THE EARLDOM OF DUDLEY.

DUDLEY GARRICK CLUB.POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT,Assisted by MissIsabel Adams, MissBellair, MissHinton, and MissHolmes.The Entertainment will commence withTHE READING OF AN ADDRESS.After which will be produced the latest Metropolitan successful Comedy-Drama, in three acts, entitledMIRIAM’S CRIME!DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.Bernard ReynoldsMr. W. ATKINS.Scumley (a reprobate)Mr. S. WARING.Huffin (a lawyer)Mr. A. SHEDDEN.DanielMr. C. PAIN.Biles (a clerk)Mr. H. WOODALL.Miriam WestMiss ISABEL ADAMS.Mrs. RabyMiss HINTON.SongMiss BELLAIR.To conclude with the evergreen popular Haymarket Comedy, in three acts, ofPAUL PRY!Colonel HardyMr. A. SHEDDEN.Frank HardyMr. RICHARDS.Witherton (an old bachelor)Mr. S. WARING.Harry StanleyMiss BELLAIR.Grasp (a steward)Mr. C. PAIN.Doubledot (an innkeeper)Mr. W. GORTON.SimonMr. GEO. PITT.Mr. StanleyMr. C. RUSSELL.Paul PryMr. H. WOODALL.(Servants, &c., by Members of the D.G.C.)Mrs. SubtleMiss HINTON.Phœbe (with a song)Miss ISABEL ADAMS.ElizaMiss W. HOLMES.A FULL THEATRICAL BAND IS ENGAGED.Hon. Sec.Mr.James Wood.Stage ManagerMr.H. Woodall.PrompterMr.T. Neath.PerruquierMr.James Foster.Doors open at half-past Six—Curtain to rise at Seven o’clock. Reserved. Seats, 3s.; Unreserved Seats, 2s.; Back Seats, 1s.Children in arms not admitted.Tickets may be obtained from Mr. LAXTON, Bookseller, High Street (where a Plan of Reserved Seats may be seen on and after Wednesday, January 27th); Messrs. WARING, Wolverhampton Street; Mr. EVAN ROBERTS, Stone Street; or from any Member of the Committee.Carriages may be ordered for half-past Ten, and will set down with horses’ heads facing Snowhill, and take up, horses’ heads facing the Town.

DUDLEY GARRICK CLUB.

POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT,

Assisted by MissIsabel Adams, MissBellair, MissHinton, and MissHolmes.

The Entertainment will commence with

THE READING OF AN ADDRESS.

After which will be produced the latest Metropolitan successful Comedy-Drama, in three acts, entitled

MIRIAM’S CRIME!

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.

To conclude with the evergreen popular Haymarket Comedy, in three acts, of

PAUL PRY!

(Servants, &c., by Members of the D.G.C.)

A FULL THEATRICAL BAND IS ENGAGED.

Doors open at half-past Six—Curtain to rise at Seven o’clock. Reserved. Seats, 3s.; Unreserved Seats, 2s.; Back Seats, 1s.

Children in arms not admitted.

Tickets may be obtained from Mr. LAXTON, Bookseller, High Street (where a Plan of Reserved Seats may be seen on and after Wednesday, January 27th); Messrs. WARING, Wolverhampton Street; Mr. EVAN ROBERTS, Stone Street; or from any Member of the Committee.

Carriages may be ordered for half-past Ten, and will set down with horses’ heads facing Snowhill, and take up, horses’ heads facing the Town.

February 13th, 1860. The Right Honourable Lord Ward was created “Earl of Dudley and Viscount Ednam.” This important event was received with great satisfaction, both in the town of Dudley and the surrounding villages and hamlets, and the ancient town of Dudley was especially aware of marked consideration, in having the new elevation in the Peerage of the House of Himley called after our loyal and trusty old Borough. Deputations of congratulations to the noble Earl poured in upon him from all quarters, and the most notable must be claimed, the “Great Deputation,” which in much pomp and state emanated from the then Mayor, Theophilus Tinsley, Esq., and the principal inhabitants of Dudley, who were most graciously received by the new Earl of Dudley, at Himley Hall, on February 18th, 1860. The following is a report of these congratulatory deputations.

PRESENTATION OF AN ADDRESS TO THE EARL OF DUDLEY.Thursday was the day named by the Earl of Dudley as the day when he should be happy to receive the deputation who had expressed a wish to wait upon his lordship, to present to him, on behalf of the town of Dudley, an address, upon his recent elevation to the title of Earl of Dudley. Himley was named as the place where his lordship would receive the deputation, and, accordingly, between one and two yesterday afternoon, the following gentlemen assembled at Himley Hall:—The Mayor (T. Tinsley, Esq.), the High Bailiff (Mr. C. F. G. Clark), Rev. Dr. Davison, Rev. G. Lewis,Captain Bennitt, Messrs. A. B. Cochrane, J. E. Swindell, W. Haden, S. D. Fereday, J. G. Walker, J. S. Bourne, Williscroft, Renaud, Grainger, Rudge, Hollier, Jordan, S. Price, Aston, Sanders, H. M. Wainwright, W. S. Wood, and Danks.His Lordship received the deputation in his accustomed urbane manner, and after the ceremony of recognition had been gone through, the Mayor read the following address: “To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley,—We, the Mayor, Magistrates, clergy, gentry, and inhabitants of the parish and borough of Dudley, beg to offer to your Lordship our sincere and hearty congratulations on the occasion of your Lordship’s elevation to the Earldom of Dudley; and humbly pray that your Lordship may be long spared to enjoy that dignity, and that it may by God’s blessing be handed down in direct succession to the remotest posterity. Dudley, February 16th, 1860.”The address, engrossed on vellum in a highly decorative style, bore the inscription, “To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley,” and was superbly illuminated in gold and colours, his lordship’s motto, “Comme je fus,” preceding the address. To it were added nearly 700 signatures, including the leading inhabitants of Dudley, Netherton, and the outlying districts comprehended within the borough of 40,000 inhabitants from which his lordship derives the title. The address and signatures thereto occupied twelve sheets of vellum, and the whole was enclosed in a handsome Russian cover, on which, in letters of gold, appeared the following dedication—“To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle, in the county of Stafford, Viscount Ednam, of Ednam, in the county of Roxburgh.”After the Mayor had read the address, and presented it to the Earl, the High Bailiff made a few remarks in support of the sentiments conveyed in that document. He said that although the occasion of his lordship’s elevation to an earldom was no doubt of great importance to himself privately, still it was also of great importance to the borough of Dudley, and his lordship had paid a very high compliment to the borough in taking his title from it. Therefore they had considered it their duty to present to his lordship that address, signed, as it was, by all classes and all denominations of the inhabitants of the borough, and by those who were sincerely attached to both his lordship’s person and house.The Rev. G. Lewis, in the absence of the Rev. Dr. Browne, (Vicar of Dudley) begged, in the name of the clergy and ministers of Dudley, to be allowed to avail himself of that opportunity of expressing his congratulations upon his Lordship’s elevation to his new title. The title bore the impress of a new bond of connection between his Lordship and Dudley, and he (Mr. Lewis) trusted it would extend the connection, and still more closely cement the bond.His Lordship then replied to the address of the deputation in a few observations, which were especially remarkable for their felicity and the cordial feeling they displayed. The noble Earl stated that he need not tell them that that was one of themoments of his life which gave him the greatest pleasure, and which he should remember the longest, and, as they might suppose, he could not divest himself of the personal pleasure attendant upon the reception of such a deputation on such an occasion. But far beyond any gratification this station of rank could give him, was the fact that the town and borough of Dudley shared in that gratification, and spoke out on the subject so distinctly as it did that day. But the personal gratification was not all because he felt that it was, really and truly, a congratulation upon a matter which very much affected himself and his house. In these days, when men not only demand their right to private opinions, but also the right to express those opinions, it was more than ever difficult to obtain an unanimous opinion as to who was worthy of congratulation. Still it was always a great pleasure to congratulate another; but when a man happened to be the object of such congratulations, to be the object of which such a meeting was called as that he saw before him, and the object of the expressions which had been given utterance to, the pleasure was naturally four-fold greater. With regard to what had been said about the selection of the title of Earl of Dudley, his Lordship remarked that he could not for one moment have dreamt of taking any other title. He had desired that the link between his family and the town might be drawn together closer, and be stronger than ever, and to show them that such were his desires he had taken the title of Earl of Dudley. When he was told that he must take the title from some town, he took that title from Dudley, and in adding Dudley Castle to it he had only stepped in the steps of his forefathers, and taken their precedent for his guidance. One happened to be in Worcestershire and the other in Staffordshire, although few people perhaps knew where the division of the counties was, and his only reason for acceding to what was proposed to him was that he was told he must name a place from which to take the title, and therefore he followed the precedent laid down for him. It was not only, however, that the occasion personally affected the town and himself, but it was that in so large a body as that deputation, there was a guarantee that there was a feeling abroad of the mutual benefit to be derived from the town having so much confidence in the nearest peer who happened to reside in the neighbourhood, and the fact that the peer would find he could not do without the support of his nearest neighbours. Perhaps in former times there was not so much real understanding of one another, and intimacy with one another, as had happily existed between himself and the town; he had fallen upon other times, when men were more closely drawn together by various ties but at any rate, he did not know any time when any deputation, representing so large a body, had come to Himley to offer congratulations upon any event connected with the family. After paying a very marked and highly eulogistic compliment to those who represented his house in the dignified manner he was proud to say they did, the noble Earl concluded by stating that the address presented that day would be placed amongst the papers of his family, and in his mind would be the most valuable of them, because it was a guarantee that the bonds of connection between the town ofDudley and himself would be drawn together more closely than ever.The Dowager Lady Ward was present during the proceedings; and evinced a lively interest in them. Her ladyship, together with the noble Earl, the gentlemen composing the deputation, R. Smith, Esq., and G. Taylor., Esq., subsequently sat down to a sumptuous luncheon, and at its conclusion the deputation thanked his Lordship for the princely reception they had met with, and retired.His Lordship has courteously accepted an invitation to a banquet at Dudley, on Tuesday, the 28th inst., and on the same day his Lordship will supply the indigent poor of the borough with beef. Upon the same day the children in the various schools in the town will receive a treat, the expense of which will be met by public subscriptions.—Birmingham Journal.THE EARLDOM OF DUDLEY.Yesterday a deputation from Brierley Hill waited upon the Right Hon. the Earl of Dudley, at Himley Hall, to present to his lordship, on behalf of the inhabitants of Brierley Hill and the district, their congratulations on his lordship’s recent elevation in the peerage. The deputation started from the Star Hotel (Mr. English’s), about one o’clock, in four carriages, and consisted of the following gentlemen:—Rev. S. Franklin (incumbent of Brierley Hill), Rev.—Gray (curate), Rev. J. Roebuck (Independent minister), Rev. J. Williams (Wesleyan minister), Dr. Walker, Messrs. Ford, P. Harris, R. Plant, W. H. Westwood, G. Pearson, Chapman, Wheeler, Williams, Horton, Homer, and Cook. Upon arriving at the Hall, the deputation were received by the noble Earl in a very cordial manner, and Mr. R. Plant, after making a few eulogistic remarks, proceeded to read the following address:—“We, the undersigned, clergy, ministers of the gospel, and others, inhabitants of the town of Brierley Hill and district, beg to present our congratulations to your Lordship on your accession to your family dignities and honours, bestowed upon you by the act of our most gracious Sovereign; and that you may be spared to live long in the enjoyment of your revived family title, and that it may be handed down through succeeding generations, is our fervent wish, who fully appreciate your Lordship’s interest towards us, as exhibited in your untiring efforts to promote the welfare and prosperity of this locality.” To this address were attached about 1,200 signatures. In order that beauty and harmony should be better preserved the signatures were transcribed, and with the dedication and address thesouvenirtook the form of a thin royal octavo volume, beautifully bound in gilt russia. On the outer cover appearedthe following words:—“Address from the town and district of Brierley Hill to the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, 1860.” On the frontispiece the Earl’s crest and motto were tastefully lithographed in gold and colours, immediately succeeding which was the following dedication:—“To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, of Dudley, in the county of Worcester, and of Dudley Castle in the county of Stafford, Viscount Ednam of Ednam, in the county of Roxburgh, 1860.” The dedication and address were printed in colours, and each of the pages containing the signatures was surrounded with an illuminated border. After the reception of the address, the noble Earl made a few appropriate remarks in reply. He said that an address of such a character, signed as it was by about 1,200 persons, was a source of great gratification to him, and would have been equally so if it had consisted of simple sheets of paper, instead of assuming the elegant form it had. Considering the short time occupied in obtaining the signatures (one day) it was extremely gratifying to find such a feeling exhibited towards himself and his house as was evinced by the 1,200 who had come forward and signed the document on behalf of themselves and those surrounding them. It proved that Brierley Hill was fast rising in all the importance due to a town, and he hoped it would still continue to rise, and be supplied with such public buildings as it required, towards which object he should always be happy to render a helping hand. With regard to supplying the requisite churches and chapels for the district, his Lordship took occasion to remark that it was almost impossible to “overtake” the work—to use a Scotch expression. It was also difficult to obtain ministers who would enter into the work with a proper spirit, and properly perform it, and generally it was very difficult to find sufficient accommodation for the wants of the place. After alluding to the importance of mechanics’ institutions, and kindred sources of improvement, and remarking that they were also necessary in a growing locality like Brierley Hill, his Lordship concluded by remarking that the address presented that day would be treasured along with the most honoured archives of the house and family; and as he might not stand again before the same body of gentlemen, who represented 1200 inhabitants, and doubtless many more, he begged them to convey his thanks to each person who had signed the document, and participated in the congratulations conveyed.Deputations from Netherton, Sedgley, and Quarry Bank (near Brierley Hill) were also present. The latter address was as follows:—“To the Right Hon. Earl of Dudley, &c., &c., &c. May it please your Lordship, we, the undersigned clergy, churchwardens, and tenants under your Lordship in the new district parish of Quarry Bank, Diocese of Lichfield, and in the county of Stafford, take the liberty of congratulating your Lordship on your elevation by our most gracious Queen to the Earldom of Dudley, a dignity heretofore enjoyed by some of your Lordship’s ancestors. We humbly conceive that this evidence of Royal favour has been most judiciously conferred upon a nobleman, the management of whose property throughout this entire district justly entitles him to beranked amongst the kindest, most liberal, and best of England’s landlords, in whom an industrious and well-conducted tenantry always find a protector, friend, and patron; at the same time your Lordship proves by great liberality your anxiety for the religious and moral welfare of the people of this district, granting, in this mining country where land is so valuable, ground for the erection of a church for the people, for a churchyard, for parsonage and gardens, liquidating the balance of mortgage due on parsonage to Queen Anne’s bounty, defraying the entire cost of introducing gas into the church, subscribing annually towards the support and the education of the young in the district, and contributing towards the aid of clerical ministrations throughout the parish. Fervently do we pray that your Lordship may long be spared to enjoy every blessing, and that the dignity conferred upon you by our gracious Queen may descend (with even increased honours) to your Lordship’s latest posterity.” The gentlemen comprising the various deputations were subsequently entertained by the noble Earl at an elegant and sumptuous luncheon, after which they thanked his lordship for his cordial reception, and retired.The Dowager Lady Ward, with two or three lady friends, and G. Taylor, Esq. (his lordship’s estate agent), were present during the interesting proceedings.—Birmingham Journal.

