is simply there, as I understand, to show to the world at large its feelings of peace. I feel I am not equal to the occasion; I feel that I cannot express, either on behalf of the inhabitants of the town or the people at large, the pleasure they feel at being honoured by the visit on this occasion. Gentlemen, we are bound to each other by ties of mutual interest-ties not to be forgotten as a matter of business; but we are bound together by the still greater and stronger tie of common loyalty and brotherhood, and a desire to promote civilisation and liberty throughout the world. Gentlemen, officers of the French fleet, I bid you welcome to Portsmouth, I bid you welcome to the shores of England; and I can only say that I am but feebly expressing the pleasure, and joy with which we receive you on these shores. I dare not trust myself to say more on this occasion. I have feebly attempted to emulate the magnificent reception with which our officers and fleet were greeted at Cherbourg and Brest; and, if we cannot give you the same magnificent reception, we can offer you equally warm hearts, and as cordially wish you God speed. Long may this cordiality continue; and, strong as our arms have been when at enmity with each other, surely they can be equally strong in the grasp of friendship. I am sorry I am not capable of expressing these sentiments in the French language, but I offer them from my heart, and on behalf of the English people. Gentlemen, I call on you to drink "The Health of the Emperor." The toast was enthusiastically received, and during the cheers which prevailed the Mayor shook hands with the Minister of Marine and the Vice-Admiral. The band played "Partant pour la Syrie," and a royal salute of 21 guns was fired, the French flag being at the same time hoisted at the dockyard. Speech by the Mayor of Portsmouth in proposing the Health of the Queen on the occasion of the Visit of the French Fleet at Portsmouth, Sept. 1st, 1865. GENTLEMEN.-I now have to give you a toast to which I am somewhat more accustomed, and the mere mention of which will, I am sure, be sufficient to raise, not only in the hearts of all Englishmen, but of all Frenchmen, the warmest enthusiasm. I believe you will receive the next toast with the same cordiality and the same warmth as you have received the last, because it relates to the Sovereign of our country, "Her Majesty the Queen." There cannot be a doubt that her most gracious Majesty views with the greatest pleasure these visits and intercommunications, and that she rejoices to see the subjects of her nation receive with friendship those of the Emperor. In England the mere mention of the name of the Queen is sufficient to arouse our warmest enthusiasm. It is perfectly unnecessary and superfluous to enlarge on the eminent advantages we enjoy as a people under the benign reign and influence of her to whom we are indebted for that noble example she sets in every position she fills, whether as Queen, mother, or ordinary member of society. With her Majesty's name I propose to couple "The Health of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family." May the day be far off when the Prince of Wales may reign as King of England; but when the day arrives when he shall be called on to fill the position his mother so magnificently fills, then may the hopes and prayers of England ascend to Heaven that he may reign over us with the same purity and excellence, and set us the same example as her Majesty. This is a toast which I know will be commended to your heartiest consideration. It needs no recommendation from me; the mere mention of it is sufficient to commend it to your heartiest reception. The toast having been cordially drunk, the "National Anthem" was played by the band. Here's a health unto her Majesty, And he that will not pledge her health, I wish him neither wit nor wealth, Nor yet a rope to hang himself. May the Queen never want health nor her subjects obedience. May the Queen and her subjects reign in each others hearts by love. The Prince and Princess of Wales: may they be as much distinguished for their virtues as their high birth. Great Britain's rising stars: the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Queen-may she always exercise the prerogative with which she is invested for the peace and happiness of her people. THE CHURCH, THE BISHOP AND CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE. "THE CHURCH, AND THE BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE." GENTLEMEN.—Under circumstances of great diffidence I rise to propose the next toast. I had hoped it Iwould have fallen into hands abler than mine to do justice to such a cause. This is neither the time nor place to treat on matters of religion, and I will not trench on such tender ground; but we can in all times and in all places shew our love and veneration for that church before whose font we were christened in earliest childhood, at whose altar we have knelt, and within whose pale we hope to die. For that sacred edifice, linked as it is with all that is dear to home and childhood, every man must feel a holy love; what then for her sons, who in perfect abnegation of self go forth to teach and lead us to happiness? Shall not the clergy of our much-loved church receive at our hands the thanks they so well deserve? Join me, then, heartily in this toast,— "The Church, and the Bishop of the Diocese." "THE CHURCH AND QUEEN." "Here's a health to old England, the Queen, and the Church, May all plotting contrivers be left in the lurch, May England's brave monarch fight for our just cause, |