COMPANY TO DINNER AT THE MANSION HOUSE,
ON WEDNESDAY THE 15th OF JUNE, AT SIX O’CLOCK PRECISELY,
ON THE OCCASION OF LAYING THE FIRST STONE OF THE
NEW LONDON BRIDGE.
The favour of an answer is particularly requested by the 6th of June.
Mansion House, May 25th, 1825.’
“A Royal dinner at Carlton Palace, on the same day, deprived him of the presence of the Duke of York, who quitted the Bridge through Southwark, immediately after the ceremony. His Lordship’s guests, however, amounted to a greater number than had ever before dined within the Mansion House, since, in addition to upwards of 360 in the Egyptian Hall, nearly 200 of the Artillery Company dined in the Saloon; the whole edifice being brilliantly illuminated with gas, both within and without, and the entertainment superintended by a Committee of his Lordship’s private friends.
“To mark the very deep public sense of the Lord Mayor’s munificent conduct upon this memorable occasion, at a Court of Common Council held on the following day, Thursday, June 16th, Adam Oldham, Esq., Deputy of the Ward of Farringdon Within, called the attention of the Court to the very splendid manner in which his Lordship had conducted himself towards the Members of the Corporation, at the recent ceremony of Laying the First Stone of the New London Bridge; and suggested that the Court should make some early and suitable acknowledgment of his Lordship’s distinguished liberality. In consequence of which, at a subsequent Court held on July 28th, a motion was made by R. L. Jones, Esq., ‘That a Gold Medal be prepared, with a suitable Inscription, commemorative of the circumstance of Laying the First Stone of a New London Bridge, and presented to the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor in the name of this Court:’ which was unanimously agreed to, and its provision referred to the said Committee.
“This Medal, however, has not yet been presented; and of two others which were prepared, as memorials of this work, one had the die break in the hardening, and the other was struck for private distribution only: as their extreme rarity is, therefore, not to be questioned, I shall give a short account of each of them; at the same time, expressing my surprise, that so important an event has not called forth an host of these classical memorials. The first private Medal was executed by Peter Rouw, and William Wyon, Esquires, Modeller, and Die-sinker, to his Majesty; the obverse containing a Medallion of the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress;
and the reverse being occupied by the following Inscription:—