The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-13 00:00:00

N,

R6Y4II..tITERAItY FUND.
Th-6-6fiffi'v-T3T,larydirmurof this institution, the object
of which is to rielreinisteraseistence to authors of genitta
and learning who may be reduced to distress or deprived
of the power of literary exertion, wan held lest night at
the Freenmeens!--Tavern. Lord Chiefti obs Campbell
took the cheireand .among the company Ju
we erved—
M. Van der Weyer, Weyer, the Belgian Minister; theL Ch
awreevalier
Bunsen, the Prussian Minister; Mr. Abbott nce,
the American- Minister; M. de Bine, the Danish Mi-
nister;
jinaisstticoroarrn,cilifoMaarjdo,rsil\rlll.coelmo;kbLuorrod,
General Sir C. Pasley, the Hon. W. F. Campbell, M.P.,
jtjthi.seStetSrno;alritctlietieiGlise:an!ral for Ireland, the gneen's Advocate,
Mr. C. Ilindley, M.P., the Rev. A. P. Stanley, Mr,
Thackeray, Mr. C. Baldwin, Sir 11. Ellis, Professor
Creasy, Dr. Haggard, Mr. J. Murray, Mr. Bentley, &c.
About 120 gentlemen were present.
After the cloth was drawn,
The Cnerameet, in proposing the " Health of the
qacen," said that her Majesty was peculiarly to be ad-
mired as the patron of literature and art, end therein
differed from the first monarchs of the house of Bruns-
wick who occupied the throne of these realtiv, who were
not very refined in their tastes, and had little respect for
literature and the arts. It was related of George I. that
'he said upon ono occasion, " I hate all poets and
painters."—(Laughter.) This could not, happily, be said
of her Majesty, who had manifested her -gracious concern
for the prosperity of this institution by sending a dona-
tion of 1051.—(Loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN next gavel " The health of Prince Al-
bert, the Prince of Wales, and the other members of the
Royal Family." He said. the Prince Consort had en•
deared himself to all classes, and had peculiarly endeared
himself to the friends of this institution, by g fill
the chair at one of its festivals. Prince Albert was the
active, energetic, and successful patron of all that was
useful and delightful, in proof of which they had only to
Consider what he did during the past year in promoting
the Great Exhibition, the memory of which would not
soon bo forgotten.—(Hear, hear.) The Prince Consort
had not as yet contributed to the literature of hio.adopted
country, but if the speeches he had delivered since he
came to this country were collected together they would
form a most valuable accession to our literature.
The CIfAIRMAN then-proposed " The Church," which
was acknowledged by the Rev. Professor BROWNE.
Lord J. STUART gave " The Army and Navy," which
was responded to by Sir C. PASLEY.
The Clientele/4 then gave "Prosperity to the Royal
Literary Fund." Lie believed that all who were present
were acquainted with the history, objects, and merits of
this institution, but only those knew the pressing neces-
sity
for th existence of such a society who had been
actually engagedin administering the aid which it af-
forded to literary men, or who, like himself, in the exer-
cise of the privilege accorded to the chairman for the
year, had eel:indeed the records of the society.—( Hear.)
He used to suppose that it was only those authors who
failed to procure fame and distinction who required the
assistance of their more fortunate competitors, bat, on
looking to the records of this society, he found that
Many men who had enjoyed great celebrity as novelists,
dramatists, and biographers, who had amused, instructed,
and enlightened the world, had, notwithstanding, fallen
into penury and had pined in want.—(Hear.) It often
turned out that only a small portion of the profits of a
work fell to the author—(Hear, hear)—that popularity
was fleeting, the taste of the public capricious, and that
a second work not less meritorious than its predecessor,
Which had charmed its readers, sometimes fell stillborn
from the press. From those causes men who had been
eminent in literature often fell into decay, and in former
times, to the disgrace of this country, persons of the
greatest eminence in literature had not known where
to lay' :.their heeds,. while others had died
from want. ' Literary men had, therefore, reason
to bless Sheseusemory Sef those who had established
this institution—(Hear, hear)—which had relieved the
distress of many eminent persons, and which had saved
some from. premature death and possibly from suicide,
it ePdhilseabadiirnca delicacy el
peculiar
sltyohae iwrt
mostb merits less-dreadedwb destitutebe oni
efebfi thiscaiitlnaat ()lei I arrntdneseilut
nititaitdi ofuvenethnEoaco institution
da(bwniieesidcor.
