THE NEAV LORD MAYOR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6025, 11 November 1897, Page 1

THE NEAV LORD MAYOR.

THE GUILDHALL BANQUET. SPEECH BY LORD SALISBURY. [Per Press Association-."! LONDON', Nov. !'. The Right Hon Lieutenant-Colonel H. D. Davies, Lord Mayor of London; who was aworn in yesterdav, was to-dav presented to the Lord Chief Justice to take the final declaration of office. The procession from the Guildhall lo the Boval Courts oF Justice included an escort representing the colonies. ?. car carrying the founders of the Empire and a sports ear with Prince Ranjitsinhji representing cricket. Speaking at the Guildhall banquet Lord Salisbury said that the Queen desired him to express her intense admiration for the gallantry of the troops engaged on the Indian frontier, especially the Goorkhas and Sikhs. ' ~So\: 10. Lord Salisbury, in the course of his speech at the Lord Mayor's ■G-uildhall banquet, said that the Queen had desired him to express her deep and abiding wense of the marvellous display of the aff.fet.ron and loyalty of her subjects in connection with the Jubilee. She eulogised the wonderful campaign of the Anglo-Egyptian army in the Soudan, and said that Sir 11. H. Kitchener, sirdar of the Egyptian Army, deserved unmeasured honour for his conduct of the campaign. Dealing with the question of Africa generally, he said that protracted friendly negotiations were proceeding with ITrauce, Germany. Italy and Portugal respecting Africa, which was the plaguo of the Foreign Office. Great Britain's objects in Africa were purely businesslike, and she wished to open up highways and markets, thus enabling carrying on unchecked trade aloug the ]S"iger and Zambesi. England had shown due consideration to. her neighbours' claims in Africa, but such consideration had a limit, and she could not allow her plain rights to be overridden. He defended Great Britain's adhesion . to. the ... Concert of the Powers in regard to the •Eastern question, as by acting with other Powers she had prevented the terrible calamity of a European war. .Short of using" force everything had been done to prevent Greece carrying out her recent suicidal policy. He declared that an attempt by a single Power lo settle the iasteru question would have decimated Europe. The Concert of the Powers, the Premier added, contained the germ of a possible peaceful federation of Europe.