PRESENTATION OF AN ADDRESS TO THE EARL OF DUDLEY.

Thursday was the day named by the Earl of Dudley as the day when he should be happy to receive the deputation who had expressed a wish to wait upon his lordship, to present to him, on behalf of the town of Dudley, an address, upon his recent elevation to the title of Earl of Dudley. Himley was named as the place where his lordship would receive the deputation, and, accordingly, between one and two yesterday afternoon, the following gentlemen assembled at Himley Hall:—The Mayor (T. Tinsley, Esq.), the High Bailiff (Mr. C. F. G. Clark), Rev. Dr. Davison, Rev. G. Lewis,Captain Bennitt, Messrs. A. B. Cochrane, J. E. Swindell, W. Haden, S. D. Fereday, J. G. Walker, J. S. Bourne, Williscroft, Renaud, Grainger, Rudge, Hollier, Jordan, S. Price, Aston, Sanders, H. M. Wainwright, W. S. Wood, and Danks.

His Lordship received the deputation in his accustomed urbane manner, and after the ceremony of recognition had been gone through, the Mayor read the following address: “To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley,—We, the Mayor, Magistrates, clergy, gentry, and inhabitants of the parish and borough of Dudley, beg to offer to your Lordship our sincere and hearty congratulations on the occasion of your Lordship’s elevation to the Earldom of Dudley; and humbly pray that your Lordship may be long spared to enjoy that dignity, and that it may by God’s blessing be handed down in direct succession to the remotest posterity. Dudley, February 16th, 1860.”

The address, engrossed on vellum in a highly decorative style, bore the inscription, “To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley,” and was superbly illuminated in gold and colours, his lordship’s motto, “Comme je fus,” preceding the address. To it were added nearly 700 signatures, including the leading inhabitants of Dudley, Netherton, and the outlying districts comprehended within the borough of 40,000 inhabitants from which his lordship derives the title. The address and signatures thereto occupied twelve sheets of vellum, and the whole was enclosed in a handsome Russian cover, on which, in letters of gold, appeared the following dedication—“To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle, in the county of Stafford, Viscount Ednam, of Ednam, in the county of Roxburgh.”

After the Mayor had read the address, and presented it to the Earl, the High Bailiff made a few remarks in support of the sentiments conveyed in that document. He said that although the occasion of his lordship’s elevation to an earldom was no doubt of great importance to himself privately, still it was also of great importance to the borough of Dudley, and his lordship had paid a very high compliment to the borough in taking his title from it. Therefore they had considered it their duty to present to his lordship that address, signed, as it was, by all classes and all denominations of the inhabitants of the borough, and by those who were sincerely attached to both his lordship’s person and house.

The Rev. G. Lewis, in the absence of the Rev. Dr. Browne, (Vicar of Dudley) begged, in the name of the clergy and ministers of Dudley, to be allowed to avail himself of that opportunity of expressing his congratulations upon his Lordship’s elevation to his new title. The title bore the impress of a new bond of connection between his Lordship and Dudley, and he (Mr. Lewis) trusted it would extend the connection, and still more closely cement the bond.

His Lordship then replied to the address of the deputation in a few observations, which were especially remarkable for their felicity and the cordial feeling they displayed. The noble Earl stated that he need not tell them that that was one of themoments of his life which gave him the greatest pleasure, and which he should remember the longest, and, as they might suppose, he could not divest himself of the personal pleasure attendant upon the reception of such a deputation on such an occasion. But far beyond any gratification this station of rank could give him, was the fact that the town and borough of Dudley shared in that gratification, and spoke out on the subject so distinctly as it did that day. But the personal gratification was not all because he felt that it was, really and truly, a congratulation upon a matter which very much affected himself and his house. In these days, when men not only demand their right to private opinions, but also the right to express those opinions, it was more than ever difficult to obtain an unanimous opinion as to who was worthy of congratulation. Still it was always a great pleasure to congratulate another; but when a man happened to be the object of such congratulations, to be the object of which such a meeting was called as that he saw before him, and the object of the expressions which had been given utterance to, the pleasure was naturally four-fold greater. With regard to what had been said about the selection of the title of Earl of Dudley, his Lordship remarked that he could not for one moment have dreamt of taking any other title. He had desired that the link between his family and the town might be drawn together closer, and be stronger than ever, and to show them that such were his desires he had taken the title of Earl of Dudley. When he was told that he must take the title from some town, he took that title from Dudley, and in adding Dudley Castle to it he had only stepped in the steps of his forefathers, and taken their precedent for his guidance. One happened to be in Worcestershire and the other in Staffordshire, although few people perhaps knew where the division of the counties was, and his only reason for acceding to what was proposed to him was that he was told he must name a place from which to take the title, and therefore he followed the precedent laid down for him. It was not only, however, that the occasion personally affected the town and himself, but it was that in so large a body as that deputation, there was a guarantee that there was a feeling abroad of the mutual benefit to be derived from the town having so much confidence in the nearest peer who happened to reside in the neighbourhood, and the fact that the peer would find he could not do without the support of his nearest neighbours. Perhaps in former times there was not so much real understanding of one another, and intimacy with one another, as had happily existed between himself and the town; he had fallen upon other times, when men were more closely drawn together by various ties but at any rate, he did not know any time when any deputation, representing so large a body, had come to Himley to offer congratulations upon any event connected with the family. After paying a very marked and highly eulogistic compliment to those who represented his house in the dignified manner he was proud to say they did, the noble Earl concluded by stating that the address presented that day would be placed amongst the papers of his family, and in his mind would be the most valuable of them, because it was a guarantee that the bonds of connection between the town ofDudley and himself would be drawn together more closely than ever.

The Dowager Lady Ward was present during the proceedings; and evinced a lively interest in them. Her ladyship, together with the noble Earl, the gentlemen composing the deputation, R. Smith, Esq., and G. Taylor., Esq., subsequently sat down to a sumptuous luncheon, and at its conclusion the deputation thanked his Lordship for the princely reception they had met with, and retired.

His Lordship has courteously accepted an invitation to a banquet at Dudley, on Tuesday, the 28th inst., and on the same day his Lordship will supply the indigent poor of the borough with beef. Upon the same day the children in the various schools in the town will receive a treat, the expense of which will be met by public subscriptions.—Birmingham Journal.

THE EARLDOM OF DUDLEY.

Yesterday a deputation from Brierley Hill waited upon the Right Hon. the Earl of Dudley, at Himley Hall, to present to his lordship, on behalf of the inhabitants of Brierley Hill and the district, their congratulations on his lordship’s recent elevation in the peerage. The deputation started from the Star Hotel (Mr. English’s), about one o’clock, in four carriages, and consisted of the following gentlemen:—Rev. S. Franklin (incumbent of Brierley Hill), Rev.—Gray (curate), Rev. J. Roebuck (Independent minister), Rev. J. Williams (Wesleyan minister), Dr. Walker, Messrs. Ford, P. Harris, R. Plant, W. H. Westwood, G. Pearson, Chapman, Wheeler, Williams, Horton, Homer, and Cook. Upon arriving at the Hall, the deputation were received by the noble Earl in a very cordial manner, and Mr. R. Plant, after making a few eulogistic remarks, proceeded to read the following address:—“We, the undersigned, clergy, ministers of the gospel, and others, inhabitants of the town of Brierley Hill and district, beg to present our congratulations to your Lordship on your accession to your family dignities and honours, bestowed upon you by the act of our most gracious Sovereign; and that you may be spared to live long in the enjoyment of your revived family title, and that it may be handed down through succeeding generations, is our fervent wish, who fully appreciate your Lordship’s interest towards us, as exhibited in your untiring efforts to promote the welfare and prosperity of this locality.” To this address were attached about 1,200 signatures. In order that beauty and harmony should be better preserved the signatures were transcribed, and with the dedication and address thesouvenirtook the form of a thin royal octavo volume, beautifully bound in gilt russia. On the outer cover appearedthe following words:—“Address from the town and district of Brierley Hill to the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, 1860.” On the frontispiece the Earl’s crest and motto were tastefully lithographed in gold and colours, immediately succeeding which was the following dedication:—“To the Right Honourable the Earl of Dudley, of Dudley, in the county of Worcester, and of Dudley Castle in the county of Stafford, Viscount Ednam of Ednam, in the county of Roxburgh, 1860.” The dedication and address were printed in colours, and each of the pages containing the signatures was surrounded with an illuminated border. After the reception of the address, the noble Earl made a few appropriate remarks in reply. He said that an address of such a character, signed as it was by about 1,200 persons, was a source of great gratification to him, and would have been equally so if it had consisted of simple sheets of paper, instead of assuming the elegant form it had. Considering the short time occupied in obtaining the signatures (one day) it was extremely gratifying to find such a feeling exhibited towards himself and his house as was evinced by the 1,200 who had come forward and signed the document on behalf of themselves and those surrounding them. It proved that Brierley Hill was fast rising in all the importance due to a town, and he hoped it would still continue to rise, and be supplied with such public buildings as it required, towards which object he should always be happy to render a helping hand. With regard to supplying the requisite churches and chapels for the district, his Lordship took occasion to remark that it was almost impossible to “overtake” the work—to use a Scotch expression. It was also difficult to obtain ministers who would enter into the work with a proper spirit, and properly perform it, and generally it was very difficult to find sufficient accommodation for the wants of the place. After alluding to the importance of mechanics’ institutions, and kindred sources of improvement, and remarking that they were also necessary in a growing locality like Brierley Hill, his Lordship concluded by remarking that the address presented that day would be treasured along with the most honoured archives of the house and family; and as he might not stand again before the same body of gentlemen, who represented 1200 inhabitants, and doubtless many more, he begged them to convey his thanks to each person who had signed the document, and participated in the congratulations conveyed.