o:
nelanortts
,hhi
given. neeagr esf terro.
secrecy
t)eiiatuyhlTtehaile'll
ftahmaitlytablel I iatied-
nono;
al
ti
alto' eaourrdanmetf
ruonerrndet i
u,nant :ease
inrgraii
tvryd:nye en
ibbwueyitan
atgahsne tdhsoueclai togethereil
dtoyvgeiwirnvaate into
of
thete s doleoa
or ofa cha-
rity, a -
des-
titute brother.—(Cheers.) Such a mode of administer-
ing relief blessed alike him who gave and him who re-
ceived. He rejoiced that this institution still flourished
and was likely to flourish. Its supporters need not be
afraid lest the existence of nachoe. society and the assist-
ance it gavele distressed authors should induce young
men to leave the sober paths of industry and professional
exertion. It held out no lures to such a career; it only
relieved and reseued from want those who, dazzled by
the temptations Of literary fame, had been disappointed
and were unable to provide for their subsistence in old
age, and for the,wauts of these who were dependent
upon them. 11e: trusted that such an institution would
continue to be fostere4 and encouraged, and he now
drank, " Prosperity to the Royal Literary Fund."
The Rev. 1)r. RUSSELL then read the report, from
which it appeared that during the last year the receipts
were 2,553/., and the disbursements 2,956/., leaving a
balance in hand of 296/. The income of the past year
showed an increase of 600/. over the preceding year.
The subscriptions included a second donation of 50
guineas by Lord Campbell; the Dulce of Somerset,
101. 103.; feel of Ellesmere, 10/, 10s.; E irl of Ellen-
borough, 101.; Sir J. Swinburne, lot.; Mr. Macaulay,
101.; tee Stationers' Company, 20/.; Mr. Disraeli, M.P.,
10/. los.; Mr. G. Peabody, 10/. loe, &e.
Mr. Justice TALFOURD, in proposing the health of
the chairman, said ho had filled the office of first law
officer of the Crown for a longer period than any ono of
his predecessors in English history. The Learned Judge
proceeded to dilate in the flowing language of friendship
upon the many splendid successes which the Noble and
Learned Chairman bad achieved at the bar, in the arena
of authorship, and upon the judicial bench.
Lord CAMPBELL said he might regard it as the
proadest day of his life to fill a chair which had been
occupied by so many illustrious predecessors, and to be
surrounded bfso many distinguished representatives of
foreign POW 'ea. The-IsToble and Learned Lord took oc-
casion to pay a graceful compliment to Mr. Juatice
Talfourd, who, he said, had shown how law might be
combined withliteratures who was one of the most con-
summate judges that ever sat in Westminster Hall, and
one of the most distinguished poets that everadorned
our language. Literature had been his (Lord Camp-
bell's) inheritance. By that be had made his way in the
world, ancVato authorship he would gladly have entirely
devoted
himself; for he :considered a great poet or a
great dramatist mush superior in the scale of intellect to
a Lord Chancellor or a Chief Justice.—(Cheere.) But
he had devoted himself to the law, and to literature ho
was indebted for the-means of prosecuting his studies.
When his professional -labours ceased literature became
tho resource of his leisure moments, and in its pursuit ho
had passed five of the most delightful years of his life. And
most gratifyiog it was to him that his Learned Friend
and other competent judges had honoured with their
commendations the labours of that period of his life.
He was not yet without the hope that he might live to
produce a work which would give him a more enduring
claim to a place among the authors of England.—
(Cheers.) Ile had now the gratification of announcing
as his successor in the chair of that society a distin-
guished author, now become a statesman, and who was
proud to acknowledge that to literature he owed his ele-
vation. Authors could not expect, if they remained at
their desks,! to have peerages and offices thrust upon
them; but let them make themselves useful, and, above all,
let them make themselves formidable, and then they might
become like the author of " Coningsby," who was now
Chancellor of the Exchequer and leader of the House of
Commons. lle begged to drink the " Health of the
Chairman of the Literary Fund for 1853, the Right Hon.
