PRESENTATION TO THE MAYOR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2608, 14 May 1869, Page 3

PRESENTATION TO THE MAYOR.

The presentation of a testimonial to his Worship the Mayor (Mr John Anderson) on behalf of the citizens of Christchurch, took place at the Town Hall, at three o’clock yesterday afternoon. The testimonial was pre•ented to his Worship as a memento of the approved manner in which he had fulfilled the duties of his office during the visit of his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. There were about 120 gentlemen present, in eluding many of the most influential citizens, but the approaching departure of the Suez mail had deterred a great many from attending, who would have desired to denote, by their presence, their approval of his Worship's conduct on the occasion we have referred to. The testimonial (which by the activity of Mr John Ollivier, has been subBcribed for so shortly after the Prince’s visit) consists of a silver tea and coffee Service and a set of four salt-cellars, the manufacture of Mr Petersen, jeweller, High street. The tray is of polished bog manuka, on which there is engraven on a silver plate the following inscription : —“To John Anderson, Esq., J.P., Mayor of Christchurch, from his fellowcitizens, in remembrance of the visit of his Boyal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. April, 1869.” The articles of which the testimonial consists arc of exquisite workmanship, and his Worship has reason to be proud of the handsome gift of his fellowcitizena.

Amongst those present were his Honor the Superintendent, his Honor Mr Justice Gresaon, and Mr C. C. Bowen, Resident Magistrate. His Worship the Mayor occupied the chair, and was supported on both sides by members of the City Council, the Town Cl6rk, City Surveyor, and Dr Foster, the legal adviser of that body. His Honor the Superintendent sat immediately on the right of the Mayor. Wine and cake were supplied by Mr Morton, of the Commercial Hotel. A deputation had waited on his Worship on Monday night last to ascertain when and at what place he would be prepared to receive the testimonial, and the City Council thereupon agreed to adjourn its meeting until yesterday, at the Town Hall. This was the reason why the Mayor, before the special proceedings of the reunion were gone into, called upon the Town Clerk (Mr Gordon) to rend, pro forma, the minutes of the previous meeting of the City Council, which were of course approved of. This being concluded,

His Honor Mr Justice Gresson rose for the purpose of presenting the testimonial, in accordance with the wish of the deputation. His Honor, who was received with cheers, addressed the meeting in the following terms :—Mr Mayor, I have been requested by my fellowcitizens to present to you the testimonial which has been supplied by them, to commemorate the admirable manner ir which you discharged the duties of your office on the occasion of the late visit of his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh to this city. I can assure you that I feel deeply gratified and honoured in being permitted to take so prominent a part in the proceedings of to • day. I am quite aware that there are many here who could perform the part much more successfully than I can, but I am also quite confident that there is no one here who can do it more heartily. (Cheers.) Sir, I am sure it is not your desire—and it certainly is not my intention —that I should address to to you on the present occasion expressions of undue praise or adulation. I think I know you long enough and well enough to be aware that nothing could be more distasteful to you than such a proceeding ; but, sir, I think it only due to your Worship and to your fellowcitizens, whose mouthpiece I am on the present occasion, to take more than a passing notice of the manner in which you have discharged the duties of your high office on the occasion that has been just referred to. (Cheers.) I have sometimes found in the course of rather a long life, and I dare say, sir, you have found it in your experience, that when you have had any difficult work to perform, which has cost you perhaps a great many hours of thought, anxiety, and labour, and if you have been so fortunate as to bring it to a successful termination, it appears to outsiders and strangers, and more particularly to those ignorant of the nature of the work, a matter of the greatest possible simplicity. Now, I can quite imagine, although I have not heard it hinted at, that some persons may say—“ It appears to me that his Worship the Mayor has earned his laurels on the present occasion very easily; we think there was not any great difficulty in laying down a few yards of cloth and putting up a few branches of flax and toi-toi,” and so they may go on describing in a very depreciatory way the duties which you had to perform. Now, I think my remarks apply to such observations, if any have ever been made, which I doubt. I am quite sure that persons of any reflection, if they consider the position which your Worship was placed in shortly before the arrival of his Royal Highness, must perceive that your duties were those of a most responsible and difficult character. In the first place, the occasion itself was a purely exceptional ■one. (Hear and cheers.) It was one that had never occurred to the province before and that may not occur for years again. Wc were called upon to receive the son of, I suppose, the best sovereign that has ever sat upon the British Throne. (Loud cheers.) Wewere calledupon, not merely to display out loyalty to our sovereign, but we were called upon, under the peculiar circumstances under which his Royal Highness returned to the Australian colonies, to testify our respecl and admiration of the gallantry and spirit which induced him to return so shortly after the atrocious attempt that was made upon his life. (Cheers.) You were called upon, sir as representing the citizens of this city, tc make a display which would exhibit the exuberant loyalty of the inhabitants of this province and city and which would give his Royal Highness, his Excellency the Governor, who was known to accompany him and their suites a reception worthy of the province, and of the colony. (Cheers.) Anc you were called upon to do all this undei circumstances which made you not certain in the first instance, of the precise time a which you were to be called upon to discharge those duties; having a very short notice

