gentlemen. Mrs. Peachey, in
an elegant speech, referred to the day as the anniversary of Nelson's
great Victory, and feeling sure that the Captain of the Corps would
receive the colours with the elevated zeal and Christian spirit best
suited to the solemnity of their consecration. Captain Shield was
equal to the occasion, and in a strain of oratory in keeping with his
patriotic spirit, accepted the colours in suitable terms, and,
addressing the men, said:--"At a most important crisis you have stood
forth against an implacable enemy in defence of everything that is dear
to us as men, as members of society, and as Christians! With a
reliance therefore on your zeal, with a confidence in your virtuous
endeavours, I commit this standard to your care, and may the Lord of
Hosts, and the God of Battles, make you firm and collected {69} under
every trial, and securely under it to bid defiance to the desperate
enterprises of those who may rise up against us"!

After the ceremony of presentation the company marched to Church, where
the Colours were consecrated by prayers, read by the Rev. Mr. Bargus,
vicar of Barkway, and the Prebendary of Carlisle preached a powerful
sermon. The local choir of fiddles and clarionets, &c., was not equal
to so great an occasion, and a choir of singers from Cambridge
attended, and chanted the Psalms and sang the Coronation Anthem. A
cold colation given by the Rev. Captain followed, and the Volunteers
marched to the Heath, where "they performed their manoeuvres and firing
with great exactness." At five o'clock a company of 200 ladies and
gentlemen, exclusive of the Corps, sat down to a "handsome dinner" on
the Bowling Green [at the Green Man] in a pavilion erected for the
purpose. Here we are told that "loyal and appropriate toasts kept the
gentlemen together till eight o'clock, soon after which they joined the
ladies at the Red Lion, where the evening was concluded with a very
genteel ball." The old chronicle adds a curious complimentary note
upon the moral and spectacular aspects of the day. "So much
conviviality, accompanied with so much regularity and decorum, was
perhaps never before experienced in so large a party." Two bands of
music, the Cambridge Loyal Association Band, and the Royston Band, were
present, and we further learn that "the number of people that were
assembled in Royston on this day is supposed to be greater than is
remembered on any former occasion."

The identical c