AN AUSTRALIAN BANQUET

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 634, 10 February 1870, Page 4

AN AUSTRALIAN BANQUET

On tho night of the Ist December, 700 working men and their wives, in company -with about 150 coloniata aiict.others inteiested in the matter, diriQd:'ofFAu3tralian meat 3, aud pledged themselves to dp, so 4gain Very often. The "banqueting hall* was at the Lambeth Baths, situate in the \Vo3tminster road, which fans right through' the block id the street at tho back. The room waa very handsomely decorated, and well lit up. . Flags and banners and fiowera hung from and festooned tlnT walls, upon three of which ihe names til the seven Australian colonies were inscribed. The Australian coat of anna ooeupied a .prominent position, arid a reference to the " Empire upon Which the aim never aeta," orowned the whole. Crimson oarpeta wei 1© laid: along. the bateoinesbxnuidung the bath, and here..the visitors, as distinguished from the diners, were seated 5 a.n upper balcony was occupied hy a hand, the members of Which played at intervals during the evening. Tlie tables were handaomely set but with plate, and cryatal, and china, whilat ripon a crusa table were displayed syecimens of Australian beef and mutton in an uncooked state, and these attracted aa much nttentidn.' ias the good things prp-yided for tho banquet. The coukiilg was all; done at the baths, the ateam-engirie of the establishment playing an important part in the formidable operation. Six steam toilers,-each cqntaining eighty gallons, were also preaap.d iiitu thei service, and one of Perkins's portable regimental steam-ovena waa alao uawd.. By a judicious arrangement each of the forty-eight working-inen's clriba in Lottdbri Elected the wife of one of ita members to assist in the ecjoking, ftnd with a s'ie'w ito guard agaiijatfa^urQ.l'.rehearsala' ■were held, at which jjr D... Talierinjin took the oqok's in han^! and" a^6Kled: thopV inatriicv tion ad t5 wh^t to avoid, what to do, arid how to do it. The following was, the bill of fare; :—lst dish; Irish atelw, Tzje average cpntenta of each dish is!'lib' of meat and 41b! of vegetable's, coatirig 89;, "aufffi- '■ ciont for four persons. arid potato pica. The average contents, li'lb meat, 31b potatoes, two onions, coating Bd, antScient for five peraona. 3rd—tMinced meat and'rice. lib meat, lib rice, coating sd, aufficierit for three persons, 4th— Sausage* iiridpdtatoes. JJth-^-Meat rolls. (Jth—Tea, dessert, biacnita, (sic. Instead <>f soup each visitor was. presented,, with a cake of WhiteheadY Solid Essence of Meat,, equal -to Jib of beejf, together with directions for use, in order that they may tustita merits at their owti homes. . Tlie dessert consisted of 30GQ aj>ple3, a like number of oranges, arid biacuita. ad lib. ■. The dinner was,served on strictly- tempejy. ance pTitio;i|yl^"B, but the fafe: was washed down wi|h An3tra,liau_ fruit syrups,.pineapple, raapberry and, otliers, in "addition to leriianade arid giriwer-beftr,, • The chair waa ocpupied hy Mr.M*Arthur, M.P., who was' kupported by Lord Alfred Churchill, Mr Thoma3.Hiughea, M. P., Mr Charles Reed, M.P.', Mr RaiKea," M.iE».', ihe-Hp.n. Qeprge Verdon,,. AgenfrGeneraj. for Victoria, lilr Edward Wilaori, of Melboxirno, arid Other gentlemen. Dinner- was served at. Beven o'clock. . The .fare pro videct seemed' tb be erij<)yed above and below.':'.the BiJt," the favorite .dish being: the Irish stew, and the gecond favorite being kangaroo- atew, which, by the'way, was not mentioned in th,eb^ll_of fare,.. The sausages and the minced meat, arid rice were also in much demand. . -. The jgenensflj opinion appeared to be that the meat was excellent, as it was certainly palatable; After dinner, M&p TaUermau. waa.,c^Jje.d: upon by the chairman, arid^a^e' a description of the meats which: were „imported, .imported from Australia in a preserved condition. The Chairman expressed the^ great pleasure it gave him to be present on that interesting occasion, au4 he wished all success to the experiment— =one which he. considered was of tlie greatest importance to the working classes. He had no doubt that, when Australian meat. was. better known it would be in. great demand, but ,ho was thaaikfnl to say the supply would be equal to the denial^—(H«ar, hoar.) Mr Moteshead, a working man, expressed his opinion, ns.^he !waa sure: of thqse;:pr^-. sent, tli^t the meat wliioli had been placed beforethetriwas most excellent. -=-(Oheera.). He begged. to mpye —•*} That in. -view of the present Qoriditjori of. tlie'qouritry, and: its' relation: to the Colonies, the: developrrnent of the Australian food anpply was of gre^t impcivtarice to the woi'kirig classes'of thia Courrtry.'* Mr Thomas Hughes; JH.P,, seconded :ihe resolution.,. He. had, he gaid, frequently visifed tKe" Lamb'etli BatnaVbut he never -eaTae^ more willingly: than, he had that .evening in th^.o^use of. qlieap b^'f,^="(Hear, hear,) Tt" waa one (if the Yrios't iriiportaftt atsd vital; questions-itb. which they coqld turn- their, attention-—, the bringing of thei surplus" meats' of 'Australia to the surpliiß mouths of England. —Hear, heajr.) He, for one, was not for bringing the mouths to the meat.' Stni^ gration had, he thought, gone farenougl'. What they lia'd to do was to try and make England,q. .fit. country for her sous and daqgßVeir»Jtj> live in.. . A^nd.th,at. cpuld not be done unless they gfl,ye every o.ne plenty", to eat, and thaifc"goott of itskirid^ Wiilv. respect to the Australian meat it was, no doubt, not at present equal to the first* rate, cuts <>f the best butchera; :but the 1 Wan, inwhatevei 1 station .he mpyed^ wljo could pot make a. good meal of the meat j they b>skcl liad that evening did riot deserve I to have a good meal at nil.' He believed,| tha.t the processeß of preserving the Ans;; tralian meat would: be still further iml>roved, and that it would be received in this cuuntVy in still heiter condition, and »t even a cheaper price than at presen-, Those wh(> h.a4ri.ntrodu(»4"-,^»''"j»d;wlio' wore now e:igage'cl'iri recomuiehcfihgitVhe considered _ty be benefsjctqrs of .the. coiunV try. TJie ru*)lntipn wfis'siVipporibd/by.the ifun Cc n- o ro Verdou, Vrhbj iii the- course «f his- onaerviitioiis, said ,that -.withpnt cnterjnir into the question;:whether, enii-., Hi-atiun, was a. good thing, or ,'riotV they!, would a.U a^i-ee with; ;hnri'• tliat tlie'effort to i>ive the working men^of. tliia country good aud.cheap;inea|was.pne {, which-wjw (leajQrviiiij pf. warm suppprt, «~ (dHecrs,) Tiie resoliitum was put fvha cafrie^d' miauimously, Mr Applegarth moved ; thajt a comniitt^u should 1 .be" aj)-;; p'fiutod tn consider the best nieana of bringing 4nstralian meat under ihe nottw of ihe working men of this country, Mr Cliarhsa Reed, M,P,, seconded the resolution. He considered; the question of a cheap meat supply one of the most vital' irnpoitanej to: thousands tiftd tliousatids in the -metropolis; wbofroln varitof aitHicieiit food could-scarcely keep body and soul together. He trusted that j the cndwivor iv>w living m.-ulc would moot

