The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-18 00:00:00

EVENING, AUGUST 18 1852.

I BRITISH ARCHZEOLOGICAL
ASSOCIATION.
NEWARK, TIIESDAY.—Last night, at eight o'clock,
a meeting of the Archaological Association was held
at the Town-hall, at which the Duke of Newcast:e
presided. Among the members of the society present
we observed—Lord It. P. Clinton, M.P., the Earl of
Lincoln, Lord E. Clinton, Mr. Barrow, M.P., Sir F.
Dwarris, Mr. T. J. Pettigrew (the treasurer), the
Rev. R. J. Hodgkinson (local hon. secretary), Mr. G.
N. Wright, Mr. J. R. Planchj, Mr. T. S. Godfrey,
of Balderton, Dr. Lee, Sir 0. Moseley, Mr. G. H.
Vernon, M.P., &c. There was a very numerous
attendance of ladies and gentlemen in the body of the
hall.

Before the ordinary business of the association was
proceeded with,
The MAYOR (Mr. Nicholson) read the address from
the Mayor and Corporation of Newark to the Duke
of Newcastle, and to the Archaeological Society, ex-
pressing their congratulations to the association?' The Duke of NEWCASTLE, on the part of the
com-
mittee and members of the society, returned his
ac-
knowledgments for the kind reception which had been
given them in that ancient and remarkable borough,
and for the address which had just been presented. To
the Mayor, to the Rev. Mr. Hodgkinson, and to other
residents in the town, the thanks of the association
were especially due for the great assistance they had
rendered in preparing for the reception of so consider-
able a number of persons, and for the excellent ar-
rangements which their local knowledge and business-
like habits had enabled them to make. With refer-
ence to those portions of the address which referred
personally to himself, he would only say that he
valued them most highly as proceeding from the in-
habitants of a town which had always stood pre-
eminent in his affections, and in the welfare of which
he took a deep interest. The address had referred to
the past history of Newark, and to the great men who
had first drawn breath in that town. He sincerely
hoped that the great men whom Newark might in
future produce would be men who would carry the
blessings and truths of religion among their country-
men, and even into foreign climes, and that such days
of strife as those in which their magnificent castle
was dismantled were past never to return.—(Hear.)
The Noble Duke, having resumed his seat, said that
it was the practice for the President of the Associa-
tion to read an inaugural paper, and he must apologise
for the very imperfect address which, in compliance
with that custom, it would be his duty now to deliver
to them. He came among them rather as a disciple
than as a master—as one who had much to learn ra-
ther than as one who had anything to teach. He
would, therefore, only endeavour briefly to lay before
them a plain and simple basis, upon which others
would, he hoped, in the course of the week, erect a
more elaborate structure. One of the objects for
which the association was established was to prevent,
as far as was practicable, all injuries with which an-
cient national monuments of every description might
from time to time be threatened ; and he believed the
society had been very successful in their endeavours
to secure that end.—(Hear.) Another object of the
association was to spread abroad a correct taste for
archaeology, and a just appreciation of monuments of
ancient art, so as ultimately to secure a general inte-
rest in their preservation. So well aware were the
ancient Greeks of the value of such investigations as
those undertaken by this society, that in Athens three
men were paid by the State, whose duty it was to
afford information to those who sought instruction
respecting the interesting monuments of their coun-
try. With regard to our own country, however, so
entirely deficient were the records of history from
the 3d century to the beginning of the Bth, that, but
for the researches of the antiquarian, that long period
would be almost a blank in the annals of this island.
—(Hear, hear.) Another most important subject,
and one intimately connected with the science of go-
vernment, had of late years received the attention of
the society. He alluded to the bearing of ancient
laws, and the influence of apparently anomalous cus-
tuns, upon the habits and even the dispositions of a
people. Some able men in the sister country had
lately been investigating the Brehon laws, which
seemed to have more or less governed Ireland for
nearly a thousand years, and he rejoiced to say it was
now decided that the whole of those laws should be
at once translated and published.—(Hear, hear.)
Such a publication might possibly throw light
upon much that was singular and that had
been inexplicable in the destiny of that nation.
In France there was, or at all events there was till
recently, a Government office, whose duty consisted
in watching over monuments, and in securing the
restoration of such ancient buildings and monuments
as would otherwise fall into dilapidation or be de-
stroyed by private persons. That important duty
was, however, performed in this country to a great
extent by voluntary associations, such as that which
Wil3 now holding its meeting, and it had been most
successfully performed in numerous instances—
(Hear, hear)—not by any actual power with which
such societies were invested, but by the wholesome
action of public opinion, induced by their representa-
tions.—(Hear, hear.) He must say that until he
visited Egypt he was never fully impressed with the
value of antiquarian researches. The discovery of a
key to the Egyptian hieroglyphics had given a means
of more fully understanding the writings of past