Deputations from Netherton, Sedgley, and Quarry Bank (near Brierley Hill) were also present. The latter address was as follows:—“To the Right Hon. Earl of Dudley, &c., &c., &c. May it please your Lordship, we, the undersigned clergy, churchwardens, and tenants under your Lordship in the new district parish of Quarry Bank, Diocese of Lichfield, and in the county of Stafford, take the liberty of congratulating your Lordship on your elevation by our most gracious Queen to the Earldom of Dudley, a dignity heretofore enjoyed by some of your Lordship’s ancestors. We humbly conceive that this evidence of Royal favour has been most judiciously conferred upon a nobleman, the management of whose property throughout this entire district justly entitles him to beranked amongst the kindest, most liberal, and best of England’s landlords, in whom an industrious and well-conducted tenantry always find a protector, friend, and patron; at the same time your Lordship proves by great liberality your anxiety for the religious and moral welfare of the people of this district, granting, in this mining country where land is so valuable, ground for the erection of a church for the people, for a churchyard, for parsonage and gardens, liquidating the balance of mortgage due on parsonage to Queen Anne’s bounty, defraying the entire cost of introducing gas into the church, subscribing annually towards the support and the education of the young in the district, and contributing towards the aid of clerical ministrations throughout the parish. Fervently do we pray that your Lordship may long be spared to enjoy every blessing, and that the dignity conferred upon you by our gracious Queen may descend (with even increased honours) to your Lordship’s latest posterity.” The gentlemen comprising the various deputations were subsequently entertained by the noble Earl at an elegant and sumptuous luncheon, after which they thanked his lordship for his cordial reception, and retired.

The Dowager Lady Ward, with two or three lady friends, and G. Taylor, Esq. (his lordship’s estate agent), were present during the interesting proceedings.—Birmingham Journal.

After the several deputations had been gone through, it was deemed the correct thing to invite the noble Earl to a grand banquet, to be given by the Mayor, and principal inhabitants of the town and district. This ever-to-be-remembered dinner became the source of much merriment to those present, as well as annoyance and chagrin to two reporters to the press, who would not accommodate themselves to the pressure that had to be put upon the small space afforded in the Hotel Ball Room to seat 128 guests at this dinner; the consequence was, that the eloquent speeches were not reported at all, and the whole affair resolved itself into a semi-private dinner party.

It was an unfortunate incident that the then Mayor was neither a moderate speaker, or well acquainted with the Queen’s English, and the mistakes and blunders that were made, under the eyes and ears of so many distinguished visitors, were a source of much annoyance to the better sort of people in the town, who had some sincere regard for the fame and honour of Dudley. However, this celebrated banquet was destined to have one Chronicler, who in the following lines records the proceedings.

DUDLEY CASTLE AND THE GREAT BANQUET.By Solomon Squib.I sing in praise of our old Castle Walls,Its tilts and tournaments, fêtes and balls;Of the great Dodo, and his humble bride,Daughter of the far-famed Edmund Ironside,Whose son Athelstan its Towers erected,Whose successors its buildings for centuries protected;Of the martial achievements of great Simon Ward,Of his noble descendant becoming its Lord;Of its loyal defence in the great revolution,Its destruction by fire, and its sad dissolution.I sing of the days of chivalry,Of the noble spirit of rivalry.When every knight detested a sinner,And swore to be true to his fair Dulcinea.When each one received the accolade,And was dubb’d and in costly mail array’d,With a strippling squire to carry his shield,Determin’d to conquer and never to yieldTo any power but the power above,For the sake of his bright-eyed lady-love.I sing of the tournaments of old,When every knight with a spirit bold,Dash’d his gauntlet into the ring,Defying all comers from peasant to king.Strange times were these, when the Lord of the Castle,With bondsmen and freemen excited with wassail,Rush’d on their neighbours by day and by night,Shouting vociferously, “Might shall be right!”E’en in the days of our good Queen Bess,Ashwood and Priestwood were forced to confessThe power of seven score madden’d with wine,Who stole their best oxen, their sheep and their kyne.These customs were past when our Earl’s noble ancestorFair Frances won, and the Lord of all blest herWith children whose numerous descendants were famedFor talents, for actions, for virtues oft named,—Talents acknowledged by Peel, Byron, Moore,Kings, Lords and Commons, by the rich and the poor—By Oxford and Cambridge, by linguists, by all,By the foes of old England, far and near, great and small.Actions engraved on the hearts of the people,And telling their story from steeple to steeple.Virtues in Heaven’s blest mansions recorded,Where the vile never go, and the pure are rewarded.I care not for critics, ’cased in temples of marble,Sending forth bombshells and missiles of garble,’Gainst the wide reputation of Dudley’s great Earl,—Let them come forth, and their banners unfurl,With their mischievous motto, “Wealth’s all my eye;”Go back, silly mortals, and mind the small fry,And we’ll give a shout of exuberant joy,For our great benefactor, that broth of a boy,Who never deserts us in time of great need,—Noble patron, we heartily wish thee God speed!Thy bounty has blest many a worthy civilian,And given enjoyment and fun to the million.Our Whitsuntide fêtes on the Castle to wit:But stay, this long metre this subject won’t fit.Reader, with your permission,I’ll make a short digression;For brevity is best, no doubt,When wit, fun, frolic, are about.The Castle Fêtes, alas! alas!Let them to oblivion pass,With the ugly Balance Sheet,Afraid the public eye to meet;We no doubt can do without it,Therefore say no more about it.Why rave, and rant, and grumble? Zounds!The gains exceed a thousand pounds!In spite of the great defalcation,And the costly presentation,Sufficient to clothe and equip a scoreOf the “Dudley Volunteer Rifle Corps.”I now sing of the blind man’s happy home,The Asylum for those who care not to roam,The magnificent gift of our patron and friend,—May his praises resound to the wide world’s end.’Twas a gladdening sight, it did one’s heart good,When he laid the foundation stone, humbly he stood,’Midst the ragged, and wretched, and the poor cast-away,The well-to-do folk, and the great and the gay,—Proclaiming “My worldly possessions I oweTo the Ruler of all things above and below,And through life my earnest endeavour shall beTo distribute those blessings given to me.”Well spoken, my Lord, may your stewardship meetThe approval of Him who knows no deceit;Then when titles and grandeur shall crumble to dust,Your soul will be found ’mongst the righteous and just.And now let us sing of the great Deputation,With address clothed in gold, a sweet gratulation.To Himley they journey’d without ostentation,Made their bows and delivered a first-rate oration.So flattering, so powerful, it caused quite a sensation,—And ended at last with the Earl’s observation,“My friends, your respect has my warm approbation;“I pray you partake of a cold collation.”Each one took his seat without hesitation,Eat and drank and talk’d o’er the affairs of the nation,And the Captain delivered a long peroration,So fulsome, it met with the Earl’s condemnation.The business being o’er, and the Mayor’s invitationAccepted, each went to his own habitation.And the Mayor, uplifted with such exultation,Sends forth the following proclamation:“O yes! O yes! be it known to all men,(We never shall see the like again),On the 28th instant we hold our Banquet!And after the 19th no seats will be let—A guinea a piece—‘Hark! forward, boys, hark!’Signed, P. G. M., L. M. N. O. P., C. F. G. (Clerk).”’Twas a splendid affair, all the tickets were taken,And they sat down to fish, flesh, fowl, and bacon.The Mayor took the chair, and the Bailiff was Vice,—Vice versa, some thought would have been the best choice.The great guest was welcom’d with loud acclamation,And the nobles were greeted with kind adulation:Talented Lyttelton, “honourable” Ward,(Promoters of progress, stem foes to discord,)The great Dean of Worcester, the immaculate Paul,The Sheriff whom no power on earth can appal:These were the guests that graced the Mayor’s table,Men full of good works, free, willing, and ableTo assist us in all things pertaining to good,To bodily comforts and spiritual food.And besides, there were present the renown’d Dr. Browne,The unknown Doctor D., and theéliteof the town,All the Clergy of the Established Church were there,Only one Chapel preacher thought fit to appear.Ten magistrates (bless ’em), a glorious batch,Like jolly good fellows, came up to the scratch;Exclusive of them there appear’d twenty-two,In the Coal and Iron trade some few good and true.Eight respectable lawyers, five doctors, four quacks,Seven victuallers, four sellers of leather and wax,Eight drapers and tailors, the glass-master Renaud,One hatter, one painter, one printer, one Howard;Tom and John the surveyors, fond of all things good;The important ex-Mayor, and the little Ned Wood,Tom Smart the butcher, and the millionaire Guest,Fourteen agents (two ticketless) make up the rest:Numbering one hundred and twenty and nine,And all pleased with their excellent dinner and wine.The cloth was drawn, and the plate went round,And in lieu of two tickets two guineas were found:The shorthands were call’d from the taproom below,By the Clerk and Committee, yet none would go;Inducements were offered, but all was in vain,The help of reporters they could not obtain,—They’d insulted most grossly the “fourth estate,”And all they could say would not compensate;Its reporters they forced from their usual places,(A thing never known e’en at prize-fights and races),And sent them down stairs till the stuffing was o’er,And then “This way, gentlemen, to the next floor.”Why the dirtiest hole throughout all the nationCould not have display’d less civilization.Amidst great confusion, and cries of “Chair, chair!”The business proceeded by our eloquent Mayor,Proposing so brilliantly each loyal toast,I’m afraid he disturbed old Demosthenes’ ghost.He came to the Bishops and Clergy at last,And on the great Doctor his north twinkler castUp jumps the bold Doctor and spouted away,’Bout Dudley’s great Earl, whom none can gainsay“Look at his acts and his kind liberality,“Especially confined to this favour’d locality.Then he spoke of St. Thomas’s tottering steeple,And the need of a church for the Cemetery people:“Much money is wanted, but little is found;“Will you suffer God’s Temple to fall to the ground?“Let the Town Hall and such useless fabrics be floor’d,“But let not my Church and your vestry be lower’d;“I claim your support and your very best wishes,“For the sake of the long lost loaves and fishes.”And now comes the toast, the toast of the day,“The great Earl of Dudley”—huzza! and huzza!!!’Twas given by Blackwell in a splendid oration,Boldly deliver’d without ostentation,Free from all twaddle and mean adulation.He gained great applause from beginning to end,And the Earl was pleased to call him “his friend.”(This Blackbird, so flighty, sagacious, and clever,In crossing a Brooke, once display’d a white feather.)But what said the Earl in reply to the toast?Magnanimous sentiments! could the town boastOf another like him, we’d have nothing to fear,All would be prosperous year after year.He spoke like a man of the warmest sincerity,Express’d his desire for Dudley’s prosperity,Declar’d he was willing to do all he couldTowards all things pertaining to public good.Improvements were wanted all over the town—The dirty old Town Hall he’d have taken down;And hop’d he should see, in a very short time,More refinement in all things, less ignorance and crime.Ye pooh-poohing puppies, ye foul-mouthed jokers,Contemptible cynics, and broken-down croakers,Your rancorous shafts can’t harm or offendOur high-minded leader, our patriot and friend.Go to bed, rantipoles, your day’s on the wane;Lie still, for you’ll never be wanted again.The Earl in due time gave “Long life to the Mayor,”And the chairman responded in terms rich and rare;He talk’d of his “Earlship’swell-knownfestivalities,”Our local inducements, our strange nationalities.Of his “READINGat Himley the great Deputation,”And his “Earlship’s” high and magnificent station.The guests were astounded at language so able,And the Earl, overcome, dropp’d his head on the table.Lord Lyttelton fancied it could not last long,So balanced a spoon on the tip of his tongue!!It ended at last with a hem and a haw,And the Mayor sat down with immenseeclât.The High Bailiff came out with his “verbalized finery”,Inexplicable terms and unmeaning irony.The town and the Trade, and Squire Knight’s quackeryHe prefers the year round to Dickens or Thackeray;He loves the black country—may nothing upset it,—For though he may leave it, he’ll never forget it.Mr. Haden replied to the “Coal and Iron Trade,”In language concise, unadorned, unarrayed.Our Captain, as bold, as the heroes of Rome,Proposed “Lady Ward” and the old house at home.Our Lord Lieutenant, whom all men adore,Drank success to our Volunteer Rifle Corps.Th’ intelligent Fred, whom the world scarcely knows,In an eloquent speech, thought fit to proposeThe health of the Sheriff, whom none can gainsay,His namesake and friend, and the County’s mainstay.To the “Sports of the Field,” Will Grazebrook repliedIn a humorous speech which none can deride:Yet, sad to relate, when this sportsman departed,Full of good cheer, light-headed, light-hearted,On his travels towards home he upset a trap,Which eventually proved a serious mishap.The coachman pull’d up, but all advice scorning,“Drive on,” cried his master, “I’ll call in the morning.”Shame! shame! Billy Grazebrook; if a fox had been thereYou’d have been at the death, and not in the rear;But alas! a fond husband has now to bewailThe loss of his lov’d one: so here ends my tale.DUDLEY.EARLDOM OF DUDLEY.To the Editor of theDaily Post.Sir,—In your impression of this day’sDaily Postit is observed that your Mr. Simpson, the recognised Dudley reporter of theDaily Post, has thought fit to advert to what he conceives to be “an indignity” offered to the reporters of the press, at the dinner given to the Earl of Dudley last evening.As one of the Committee of Management in that matter, Iwould wish, by your permission, to rectify some of the erroneous impressions which your remarks are calculated to convey to the public.I beg to inform your readers that the “Press” was one of the “first considerations” of the committee at its meetings; as a proof of which your Mr. Simpson obtained, through the influence of the committee, the exclusive privilege to report the proceedings of the Himley deputation, and received that distinguished recognition rarely accorded to the “Fourth Estate.”The unprecedented rush for tickets to do honour to the Earl of Dudley, and the very confined nature of the space for dining at the disposal of the committee, necessarily compelled that body to adopt “extraordinary means” for the purpose of giving as many of the public as possible an opportunity of “doing honour to whom honour is due.”Under these pressing circumstances, the representatives of the press were respectfully solicited to accommodate the committee by dining at its expense, truly “downstairs,” because there was “no available dining space” upstairs, with the clear intimation that they would be accommodated with seats, wines, and dessert in the dining-room as soon as the cloth was drawn. This offer the egotistical representatives of the press indignantly declined to accept, and, unfortunately for the gratification of the public, forgot their quota of courtesy due to the committee by neglecting to forward their portentous decision until it was too late for the committee to procure additional reporters.These, Sir, are the naked facts of the case, and however much it is to be regretted that the interests of the press should get into disrepute by an assumption on behalf of its reporters, it must now be left to the dispassionate public to determine whether the committee would have been justified in displacing a number of gentlemen to make way for the reporters of the “Fourth Estate” (merely at the time of dining), and whether the press has the right to arrogate to itself, on all occasions, “the chief corners in the temple.”I am, your obedient servant,C. F. G. CLARK, High Bailiff.Dudley, February 29th, 1860.[In a few remote places, and in those circles of society into which modern notions of courtesy have imperfectly penetrated, we still find some lingering belief that the Press and its representatives are very much in the position of singers at a feast, to have a plate sent out to them in the corridor, and a chair in the windiest corner of the room when the cloth is drawn. But it is not often that we have the idea so honestly expressed. According to Mr. Clark, the accommodation of the Press was one of the earliest considerations of the committee, who seem to have balanced the profit of admitting 127 diners against the proprietyof restricting that number to 125 and two reporters, by whose agency the whole of the vast district through which we circulate would in effect have shared in the honour done to the noble guest, and in the eloquence with which that honour was recognised. The committee, in its shortsightedness, deliberately chose to make room for two diners more, under the impression that they would manage the Press somehow,and the spirit of courtesy in which that “management” was undertaken may be inferred from the tone of the remarkable letter of our correspondent. It appears that by some gracious act of condescension our reporter was actually allowed to accompany a deputation to Himley Hall, “a distinguished recognition,” quoth Mr. Clark, “rarely accorded to the Fourth Estate.” The gentleman who can assume these grand airs, which the master of Himley Hall himself would be about the last to dream of, was very well qualified to execute and excuse the orders of the committee in asking the reporters to come in with the dessert. We quite approve of their refusal to submit to this servants’ hall treatment. They have no right to expect, and as far as we know, they never lay claim to the chief places at feasts; but so long as their refusal is expressed with courtesy they have our entire approval when they decline to submit to treatment, the result not of accident or oversight—this we are sure they would be the first to make allowance for—but, as the “early consideration” shows, deliberately resolved upon. It was not until all the tickets were sold that this dining-down-stairs project was made known to our reporter, or we would have taken good care that he should have had such accommodation as a guinea could have given him. It is very droll, in the midst of all that is silly in this letter, to hear it charged against the reporters that they didn’t study the convenience of these gracious gentlemen, so far as to allow them the opportunity of obtaining “other reporters.” Other reporters! One would imagine these commodities were as easy to procure as change for a shilling. But suppose they were provided; we say it for ourselves, and we dare say the same for the majority, if not the whole, of our contemporaries, that the product of the “other reporters” would have found its way to the office waste-paper basket. As it is, the committee have made a pretty mess of it. They have dined the Earl truly, but they have contrived to rob the honour of half its graciousness and all its value, by denuding it of the crowning grace of publicity.—Ed.Daily Post.]To the Editor of theDaily Post.Sir,—There is a paragraph in your edition of to-day respecting the banquet last evening, given by the town to the Earl of Dudley, in which the writer is facetious, regarding the indignant treatment to which it was proposed to submit the gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, and their noble protest against such treatment. Doubtless your sense of what is just and fair will admit a statement on the part of the committee of that dinner.On Wednesday up to four o’clock 111 tickets had been sold—bought and paid for. The Mayor had been requested to reserve four for various parties, and six were kept for the invited guests, making in all 121. On Wednesday evening four more were issued, making 125; and on Monday evening, when the committee next met, a list of a dozen applications could not even be considered. Besides this 125, it was expected that some few guests might be present, and there were at least three (Mr. Melville, Mr. Campbell, and another); and careful and accurate measurement of the room had given as a result the utter impossibility of putting more than 128 into it. Where then, I ask, could the reporters be accommodated at dinner, being, as they might be, some six or eight? Arrangements were made for their dining, and as soon as space could be obtained, by the absence of the waiters, a table was placed for their accommodation in the centre of the room. We were perfectly willing to treat them as well as circumstances would allow, but we could not do what was palpably impossible.I have only to add that a full report of the banquet shall be forwarded to you for Saturday’sJournal. The committee would have been best pleased to have a professional report; but in default of that must do the best they can to preserve a record of that portion of the events of the day.I am, Sir, yours faithfully,ONE OF THE COMMITTEE.[Our reply to this is that there were only two papers represented, our own and theWolverhampton Chronicle. The committee should have reserved two places for those reporters, no matter what the demand was. That is a prime article in the creed of all public dinner-giving committees, and a wise one we think.—Ed.Daily Post.]