therefore, to prepare, and I believe I may say —though I am not as conversant with the matter as you and your fellow-councillors are with very short funds, indeed, to incur the large expense that must be incurred to give the Prince such a reception as was required. Independently of that, sir, I, even as a looker-on, could perceive, from taking up the newspapers occasionally, that you must have been pestered, at all events must have received all sorts of suggestions and attended to all sorts of questions—some wise suggestions and others very unwise ones—that you must have given attention to them all and dealt with them courteously, that you must have been everywhere, and must have considered every point of the most minute detail, if you hoped to succeed in that which you had to accomplish. Now, sir, I am sure lam expressing but a few of the difficulties which you had to deal with at the time to which I refer; but, sir, how have these difficulties been surmounted ? I think I may say, sir, without fear of contradiction, that the reception given to the Prince was everything that could be desired. (Cheers.) There was not, so far as I know, a single hitch connected with your department, not a single accident that I heard of, of any moment; no person was hurt notwithstanding the large crowds in the streets. Good humour was depicted in every face, universal courtesy and good nature prevailed, and to crown all, you, as the chief officer of this city, gave a most liberal, magnificent entertainment, which, I am sure, was calculated to excite the surprise and admiration of your illustrious guests. (Cheers). Not only did you entertain them, but you entertained troops of friends—(Hear and Cheers) —and I need not say that you made a display of good taste, good judgment, large-hearted liberality, and a public spirit and energy which was more than deserving of the testimonial which you are about to receive to-day. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Sir, I feel there is no necessity for me on the present occasion, where I am sure that every one here fully agrees with me, to enlarge on this subject. I have the very greatest plear sure, therefore, in asking you, in the name of your fellow-citizens, to receive this testimonial of plate, accompanied by this tray, and to be followed by a glass shade which will be obtained shortly ; and I sincerely hope that the gratification which you doubtless have received to-day may be lasting—that you may live many years to enjoy what you have already obtained—the respect and regard of your fellow-citizens, and to ;hand down to your children this testimonial, which will shew them how deeply their father was respected and regarded by all those who knew him. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I propose to you the health of his Worship the Mayor.

The toast was drunk with three-times-;bree.

His Worship the Mayor was received with cheers on rising to respond. He said—Mr Justice Gresson and Gentlemen, I must confess to feeling myself altogether at a loss how to thank you for your kind expression of approval of my efforts to do that which may fairly have been considered only my duty, and to thank you, gentlemen, for the very substantial mode which you have adopted in giving expression to that approval. (Cheers.) Whatever my own opinion may be with regard to how far I have earned this lasting memento, it is nevertheless very satisfactory to me to know, gentlemen, that you are of opinion that I had done that which claimed your attention. (Cheers.) I can assure you that I value very highly the position conferred upon me by my fellowcitizens, and not the least this result of it—that it fell to me to welcome to this city, in your name, the first royal visitor, and that I succeeded in doing so to your satisfaction. I can assure you that that is to me a matter of the greatest satisfaction, and that 1 shall look back to it with especial pleasure. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I value very highly this token of your respect, and I value it all the more highly when I consider that it comes, for the most part, from gentlemen whom 1 have had the pleasure of knowing for a great many years, and not a few from the beginning of my colonial career. (Cheers.) I trust, gentlemen, that the high position I fill may at all times be occupied by gentlemen who will enjoy your esteem and approval, as you have testified to me to-day that I do. (Cheers.) It is not my intention, gentlemen, even if I could, to attempt anything like a speech on the present occasion. Indeed, I hope you will excuse my doing so, and simply accept my best thanks for your very kind attention and mark of approval of my conduct on the late visit of his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. I deeply regret, gentlemen, that I am altogether unable to express my feelings on the present occasion, but I beg you to excuse me, and to accept my best thanks for your great kindness. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I know that this is a day on which we are all busy, and therefore will not attempt to detain you longer than necessary. It has occurred to me that there is a duty we ought to perform before we part. I will propose to you the health of his Honor the Superintendent. (Cheers.) I will not preface that toast by any remarks, because it is not necessary I should do so—in the first place, because his Honor is too well known to require any recommendation from the hands of any of us. (Cheers.)

