The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-06-07 00:00:00

translations of Horner, Virgil, Loran, and oilier
classics, with which latter be possessed au intimate
acquaintance, though the traces of it might not be
strongly discernible in the offspring of his own muse.
He was also perfect master of the six books of
Euclid, tolerably so of trigonometry, and a good
feud-surveyor. which, in Scotland, was a higher
scientific attainment than here. The honour done
to himself on the present occasion should never be
effaced ftom Ins grateful recollection.—(Appfarse.)
The memory of Buchanan. Thomson, Ramsay,
Beattie, Skinner, Mucniel, Leyden, and other de-
' parted Scottish Bards, with several other appropriate
toasts, was then drank. The Chairman then
ob-
served, that after 'raying the tribute of admiration
to departed excellence, the more gratefol duty re-
mained of testifying their respect to living genius.
He was about to propose the health ofa great con-
temporary poet and countryman, who, he might truly
say, was a poet in his prose as well as in his verse;
who in his delightful series of national fictions—if
indeed such faithful pictures of men, manglers, and
times, were to be call►d fictions—had done that for
his country which no other man ever had. The ce-
lebrated individual he alluded to, would willingly
have taken a part its the festivities of the day, had
lie nut been debarred from doing so by the state of
his health. The toast he meant to propose was, that
of " Walter Scott,” drank with three times three, and
universal applause. The Chairman tilts' surcessviely
proposed the health of Thomas Campbell. and
of the Rev. George Coddle and the Bards of
England, prefacing each with appropriate remarks.
Mr. CRABBE returned thanks in a neat speech.
Sir James MACKINTOSH then said, that having
rendered, their homage to the poetic genius of
England and. Scotland, they welt hound to chew
the sante regard to another country. Ile rose to
propose the health of Thomas Moore, the natiousl
poet of Ireland--(Applastse)—the representative
of the poesy of That couutry. winch was the most
prolific of auy to Europe, of natural eloquence, and
spontaneous wit. Justly might lie be designated
the representative of Irish poetry, abounding, as his
own did, in all its rich characteristics--a happy
vein of humour, sublimity of sentiment, and thrt
strain of impassioned teuderness with which every
poet of Erin seemed to ha►e been inspired. by
dwelling on the melancholy story of his country
—by mournfully•contemplating the wrongs' she had
suffered...lid the rights of winch she had been de-
prived ; for it was remarkable, that not an indivi-
, duel among them, from Swift to Moore. had proved
a reneged° to the land that gave. him birth—that
nut one of them could be mentioned who had not
sorrowed over her sufferings. He believed Mr.
Moore fully worthy of representing this class, and
a higher honour than that could, in his opinion, be
paid to no man. He, therefore, begged leave to
propose the s' Health of Thomas Moore and the
Bards of Erin." The toast was drank with three
times three, and every mark of respect and •p-
-plause.

Mr. Moons then addressed the company. It
was impossible to say how much he was flattered by
the very gratifying compliments he had heard,
coming, too. from an individual of such eminent
worth, whose life had been so conspicuously die.
tinguished by public and private virtue—of his
rowers as an orator he had often been a de-
lighted sudior—aud of his literary acquire-
menu, and philosophical mind, that historical work
which he hoped would shortly see the light.
would be • convincing evidence to the world—
and while it would shew mankind what states-
men had been, the life of the author would teach
them what it ought to be. He begged to congra-
tulate the Gentlemen he addressed on the object
for which they were assembled. To pay the ho-
mage of respect and affection to the memory of
the illustrious dead, might be to them a useless
honour, " flume users;" but it was at once a
most consolatory office to those who paid the debt,
and a most powerful incentive to virtuous exertion
and laudable emulation in the rest of society.
But the spectacle then before his eyes was one
such as the world had never before exhibited : he
saw a large number of individuals, elevated as any
in society by genius, by talent. by intellectual at-
tainments of the most various kinds. voluntarily
meeting to assist at the commemoration of • risen,
who, by the mere dint of intellect, and in despite
of the disadvantages of lowly birth and humble
circumstances, had soared the loftiest flights of
poetry—who, in comic descriptions or pathetic re-
prescntations, had given an ever-living picture of
the manners and customs of his countrymen—who
had delineated the common feelings and passions of
humanity with such fidelity and accuracy as to he
justly entitled one of the few poets of truth and
nature—who had associated the sweet rod simple
airs of his country with verses the most fasci-
nating, and poems breathing sentiments the most
pure, dignified mid ennobling—such an union of
national music and poesy every lover of his coun-
try should encourage, and say of it " est° per-
pet ma."--( Anilause.)—Burna had, above all men,
battened and established the dignity of umn—the
native and inherent pre-eminence of genius. He
wits the strongest example that nature, in bestowing
her favours, in conferring those gifts which are the
most sure, solid, and rational foundations of supe-
riority and admiration, disregards the accidental
distinctions of rank, and station. and wealth, and
showers the fancy, invention. and eloquence of a
poet, equally on the peasant and the peer, the
Burns mud the Byron.—/Loud applause./—He
taught us to quote two hues from sue of his own
songs—
" The rank is bat the gontea's dn•pr—
The sum's the good for a' that."
—(Applause.)—Their project had his most cordial
wishes for its success; and lie hoped that the monu-
ment would be the cause of producing many wore
Burns's.—( Long-continued applause.)
Among the other toasts were those of Sir F.
Burdett (the Hon. Baronet had previously left the
room), Dr. Currie (the biographer of Burns), and
Sir J. Mackintosh.
Mr. Foasas MITCHELL read a statement of the
subscriptions received. Those collected at the
dinner amounted to 2561. which, with former ones,
made up the sum of one thousand sod (as well as
we could hear) twenty-seven pounds.
Various other beautiful and well-selected songs
were given in excellent style. The evening. was
spent in the utmost Itila►ity and conviviality, and
the company did not separate till a late hour.