DUDLEY CASTLE AND THE GREAT BANQUET.

By Solomon Squib.

I sing in praise of our old Castle Walls,Its tilts and tournaments, fêtes and balls;Of the great Dodo, and his humble bride,Daughter of the far-famed Edmund Ironside,Whose son Athelstan its Towers erected,Whose successors its buildings for centuries protected;Of the martial achievements of great Simon Ward,Of his noble descendant becoming its Lord;Of its loyal defence in the great revolution,Its destruction by fire, and its sad dissolution.I sing of the days of chivalry,Of the noble spirit of rivalry.When every knight detested a sinner,And swore to be true to his fair Dulcinea.When each one received the accolade,And was dubb’d and in costly mail array’d,With a strippling squire to carry his shield,Determin’d to conquer and never to yieldTo any power but the power above,For the sake of his bright-eyed lady-love.I sing of the tournaments of old,When every knight with a spirit bold,Dash’d his gauntlet into the ring,Defying all comers from peasant to king.Strange times were these, when the Lord of the Castle,With bondsmen and freemen excited with wassail,Rush’d on their neighbours by day and by night,Shouting vociferously, “Might shall be right!”E’en in the days of our good Queen Bess,Ashwood and Priestwood were forced to confessThe power of seven score madden’d with wine,Who stole their best oxen, their sheep and their kyne.These customs were past when our Earl’s noble ancestorFair Frances won, and the Lord of all blest herWith children whose numerous descendants were famedFor talents, for actions, for virtues oft named,—Talents acknowledged by Peel, Byron, Moore,Kings, Lords and Commons, by the rich and the poor—By Oxford and Cambridge, by linguists, by all,By the foes of old England, far and near, great and small.Actions engraved on the hearts of the people,And telling their story from steeple to steeple.Virtues in Heaven’s blest mansions recorded,Where the vile never go, and the pure are rewarded.I care not for critics, ’cased in temples of marble,Sending forth bombshells and missiles of garble,’Gainst the wide reputation of Dudley’s great Earl,—Let them come forth, and their banners unfurl,With their mischievous motto, “Wealth’s all my eye;”Go back, silly mortals, and mind the small fry,And we’ll give a shout of exuberant joy,For our great benefactor, that broth of a boy,Who never deserts us in time of great need,—Noble patron, we heartily wish thee God speed!Thy bounty has blest many a worthy civilian,And given enjoyment and fun to the million.Our Whitsuntide fêtes on the Castle to wit:But stay, this long metre this subject won’t fit.Reader, with your permission,I’ll make a short digression;For brevity is best, no doubt,When wit, fun, frolic, are about.The Castle Fêtes, alas! alas!Let them to oblivion pass,With the ugly Balance Sheet,Afraid the public eye to meet;We no doubt can do without it,Therefore say no more about it.Why rave, and rant, and grumble? Zounds!The gains exceed a thousand pounds!In spite of the great defalcation,And the costly presentation,Sufficient to clothe and equip a scoreOf the “Dudley Volunteer Rifle Corps.”I now sing of the blind man’s happy home,The Asylum for those who care not to roam,The magnificent gift of our patron and friend,—May his praises resound to the wide world’s end.’Twas a gladdening sight, it did one’s heart good,When he laid the foundation stone, humbly he stood,’Midst the ragged, and wretched, and the poor cast-away,The well-to-do folk, and the great and the gay,—Proclaiming “My worldly possessions I oweTo the Ruler of all things above and below,And through life my earnest endeavour shall beTo distribute those blessings given to me.”Well spoken, my Lord, may your stewardship meetThe approval of Him who knows no deceit;Then when titles and grandeur shall crumble to dust,Your soul will be found ’mongst the righteous and just.And now let us sing of the great Deputation,With address clothed in gold, a sweet gratulation.To Himley they journey’d without ostentation,Made their bows and delivered a first-rate oration.So flattering, so powerful, it caused quite a sensation,—And ended at last with the Earl’s observation,“My friends, your respect has my warm approbation;“I pray you partake of a cold collation.”Each one took his seat without hesitation,Eat and drank and talk’d o’er the affairs of the nation,And the Captain delivered a long peroration,So fulsome, it met with the Earl’s condemnation.The business being o’er, and the Mayor’s invitationAccepted, each went to his own habitation.And the Mayor, uplifted with such exultation,Sends forth the following proclamation:“O yes! O yes! be it known to all men,(We never shall see the like again),On the 28th instant we hold our Banquet!And after the 19th no seats will be let—A guinea a piece—‘Hark! forward, boys, hark!’Signed, P. G. M., L. M. N. O. P., C. F. G. (Clerk).”’Twas a splendid affair, all the tickets were taken,And they sat down to fish, flesh, fowl, and bacon.The Mayor took the chair, and the Bailiff was Vice,—Vice versa, some thought would have been the best choice.The great guest was welcom’d with loud acclamation,And the nobles were greeted with kind adulation:Talented Lyttelton, “honourable” Ward,(Promoters of progress, stem foes to discord,)The great Dean of Worcester, the immaculate Paul,The Sheriff whom no power on earth can appal:These were the guests that graced the Mayor’s table,Men full of good works, free, willing, and ableTo assist us in all things pertaining to good,To bodily comforts and spiritual food.And besides, there were present the renown’d Dr. Browne,The unknown Doctor D., and theéliteof the town,All the Clergy of the Established Church were there,Only one Chapel preacher thought fit to appear.Ten magistrates (bless ’em), a glorious batch,Like jolly good fellows, came up to the scratch;Exclusive of them there appear’d twenty-two,In the Coal and Iron trade some few good and true.Eight respectable lawyers, five doctors, four quacks,Seven victuallers, four sellers of leather and wax,Eight drapers and tailors, the glass-master Renaud,One hatter, one painter, one printer, one Howard;Tom and John the surveyors, fond of all things good;The important ex-Mayor, and the little Ned Wood,Tom Smart the butcher, and the millionaire Guest,Fourteen agents (two ticketless) make up the rest:Numbering one hundred and twenty and nine,And all pleased with their excellent dinner and wine.The cloth was drawn, and the plate went round,And in lieu of two tickets two guineas were found:The shorthands were call’d from the taproom below,By the Clerk and Committee, yet none would go;Inducements were offered, but all was in vain,The help of reporters they could not obtain,—They’d insulted most grossly the “fourth estate,”And all they could say would not compensate;Its reporters they forced from their usual places,(A thing never known e’en at prize-fights and races),And sent them down stairs till the stuffing was o’er,And then “This way, gentlemen, to the next floor.”Why the dirtiest hole throughout all the nationCould not have display’d less civilization.Amidst great confusion, and cries of “Chair, chair!”The business proceeded by our eloquent Mayor,Proposing so brilliantly each loyal toast,I’m afraid he disturbed old Demosthenes’ ghost.He came to the Bishops and Clergy at last,And on the great Doctor his north twinkler castUp jumps the bold Doctor and spouted away,’Bout Dudley’s great Earl, whom none can gainsay“Look at his acts and his kind liberality,“Especially confined to this favour’d locality.Then he spoke of St. Thomas’s tottering steeple,And the need of a church for the Cemetery people:“Much money is wanted, but little is found;“Will you suffer God’s Temple to fall to the ground?“Let the Town Hall and such useless fabrics be floor’d,“But let not my Church and your vestry be lower’d;“I claim your support and your very best wishes,“For the sake of the long lost loaves and fishes.”And now comes the toast, the toast of the day,“The great Earl of Dudley”—huzza! and huzza!!!’Twas given by Blackwell in a splendid oration,Boldly deliver’d without ostentation,Free from all twaddle and mean adulation.He gained great applause from beginning to end,And the Earl was pleased to call him “his friend.”(This Blackbird, so flighty, sagacious, and clever,In crossing a Brooke, once display’d a white feather.)But what said the Earl in reply to the toast?Magnanimous sentiments! could the town boastOf another like him, we’d have nothing to fear,All would be prosperous year after year.He spoke like a man of the warmest sincerity,Express’d his desire for Dudley’s prosperity,Declar’d he was willing to do all he couldTowards all things pertaining to public good.Improvements were wanted all over the town—The dirty old Town Hall he’d have taken down;And hop’d he should see, in a very short time,More refinement in all things, less ignorance and crime.Ye pooh-poohing puppies, ye foul-mouthed jokers,Contemptible cynics, and broken-down croakers,Your rancorous shafts can’t harm or offendOur high-minded leader, our patriot and friend.Go to bed, rantipoles, your day’s on the wane;Lie still, for you’ll never be wanted again.The Earl in due time gave “Long life to the Mayor,”And the chairman responded in terms rich and rare;He talk’d of his “Earlship’swell-knownfestivalities,”Our local inducements, our strange nationalities.Of his “READINGat Himley the great Deputation,”And his “Earlship’s” high and magnificent station.The guests were astounded at language so able,And the Earl, overcome, dropp’d his head on the table.Lord Lyttelton fancied it could not last long,So balanced a spoon on the tip of his tongue!!It ended at last with a hem and a haw,And the Mayor sat down with immenseeclât.The High Bailiff came out with his “verbalized finery”,Inexplicable terms and unmeaning irony.The town and the Trade, and Squire Knight’s quackeryHe prefers the year round to Dickens or Thackeray;He loves the black country—may nothing upset it,—For though he may leave it, he’ll never forget it.Mr. Haden replied to the “Coal and Iron Trade,”In language concise, unadorned, unarrayed.Our Captain, as bold, as the heroes of Rome,Proposed “Lady Ward” and the old house at home.Our Lord Lieutenant, whom all men adore,Drank success to our Volunteer Rifle Corps.Th’ intelligent Fred, whom the world scarcely knows,In an eloquent speech, thought fit to proposeThe health of the Sheriff, whom none can gainsay,His namesake and friend, and the County’s mainstay.To the “Sports of the Field,” Will Grazebrook repliedIn a humorous speech which none can deride:Yet, sad to relate, when this sportsman departed,Full of good cheer, light-headed, light-hearted,On his travels towards home he upset a trap,Which eventually proved a serious mishap.The coachman pull’d up, but all advice scorning,“Drive on,” cried his master, “I’ll call in the morning.”Shame! shame! Billy Grazebrook; if a fox had been thereYou’d have been at the death, and not in the rear;But alas! a fond husband has now to bewailThe loss of his lov’d one: so here ends my tale.