ages, and even of the books of the Old Testament,
which no other event could have afforded. It
really seemed providential that all the wonders
which had been brought to light within
the last forty years in Egypt, in Nineveh, and
in other places, should have been buried for so many
centuries—nay, for decades of centuries—by which
alone they could have been preserved to give the
people of this day a clear insight into the religious
forms and domestic manners and customs of the most
celebrated people of antiquity. lie would only ex-
press his sincere hope that those remains might
henceforth be preserved.—(Hear, hear.) The Noble
Duke then proceeded to refer at some length to the
local antiquities of Nottinghamshire, and gave an in-
teresting sketch of the history of ottingham, New-
ark, Southwell, Mansfield, and Worksop, making
particular allusion to many of the antiquarian relics
to be found in those towns. The Noble Duke con-
cluded by expressing a hope that the catalogue re-
sume he had given of some of the antiquarian riches
of the district would induce others who possessed
more leisure and skill to turn these facts to account,
and to unveil from the dust of ages those sterling
treasures which many among them were only now
beginning to appreciate.—(Hear and applause.)
On the motion of Sir 0. MOSELEY, seconded by
Mr. T. J. PETTIGREW, a vote of thanks was given to
the Duke of Newcastle for his able paper.
Mr. GUTCII then proceeded to read an elaborate
and interesting paper on Robin Hood and the ballads,
which he had prepared in consequence of the vicinity
of the place of their present meeting to Sherwood
Forest, which had been hitherto regarded as the habi-
tation of the celebrated English yeoman Robin Hood.
The recent singular discovery made by the Rev. J.
Hunter, in his researches among the ancient records
of the Exchequer, justified him (Mr. Gutch) in as-
serting the veritable existence of Robin Hood, and
the county of his residence. Mr. Gutch referred at
great length to the statements of Dr. Stukeley, Mr.
Thoresby, Mr. T. Wright, M. Thierry, a writer in
the Westminster Review under the signature of " G.
F.," and others, with regard to the existence and cha-
racter of the renowned outlaw, and quoted many in-
teresting passages from ancient ballads detailing the
exploits of Robin and his comrade, " Little John."
From the information derived from these sources,
combined with the discovery recently made by Mr.
Hunter, that at the time of the presumed existence of
the outlaw, it appeared from the account of the ex-
penses of the King's household, that one Robin Hcol
was a porter of the chamber, Mr. Gutch expressed his
firm opinion that Robin Hood was not a mythical
personage, but had a veritable existence about the
year 1323.
A paper on the era and character of Robin Hood,
prepared by Mr. J. 0. Halliwell, was read, in the
absence of that gentleman, by Mr. T. J. Pettigrew.
The writer stated that the recent publication by Mr.
Hunter, in which he attempted to prove from records
that Robid Hood was a veritable historical personage,
had drawn much attention to this interesting ques-
tion. Without pretending to the discovery of any
fresh evidence, Mr. Halliwell thought that an intel-
ligible resume of the arguments on Robin Hood's
true character might not be unacceptable to those
whom he was addressing, who would then draw their
own conclusions on the subject. Robin Hood was
not mentioned by any writer previous to the latter
part of the 14th century. The only authentic
notice of him as an historical character Whb met with
in the pages of Fordun, who travelled and wrote in
the latter part of that century, and who ntro-
duced a notice of the hero after relating the final
defeat, towards the close of Henry lll.'s reign,
of the great national party of England under Simon
de Montfort. Mr. Halliwell then read the narrative,
which stated that " from among the dispossessed and
banished arose that most fatuous cut-throat Robin
Hood, and Little John, with their accomplices," and
proceeded to record some of the acts of the daring
outlaw. This account appeared only in a late MS.
of Fordun, which Mr. Halliwell regarded as of little
authority ; and asked whether it was probable' if
Robin Hood had been a real person of so much noto-
riety, that no notice of him whatever would occur in
contemporary history. There was no want of bistro:
rians who treated of the period, and, had such
son as Robin Hood existed in the latter parte:onfPn:hoe.
13th century, he must unquestionably
ticed by Matthew Paris, Benedictus
I found
writers. Instead of this, however, they mere
_lda other
him mentioned, as a subject of popular ballads, in
a work composed a century after the alleged time
of his death. The early ballads on the subject were
most numerous, but it seemed scarcely credible that
those romantic compositions should be treated as evi-
dence. 'lr. Halliwell proceeded to quote some cu.

(From the Court Circular.)

rious and interesting extracts from the Robin Hood
ballad poems, and came to the conclusion that it was
moat unsafe to rely on the very insufficient evidences
of the existence of such a person as were derived from
this source. In all probability he was a mythic per-
sonage,
and the conjecture that his name was merely
a corruption of " Robin of the Wood" was by no
means an impossible one.
After a few words from Mr. PLANCHE, with refe-
rence to some of the facts mentioned in the foregoing
papers,

Sir
S F. DWARRIS read an able paper on the forest
laws, courts,,and customs, and the Chief J ustices in
Eyre north and south of the Trent.
The meeting separated at a late hour.

