DINNER TO MAJOR-GENERAL CHUTE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1636, 14 March 1866, Page 1 (Supplement)

DINNER TO MAJOR-GENERAL CHUTE.

——♦ C Abridged from the New Zealand Advertiser, Feb. 16.) Last evening his Excellency Sir George Grey entertained Major-General Trevor Chute at dinner in the Representatives' Chamber, Government Buildings. Invitations were issued to nearly two hundred persons, consisting of the principal inhabitants of the principal inhabitants of the town, officers of the army and of H.M.S.S. Eclipse, and several friendly native chiefs. The hall was tastefully decorated with flags, and three tables were laid lengthwise, and one crossing at the end, at which sat bis Excellency, supported on the right by the guest of the evening, his Honor Dr. Featherston, and Colonel Haultain, and on the left by Mr. Stafford. Colonel Carey, C.8., Colonel Russell, and Mr. Paterson. After the usual loyal toasts had been duly honoured, His Excellency rose, and having called upon those present to fill their glasses for the toast of the eveoing, said, after the cheering which the mention of the toast caused had ceased Gentlemen, I am going to ask you to join me in drinking the healihof General Chute. (Cheers.) Sometimes it is necessary, at great length to explain who the person is, and what his claims on the admiration and sympathy of those present may be. Fortunately, I shall have to speak at no great length to-night, for General Chute's actions speak for themselves. (Great applause.) Nothing that I could say can add anything to that, nothing that malice or envy could say—could justly detract anything from it —(cheers)—and in truth [ could not speak at any great length upon the subject, for when novel or great events come up >n you with vast and unexpected rapidity, it requires some time to recover your faculties—to comprehend all that has been done and the great results that are to flow from those actions. (Applause.) I simply know that that has been done which many have deemed could not be done—(hear, hear, and continued cheers)—that the sinking spirits of a race have been restored—(cheers)—and that I stand here more of a man with a higher estimate of myself as an Englishman than I had a month ago—(great applause)and I know that others who before somewhat despised myself and my fellow-countrymen look up to me now more than they did before. (Applause.) I am a greater man in in thei** estimation and in my own than I was sometime ago. and all of you have reason to think wif4,i me. (Cheers.) And are we to give no thanks to the man who raised us ? Will you send him away without thanking him? (No, no, and cheers.) Without letting him know that you owe him a debt of gratitude and are prepared to pay him ? (Applause.) New Zealand has seut many valuable things to England—gold ind other

