 John Silvester, the Recorder of London referenced the spectre of Napoleon Bonaparte and the burgeoning Napoleonic Wars in his announcement of Perring's appointment, stating that "At a time so awful as the present, when the country is threatened by an implacable and unprincipled enemy, it is of the last importance that the civic chair should be filled by a person in whom the greatest confidence can be placed".Silvester ominously warned Perring that "The keys of the Metropolis are placed in your hands, at the moment when the enemy are at the gates".The ball held later that day at Guildhall was opened with a minuet danced by Perring's eldest daughter and the Spanish Ambassador.