WELLINGTON.

Press, Volume XIII, Issue 1729, 22 September 1868, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[From the " Wellington Independent."j DEPAKTCKE OP BIE GEOKGE G3KY. On Tuesday, the Bth it-slant, a banquet was held iv the "Oddfellows' Hall to " speed the parting guest." Ilia Excellency the Governor and Lady Bowon, Captain Young, A.D.C., the Lord Bishop of New Zealand, Mr Justice Johnston, the Superintendents of the various provinces, members of the General Assembly, and many gentlemen holding high official positions were present. Tho chair was occupied by Sir David Monro, and the rice-chair by his Honor Mr Justice Johnston. After the usual toasts had been disposed of, the Chairman proposed the health of their gaest. The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm. Sir George Grey, in responding to the toast, said—Ladies and gentlemen—l cannot in an ordinary manner return thauks to those who hare paid mc this great honor. I almost fear to trust my feeling 3or to try to epeak to you. Allow mc first to thank hig Excellency the Governor for the courteous, kind, I may say, hearty manner in which he has been pleased to speak in my favor. I will also return thanks to your. Chairman for the compliment ho has paid mc ; and tell him that I feel grateful- indeed to him for iho manner in which he has done it. And then I will say to yourselves,;that I am not only grateful to you for the compliment ■which you on this occasion pay mc, but also far the many acts of kind- j ness and friendship and sympathy which I have experienced from you during long and trying years (cheers) acts of kindness repeated almost by successive generations—fir*.t. by fathers and then by their children, and in some instances I might almost say by. the children ot those children. (Cheers) 1 feel when I reflect on this, that Providence hue blessed mc j beyond almost any other man of the presentjd:iy. That I should have seeu communities rise up in several parts of the world —that I should see thriving populations in places which I myself had discovered —that I should see great wealth, and great prosperity, and great intellect, existing in countries which wero a few yeare since almost, wastes —that I should see individuals who had como to the colony without; a home and with little prospect in life, now become the possessors of estates, living in competence and ease—that I should know that there are in many lands, thousands of houses which I can enter ,aa & welcome guest (loud and continued cheering)—that I should know that over great dietricte of territory in several countries not a marriage takes place but I knew the parties or their parents* and enjoy the sense of satisfaction which is inspired .by .the.knowledge of the happiness of others —that I should see legislatures as well as communities, and I may say the governors of provinces—that I should Bee boys whom I have petted in their youth, grow up to warriors who came forward when required to the service of their country in times of dangor, and that I should know that all these men look upon mo : as their friend. One gets overwhelmed when these thoughts burst on the mind. Nay, I know that there is scarcely even a churchyard that I could enter, in which, looking round upon tho tomb stones, I would not see the names of those whom [ knew and respected while living, and for whom I could weep ac I etood there. I say that a man surrounded with such affectionate regard, seeing whole generations rising to wealth and opulence ; seeing so many new countries springing up almost under his own hand and becoming the germs of important natiops—[cheers]—l say the man who sees and has contributed the least to these results, has been blessed beyond ahnoat any other man of his age. [Cheers.] Even as I look around mo at fViio mnmonfc T aae gnvnn approaching t,he decline of life whom I have known in the vjgour of youth, who were myfriends then, and continue to be so now. £Cheers.] I can see their children sitting hero whom I have known in their infancy, and who now assemble to bid mc "God speed," .as. I am now once more about to depart from these shores. You may well believe that r when i see these things my heart is filled with gratitude that I am enabled to indulge in such reflections as such an occasion suggests. _

Sir George Grey proposed the next toast— "Prosperity to New Zealand.' , ' To him there was something almost solemn in the thought of a youthful colony' growing up' gradually into a great empire, the foundations o f had been laid by its, inhabitants hy whom he Was then surrounded/ When, he asked them to drink prosperity to , those' homes which' themselves had made, and won from'" the wilderness —prosperity to a commerce which they themselves had . created—iprosperity r to thei country which they bad so ; prepared as to become the homes ,of children—to the Constitution—[Cheers]—id its Legislature, of which many then, present were distinguished members ; —there was something almost solemn in the thought. In Europe the ; past belonged Iμ* the people j the future belonged to the people in New Zealand. As far as man can make'the future, the future ie made by the people of this colony. Hβ felt almost appalled with - the immensity of the thought when he considered what had been already achieved, and knew that other genera?, tions would look back to the epoch during which they "Were" then living 'as "th"e"m'6sf interesting epoch of the human race. In ask : ing the ; company 1 to join him in the toasi, "ho asked them, as it were, to drink prosperity to the promising child which theyjiad reared. He believed the colony w,as so situated as to be the centre of a commerce such as had not been surpassed at the ends of. the earth;: He j believed that there was notone amongst those assembled who hnd been associated with the rise of the colony who would not sacrifice all h* possessed to secure the safety or promote the advancement of New Zealand. (Cheers.] After the dejeuner, "200 of "the' company took a trip round the .harbour! Sir George Grey accompanying them. A ball at the Oddfellows in the evening 'concluded the proceedings. —