with the support which it ao well merited. Prejudice no doubt existed against foreign meat) but they should endeavor to overcome it, He had not come there with a prejudice, but he confessed he had had Borne doubt. As the poet aaid, he had " greatly daring dined," and he had enjoyed hia diriucr. ; He,wa,3 satisfied that i auudreda, and hundreds of poor people in Bethual-groen would be thankful for the boon : which nxidit now he^iyen to them. They had all heard something of a free breakfast-table, and he trusted they would ' : all do what jn them lay to give to tho poor a cheap diuuer-table.— (pheera.]l Mr L. Wilson, in supporting' thie motion, meu- ' tioned that the supply Wo\ild equal to any | 'de.maivi that might be, made on it, jind the : Oolouis^ts were, thoroughly alive f to the importance of importing to Eri^- . land a food which England 'so much L re,ided. The resolution was put and £d.>pted. Mr OecU Raikea, M.P., in supporting ; a vote of thanks to Mr Tallerr | man, and the. Colonial Committee for the efforts they had made and were making tp introduce Australain meat into this dountiy, sa.id they, had often heard a good -dea,l aa to wha^t ilie. oV>|orjie3 Qwed England—rthey now saw tliat England owed a great deal to her Colonies. They, had that evening enjoyed an excellent dinner, and better still, they had the prospect of affording aji excellent and a cheap dinner to thpuaanda' of popv people in this country. Hr Talle.rma,ri and the. coinmittse of colonists had given an impetus to an important moyeinent, and it was the 1 duty of them all to forward it to the beat and u.tm.oat of their power. — (Cheers.) •