I sing in praise of our old Castle Walls,

Its tilts and tournaments, fêtes and balls;

Of the great Dodo, and his humble bride,

Daughter of the far-famed Edmund Ironside,

Whose son Athelstan its Towers erected,

Whose successors its buildings for centuries protected;

Of the martial achievements of great Simon Ward,

Of his noble descendant becoming its Lord;

Of its loyal defence in the great revolution,

Its destruction by fire, and its sad dissolution.

I sing of the days of chivalry,Of the noble spirit of rivalry.When every knight detested a sinner,And swore to be true to his fair Dulcinea.When each one received the accolade,And was dubb’d and in costly mail array’d,With a strippling squire to carry his shield,Determin’d to conquer and never to yieldTo any power but the power above,For the sake of his bright-eyed lady-love.I sing of the tournaments of old,When every knight with a spirit bold,Dash’d his gauntlet into the ring,Defying all comers from peasant to king.

I sing of the days of chivalry,

Of the noble spirit of rivalry.

When every knight detested a sinner,

And swore to be true to his fair Dulcinea.

When each one received the accolade,

And was dubb’d and in costly mail array’d,

With a strippling squire to carry his shield,

Determin’d to conquer and never to yield

To any power but the power above,

For the sake of his bright-eyed lady-love.

I sing of the tournaments of old,

When every knight with a spirit bold,

Dash’d his gauntlet into the ring,

Defying all comers from peasant to king.

Strange times were these, when the Lord of the Castle,With bondsmen and freemen excited with wassail,Rush’d on their neighbours by day and by night,Shouting vociferously, “Might shall be right!”E’en in the days of our good Queen Bess,Ashwood and Priestwood were forced to confessThe power of seven score madden’d with wine,Who stole their best oxen, their sheep and their kyne.

Strange times were these, when the Lord of the Castle,

With bondsmen and freemen excited with wassail,

Rush’d on their neighbours by day and by night,

Shouting vociferously, “Might shall be right!”

E’en in the days of our good Queen Bess,

Ashwood and Priestwood were forced to confess

The power of seven score madden’d with wine,

Who stole their best oxen, their sheep and their kyne.

These customs were past when our Earl’s noble ancestorFair Frances won, and the Lord of all blest herWith children whose numerous descendants were famedFor talents, for actions, for virtues oft named,—Talents acknowledged by Peel, Byron, Moore,Kings, Lords and Commons, by the rich and the poor—By Oxford and Cambridge, by linguists, by all,By the foes of old England, far and near, great and small.Actions engraved on the hearts of the people,And telling their story from steeple to steeple.Virtues in Heaven’s blest mansions recorded,Where the vile never go, and the pure are rewarded.I care not for critics, ’cased in temples of marble,Sending forth bombshells and missiles of garble,’Gainst the wide reputation of Dudley’s great Earl,—Let them come forth, and their banners unfurl,With their mischievous motto, “Wealth’s all my eye;”Go back, silly mortals, and mind the small fry,And we’ll give a shout of exuberant joy,For our great benefactor, that broth of a boy,Who never deserts us in time of great need,—Noble patron, we heartily wish thee God speed!Thy bounty has blest many a worthy civilian,And given enjoyment and fun to the million.Our Whitsuntide fêtes on the Castle to wit:But stay, this long metre this subject won’t fit.

These customs were past when our Earl’s noble ancestor

Fair Frances won, and the Lord of all blest her

With children whose numerous descendants were famed

For talents, for actions, for virtues oft named,—

Talents acknowledged by Peel, Byron, Moore,

Kings, Lords and Commons, by the rich and the poor—

By Oxford and Cambridge, by linguists, by all,

By the foes of old England, far and near, great and small.

Actions engraved on the hearts of the people,

And telling their story from steeple to steeple.

Virtues in Heaven’s blest mansions recorded,

Where the vile never go, and the pure are rewarded.

I care not for critics, ’cased in temples of marble,

Sending forth bombshells and missiles of garble,

’Gainst the wide reputation of Dudley’s great Earl,—

Let them come forth, and their banners unfurl,

With their mischievous motto, “Wealth’s all my eye;”

Go back, silly mortals, and mind the small fry,

And we’ll give a shout of exuberant joy,

For our great benefactor, that broth of a boy,

Who never deserts us in time of great need,—

Noble patron, we heartily wish thee God speed!

Thy bounty has blest many a worthy civilian,

And given enjoyment and fun to the million.

Our Whitsuntide fêtes on the Castle to wit:

But stay, this long metre this subject won’t fit.

Reader, with your permission,I’ll make a short digression;For brevity is best, no doubt,When wit, fun, frolic, are about.The Castle Fêtes, alas! alas!Let them to oblivion pass,With the ugly Balance Sheet,Afraid the public eye to meet;We no doubt can do without it,Therefore say no more about it.Why rave, and rant, and grumble? Zounds!The gains exceed a thousand pounds!In spite of the great defalcation,And the costly presentation,Sufficient to clothe and equip a scoreOf the “Dudley Volunteer Rifle Corps.”

Reader, with your permission,

I’ll make a short digression;

For brevity is best, no doubt,

When wit, fun, frolic, are about.

The Castle Fêtes, alas! alas!

Let them to oblivion pass,

With the ugly Balance Sheet,

Afraid the public eye to meet;

We no doubt can do without it,

Therefore say no more about it.

Why rave, and rant, and grumble? Zounds!

The gains exceed a thousand pounds!

In spite of the great defalcation,

And the costly presentation,

Sufficient to clothe and equip a score

Of the “Dudley Volunteer Rifle Corps.”

I now sing of the blind man’s happy home,The Asylum for those who care not to roam,The magnificent gift of our patron and friend,—May his praises resound to the wide world’s end.’Twas a gladdening sight, it did one’s heart good,When he laid the foundation stone, humbly he stood,’Midst the ragged, and wretched, and the poor cast-away,The well-to-do folk, and the great and the gay,—Proclaiming “My worldly possessions I oweTo the Ruler of all things above and below,And through life my earnest endeavour shall beTo distribute those blessings given to me.”Well spoken, my Lord, may your stewardship meetThe approval of Him who knows no deceit;Then when titles and grandeur shall crumble to dust,Your soul will be found ’mongst the righteous and just.

I now sing of the blind man’s happy home,

The Asylum for those who care not to roam,

The magnificent gift of our patron and friend,—

May his praises resound to the wide world’s end.

’Twas a gladdening sight, it did one’s heart good,

When he laid the foundation stone, humbly he stood,

’Midst the ragged, and wretched, and the poor cast-away,

The well-to-do folk, and the great and the gay,—

Proclaiming “My worldly possessions I owe

To the Ruler of all things above and below,

And through life my earnest endeavour shall be

To distribute those blessings given to me.”

Well spoken, my Lord, may your stewardship meet

The approval of Him who knows no deceit;

Then when titles and grandeur shall crumble to dust,

Your soul will be found ’mongst the righteous and just.

And now let us sing of the great Deputation,With address clothed in gold, a sweet gratulation.To Himley they journey’d without ostentation,Made their bows and delivered a first-rate oration.So flattering, so powerful, it caused quite a sensation,—And ended at last with the Earl’s observation,“My friends, your respect has my warm approbation;“I pray you partake of a cold collation.”Each one took his seat without hesitation,Eat and drank and talk’d o’er the affairs of the nation,And the Captain delivered a long peroration,So fulsome, it met with the Earl’s condemnation.The business being o’er, and the Mayor’s invitationAccepted, each went to his own habitation.And the Mayor, uplifted with such exultation,Sends forth the following proclamation:

And now let us sing of the great Deputation,

With address clothed in gold, a sweet gratulation.

To Himley they journey’d without ostentation,

Made their bows and delivered a first-rate oration.

So flattering, so powerful, it caused quite a sensation,—

And ended at last with the Earl’s observation,

“My friends, your respect has my warm approbation;

“I pray you partake of a cold collation.”