13. Disraeli."—(Loud (leers.)
Mr. M,MeeetEs, M.P., proposed the " Health of Pro-
fessor Creasy and the Ii istorians."
Professor CREASY said, that never was history so
thoroughly appreciate& and never was there so many
worthy writers of history as at the present moment.i In
our own country we had Hallam, Macaulay, Alison, Pal-
grave, Napier, Stephen, and many others, while in clas-
sical history we-had Thirlwall, Grote, Merrivale, &e.
Arderieiboasted the names of Washington Irving and
Bancroft; while Germany had in Chevalier Bunsen—
(Cheers)-e-one; of
,the most distinguished followers of
Niebuhr, of whOin it might be said in the words of his
own eulogy upon Scali-ger, that ho was a man before
whose eyes every nation that possessed a history was
made to abed light upon the history of every other na-
tion.—(Cheers.) _France had her Guisot, her Michelet,
and mealy others; while Spain, Italy, and other coun-
tries could all boast the possession of distinguished living
historians.4all t
etw
p r a
ry Whereverhistory
that
ty
flood
looked f
light
itheyght foundwhich in
antiquity every
country a school of historians no longer shallow de-
claimers, but men oraction, and they were the true men
of thought—men who brought to bear upon the history
and the passions of Test ages the experience which they
had acquired in the political history of the present day,
and who were thereby enabled to bring to bear upon
vista. if antiquity were viewed aright. He was proud
eta have hie name united with such a toast.—(Cheers.)
eo' lak-Weirtesinzo gave " the Rev. A. Stanley and the
-Biographers-"__ The Eton. and Learned Gentleman, in a
felicitious speech, pointed out how rich English litera-
ture already was in biography before Mr. Stanley had
contributed to it his "Life of Dr. Arnold," a work
which had exhibited in the subject of that biography a
conscientiousness and a love of truth directed to as noble
purposes talcould engage the intellect of man.—(Cheers.)
The Hey, A. STANLEY acknowledged the toast.
The Hoie.W. F. CAMPBELL, M.P., proposed the
" Health of Ur. Thackeray and the Novelists."
rete
Mr. TUACKERAY (who eat at the lower end of the
room)vie said thee she company at the chairman's table
tiolo ns' h ,They e. -ancl those
thee
about M
procuredgrea great "
to, starsae 't ' t
ill
chiefom t
phearta managersupon tbo
these
se theseoo
festivals,.
n
acbb(i•mths
were the tilheamllo Hamlets,
while
eencreedZis----- and Guld i ensterns, and resembled an
iedividual- of his
Dr ury •lane: shakenn his
nlla acquaintance
'ance who, as Banque, had at
They were like the lame'
gory locks at half-a-dozen
Macheths.—(A. ' laugh.)
individual in plush the© o
ii,
whose humble office i,
well to water the stage, amid the applause
for the Taglioni and Lind of the night.—(A laugh.)
of the gallery,
Many qathose about him, like himself, knew what it
was to receive at the beginning of every season a basket
full of tiekets inviting him to meet the
; like-patrons of som
charitythe present, to rap upon thetable andap-
plaud that particular virtue with which the chairman,
the niglA.viiihed to indoctrinate his audience. Still
there was a silent almoner who issued from such meet-
ings after they were over, and by whose charitable minis-
trations they were sanctified as by a grace after meat.
(Cheere) - His calling would be the longest to last, for,
tong after the present generation was dead, there must
be I_l s, and generosity, and folly, and fidelity,
stir love, and heroism, and humbug iu the world—
.
(14,AughY07—allil "
us log as these uotiuuecl his suc-

THE PAPER DUTY.
