The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-12-03 00:00:00

LONDON MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.

The second anniversary dinner of the members and friends of
the above Institution was held yesterday evening, at the Crown and
Anchor Tavern, Strand. The room was crowded to excess be-
tween six and seven hundred persons sat down to dinner—his
Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex In the Chair.
Amongst the individuals whn supported the t.oyal Chairman we
noticed 11. Brougham. Esq.. 31.1'., John Smith, Esq., M.P., J.
Abercrombie, Esq.' M.P., the Common Sergtaht, Dr. Birkbeck,
and Mr. Alderman Wood.

The crowd in the room became so great after dinner, that several
persons were unaccommodated with seats.
The Duke of Susstx, on observing this. expressed a hope that
those who had seats would have the urbanity to continue in them,
and thus afford standing.roorn at least to those who were nut so
fortunate. Ills Royal Highness then said, that In all great meet_
logs the first toast aiwsys was one of loyalty and attachment to their
Sovereign, and that, in now proposing his Msjesty's health. he
should give it as the health of the friend and patron of the Arts
and Sciences. (Great applause.)
" The King," three times three.
The Anthem of " God save the King" was sung by Mr. Fitz.

The next toast was " The Royal Family."
BROVOH Ali then rose and spoke nearly as follows rise
for the purpose of proposing a toast, which, for reasons obvious to
all, cannot be put from the Chair. (Applause.) I see you readily
anticipate that it is the health of the illustrious Prince who, greatly
to our honour, and, I will aid, mien to his own; now presides over
us. To name Ms Royal Highness was to praise him, and his pee-
',epee alone restrains me from enlarging on a subject which afford-
ed ouch a rich and fertile theme, for where Is the useful institution
which he has not supported? where Is the liberal and enlightened
principle which he has not advocated? Were I to follow him
through the whole count of his public life, I would find that he
had at all times usefully, zealously, and elf:dully supported those
institutions which where calculated to benefit the potpie. (Ap-
pletete.) lie is a friend to education in the most extended sense of
the word ; he is the uniform, enlightened, and zealous advocate of
all that had the moral and intellectual improvement of mankind
for its end. I said that hi. presence imreed silence on me, and I
now feel tint to throw away more lames would be useless, and only,
serve to restrain you from drinking the health which you know I
TAR propose, and which I now do, that of our illustrious Chairman:
(Great applause.)
Hit ROYAL 11 innxres returned o:rinks—After the handsome
and kind manner in which his Honoured Friend proposed his
health, and the flattering manner in which the company had cc.
ceired it, he hoped he would be allowed to say a few words, not
merely to return thanks, but likewise to state his feelings as they
regarded the interests of that most important important institution
which they were then met to commemorate—an institution to which
his hand and heart were fully pledged: indeed, if such were not
his feelings, be would rot be found amongst them to-day (Ap-
ple:lse), for he looked on the appearance of every individual
then present as a test of feeling towards the inatitotion, and
a firm p!etlee that he would use to the utmost his intellectual
and physical powers in support of that institution which had
in en short a tine risen to an eminence and acquired an
impales Ice, which its warmest friends could have hardly anticipated.
AU pawns anxious for the welfare of the country must feel an
interest in the general education of the people, and the people must
feel a great and an honest pride when they considered that the
meats of their attaining an enlightened and a liberal education
were furnished by themselves. His Royal 11h:btu:as went on to
uy, chat though he was not present at thew meetings he had read
the minuses, and was well acquainted with die proceedings of the
several Mechanics' Institutions; he might, therefore, at etk of
them as one to whom all their regulations were known, and he had
repeatedly said that one of their greatest merits was, that they were
ender the sole control of the members in whose hands, and in whose
alone, were the ettire management and interests of the concern.
(Applause.) They might 3114 w others to address them, and they
were right in no doing; it was but prudent to hear those who were
best acquainted with what might be advantageous to the Institu-
tion, and then it remained for the members on their own judgment
to carry into effect the suggestions and advice of those persons who
had well studied and had the interests of the institution at heart.
The control of an institution, which was peculiarly their own, and
from which they were to receive to much advantage, could not
fail to infuse a secret, and he would add, an honourable
pride in its mnr.bers. He would venture as a friend, and as
one who felt a deep interest in their success, to give them
a caution, which he trusted they would receive in the spirit in
which it was given. The invitution was founded on two principles,
namely, that no political question was to enter into chair consider-
ation, and that no religion, of any description, was to be required
of its member,. Now they had started forward with these two
prmeiples, let them keep them constantly in mfad—let them stick
to these rules—let them boldly bear themselves forward, and then
prolong would rontinue to br as regular and as rapid as it had hi-
therto been. Secondly, he would give them his strong and earnest
advice to keep always in view that they met for scientific purposes
only, and I pray you (slid his Royal Highness) not to be induced
by any false friend or insidious enemy to entertain at your meet-
ings political questions. Don't, I conjure you, be perverted into
debating ancirties. Take my word foe it, that your greatest enemy--
he who was determined to effect your ruin, would, as the most ef-
fectual means of doing so, not openly, but covertly, endeavour to
create dissention and disunion amongst you. I warn you, there-
fore.agninst such persons,though they appear in the vitae of Mends.
etiek so what I before said to you, and depend you must prosper.
Every Englishman must be proud to see (hat in this country there
was no station in which a man was notallowed to hare his own
opinion, and that the enlightened people over which their Sove-
reign reigned were not a set of alarm, not mere machinery (ap-
plause). He did not use the teem from any disrespect to
machinery, for Ito man could have a greater retaket fur it than he
had ; no MAO estearned mere highly those ineustnous mechanics
who, by their useful invention'', promoted the manufactures of the
country; for, with due management, this machinery could be con.
versed into a great blessing. If placed under proper scientific con-
trol it was what might be calk.; the economy of intellect. While one
mechanic worked be might turn to his brother on the right and on
the left; he might conimilnicete with them, and thus information
would be interchanged; that was what he understood by the economy
of time, which was as of great value in trade as in any other line of
life. He had long felt an interest in such Institutions as the present :
he felt too a pride in being so nearly allied to the Sovereign who
presided over to enlightened a people; and he trusted that those
present would persevere in their exertions further topromote the edu-
cation of that people. (Applause.) His Royal Highness went on
to say, that eatablithunots such as the present were daily multi.
plying. The number which now had circulating libraries of their
own were from 115 to 90. This was a new link in the chain of
society : it was, if he might use the phrase, an intellectual (rater.
oity, resulting from a communion of intellect. He would con.
elude by calling on them to till a bumper; and if it were not a
sort of tuff, he would ask them to drink their own health* by
proposing '• Prosperity to the Mechanics' Institution." His health*,
Highness resumed his seat amidst loud cheers.
'Abe toast was drank with great applause, three times three.

