GENTLEMEN,-The next toast is one in which we are all more or less interested, inasmuch as we in a great measure derive our existence from the trade of the town; in point of fact, the prosperity of — is our prosperity, and its success our success. Who, then, should be more desirous that the Town and Trade of should continue to prosper than the inhabitants thereof? I feel, then, strongly fortified in my position, having the assurance of a hearty response from all, and knowing that it will be only necessary to mention my toast. I charge you, then, Gentlemen, to fill high and drain the cup to "The Town and Trade of Toast.-By the Vice-Chairman. "THE TOWN AND TRADE OF " " MR. CHAIRMan and GentLEMEN, -The next toast has fallen to my lot, and, without being guilty of hypocrisy, "I wish it had been placed in abler hands.' The toast which I have to propose, and which I am sure will meet your hearty approval, is "The Town and Trade of For many years past I have been in the habit of coming here annually, and am therefore cognizant of the many improvements which have been made, not only in the town, but in the business premises of several of the tradesmen; and these are sufficiently indicative of its and their prosperity. May both continue to flourish ;-in fact, one cannot advance without the other; and in giving the toast to you I shall couple with it the name of Mr. Toast.-By a Resident. "THE TOWN AND TRADE OF MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN,-I have had a toast placed in my hands, which I shall have the honour of proposing. It is "The Town and Trade of I consider that a proud posi " tion has been conceded to me in entrusting me with that toast. I sincerely hope that prosperity will attend the Town and Trade of In former years I was in the habit of visiting the town of and with the greatest possible delight and pleasure, as I was always sure of meeting my old friends of this place;-kind and true friends many-very many, I am happy to say-have proved themselves to be, "A generous friendship no cold medium knows, Burns with one love, with one resentment glows; I have travelled in the most beautiful parts of the world, but I have always returned to this town with the utmost amount of pleasure. I have had a great deal to do with the tradesmen of and I have always found them the most upright men I ever had business transactions with in my life. This town is visited by everybody. There can never be another -, owing to its close proximity to the metropolis, and affording, as it does, such ample accommodation for a large number of visitors. I have always said that, if it should please Providence to place me in easy circumstances, would be the place I should select for my permanent residence. And I am happy to say that fortune has smiled upon me, and I was only too happy to reside among you and to be of any service I could in your local government. I cannot forbear to allude to the excellent set of men I find at the Board of Guardians, a member of which Board the Vestry have done me the honour of electing me to since my final retirement from actual business pursuits. The members of that Board are equal to any set of men in the kingdom. I say that in all sincerity. This town has many real natural advantages, and I trust that it will continue to prosper, that it will keep pace with the modern improvements of the age, and never be found to be a day's march behind. Gentlemen, for your patient hearing I thank you, and will conclude my remarks by giving you, "The Town and Trade of Response. MR. CHAIRMAN,-I rise to respond to the toast, and I beg to thank Mr. for the handsome manner he has spoken of the Town and Trade of I may say that, as far as the trade of is concerned, we endeavour to uphold that straightforward position to which Mr. has alluded. I may say that I have much to be thankful for to the Town of -; I commenced my business life in the town, and success has crowned my exertions, therefore I thank you all heartily and most sincerely; Mr. for proposing the toast, and the company generally for the manner in which they have drunk to the success of "The Town and Trade of " Response. MR. CHAIRMAN and GentleMEN,-I thank you for the hearty manner in which the toast was drunk, but I am not so much obliged to my friend Mr. for naming me in connection with it. Mr. would have done more justice to it, and was more entitled to the honour of being coupled with it. I can, however, tell the gentleman who submitted the toast, that the tradesmen of this town have only done what it was their duty to do,-improve the town, and make it more acceptable and more enjoyable for those who kindly favour us with their presence and patronage. Expenditure in this direction is for the mutual advantage of both parties; and to those of my fellow-townsmen whom I see around me, and who have not yet had so much to do with the world as I have, I would say,-"Always throw a sprat a catch a mackerel." You may depend upon it our visitors will not come to us if we do not make it worth their while coming; and without them what would the Town and Trade be? Gentlemen, I thank you for the toast. as GENTLEMEN,-I fully appreciate the compliment paid me in associating my name with the toast of "The Town and Trade of and in making me, on this occasion, the mouthpiece of so important a body as the Trade of this large and constantly increasing town. The toast is one with which all present can sympathize, seeing that we are all more or less concerned in promoting the prosperity of the town we live in, in which many of us were born, and which many have adopted on account of its salubrity or its commercial advantages. This present gathering is, I take it, in one sense, an earnest of our desire to promote the prosperity of for I believe