The discussion in the Commons yesterday morning
had all the usual characteristics of a Wednesday's de-
batea.; It was an adjourned debate; the arguments had
been exhausted and the tele thrice told; to crown all,
the decision had been anticipated by the budget, which
had made no mention of " taxes on knowleige." It is
always uphill work when men meet to reiterate what
has been said often before, and to discuss what has been
already decided on. In spite, however, of these discou-
raging circumstances the lion. Members contrived to get
up a really interesting conversation, more or less bear-
ing on the motion before them. A little divergence is
very excusable when we cannot otherwise escape from
vain repetitions, and when Mr. Cowan had recited the
contents of an old pamphlet chiefly relating to Excise
grievances long since removed, Mr. Gladstone created
a timely diversion by an excellent speech on the pecu-
liarities of the modern bookselling system. As he fully
explained, his remarks on this subject were quite to the
purpose in hand, inasmuch as it is ridiculous to expect a
sacrifice of revenue in behalf of a class which claims the
privilege of fixed prices that have no natural relation
either to the costs of production or to the demands of
the public. It is true that the excise on paper consti-
tutes a very insignificant item in the cost of new works
and as far as it operates as a check upon serials and
cheap publications reacts in favour of such books as Mr.
Macaulay's. It is true that original works are
indirectly protected by a tax which oppresses the
monthly or weekly compiler. But the public will
always take a general and, so to speak, an
external view of these subjects, and, as Mr. Gladstone
shows, there is a manifest absurdity to the popular
apprehension in extending the principles of free trade
in favour of men who repudiate them altogether in their
own practice. A trade which bristles with monopoly,
and in which printers, publishers, booksellers, and com-
positors, have all their several combinations, surrenders
all claim to the sympathy of Parliament. It is not usual
to help those who show so little scruple in helping
themselves. The publishers of this metropolis have
the finest position and the amplest opportunities in
the world. At the centre of communication, and at
the head of intelligence, with fleets daily leaving
our ports for all nations in the world, with numerous
colonies under our rule, and more than fifty millions of
people speaking our language, we might make this me-
tropolis the great manufactory and depot of British
literature. Tnese advantegee are newratized, not so
much by financial oppression as by a sluggish and ti-
morous policy of selaprotection; by the attempt to
combine small returns and large profits; by looking for
customers in a small class, and not in the world at
large; by a system which renders the sale of a few
thousand copies, even in the case of the most popular
writers, and on the most interesting subjects, a surprise
to the largest and most experienced publishers.
A popular objection is often stronger than a real_ one,
and Mr. Gladstone represents, with his customary force,
a prejudice which, thanks to themselves, the publishing
trade will probably long have to encounter before they can
hope to see their raw material untaxed. It will always be
said, what right havo you to ask for cheap paper when
you attempt to force on us dear books? Set the example
of free trade, and Parliament will follow. This, how-
ever, is only one view of the qaestion. A more compre-
hensive survey brings to light a great variety of con-
flicting considerations. Certainly, if we had cheap
paper, ingenious men might make or lose fortunes
in working up straw and rubbish of all kinds into
paper. The manufactura of paper boxes, papiermlche.,
weavers' cards, coarse wrapping, and penny cycloFre has,
would receive a great stimulus. ilundred of small
paper mills, long disused, might ba reopened, weea
there was no longer the n. cessity of procuring heavy
bail, when the machinery would no longer be in con•
tinual pawn, when the exciseman would no longer be
always about, or not at hand when wanted, and when
on production. Perhaps paper wou
experiment would no longer be charged with the tux
But a man must be very far-sighted who can
tell all the results of the change. In the first
place, with the excise of three-halfpence a pound,
there would go also, ee a matter of course, the
Customs' duty of fourpenco halfpenny, involving a pro-
tection of threepence a pound
On the home manufac-
ture. Are our paper dealers prepared for that change?
Then, any considerable increase of manufacture would
only aggravate an evil far more serious than the duty.