precious commodities—many things of gre.it value, but I say that when General Chute leaves us to return home we shall have sent to England that which will bo of greater value than anything which has yet left this country. (Loud applause.) We have here a man who has shown that he can meet, cope with, ami overcome, great emergencies ; a man who has shown tnat he can rice triumphant over all difficulties, who thinks his life nothing, and of no value in compaiison to the performance of his duty, and bringing about the pacifl -ation of the country. (Cheers ) People may talk what they like abo.it gre.t acts performed upon splendid fields, but give me the mm who cm take his life in his hand, forget his yreat position us General Commanding, and lead a small force against an enemy who at the time was greatly feare.l— could go from victory to victory with no colours flying, no drums beating, no applause of nations following him, no conquered cities biinging out their keys to lay at his feet, and yet facing danger as g'eat as any conqueror has ever faced, showing himself superior to that danger, and having the great capacity of filling all hearts around him with courage equal to his own. (Cheers.) I say give me such a General as that. (Applause, continued for some time.) To cope with difficulties such as we have had to contend with, give me such a man, and if to that you add a modesty ami reticence on his own part as to his own merits—a perfect modesty of character, with apparently hardly sufficient Appreciation of the acts that he has performed—l say give me the man who has performed such acts and done so much, and afterwards shown so little pride in having done them, and you have given me a man who must live in my love and admiration. (Great applause) And, gentlemen, in so speaking, I give utterance not to my own thoughts alone, but to the thoughts which I know are welling forth from every heart in this colony. There is not a mother in those districts which have been in danger but thanks heaven that such a man lias been sent to this country ; there is not a mother in the colony, who reflects upon what has been done by such a man, but prays that she may have such a son. (Applause.) Gentlemen, I say that we should acknowledge not only that General Chute has restored tranquillity to a prev'ously most dangerous district, and that he has rendered great services to this country, but that he has given us an example of during bravery and perseverance which must be of the greatest possible u<e t) ourselves, and to those wfea are to f dlow after us. (Cheers.) I say that he has infused anew spirit into ourselves—that he has struck terror into his enemies, and that in addition to that he has given us an example which to our colonial forces, and to our colonial youth, an<? the future inhabitants of this country must be of the greatest value. I shall, therefore, ask you all to join me in drinking the health of a man whom we know England can look to in times of difficulty and danger, with a certainty that she has in him a man who will lead her forces to victory, and add lustre to her arms. (Loud and continued cheering.) Band—" See, the Conquering Hero comes." General Chute rose amidst the repeated plaudits of all present, and said—Your Excellency and gentlemen, public pp -aking is nor, my forte, therefore I will not detiin you long in thanking you for the honour you have done ine. In your Excellency's proposing my health and the manner in which it has been receive 1 by the guests here, you have conferred on me a greater boon than I deserve, for I have simply endeavoured to perform my duty to the best of my ability. (Loud cheers.) I may say, that in that last campaign I have had the honour of commanding a small but most gallant body of men, and that every man in that force did his duty, from the drummer boy to the commanding officer; everyone placed his shoulder to the wheel, and vied with each other to he zealous and active. The greatest praise is due to those gillant men for the heroic conduct they displayed in the field, and in the taking of pas which it is not for me to describe. (Cheers ) But I must not omit to mention the valor of the Superintendent, and my esteemed friend Dr. Fetlierston. (Hear, heir.) lie was to be seen in the thick of every fight, with a genial and confident smile over the whole of his countenance. (Loud cheers ) He was to be seen in the midst of the natives too. and inspired by him there were in the midst of our native allies even ladies fully accoutred, and enduring all the hardships of the campaign. Much has been 'said both here and at home about the British soldier not being much good against the Maori in the bn«h. but that is a proposition I am not inclined to admit. (Applau-e.) For, in all the service that I have seen in very many [daces, I have had full opportunities of studying the charcter of the rank and file of the British army, and I know that the ilritish soldier i-< superior, not only morally, but physically, to the fighting men of any other country. (Hear, hear and cheers.) Mis Excellency has assured you that the late campaign will h:ive done much towards the pacification of New Zealand, and the flattering manner in which he has eulogized ns cannot fail to be as fluttering to the officers and men of the forces as it is to myself, and we shall all feel pleased in thinking that we have been in any degree instrumental in restoring piece and tranquillity to this thriving Co'ony. (Cheers.) I bjg once more to thank your Excellency for the manner in which you proposed my health, and you, gentleman, for the way in which you re ceived it. (The gallant General sat down amidst repeated cheering.) His Excellency rose and proposed the health of the Colonial troops. The guests had drunk the other healths which had been proposed, and he had no doubt they would join enthusiastically in the present one. The force which had been raised in this colony— and which had been called the colonial force —was one of which all might justly feel proud. He did not profess to know the feelings of those present upon the subject, but for his own part he felt strongly on the matter, and til!., was his opinion. He believed firmly that Englishmen were upon all occasions able and willing to fight for themselves, and he trusted they would always uphold a position which did them so much honour. For his own pirt, he did not like the native race to think that he would He down and wait for some one to come and help him. On the contrary, the proper course was to show that there existed a certain reliance upon his own resources. After alluding to the light in which young men belonging to the colony should manifest a feeling of self-re-liance, his Excellency proceeded to point out the many services which hive been rendered to the country by our local forces. They had evinced a noble disposition in the undertaking. The gallant Captain Hus>ey had sacrificed, his life for the good of his adopted country ; and going a little further hack they found Colonel Nixon, as fine a soldier as ever lived, had also lost his life in the stime service. In connection with the two names mentioned he might mention the names of Von Tempsky, Percy, the two McDonnells, Fraser and Biggs, as men who had rendered to the Colony very valuable services, and who were deserving of all p aise Throughout the war the young men of the country have shown that they were perfectly able to perform all tlrfit was required of them and it became a necessity that new fields should be opened up for them. For the future the colonists should not be compelled to depend upon foreign aid rendered in a very grudging spirit. (Great cheers.) Drank with honours, Baud—" Red while and blue," The Hon. Colonel Haultain briefly returned thanks. He thought the colonists

should rely upon their own resources. In connection with their native allies, they bad ever proved themselves victorious, and there existed every prospect of a continuance of tlieie successes. He was proud that he belonged to these Colonial forces, and he felt convinced that, having able leaders and gallant men to follow t'lem, they would not fail to ululate the example set tlieni by the guest of the evening. (Loud npplause.) I lis Excelleney briefly proposed the health of the fritn«lly natives, He thanked them heartily for the services they had rendered during tie campaign, and he complimented them upon the spirit many of them had evinced from the commencement of the war. His Kxc IK ncy concluded a brief speech amidst loud applause. Hori Kinjn next addressed those nssemblcd, and he congratulated them upon the prospect of a lasting peace. The health of the Superintendent of the Province of Wellington was proposed by his Excellency, and Dr. Featherston briefly responded on his own behalf, according at the same time every praise to General Chute forthe valuable services he has rendered the colony. Mr. Gisborne, in a most ab'e and humourous speech, proposed " The Ladies," and Mr. Walter Johnston briefly responded to the toast. At this period his Excellency rose and left the room, and " God Save the Queen" by the band brought a pleasant evening to a conclusion.