RETURN OF HER MAJESTY
TO OSBORNE.
PORTSMOUTH, TUESDAY. -- This morning, at 11
o'clock, the Royal steam squadron became visible, by
the aid of a good telescope, about 30 miles off this
port, coming up under all steam towards Spithead
from the eastern channel. The Vivid yacht, Mr.
Luke Smithett Master-Commanding, first appeared.
She was followed at the distance of two or three
miles by the Queen's yacht Victoria and Albert, with
the Sovereign and party on board, denoted by the
standard flying from the main. Then followed the
Fairy, and, lastly, the Black Eagle, Admiralty steam
yacht, with the First Lord on board, but five or ten
miles astern. The armed attendants (Odin, 16, Cap-
tain Henderson, C.B. ; Magicienne, 16, Captain Ram-
say ; Sampson, 6, Captain L. T. Jones ; Barracouta,
6, Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie ; and the Retri-
bution, 28, Captain the Hon. J. R. Drummond)
were nowhere in sight at that time. About 12.15
the Royal yacht entered the anchorage of Spit-
head, when all the ships lying there—the Blenheim,
60, Captain Gardner (acting) ; Edinburgh, 56, Capt.
Hewlett (acting) ; Vestal, 26, Captain C. B. Ha-
milton ; and Tiger, 16, Captain Gifford, " dressed
and saluted, manning yards and cheering as the Queen
passed. The Victory flag-ship and Platform Battery
also saluted. The American line-of-packet ship Lon-
don, Captain Hibbert, and the Alfred Indiaman
lowered their ensigns and dipped their pennants as
the royal standard passed them; their crews also
manned their rigging, and the passengers the bul-
warks, and cheered most loyally. Her Majesty was
also saluted by the Royal Victoria Yacht Club Bat-
tery at Ryde, on passing that yachting station. At
12.30 the royal yachts arrived off Osborne, when her
Majesty stepped into the yacht's barge, and landed at
hl2oi.e3t7e,dwahteonsbthoreneflaagt
12 ,sturuncdker
the usualbarge,
salutes and
was. 44 in the
from the Squadron House-battery, and the Marquis
of Anglesey's Castle at West Cowes. The Queen's
yachts then anchored off Cowes harbour.
The armed attendants above enumerated did not
become visible from the eastward until the Queen had
disembarked at Osborne. The Barracouta appeared
first, about 25 miles from Osborne; she was closely
followed by the Odin. The Magicienne appeared
about five miles astern of the Odin ; the Sampson
about the like distance astern of the Magicienne; and
the Retribution about ten miles astern of the Samp-
son. The Barracouta ran through Spithead at 12.6-5
r.m. ; the Odin, at 1.5 P.m ; the Magicienne, at 1.37
P.M.; the Sampson, at 2 r.m; and the Retribution, at
2.5 r.m. ; and at 3.20 the whole squadron were an-
chored at Cowes.
The Black Eagle returned to this port at 5, having
left the Duke of Northumberland at Cowes, to at-
tend the Privy Council to-morrow.
At five o'clock a heavy thunderstorm came on
with rain in a perfect cataract ; it was more like one
sheet of water than isolated drops. Meanwhile the
lightning was very vivid, and the thunder continuous.
It commenced at the westward, and is passing over to
the eastward.-6.30 P.M.

OFF FLUSHING, AUG. 16.
The Royal squadron got under weigh early yester-
day morning, intending to proceed to sea, but, in
consequence of the gale that was blowing, came to
anchor off the town of Flushing.
Her Majesty was received with manned yards and
a salute by the Dutch frigate lying in the roads.
The Dutch Admiral of the Port came on board in
his barge to pay his respects to her Majesty; as did
also the captai❑ of the frigate. In the afternoon the
Royal yachts, with the Black Eagle and Vivid, pro-
ceeded up the river Scheldt, and anchored off the
town of Terneusen. Her Majesty the Queen, with
his Royal Highness Prince Albert, their Royal
Highnesses the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal,
Princess Alice, and Prince Alfred, landed at the
town, and drove through the streets and environs.
Upon re-embarking her Majesty was saluted by
the fort.

OSBORNE, AUG. 17.

Yesterday morning the Royal squadron got under
weigh at six o'clock and proceeded to sea, intending
to proceed direct to Osborne, but, a thick fog coming
on, the yachts, with the steam-frigates attending
upon them, anchored at half-past five o'clock in Dun-
geness Roads, where her Msjeaty and the Royal party
remained for the night.
This morning the Royal squadron weighed an-
chor at half-past four, and reached Osborne at half-
past 12 o'clock.