"God bless the Prince of Wales" was played as this toast was drunk.
The CHAIRMAN-I rise to propese the health of the Governor of this colony. (Loud and con- tinued cheering.)
His Excellency the GOVERNOR responded in the following terms:-Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen.-I am very sensible of the kind and enthusiastic manner in which you have just received the toast of my health, proposed by my honourable friend the Chairman. I assure you that I gladly accepted your in- vitation to be present here this evening, for I desired to take part in the honour which you are paying to my gallant and valued friend and your distinguished guest, Admiral Sir William Dowell. (Loud applause). Hig career in this part of the world may be described ! as historioal. (Renewed cheers). It may be di- víded into four phases or epochs. In the first epoch, we see the Admiral, then a gay young midshipman, first, in 1841, hoisting the; British flag on this island, then silent and deso-: late, but which, after the lapse of little more than forty years, has now become, through the industry and energy of our race settled here, the third greatest mart of trade and shipping in the world, ranking nert after London and Li- verpool. (Loud applause). In the second epoch, some twenty years ago, we find Captain Dowell in command of the Barossa, when he rendered a most important service to the cause of order and civilized government in Japan, a service for which I assure you the leading Ja- panese statesmen are very grateful. In the third epoch, we find the young midshipman, now be- come Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, hoist- ing the British flag at Port Hamilton,--- (loud and continued cheering)-as, forty-four years before, he had hoisted it at Hongkong, There is yet a fourth epoch, which may be called not so much the naval as the diplo. matic epoch of the career of my gallant friend. Few Governors or Admirals were ever placed in a more difficult and delicate position than that, in which my gallant friend and I were placed during the protracted crisis of the Franco-Chinese War. (Cheers.) We succeeded in enforcing British rights and British neu- trality, and at the same time in preserving friendly relations with the belligerent Powers. I am glad to take this opportunity of stating publicly here, what I have already stated to Her Majesty's Government, how much I owe to the loyal support and co-operation of Admiral Dowell,-(Loud cheers) with whom I was throughout in constant and intimate com- munication. So much for my gallant friend in his public character in this part of the world, for I need scarcely remind you, when you look at that breast covered with medals and honourable decorations, that he has served his Queen and country in almost every part of the world as well as in China. (Renewed cheers.) As to his personal character, those who know him best will agree with me that he realizes Wordsworth's ideal in those famous verses beginning:---
Who is the happy Warrior; who is he Whom every man in arms should wish to be? Chears.) And now. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure that Admiral Dowall would be the first to regrat if I were to sit down with ont saying a courteous word of welcome to his distinguished succesKOT. I am con- fident that Admiral Hamilton will carry on the grand old traditions of the British Navy in these seas; that is, that he will main- tain the honour of the flag of our
coun-
try and advance the commercial interests of our countrymen. (Loud applause.) Rather,
I should say, that he will advance the in- terasts of commerce itself; for, speaking to an assembly of English merchants, I believe that I correctly interpret their feelings when I say that all they ask is "a fair field and no favour." (Hear, hear, and loud applause.) But I have detained you too long, already-(No, no-for the hon. gentleman in the Chair is now about to pro- pose the toast of the evening, doubtless with that fervid eloquence for which he is so well known in a less gay and festive place than this brilliant assembly. (Applause.) Once more, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for the very kind manner in which you have received me this evening. (Loud applause.)
The CHAIRMAN (Hon. P. Ryrie)-whose rising was the signal for renewed cheering, said -Admiral Dowell, it is my pleasing duty this evening to present you with an address from the community of Hongkong. That address has been most spontaneous and hearty from every member of this community. I may say that not only of the British subjects here, and we have among them many Chinese, Indians, &c., who have all come forward in the most cordial manner; but some of our non- British colonists have come forward with just as much enthusiasm and heartiness as we have done. (Loud cheering.) They recognise your high qualites, and they come forward this even- ing to testify to the same. The Royal Navy has always been a favourite service in China -Hear, hear-and in all the open ports. They are with us always. I do not wish to in any way detract from the other ser- vices, but they (the Navy) are always with us. We know them when they are quite young. They come here as midshipmen; they come back as lieutenants--as numerous friends of mine have done; then again they come back as captains; and finally they return to 18 as admirals, as you have to-night, Sir William. (Loud cheers.) The Royal Navy is bound up with British commerce in China, and has rendered great service to that commerce, At Foochow, when matters were in a very crit- ical state, the promptitude which you exhibited in sending men to protect the foreign settle- ment at Foochow, and the tact you displayed afterwards in arranging matters, I have not the slightest hesitation in saying, pre- vented a serious catastrophe to the foreign | community there. The communities at Foochow and Hongkong are very closely connected, and this community beg to return you their very best thanks for your valuable services. When the hostilities cemmenced we had to thank you for the way in which yon made arrangements for the protection of this colony. We know that wherever a British ship was she would do her best, and the officers on board her would do their best, under whatever circumstances might occur. (Loud cheers.) I may say that Hongkong has been rather fond of her naval commanders. We have had men here whom your Excellency knows very well, and on most occasions we have testified our appreciation of them. And now to-night we wish to testify our appreciation of you, (Loud applause.) I have no doubt that had occasion arison that every man in the Navy would have been to the front, and every ship under your command would have done what was expected of her. (Cheers.) Not only so, but personally you are, Sir William, & favourite with the whole of this community--(Loud cries of "Hear, hear," and cheering)-and our good wishes will follow you wherever you may go in your future career. I will now read the ad- dress:
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