Each one took his seat without hesitation,

Eat and drank and talk’d o’er the affairs of the nation,

And the Captain delivered a long peroration,

So fulsome, it met with the Earl’s condemnation.

The business being o’er, and the Mayor’s invitation

Accepted, each went to his own habitation.

And the Mayor, uplifted with such exultation,

Sends forth the following proclamation:

“O yes! O yes! be it known to all men,(We never shall see the like again),On the 28th instant we hold our Banquet!And after the 19th no seats will be let—A guinea a piece—‘Hark! forward, boys, hark!’Signed, P. G. M., L. M. N. O. P., C. F. G. (Clerk).”’Twas a splendid affair, all the tickets were taken,And they sat down to fish, flesh, fowl, and bacon.The Mayor took the chair, and the Bailiff was Vice,—Vice versa, some thought would have been the best choice.The great guest was welcom’d with loud acclamation,And the nobles were greeted with kind adulation:Talented Lyttelton, “honourable” Ward,(Promoters of progress, stem foes to discord,)The great Dean of Worcester, the immaculate Paul,The Sheriff whom no power on earth can appal:These were the guests that graced the Mayor’s table,Men full of good works, free, willing, and ableTo assist us in all things pertaining to good,To bodily comforts and spiritual food.And besides, there were present the renown’d Dr. Browne,The unknown Doctor D., and theéliteof the town,All the Clergy of the Established Church were there,Only one Chapel preacher thought fit to appear.Ten magistrates (bless ’em), a glorious batch,Like jolly good fellows, came up to the scratch;Exclusive of them there appear’d twenty-two,In the Coal and Iron trade some few good and true.Eight respectable lawyers, five doctors, four quacks,Seven victuallers, four sellers of leather and wax,Eight drapers and tailors, the glass-master Renaud,One hatter, one painter, one printer, one Howard;Tom and John the surveyors, fond of all things good;The important ex-Mayor, and the little Ned Wood,Tom Smart the butcher, and the millionaire Guest,Fourteen agents (two ticketless) make up the rest:Numbering one hundred and twenty and nine,And all pleased with their excellent dinner and wine.

“O yes! O yes! be it known to all men,

(We never shall see the like again),

On the 28th instant we hold our Banquet!

And after the 19th no seats will be let—

A guinea a piece—‘Hark! forward, boys, hark!’

Signed, P. G. M., L. M. N. O. P., C. F. G. (Clerk).”

’Twas a splendid affair, all the tickets were taken,

And they sat down to fish, flesh, fowl, and bacon.

The Mayor took the chair, and the Bailiff was Vice,—

Vice versa, some thought would have been the best choice.

The great guest was welcom’d with loud acclamation,

And the nobles were greeted with kind adulation:

Talented Lyttelton, “honourable” Ward,

(Promoters of progress, stem foes to discord,)

The great Dean of Worcester, the immaculate Paul,

The Sheriff whom no power on earth can appal:

These were the guests that graced the Mayor’s table,

Men full of good works, free, willing, and able

To assist us in all things pertaining to good,

To bodily comforts and spiritual food.

And besides, there were present the renown’d Dr. Browne,

The unknown Doctor D., and theéliteof the town,

All the Clergy of the Established Church were there,

Only one Chapel preacher thought fit to appear.

Ten magistrates (bless ’em), a glorious batch,

Like jolly good fellows, came up to the scratch;

Exclusive of them there appear’d twenty-two,

In the Coal and Iron trade some few good and true.

Eight respectable lawyers, five doctors, four quacks,

Seven victuallers, four sellers of leather and wax,

Eight drapers and tailors, the glass-master Renaud,

One hatter, one painter, one printer, one Howard;

Tom and John the surveyors, fond of all things good;

The important ex-Mayor, and the little Ned Wood,

Tom Smart the butcher, and the millionaire Guest,

Fourteen agents (two ticketless) make up the rest:

Numbering one hundred and twenty and nine,

And all pleased with their excellent dinner and wine.

The cloth was drawn, and the plate went round,And in lieu of two tickets two guineas were found:The shorthands were call’d from the taproom below,By the Clerk and Committee, yet none would go;Inducements were offered, but all was in vain,The help of reporters they could not obtain,—They’d insulted most grossly the “fourth estate,”And all they could say would not compensate;Its reporters they forced from their usual places,(A thing never known e’en at prize-fights and races),And sent them down stairs till the stuffing was o’er,And then “This way, gentlemen, to the next floor.”Why the dirtiest hole throughout all the nationCould not have display’d less civilization.

The cloth was drawn, and the plate went round,

And in lieu of two tickets two guineas were found:

The shorthands were call’d from the taproom below,

By the Clerk and Committee, yet none would go;

Inducements were offered, but all was in vain,

The help of reporters they could not obtain,—

They’d insulted most grossly the “fourth estate,”

And all they could say would not compensate;

Its reporters they forced from their usual places,

(A thing never known e’en at prize-fights and races),

And sent them down stairs till the stuffing was o’er,

And then “This way, gentlemen, to the next floor.”

Why the dirtiest hole throughout all the nation

Could not have display’d less civilization.

Amidst great confusion, and cries of “Chair, chair!”The business proceeded by our eloquent Mayor,Proposing so brilliantly each loyal toast,I’m afraid he disturbed old Demosthenes’ ghost.He came to the Bishops and Clergy at last,And on the great Doctor his north twinkler castUp jumps the bold Doctor and spouted away,’Bout Dudley’s great Earl, whom none can gainsay“Look at his acts and his kind liberality,“Especially confined to this favour’d locality.Then he spoke of St. Thomas’s tottering steeple,And the need of a church for the Cemetery people:“Much money is wanted, but little is found;“Will you suffer God’s Temple to fall to the ground?“Let the Town Hall and such useless fabrics be floor’d,“But let not my Church and your vestry be lower’d;“I claim your support and your very best wishes,“For the sake of the long lost loaves and fishes.”

Amidst great confusion, and cries of “Chair, chair!”

The business proceeded by our eloquent Mayor,

Proposing so brilliantly each loyal toast,

I’m afraid he disturbed old Demosthenes’ ghost.

He came to the Bishops and Clergy at last,

And on the great Doctor his north twinkler cast

Up jumps the bold Doctor and spouted away,

’Bout Dudley’s great Earl, whom none can gainsay

“Look at his acts and his kind liberality,

“Especially confined to this favour’d locality.

Then he spoke of St. Thomas’s tottering steeple,

And the need of a church for the Cemetery people:

“Much money is wanted, but little is found;

“Will you suffer God’s Temple to fall to the ground?

“Let the Town Hall and such useless fabrics be floor’d,

“But let not my Church and your vestry be lower’d;

“I claim your support and your very best wishes,

“For the sake of the long lost loaves and fishes.”

And now comes the toast, the toast of the day,“The great Earl of Dudley”—huzza! and huzza!!!’Twas given by Blackwell in a splendid oration,Boldly deliver’d without ostentation,Free from all twaddle and mean adulation.He gained great applause from beginning to end,And the Earl was pleased to call him “his friend.”(This Blackbird, so flighty, sagacious, and clever,In crossing a Brooke, once display’d a white feather.)But what said the Earl in reply to the toast?Magnanimous sentiments! could the town boastOf another like him, we’d have nothing to fear,All would be prosperous year after year.He spoke like a man of the warmest sincerity,Express’d his desire for Dudley’s prosperity,Declar’d he was willing to do all he couldTowards all things pertaining to public good.Improvements were wanted all over the town—The dirty old Town Hall he’d have taken down;And hop’d he should see, in a very short time,More refinement in all things, less ignorance and crime.

And now comes the toast, the toast of the day,

“The great Earl of Dudley”—huzza! and huzza!!!

’Twas given by Blackwell in a splendid oration,

Boldly deliver’d without ostentation,

Free from all twaddle and mean adulation.

He gained great applause from beginning to end,

And the Earl was pleased to call him “his friend.”

(This Blackbird, so flighty, sagacious, and clever,

In crossing a Brooke, once display’d a white feather.)

But what said the Earl in reply to the toast?

Magnanimous sentiments! could the town boast

Of another like him, we’d have nothing to fear,

All would be prosperous year after year.

He spoke like a man of the warmest sincerity,

Express’d his desire for Dudley’s prosperity,

Declar’d he was willing to do all he could

Towards all things pertaining to public good.

Improvements were wanted all over the town—

The dirty old Town Hall he’d have taken down;

And hop’d he should see, in a very short time,

More refinement in all things, less ignorance and crime.

Ye pooh-poohing puppies, ye foul-mouthed jokers,Contemptible cynics, and broken-down croakers,Your rancorous shafts can’t harm or offendOur high-minded leader, our patriot and friend.Go to bed, rantipoles, your day’s on the wane;Lie still, for you’ll never be wanted again.

Ye pooh-poohing puppies, ye foul-mouthed jokers,

Contemptible cynics, and broken-down croakers,

Your rancorous shafts can’t harm or offend

Our high-minded leader, our patriot and friend.

Go to bed, rantipoles, your day’s on the wane;

Lie still, for you’ll never be wanted again.

The Earl in due time gave “Long life to the Mayor,”And the chairman responded in terms rich and rare;He talk’d of his “Earlship’swell-knownfestivalities,”Our local inducements, our strange nationalities.Of his “READINGat Himley the great Deputation,”And his “Earlship’s” high and magnificent station.The guests were astounded at language so able,And the Earl, overcome, dropp’d his head on the table.Lord Lyttelton fancied it could not last long,So balanced a spoon on the tip of his tongue!!It ended at last with a hem and a haw,And the Mayor sat down with immenseeclât.The High Bailiff came out with his “verbalized finery”,Inexplicable terms and unmeaning irony.The town and the Trade, and Squire Knight’s quackeryHe prefers the year round to Dickens or Thackeray;He loves the black country—may nothing upset it,—For though he may leave it, he’ll never forget it.

The Earl in due time gave “Long life to the Mayor,”

And the chairman responded in terms rich and rare;

He talk’d of his “Earlship’swell-knownfestivalities,”

Our local inducements, our strange nationalities.

Of his “READINGat Himley the great Deputation,”

And his “Earlship’s” high and magnificent station.

The guests were astounded at language so able,

And the Earl, overcome, dropp’d his head on the table.

Lord Lyttelton fancied it could not last long,

So balanced a spoon on the tip of his tongue!!

It ended at last with a hem and a haw,

And the Mayor sat down with immenseeclât.

The High Bailiff came out with his “verbalized finery”,

Inexplicable terms and unmeaning irony.

The town and the Trade, and Squire Knight’s quackery

He prefers the year round to Dickens or Thackeray;

He loves the black country—may nothing upset it,—

For though he may leave it, he’ll never forget it.

Mr. Haden replied to the “Coal and Iron Trade,”In language concise, unadorned, unarrayed.Our Captain, as bold, as the heroes of Rome,Proposed “Lady Ward” and the old house at home.Our Lord Lieutenant, whom all men adore,Drank success to our Volunteer Rifle Corps.Th’ intelligent Fred, whom the world scarcely knows,In an eloquent speech, thought fit to proposeThe health of the Sheriff, whom none can gainsay,His namesake and friend, and the County’s mainstay.To the “Sports of the Field,” Will Grazebrook repliedIn a humorous speech which none can deride:Yet, sad to relate, when this sportsman departed,Full of good cheer, light-headed, light-hearted,On his travels towards home he upset a trap,Which eventually proved a serious mishap.The coachman pull’d up, but all advice scorning,“Drive on,” cried his master, “I’ll call in the morning.”Shame! shame! Billy Grazebrook; if a fox had been thereYou’d have been at the death, and not in the rear;But alas! a fond husband has now to bewailThe loss of his lov’d one: so here ends my tale.

Mr. Haden replied to the “Coal and Iron Trade,”

In language concise, unadorned, unarrayed.

Our Captain, as bold, as the heroes of Rome,

Proposed “Lady Ward” and the old house at home.

Our Lord Lieutenant, whom all men adore,

Drank success to our Volunteer Rifle Corps.

Th’ intelligent Fred, whom the world scarcely knows,

In an eloquent speech, thought fit to propose

The health of the Sheriff, whom none can gainsay,

His namesake and friend, and the County’s mainstay.

To the “Sports of the Field,” Will Grazebrook replied

In a humorous speech which none can deride:

Yet, sad to relate, when this sportsman departed,

Full of good cheer, light-headed, light-hearted,

On his travels towards home he upset a trap,

Which eventually proved a serious mishap.

The coachman pull’d up, but all advice scorning,

“Drive on,” cried his master, “I’ll call in the morning.”

