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Article PROVINCIAL. ← Page 22 of 23 →
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Provincial.
Institution ; but I shall leave it to abler hands to make a longer speech upon that subject ; and as I see the hon . member for Cricklade present , I have no doubt that he will give you a better idea of it than I can . His Lordship thereupon proposed Mr . John Neeld ' s good health , in connection with that of his colleague , which was drank with much cordiality .
Mr . JOHN NEELD said , the members for Cricklade feel deeply thankful and gratified at the honour which has been conferred upon them in drinking the toast which had just beeu proposed by the noble lord . The members for Cricklade cannot hut feel a deep interest in all proceedings which take place in the town of New Swindon ; and on behalf of my absent colleague I am commissioned to say , that nothing but the most dire necessity—that of being upon a Committee of the House of Commons—from which there is no appeal , prevents him from being present upon this interesting occasion . The noble lord has told
you that he leaves it to me to comment at large upon that most mysterious Craft , Freemasonry . ( "No , no , " said Lord Methuen , " you mistake me . " ) My noble friend says I mistake him ; he did not mean to do so : and I am very glad he did not , for most unhappily for myself I am not a member , and therefore not initiated into the workings of that association to which my noble friend belongs . But though I am not initiated into the mysteries of Freemasonry , no person has a higher opinion of the men who compose that body than myself . I know , from those who have well discussed the matter , that the great object of Freemasonry
is universal good will and benevolence to mankind at large ( cheers ); and although I am unable to expatiate upon the Craft , no man more venerates those who belong to it than myself ( continued cheering ) . I have said that the members for Cricklade are interested in the continued prosperity of the town of New Swindon ; and when I look upon what has passed before my eyes this day , I cannot help reflecting upon the change which , in a few short years , has been brought about in this place , by the industry and enterprise of man . It is not many years ago ( since I have been member for Cricklade ) that the ground which the
foun-, upon dation stone of a new market-house was to-day laid , was turned up by the plough , and oxen grazed , and sheep were pastured where streets have now been built ( hear , hear ) . With all my heart , I trust that prosperity may continue to attend those who live upon this spot ; and there can be no selfishness in it , for we have all profited by what the Great Western have done to promote the convenience of the travelling millions who frequent this line of rail ; and when I look upon the large assemblage before me , I know that it is impossible that such a number of persons could have congregated herehad not the Great Western made their
, principal station in the neighbourhood of Swindon ( hear , hear ) . It requires little foresight to see that the towns of Old and New Swindon will very soon meet , and that united , this locality , which a few years ago gave access to London three times only in the week , will become the metropolis of Wiltshire , affording facilities of communication to all parts of the kingdom almost every hour of the day ( cheers ) . Mr . J . Neeld , in conclusion , proposed the health of the Directors of the Great Western Railway , which was warmly received .
Bro . SIMONDS returned thanks , and assured the company that , from the _ beginning of their work , his colleagues had been actuated by a desire to promote the convenience and Avishes of the public , and ' to do everything in their poAA er to promote the Avelfare of the inhabitants of those places through which the line ran ( cheers ) . Bro . GOOCH said they were favoured this occasionwith the
, upon , largest number of Provincial Grand Officers and Brethren of different Provinces of England , that had ever assembled in this count y , and he could not allow the occasion to . pass without thanking them for their attendance and proposing their good health . The toast having been drunk , Bro . NASH returned thanks in an excellent speech .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Provincial.
Institution ; but I shall leave it to abler hands to make a longer speech upon that subject ; and as I see the hon . member for Cricklade present , I have no doubt that he will give you a better idea of it than I can . His Lordship thereupon proposed Mr . John Neeld ' s good health , in connection with that of his colleague , which was drank with much cordiality .
Mr . JOHN NEELD said , the members for Cricklade feel deeply thankful and gratified at the honour which has been conferred upon them in drinking the toast which had just beeu proposed by the noble lord . The members for Cricklade cannot hut feel a deep interest in all proceedings which take place in the town of New Swindon ; and on behalf of my absent colleague I am commissioned to say , that nothing but the most dire necessity—that of being upon a Committee of the House of Commons—from which there is no appeal , prevents him from being present upon this interesting occasion . The noble lord has told
you that he leaves it to me to comment at large upon that most mysterious Craft , Freemasonry . ( "No , no , " said Lord Methuen , " you mistake me . " ) My noble friend says I mistake him ; he did not mean to do so : and I am very glad he did not , for most unhappily for myself I am not a member , and therefore not initiated into the workings of that association to which my noble friend belongs . But though I am not initiated into the mysteries of Freemasonry , no person has a higher opinion of the men who compose that body than myself . I know , from those who have well discussed the matter , that the great object of Freemasonry
is universal good will and benevolence to mankind at large ( cheers ); and although I am unable to expatiate upon the Craft , no man more venerates those who belong to it than myself ( continued cheering ) . I have said that the members for Cricklade are interested in the continued prosperity of the town of New Swindon ; and when I look upon what has passed before my eyes this day , I cannot help reflecting upon the change which , in a few short years , has been brought about in this place , by the industry and enterprise of man . It is not many years ago ( since I have been member for Cricklade ) that the ground which the
foun-, upon dation stone of a new market-house was to-day laid , was turned up by the plough , and oxen grazed , and sheep were pastured where streets have now been built ( hear , hear ) . With all my heart , I trust that prosperity may continue to attend those who live upon this spot ; and there can be no selfishness in it , for we have all profited by what the Great Western have done to promote the convenience of the travelling millions who frequent this line of rail ; and when I look upon the large assemblage before me , I know that it is impossible that such a number of persons could have congregated herehad not the Great Western made their
, principal station in the neighbourhood of Swindon ( hear , hear ) . It requires little foresight to see that the towns of Old and New Swindon will very soon meet , and that united , this locality , which a few years ago gave access to London three times only in the week , will become the metropolis of Wiltshire , affording facilities of communication to all parts of the kingdom almost every hour of the day ( cheers ) . Mr . J . Neeld , in conclusion , proposed the health of the Directors of the Great Western Railway , which was warmly received .
Bro . SIMONDS returned thanks , and assured the company that , from the _ beginning of their work , his colleagues had been actuated by a desire to promote the convenience and Avishes of the public , and ' to do everything in their poAA er to promote the Avelfare of the inhabitants of those places through which the line ran ( cheers ) . Bro . GOOCH said they were favoured this occasionwith the
, upon , largest number of Provincial Grand Officers and Brethren of different Provinces of England , that had ever assembled in this count y , and he could not allow the occasion to . pass without thanking them for their attendance and proposing their good health . The toast having been drunk , Bro . NASH returned thanks in an excellent speech .