that it will be a grand stroke for the benefit of the town when the day shall come in which we shall reckon Mr. one of our representatives. I have no hesitation whatever in expressing my belief that the town has suffered and is still suffering from the non-local, non-sympathetic character of the representatives that have been imposed upon it. I say imposed, because it is apparent that the position attained by the present representatives is mainly attributable to personal interests and the operation of a spirit of cliqueism, at all times detestable, but lately in this borough altogether insupportable. Our mis-representatives are very good men, perhaps, in their proper spheres, but they are not "the men for is the "coming man.' He offers to the town precisely what the town requires-a representative who shall reflect on the town the lustre of his name; one who lives amongst us and does not come here periodically, attracted by the loaves and fishes of office; one who shall take an interest in our local affairs, and not merely blindly accept instructions from a clique, but himself take the lead, the initiative, in movements for the welfare of the town, as well as secure the fitting representation of our local interests in Parliament. This is what I take to be a true representative, and we have the full promise of such a man in Mr. Those acquainted with his antecedents cannot fail to have marked Mr. " that Mr. and the as the co is one of those representative men-those selfmade men-who are the glory of the land, and who shed a lustre of progress, improvement, and benevolence wherever they cast their lot. Therefore, those interested in the welfare of prosperity of its trade, naturally look to Mr. adjutor, the mouthpiece they require to consolidate its advantages. We have had handed down to us by our forefathers this beautiful town as a kind of heritage: they laboured, and we have entered into their labours. It is for us to follow their example, and in this our day to do our best to advance the common interests of the town. -Commerce tends to wear off those prejudices which maintain distinctions and animosity between nations. It softens and polishes the manners of men. It unites them by one of the strongest of all ties-the desire of supplying their mutual wants. It disposes them to peace, by establishing in every state an order of citizens bound by their interest to be the guardians of public tranquillity. As soon as the commercial spirit acquires vigour, and begins to gain an ascendant in any society, we discern a new genius in its policy, its alliances, its wars, and its negotiations. -I am wonderfully delighted to see a body of men thriving in their own fortunes, and at the same time promoting the public stock; or, in other words, raising estates for their own families, by bringing into their country whatever is wanting, and carrying out of it whatever is superfluous. Nature seems to have taken particular care to disseminate her blessings among the different regions of the world, with an eye to their mutual intercourse and traffic among mankind, that the nations of the several parts of the globe might have a kind of dependence upon one another, and be united together by their common interest. May trade and manufactures be unrestrained by the fetters of monopoly. "The Town and Trade of -"may its prosperity become as unbounded as its resources and industry. RAILWAY. Toast.-By the Chairman. "THE DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF THE RAILWAY. GENTLEMEN,-The next toast on my programme is "The Directors and Officers of the Railway," and it is a toast that I have much pleasure in proposing to you. These are the days of steam and progress. The days of coaching are now numbered with the past. A great change has come over the spirit of the dream since our boyhood; many present will remember that it took our coaches hours to reach the metropolis, and at a cost of three times the amount of money we now pay to go the same distance by railway; also about six times the amount of time. In the days of our fathers, to journey to London was considered a great event in a man's life, and required many grave considerations before venturing on such a perilous undertaking. For weeks prior the whole household was in a state of disorder; careful wives and far-seeing mothersin-law thought it prudent that the unhappy wight who had to undertake the journey to town should previously go to the solicitor's and make his will. The old family blunderbuss had to be cleaned up, its lock greased, its flint reset; there was a knitting of hose in the shape of long stockings and warm night-caps. Bank-notes were 'herring-boned" into the breech of his unmentionables, guineas were ingeniously covered with cloth to look like buttons, and sewn on various parts of his habiliments, so as to trick and deceive the Dick Turpins, Jerry Abershaws, Claude Duvals, and other gentlemen highwaymen of the road. The adventurous man had presents made to him by his friends and neighbours, consisting of plum and seed-cake, bottles of home-made wine, huge slices of gingerbread, a bottle or two of Hollands, and five or six comforters to keep out the cold. He was recommended to keep his courage up and his powder dry. He spent the night previous to his journey in the same manner in which we read of criminals doing,—that is, in writing letters to his friends and relations. In the morning he took an affectionate farewell of his family, and was then launched on the road-and there for the present we will leave him. But, gentlemen, those days and times have passed away as belonging to a by-gone state of manners and civilization. We now travel, think, and do everything faster than was done of yore. These are the days of steam and railways; F |