The Royal U 17.1 tit st AN, in propisiing the neat toast, said It was
that of an individual whose name was dear, not only to this Hiatt.
tution, but to all others of a similar nature—it was that of an
irdividual who was the first who had the intellect to conceive, the
boldres to attempt, and the triumph to succeed in establishing a
Idechanies' Institute: it was that of Pr. 13irkbeck. (Great tip.
please). That respected individual had the good fortune to succeed,
and the sada...mien of his own conseierre must be more grateful to
him than any compliment he could receive at their hands. His
Playa! Highness then proposed the health of " the Founder of the
flat Alechanice Institution, Dr. Ifirkbcck."

Dr. BIIIKBECI returned thanks. The day of laying the first
stone of their theatre would be long remembered, because of the
presatee of their illustrious Chairman, and the day on which they
were now oasembled from the presence of the tune illustrious huh.
vidual. The Learned Doctor then entered into a full detail of the
advancement made by the Institution since their first anniversary
meeting. They were cheered in their progress and received their
meed of praise from the wise and the good—they were opposed, it
W 34 true, by those whose censure was praise, and whose praise, if
indeed they were inflicted with, would be a subject of regret. The
friends of the Institution had the authority of the celebrated Marquis
de la Plate to oppose to the idle objections of those who appeared
so anxious to perpetuate the ignorance of the people ; that distin-
guished individual declared that those for whose benefit such In-
stitutions as the present wets intended, viz. mechanics, had greater
capabitities for science, and that when communicated to theist, It
fell into the hands of time where it was must likely to meet with
proper and useful application. Ile had been honoured with a letter
front that great philosopher, who was not smere smatterer In science,
but was one who had tarried his researches farther than even our
own great philospher bad dune. The communication here alluded
to was as follows :

" I am much flattered, Sir, by having this opportunity of trea-
t, ing to you the high micro which I entertain for you on account
of the honourable zeal with which you disseminate knowledge
amongst the most nommous clam of society, and Chit class which
can make at once the a.oat useful application of it.
" Alwyn' Dc LA PLACE."
After come further observations, he said he could not sufficiently
admire the teal and anxiety to take advantage of the education
which was placed within their reach. He concluded with repeating
to them a saying of the great ii!smondi, viz. that " man must be
enlightened to distinguish good from evil ; that he must be vir.
mous to prefer the farmer to the latter, and free to avail himself of
the choice he has made. (Applause.)
The Royal CHAIRMAN said, that if he were called upon to
state his opinion of the conduct of the individual whose heahlt he
meant to propose, in all the public acts of his life he could find no
act more honourable to himself, or more grateful to his country
than his promotion of general education. (Applause.) lie per-
ceived that he need my no more. fur with the cause of gavel edu-
tuition the name of Henry Brougham must be connected. He
should therefore. without further preface, propose the health of
Henry Brougham, Eog., the conetatent and enlightened advocate
of education—three Haws three—Air, " The Berwick Jockey."
Mr. BROUGHAM attuned thanks.—He begged to trespass on
the company for a l'or minutes, wham he expressed the rest rind
manifest progress.inder.l, he might say, irrexistihie progress—
wh.ett education had, under the auspices of the Mechanic-re lusti-
tuiun, made. By It the severe/ useful arts were placed within the
reach of the poorer clauses. As a proof of the advancement it had
made, it would be enough to state the fact, that the insthutiou had
now 1900 attending members. If, In addition to this fact, they
metleti any other proof, let them look around, and compare the pre-
sent meeting with the numbs it,eembled thatclay twelve months,
which did not exceed two hundred ; whereas there were now over
six hundred persons in the room. That fact spokz. volumes—and
it spoke additioral rclurnee, that in all the smell country term, h.

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