The toast was drunk enthusiastically. His Honor was cheered on rising to return thanks. He said—Gentlemen, I have to thank you very much for drinking my health in the kind way you have drunk it. I came here to-day to do honour where I think honour is most justly due—to the Mayor of Christchurch. There is nothing which has given me greater pleasure, than to find the people singling out a man >rho has worked the hardest on an occasion when all have worked hard, and who did what he has lionc in a most graceful and unostentatious way. Nothing has given me greater pleasure than being here to-day. (Cheers.)

Mr John Ollivier said ; Gentlemen—Our friend the Mayor is so exceedingly bashful, that I am afraid he is too much overpowered. He cannot, in fact, propose the next toast, which will require a great deal of energy on your part to respond to. lam going to ask you, on his behalf, to drink the health of his Honor the Judge, and in doing so, I am quite sure it is only necessary to mention his Honor’s name to receive from your hands the greatest possible mark of respect and esteem. (Cheers.) His Honor, I believe, was requested to present this testimonial, because it was thought that in doing so, a presentation from his hands would not only be acceptable to my friend, but most congenial to your feelings. (Cheers.) lam satisfied that such has been the result. lam satisfied that no man—holding the position he occupies, as head, I may say, of society in Canterbury—enjoys more of the esteem and respect of every man in Canterbury than his Honor does. (Loud cheers.) The toast was drunk amid cheers.

His Honor the Judge was cheered on rising to respond. He said—Mr Mayor, your Honor, and Gentlemen, I have to thank you very sincerely for the kind manner in which the toast of my health has been received, and I have to thank Mr Ollivier for the exceedingly kind terms in which he has proposed it. The part I have taken on this occasion is one, for myself, of pure gratification. It has just occurred to me that perhaps, after all, I was in some respects the most appropriate person that could be called upon to take the part I have done in the proceedings of to-day, and for this single reason, that I was doing an act of simple justice (Cheers and laughter) —that 1 was doing that which it is no credit to a .ludge of the Supreme Court to do, but which it is a very great disgrace to him if he does not know how to do. (Cheers.) Now, in reference to the kind terms in which Mr Ollivier has spoken of me, I can only say, gentlemen, that I assure you that those feelings are to the fullest extent reciprocated towards ray friends and fellow-colonists here. I am grateful to them for the kindness which I have experienced at their hands. (Cheers.) Although I do not for a moment conceal the great difficulties connected with the duties I have to perform and the many deficiencies which I feel in the performance of them, I am assisted by the consciousness that I have the good-will and kindly feeling of my fellow-citizens and colonists. (Hear and cheers.) I have to thank you very kindly

for the honour you have done me. (Renewed cheers.) Dr Foster rose to propose the health of Mr John Ollivier, remarking that this gentleman had worked most assiduously before and during the Prince’s visit, and in getting up the present testimonial. The toast was drank amid every demonstration of enthusiasm.

Mr Ollivier, in responding, said he had associated himself prominently in connection with the testimonial, because he thought their really esteemed friend (the Mayor) deserved some recognition, that should be of a pernanent character, of the noble duty he had discharged during the visit of the Prince. (Cheers.) It required something more than an ordinary man to understand what was his duty on an occasion of the kind. John Anderson had carried out his duty to a most successful conclusion. (Cheers.) The way in which he upheld the dignity of the city beyond almost every other province in the southern seas, he had done, as his Honor the Judge had said, in the simplest manner and without any ostentation whatever. He had shewn what was in the character of a man bred up from the school of hard-working men, and not only did he deserve the testimonial for the manner in which he had discharge i his duties on the occasion referred to, but for the manner, also, in .which he had held up the manufacturing interests of the city. He (Mr Ollivier) had experienced great pleasure in going to the social gatherings, either of Mr Anderson or of the workmen employed by him, and he heard only one expression, that whether from himself or his wife as the consoler and friend, there was butonespirit emanating from both, and that was to promote the welfare and prosperity of everybody connected with them. (Cheers.) If a man like this did not deserve some recognition like the present, he would like to know who deserved it. (Hear and cheers.) He would reiterate the words of the Judge, that while the testimonial would be acceptable to him as a token of esteem, it would also be acceptable to his family, who could point to it and show the manner in which their father was esteemed in his day. (Cheers.) Those present could not therefore be surprised that it was his (Mr Ollivier’s) desire there should he some immediate recognition. He hated deferred recognition. [A voice—Deferred payments, laughter.] In the heat of the moment, while they appreciated his Worship’s conduct—that was the time to take men on the hop, skip, and jump, and he hoped that every time his Worship took salt out of that (pointing to one of the salt cellars) he would feel it was the salt of human kindness. (Laughter and cheers.) Councillor Angus moved the adjournment of the meeting until Monday evening next, and the proceedings thereupon terminated.