Shame! shame! Billy Grazebrook; if a fox had been there

You’d have been at the death, and not in the rear;

But alas! a fond husband has now to bewail

The loss of his lov’d one: so here ends my tale.

DUDLEY.

EARLDOM OF DUDLEY.

To the Editor of theDaily Post.

Sir,—In your impression of this day’sDaily Postit is observed that your Mr. Simpson, the recognised Dudley reporter of theDaily Post, has thought fit to advert to what he conceives to be “an indignity” offered to the reporters of the press, at the dinner given to the Earl of Dudley last evening.

As one of the Committee of Management in that matter, Iwould wish, by your permission, to rectify some of the erroneous impressions which your remarks are calculated to convey to the public.

I beg to inform your readers that the “Press” was one of the “first considerations” of the committee at its meetings; as a proof of which your Mr. Simpson obtained, through the influence of the committee, the exclusive privilege to report the proceedings of the Himley deputation, and received that distinguished recognition rarely accorded to the “Fourth Estate.”

The unprecedented rush for tickets to do honour to the Earl of Dudley, and the very confined nature of the space for dining at the disposal of the committee, necessarily compelled that body to adopt “extraordinary means” for the purpose of giving as many of the public as possible an opportunity of “doing honour to whom honour is due.”

Under these pressing circumstances, the representatives of the press were respectfully solicited to accommodate the committee by dining at its expense, truly “downstairs,” because there was “no available dining space” upstairs, with the clear intimation that they would be accommodated with seats, wines, and dessert in the dining-room as soon as the cloth was drawn. This offer the egotistical representatives of the press indignantly declined to accept, and, unfortunately for the gratification of the public, forgot their quota of courtesy due to the committee by neglecting to forward their portentous decision until it was too late for the committee to procure additional reporters.

These, Sir, are the naked facts of the case, and however much it is to be regretted that the interests of the press should get into disrepute by an assumption on behalf of its reporters, it must now be left to the dispassionate public to determine whether the committee would have been justified in displacing a number of gentlemen to make way for the reporters of the “Fourth Estate” (merely at the time of dining), and whether the press has the right to arrogate to itself, on all occasions, “the chief corners in the temple.”

I am, your obedient servant,

C. F. G. CLARK, High Bailiff.

Dudley, February 29th, 1860.

[In a few remote places, and in those circles of society into which modern notions of courtesy have imperfectly penetrated, we still find some lingering belief that the Press and its representatives are very much in the position of singers at a feast, to have a plate sent out to them in the corridor, and a chair in the windiest corner of the room when the cloth is drawn. But it is not often that we have the idea so honestly expressed. According to Mr. Clark, the accommodation of the Press was one of the earliest considerations of the committee, who seem to have balanced the profit of admitting 127 diners against the proprietyof restricting that number to 125 and two reporters, by whose agency the whole of the vast district through which we circulate would in effect have shared in the honour done to the noble guest, and in the eloquence with which that honour was recognised. The committee, in its shortsightedness, deliberately chose to make room for two diners more, under the impression that they would manage the Press somehow,and the spirit of courtesy in which that “management” was undertaken may be inferred from the tone of the remarkable letter of our correspondent. It appears that by some gracious act of condescension our reporter was actually allowed to accompany a deputation to Himley Hall, “a distinguished recognition,” quoth Mr. Clark, “rarely accorded to the Fourth Estate.” The gentleman who can assume these grand airs, which the master of Himley Hall himself would be about the last to dream of, was very well qualified to execute and excuse the orders of the committee in asking the reporters to come in with the dessert. We quite approve of their refusal to submit to this servants’ hall treatment. They have no right to expect, and as far as we know, they never lay claim to the chief places at feasts; but so long as their refusal is expressed with courtesy they have our entire approval when they decline to submit to treatment, the result not of accident or oversight—this we are sure they would be the first to make allowance for—but, as the “early consideration” shows, deliberately resolved upon. It was not until all the tickets were sold that this dining-down-stairs project was made known to our reporter, or we would have taken good care that he should have had such accommodation as a guinea could have given him. It is very droll, in the midst of all that is silly in this letter, to hear it charged against the reporters that they didn’t study the convenience of these gracious gentlemen, so far as to allow them the opportunity of obtaining “other reporters.” Other reporters! One would imagine these commodities were as easy to procure as change for a shilling. But suppose they were provided; we say it for ourselves, and we dare say the same for the majority, if not the whole, of our contemporaries, that the product of the “other reporters” would have found its way to the office waste-paper basket. As it is, the committee have made a pretty mess of it. They have dined the Earl truly, but they have contrived to rob the honour of half its graciousness and all its value, by denuding it of the crowning grace of publicity.—Ed.Daily Post.]

To the Editor of theDaily Post.

Sir,—There is a paragraph in your edition of to-day respecting the banquet last evening, given by the town to the Earl of Dudley, in which the writer is facetious, regarding the indignant treatment to which it was proposed to submit the gentlemen of the Fourth Estate, and their noble protest against such treatment. Doubtless your sense of what is just and fair will admit a statement on the part of the committee of that dinner.

On Wednesday up to four o’clock 111 tickets had been sold—bought and paid for. The Mayor had been requested to reserve four for various parties, and six were kept for the invited guests, making in all 121. On Wednesday evening four more were issued, making 125; and on Monday evening, when the committee next met, a list of a dozen applications could not even be considered. Besides this 125, it was expected that some few guests might be present, and there were at least three (Mr. Melville, Mr. Campbell, and another); and careful and accurate measurement of the room had given as a result the utter impossibility of putting more than 128 into it. Where then, I ask, could the reporters be accommodated at dinner, being, as they might be, some six or eight? Arrangements were made for their dining, and as soon as space could be obtained, by the absence of the waiters, a table was placed for their accommodation in the centre of the room. We were perfectly willing to treat them as well as circumstances would allow, but we could not do what was palpably impossible.

I have only to add that a full report of the banquet shall be forwarded to you for Saturday’sJournal. The committee would have been best pleased to have a professional report; but in default of that must do the best they can to preserve a record of that portion of the events of the day.

I am, Sir, yours faithfully,

ONE OF THE COMMITTEE.

[Our reply to this is that there were only two papers represented, our own and theWolverhampton Chronicle. The committee should have reserved two places for those reporters, no matter what the demand was. That is a prime article in the creed of all public dinner-giving committees, and a wise one we think.—Ed.Daily Post.]

Shortly after these civic proceedings were accomplished, the noble Earl laid the Foundation Stone of the Blind Asylum in the Tipton Road, which was built at his Lordship’s entire cost, as a home and maintenance for those unfortunate miners and stone quarry men, who are constantly losing their sight by explosions in his Lordship’s extensive mines. In consequence of these sightless men refusing to avail themselves of this charitable hospitality, this noble structure was tenantless for some years, until it was so liberally given up by the Earl of Dudley to the Trustees appointed by the late Joseph Guest, Esq., “for the purpose of founding a hospital in Dudley,” which has since that time been of incalculable benefit to the working classes, and now assumes vast usefulness as our renowned “Guest’s Hospital.” The following ceremony took place on that occasion:—

ELEVATION OF LORD WARD TO AN EARLDOM.CELEBRATIONS IN DUDLEY YESTERDAY.Yesterday (Tuesday) was a day specially set apart by the inhabitants of Dudley—having first duly consulted his lordship’s convenience—for celebrating in some marked and public manner the elevation of Lord Ward, who is so intimately connected with the town, to the dignity and position of Earl of Dudley, a title which one of his ancestors had previously held. The day seemed to be observed as a day of festivity and general rejoicing, and the ordinary avocations of life appeared to be in a great degree suspended. From an early hour the bells of the various churches in the locality rang out a merry peal, the streets were unusually thronged with pedestrians, flags floated in the breeze from some of the houses, and the universal subject of conversation was the Earl of Dudley and his probable movements during the day. As we have already noticed in these columns the distribution of about four thousand pounds weight of beef, which the liberality of his lordship had provided, it is unnecessary to state more now than the fact that the beef was distributed among the poor on Monday last in pieces weighing 4lbs. each, the clergymen and ministers of various denominations in the town acting as the almoners of the noble Earl’s bounty. The colliers on the Dudley estate were presented with a day’s pay yesterday, in harmony with the practice adopted towards their fellow workmen at Brierley Hill on the preceding day, and we believe that Dudley was not the only place that participated in the distribution of beef. Five oxen were slaughtered for Dudley—one being apportioned to the Kate’s Hill district, one to Netherton, one to Wolverhampton Street, and two to High Street. One or two bands of music paraded the streets of the town yesterday, and about mid-day everyone was on the tiptoe of expectation, and anxious to see his lordship pass through the streets on his way to the Tipton New Road, where the ceremony ofLAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE BLIND ASYLUMwas to take place. The asylum is intended by his lordship for the reception of those men in his employ who have lost their sight through working in the limestone caverns, which underlie the Castle Hill and grounds. The plan and “bird’s-eye view” of the institution show that it is intended to accommodate twenty-six families, each family being furnished with a suite of five rooms and out-houses. There will also be an infants’, boys’, and girls’ school, capable of accommodating together about 150 children. A schoolmaster’s residence will be attached to the schools, and at a little distance a chapel and minister’s house will be erected. The chapel will be consecrated by the Bishop of the diocese when completed, and the noble Earl will endow it from his own private purse. A laundry, sick ward, and convenience for a surgeon, form part of the scheme, and the sanitary arrangements are of a most perfect character. The block of buildings occupy three sides of a quadrangle, and the whole is enclosed by a low wall and ornamental palisadings, the entrance being through a neat iron gateway, to which is attached a porter’s lodge. There is a separateentrance to the church on the south side of the Asylum. In the centre of the east side is a tower, in which is constructed a large tank for supplying the various houses with water, the idea being that the tank shall be supplied by the manual labour of the blind inmates, a pump being placed over a conduit in the centre of the ground for that purpose. Under such an arrangement it is contemplated that an ample supply of water will always be at hand for every sanitary and culinary purpose. The centre of the quadrangle is laid out as a greensward, with footpaths intersecting it, and in the rear about two acres of land are devoted to the purposes of a kitchen and flower garden. The South Staffordshire Railway runs along a short distance behind the block of buildings, and the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway passes in front, midway between the Asylum and the Castle Hill. The new turnpike road from Dudley to Tipton is also closely contiguous. The material used in the erection of the various buildings is red and white sandstone, supplied from his lordship’s quarries, and the style of architecture is the early decorated Gothic. The whole of the expense of the erection and fitting-up will be borne by his lordship, and the asylum will, when complete, form another memento of the princely munificence for which he is so deservedly celebrated. About twelve o’clock yesterday his lordship arrived upon the ground, in company with the Dowager Lady Ward and the Hon. Mrs. Claughton and party. Among other ladies and gentlemen also present at the ceremony were the Rev. D. Melville and party; Rev. Dr. Browne, Vicar of Dudley; Mrs. E. F. Smith, Mrs. S. D. Fereday, Miss Roberts, T. Tinsley, Esq., (Mayor of Dudley), Mr. E. Hollier, (ex-Mayor), Mr. C. F. G. Clark (High Bailiff) &c. The ceremonial commenced by the noble earl placing in the cavity of the stone prepared for its reception a glass bottle containing a copy of theGazettein which he was declared to have been created an earl, and also the current coins of the realm. His lordship then proceeded to read the following inscription, which was engraved on a brass plate placed over the cavity: “The corner stone of this building, erected for the collecting together under one roof, and for the comfort and consolation of those who have lost their eyesight in the working of the Dudley limestone caverns, was laid by the Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle, William Baron Ward, of Birmingham, the 28th day of February, 1860. Richard Smith, mine agent of the Dudley estates, to whose suggestion this institution owes its origin. William Bourne, architect; J. Hartland, W. Walker, builders.Dimidium cœpti qui bene cœpit habet.” The noble Earl then received a silver trowel from the Dowager Lady Ward, to whom it had been first presented, and the stone having been lowered to its final resting place, the customary formalities were gone through. It may be incidentally mentioned, that, at the request of a bystander a medal, commemorative of the erection of St. Thomas’s Church, was also placed with the coins. The inscription on the plate was surmounted by the Dudley arms. After the lowering of the stone the Rev. Dr. Browne offered up prayer, and subsequently the Earl of Dudley addressed the assembled crowd. He commenced hisremarks by reminding those present that although they had just seen the corner stone of the building laid the work had not to be begun, as the foundation has been laid for some time past, and everything would now go on rapidly towards completion. It gave him the greatest possible pleasure that he was enabled on an occasion like that—so soon after his accession to an earldom—to lay the foundation stone of a building which it was his prayer would last till the sons and grandsons of those by whom it would be tenanted should have passed away. They all knew what the building was intended for, but he would add one other word. Although a large employer of labour like himself was bound as a matter of duty to provide for the maintenance of those who by a dispensation of Providence were deprived of their eyesight while in his employ, the contemplated benefits of the asylum would extend further than that. In that building they might meet those with whom they had been in the habit of associating, and one would be enabled to comfort the other, and add consolation to consolation as long as life should last—that inward consolation which was so necessary to those who had lost their outward sight, and therefore could not look upon the beauties of earth. The inmates would thus feel great pleasure in knowing that those who formerly were engaged with them in the same occupation were sitting around them, praying with them, and reciprocating the same sentiments. Their wives—to whom they were bound by the common natural tie—and their children—in whom their happiness must to a great extent be centred—would also be near them, and around them, and would grow up among acquaintances who, becoming friends, would prove invaluable upon starting in life, as they often gave a man a better chance of taking his proper position in society. The noble Earl went on to say that he took no credit to himself for suggesting such an institution, as it was not his due. If he carried the work out it would be because, being by the gift of Providence the possessor of such large estates, he felt it to be his duty to look after those who suffered in his interests. But the idea did not originate with him, but with a gentleman who, day by day and week by week, saw with his own eyes what escaped his lordship’s—the suffering and misery of those who lost their sight. The suggestion was made by a man well known and highly respected in this district, where he was born, and where he had ever maintained an unspotted name of honour and integrity of purpose. That gentleman having suggested the work, he (the noble Earl) was bound to carry it out, although not perhaps without some jealousy, on account of not having been the first to originate it. After expressing a hope that in a few months they would see the building rise in all its fair proportions, and that the day would soon arrive when they should see those for whom the building was intended marching in to take possession of it, his lordship concluded amid loud and continued cheers. Three cheers were also given for Lady Ward, the Rev. Dr Browne, and R. Smith, Esq. A number of copies of a view of the projected building, which was dedicated to the last-named gentleman, were then distributed by the noble Earl, and the assembly soon afterwards dispersed.THE BANQUET.Of the banquet in the evening to the noble Earl we can say nothing, except that we believe about 120 sat down. The Dinner Committee, in making their arrangements, seem to have ignored the existence of such an institution as the Press, and it was not till all the tickets were sold, and all the available space occupied, that they appear to have entertained the idea that probably the public would like to know something about their proceedings. Accordingly, in their magnanimity, they arranged that provision should be made in some room “downstairs,” where the reporters might eat and drink by themselves, and await the summons to “go up higher,” which happy period, it is supposed, would have arrived when the cloth was withdrawn, and the serious part of the business of the evening commenced. However, the representatives of the “fourth estate” present did not feel inclined to submit to such unusual indignities. In consequence of these proceedings of the committee our readers are deprived of a report of the speeches made at the banquet; but we may perhaps be allowed to remark that such a mode of conducting what is really public business, is alike disrespectful to the noble Earl they intended to congratulate, and insulting to every person who has a just idea of the dignity of the press. If the committee had informed us that the right of a reporter to be present was only purchaseable, we should, for the sake of our readers, have taken care that this right was secured for our representative.—Daily Post.

