Our Old Home Chapter 12 - Civic Banquets Part 2

In which the author, amid the robust conviviality of an English civic banquet, observes the hearty yet measured English approach to wine, the elevated social rank and proud demeanour of judges, and the rousing expression of loyalty embodied in the singing of "God save the Queen." He recounts his own uneasy venture into public speaking, reflecting on the candid and unpolished style of English oratory and the mingling of genuine goodwill and ceremony at a Lord Mayor’s dinner in the Mansion House.