It urges, therefore, free and generous receptions everywhere." When the Aldermen at Queenstown wished to present him with an address, some opposed the idea for the reason that Grant had declined to receive the address of the Irish nation. This act upon the part of General Grant provoked the ire of some of the members of the Catholic Church at that point; and on the Sunday following his arrival, a parish priest preached a sermon against him because he had shown himself the persistent enemy of the Catholic Church. This solitary instance of bigotry which has been unduly magnified, would not in the least have interfered with the popular demonstration had he landed, and a corporation address would have been presented. CHAPTER III. DEPARTURE FOR MANCHESTER ARRIVE IN LONDON-EPSOM RACES-THE BANQUET On the 30th of May, General Grant, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Fairchild, General Badeau, Mr. Galloway, the American Consular Commissioner, and Mr. Crane, United States Consul at Manchester, left Liverpool en route for Manchester. As they As they passed along, immense crowds gathered at every station and loudly cheered them. All the stations were beautifully decorated, the American flag being everywhere prominent. At eleven o'clock they reached Manchester. They were received by the Mayor and Aldermen, and a very large assemblage of citizens, who manifested their enthu siasm by continued cheering. Accompanied by these dignitaries, General Grant visited the factories which have made Manchester famous, the new Town Assizes Court, and the Royal Exchange. At the new Town Hall the distinguished visitor was received by the Dean of Manchester, Mr. Birley, M. P.; Jacob Bright, and the Mayors of Talford and Wigan. The address of the Mayor and Corporation was presented in the drawing-room. In his speech the Mayor said that he had not forgotten a similar occasion when, in 1863, the ship Griswold brought a cargo of provisions to the suffering operatives of that city, who, on account of the failure of the cotton crop at the South, had been thrown out of employment. He also made a very pleasant allusion to the visit of that distinguished American statesman and diplomat, Reverdy Johnson. The present object of the corporation he declared to be to evince the good will of the citizens of Manchester to General Grant personally, and as a representative of the great American people, whose kindly feeling they desired to cultivate. A congratulatory address was delivered by Sir Joseph Heron, in the course of which he referred to the kind expressions which the recent birthday of the Queen had evoked in America. He expressed the wish that the present existing good feeling would constantly increase, and hoped that the visit of the ex-President would ultimately lead to an interchange of ideas on the subject of abolishing the restrictions of trade and the establishment, by the common consent of both nations, of free commercial intercourse between England and the United States. During the delivery of the addresses, General Grant listened with attention, marked by that quiet composure of manner peculiar to him, unmoved, although thousands of eyes were directed towards. him. In a calm, quiet manner he arose and acknowledged the welcome he had received. "It is scarcely possible for me," he said, "to give utterance to the feelings evoked by my reception upon your soil from the moment of my arrival in Liverpool, where I have passed a couple of days, until the present moment. After the scene which I have witnessed in your streets, the elements of greatness, as manifested in your public and industrial buildings, I may be allowed to say that no person could be the recipient of the honor and attention you have bestowed upon me, without the profoundest feelings. Such have been incited in me, and I find myself inadequate to their proper expression. It was my original purpose, on my arrival in Liverpool, to hasten to London, and from thence proceed to visit the various points of interest in the country. Among these I have regarded Manchester as most important, as I have been aware for years of the great amount of your manufactures, many of which find their ultimate destination in my own country. . So I am aware that the sentiments of the great mass of the people of Manchester went out in sympathy to that country during the mighty struggle in which it fell to my lot to take some humble part. The expressions of the people of Manchester at the time of our great trial incited within the breasts of my countrymen a feeling of friendship toward them distinct from that felt toward all England, and in that spirit I accept, on the part of my country, the compliments paid me as its representative, and thank you." At the conclusion of the address of General Grant, lunch was served in the large banquet hall. Toasts to the Queen and the Prince of Wales were proposed and drunk with all the honors. The Mayor of Manchester responded to each in loyal speeches. The health of President Hayes was then proposed, and was received with enthusiasm. Mr. Newton Crane, United States Consul at Manchester, responded amid considerable applause. After these formalities, the Mayor of Manchester proposed the health of General Grant amid the plaudits of the assemblage. General Grant replied, with a humorous twinkle in his eye, that Englishmen had got more speeches, and of greater length, out of him, than his own countrymen, but they were poorer because they were longer than he was accustomed to make. He warmly returned thanks for the reception he had received at the hands of the |