ELEVATION OF LORD WARD TO AN EARLDOM.

CELEBRATIONS IN DUDLEY YESTERDAY.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a day specially set apart by the inhabitants of Dudley—having first duly consulted his lordship’s convenience—for celebrating in some marked and public manner the elevation of Lord Ward, who is so intimately connected with the town, to the dignity and position of Earl of Dudley, a title which one of his ancestors had previously held. The day seemed to be observed as a day of festivity and general rejoicing, and the ordinary avocations of life appeared to be in a great degree suspended. From an early hour the bells of the various churches in the locality rang out a merry peal, the streets were unusually thronged with pedestrians, flags floated in the breeze from some of the houses, and the universal subject of conversation was the Earl of Dudley and his probable movements during the day. As we have already noticed in these columns the distribution of about four thousand pounds weight of beef, which the liberality of his lordship had provided, it is unnecessary to state more now than the fact that the beef was distributed among the poor on Monday last in pieces weighing 4lbs. each, the clergymen and ministers of various denominations in the town acting as the almoners of the noble Earl’s bounty. The colliers on the Dudley estate were presented with a day’s pay yesterday, in harmony with the practice adopted towards their fellow workmen at Brierley Hill on the preceding day, and we believe that Dudley was not the only place that participated in the distribution of beef. Five oxen were slaughtered for Dudley—one being apportioned to the Kate’s Hill district, one to Netherton, one to Wolverhampton Street, and two to High Street. One or two bands of music paraded the streets of the town yesterday, and about mid-day everyone was on the tiptoe of expectation, and anxious to see his lordship pass through the streets on his way to the Tipton New Road, where the ceremony of

LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE BLIND ASYLUM

was to take place. The asylum is intended by his lordship for the reception of those men in his employ who have lost their sight through working in the limestone caverns, which underlie the Castle Hill and grounds. The plan and “bird’s-eye view” of the institution show that it is intended to accommodate twenty-six families, each family being furnished with a suite of five rooms and out-houses. There will also be an infants’, boys’, and girls’ school, capable of accommodating together about 150 children. A schoolmaster’s residence will be attached to the schools, and at a little distance a chapel and minister’s house will be erected. The chapel will be consecrated by the Bishop of the diocese when completed, and the noble Earl will endow it from his own private purse. A laundry, sick ward, and convenience for a surgeon, form part of the scheme, and the sanitary arrangements are of a most perfect character. The block of buildings occupy three sides of a quadrangle, and the whole is enclosed by a low wall and ornamental palisadings, the entrance being through a neat iron gateway, to which is attached a porter’s lodge. There is a separateentrance to the church on the south side of the Asylum. In the centre of the east side is a tower, in which is constructed a large tank for supplying the various houses with water, the idea being that the tank shall be supplied by the manual labour of the blind inmates, a pump being placed over a conduit in the centre of the ground for that purpose. Under such an arrangement it is contemplated that an ample supply of water will always be at hand for every sanitary and culinary purpose. The centre of the quadrangle is laid out as a greensward, with footpaths intersecting it, and in the rear about two acres of land are devoted to the purposes of a kitchen and flower garden. The South Staffordshire Railway runs along a short distance behind the block of buildings, and the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway passes in front, midway between the Asylum and the Castle Hill. The new turnpike road from Dudley to Tipton is also closely contiguous. The material used in the erection of the various buildings is red and white sandstone, supplied from his lordship’s quarries, and the style of architecture is the early decorated Gothic. The whole of the expense of the erection and fitting-up will be borne by his lordship, and the asylum will, when complete, form another memento of the princely munificence for which he is so deservedly celebrated. About twelve o’clock yesterday his lordship arrived upon the ground, in company with the Dowager Lady Ward and the Hon. Mrs. Claughton and party. Among other ladies and gentlemen also present at the ceremony were the Rev. D. Melville and party; Rev. Dr. Browne, Vicar of Dudley; Mrs. E. F. Smith, Mrs. S. D. Fereday, Miss Roberts, T. Tinsley, Esq., (Mayor of Dudley), Mr. E. Hollier, (ex-Mayor), Mr. C. F. G. Clark (High Bailiff) &c. The ceremonial commenced by the noble earl placing in the cavity of the stone prepared for its reception a glass bottle containing a copy of theGazettein which he was declared to have been created an earl, and also the current coins of the realm. His lordship then proceeded to read the following inscription, which was engraved on a brass plate placed over the cavity: “The corner stone of this building, erected for the collecting together under one roof, and for the comfort and consolation of those who have lost their eyesight in the working of the Dudley limestone caverns, was laid by the Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle, William Baron Ward, of Birmingham, the 28th day of February, 1860. Richard Smith, mine agent of the Dudley estates, to whose suggestion this institution owes its origin. William Bourne, architect; J. Hartland, W. Walker, builders.Dimidium cœpti qui bene cœpit habet.” The noble Earl then received a silver trowel from the Dowager Lady Ward, to whom it had been first presented, and the stone having been lowered to its final resting place, the customary formalities were gone through. It may be incidentally mentioned, that, at the request of a bystander a medal, commemorative of the erection of St. Thomas’s Church, was also placed with the coins. The inscription on the plate was surmounted by the Dudley arms. After the lowering of the stone the Rev. Dr. Browne offered up prayer, and subsequently the Earl of Dudley addressed the assembled crowd. He commenced hisremarks by reminding those present that although they had just seen the corner stone of the building laid the work had not to be begun, as the foundation has been laid for some time past, and everything would now go on rapidly towards completion. It gave him the greatest possible pleasure that he was enabled on an occasion like that—so soon after his accession to an earldom—to lay the foundation stone of a building which it was his prayer would last till the sons and grandsons of those by whom it would be tenanted should have passed away. They all knew what the building was intended for, but he would add one other word. Although a large employer of labour like himself was bound as a matter of duty to provide for the maintenance of those who by a dispensation of Providence were deprived of their eyesight while in his employ, the contemplated benefits of the asylum would extend further than that. In that building they might meet those with whom they had been in the habit of associating, and one would be enabled to comfort the other, and add consolation to consolation as long as life should last—that inward consolation which was so necessary to those who had lost their outward sight, and therefore could not look upon the beauties of earth. The inmates would thus feel great pleasure in knowing that those who formerly were engaged with them in the same occupation were sitting around them, praying with them, and reciprocating the same sentiments. Their wives—to whom they were bound by the common natural tie—and their children—in whom their happiness must to a great extent be centred—would also be near them, and around them, and would grow up among acquaintances who, becoming friends, would prove invaluable upon starting in life, as they often gave a man a better chance of taking his proper position in society. The noble Earl went on to say that he took no credit to himself for suggesting such an institution, as it was not his due. If he carried the work out it would be because, being by the gift of Providence the possessor of such large estates, he felt it to be his duty to look after those who suffered in his interests. But the idea did not originate with him, but with a gentleman who, day by day and week by week, saw with his own eyes what escaped his lordship’s—the suffering and misery of those who lost their sight. The suggestion was made by a man well known and highly respected in this district, where he was born, and where he had ever maintained an unspotted name of honour and integrity of purpose. That gentleman having suggested the work, he (the noble Earl) was bound to carry it out, although not perhaps without some jealousy, on account of not having been the first to originate it. After expressing a hope that in a few months they would see the building rise in all its fair proportions, and that the day would soon arrive when they should see those for whom the building was intended marching in to take possession of it, his lordship concluded amid loud and continued cheers. Three cheers were also given for Lady Ward, the Rev. Dr Browne, and R. Smith, Esq. A number of copies of a view of the projected building, which was dedicated to the last-named gentleman, were then distributed by the noble Earl, and the assembly soon afterwards dispersed.

THE BANQUET.

Of the banquet in the evening to the noble Earl we can say nothing, except that we believe about 120 sat down. The Dinner Committee, in making their arrangements, seem to have ignored the existence of such an institution as the Press, and it was not till all the tickets were sold, and all the available space occupied, that they appear to have entertained the idea that probably the public would like to know something about their proceedings. Accordingly, in their magnanimity, they arranged that provision should be made in some room “downstairs,” where the reporters might eat and drink by themselves, and await the summons to “go up higher,” which happy period, it is supposed, would have arrived when the cloth was withdrawn, and the serious part of the business of the evening commenced. However, the representatives of the “fourth estate” present did not feel inclined to submit to such unusual indignities. In consequence of these proceedings of the committee our readers are deprived of a report of the speeches made at the banquet; but we may perhaps be allowed to remark that such a mode of conducting what is really public business, is alike disrespectful to the noble Earl they intended to congratulate, and insulting to every person who has a just idea of the dignity of the press. If the committee had informed us that the right of a reporter to be present was only purchaseable, we should, for the sake of our readers, have taken care that this right was secured for our representative.—Daily Post.

June 18th, 1860. The Old Town Hall, which had stood between two and three centuries in the Market Place, Dudley, was doomed to destruction, and workmen commenced pulling it down this day. The noble Earl of Dudley had previously signified his intention to erect a handsome Italian Fountain on the site, which now adorns our Market Place.

Died, October 14th, 1860, Mr. Thomas Rudd, Jeweller and Watchmaker, Market Place, after a very protracted illness, brought on by an accident in his gig. Aged 52 years.

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