The increasing price of cotton rags, and the difficulty of
enlarging our supplies, has lately eaten up the profits of
papermaking to an extent which threatens the business
of the largest and most succes‘ful papermekers. The
Americans, of course, use all their own rags, and the
French do not permit the exportation of theirs. As far
as concerns ourselves, it is
give the public the benefit of the reduction, even if that
reduction should ultimately cheapen
appre-
ciable extent. The duty flow enhances the cost of each
copy of this journal, heel d•
u ing the supplement,
three-eighths and one-thirdofsupposing
a penny. Even
questionable whether we could
the reduction to tell to its full extent on the price of the
material, we should have to choose between losing on
every paper more than an eighth of a penny, or gaining
rather less than three-eighties. The former course would
be little gain to the public the latter course would be
great gain to ourselves.
As in all probability the paper
would continue to cell at the railway stations at the
market price of 6d., and
our subscribers would be
content to go on plying 5d., we
should accept the gain
d n
of three eighths, and spe a large portion of it in the
improvement of the paper, in quickening the streams of
intelligence, and in setting up new machinery to hasten
the publication. That would be the form in which our
readers would gain by the remission of duty. But, we
repeat, it is very questionable whether the remission of
duty would be followed by any permanent reduction in
the price of paper—nay, it is the opinion of many that
there will soon be a general call
upon Government to
repeal the duty on paper, not to make it cheaper than it
now is, but to prevent it from becoming seriously dearer
through the increasing deficiency of materials.
So much of the afternoon was occupied with subjects
of a rather episodical character, such as Mr. Gladstone's
remarks on " publication And trade prices" and the ques-
tion between the Commissioners of Excise and Mr.
dis-
cussion of the stamp and advertisement duties. We Cearles Dickens, that little room
ob-
serve that one Honourable Member assumes as a matter
of course that the stamp i
-s only a mole of charging
postage, and that on the withdrawal of the stamp a
was left for the
wwrldcanho eashiilgyhlyimagine, but it would
specific postage would bo immediately charged on all
papers passing through the post.
~, That, , such a sub-
stitute
to the principles on which the stamp
--Tivenieni, to some
iTblwiehaotiown
messengers, when we could only
n a tcorrespond parties
o
has been hitherto imposed.
dutylt would, as we
have formerly observed, give a dishonest advantage to
on the day
some of our provincial coutemporoafripe
,o
andul world
cir-
culatere-
print d
oso by means of the post. It would also create a
great and unjust difference between our metropolitan
and our more remote provincial readers. A Govern-
o their
ir intelligence
papers
by
by substituting a
yesterday, we have only to say that
subjects disposed of .
Govern-
ment which spends eight hundred and seventy thousand
pounds a-year in carrying foreign letters, and which an-
nually grants a quarter of a million for educational pur-
poses, could not with any decency impose a Species of dif-
fereutial duty on the newspapers sent to our provincial
readers. Why should a substitute be made which would
create a difference that does not now exist? The present
stamp duty was enacted inno viery. friendly spirit to this
paper, as witness thearbitraryiinitatori on its size and
the duty on our supplements,tve which imposes a heavy
penalty on our attempts to give our subscribers a better
article for their money. _ But Nye have done the best we
could under this intend .
happily disappointed
it; nor do we who
against those who wer.
the advert
intended discouragement, and have
•nted the expectations which prompted
wholly despair of turning
Yid try to restrAs for i
c
t
o
the tables
our circulation
postage. the last of the three
worth its
advertisement duty is not
--------_
,ble

months ago Mr. w. ii. Barrett,
CAPTURE OP A FRAUDULENT BANK.RUPT.—GLou-
corn dealer and miller of this city, and whoa short time pre-
viously had been elected sheriff of Gloucester, absconded to
CESTER, TUESDAY.—SOMe
America, taking with him a large sum of money, which he
had raised chiefly by the u e of forged bills, the names of
several merchants, with whom he had had transactions, and
others having been forged to acceptances by him. He was
traced to the United States where he was captured, and he
was brought to this country in custody, arriving by steamer
at Liverpool on Sanday. Ile was immediately brought
dawn
u
to Gloucester by railway and lodged in gaol, and yesterday
he was taken before the magistrates on the charge of forgery
Acceptances, amounting to some thousands of pounds, all of
which are alleged to have been forged by the prisoner, were
produced; and after the.examination of several witnesses he
`was remanded for a week• lie appeared very dejected and
orvlNrn.