The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1839.

CITY OF WESTMINSTER
LITERARY, SCIENTIFIC, AND MECHANICS'

INSTITUTION.

On Thursday evening Professor Calvert, of
King's College, Aberdeen, delivered the first of
two lectures on Oratory at this Institution. He
introduced the subject by pointing out the import-
ant part which oratory had performed in the
achievement of the great events of ancient and
modern history. He ridiculed the notion that a
just and forcible delivery could be produced by ar-
tificial tricks of utterance or gesture. Follow na-
ture, must ever be the fundamental maxim of the
orator. If art be employed in the cultivation of
oratory, it must be only to perfect the imitation of
the pattern and model reared by nature. He pro-
ceeded to expatiate on the utility of elocution, as
that art founded on the analogy of natural expres-
sion, which teaches us to speak with propriety and
effect. He clearly showed that the study of this
art tends to exhibit the egregious deviations from
the standard fixed and established by nature,
and that its chief object was to restore
the natural, and set aside the artificial mode of ex-
pression. The Professor proceeded to remark that
purity of pronunciation must form the basis of a
correct Elocution; there existed no necessary con-
nection between words and things, and it was there-
fore of the utmost importance that whatever sounds
were by common consent employed to impart ideas,
should be in general use ; every variation from the
standard of accurate pronunciation must of neces-
sity produce more or less obscurity of expression.
He illustrated this by examples of the sins of omis-
sion and commission, more especially with respect
to the aspirate, and raised a laugh at the expence
of those who prefix an H to every vowel, and those
who, with equal impartiality, exclude the aspirate
altogether. He adverted, under the head of affecta-
tion, to the Chesterfield mania, which, with the
view of rendering the utterance of the Court
totally distinct from that of the people at
large, threatened to destroy the richness
and force of our language ; but he congra-
tulated his audience that some well-directed
sallies of reproof and satire had prevailed, and we
had now got back to the good old English practice.
A pompous and stilted delivery was greatly in
esteem with some speakers, and must always im-
pair the effect of their discourse, for if every trifle
were delivered in the tone of an oracle, the parts of
peculiar importance would not be distinguishable
from the rest, and all would appear even as " a
tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury—signi-
fying nothing." Where vices of delivery, such as
these, existed, the flow of oratory, which should be
lucid and sparkling as the chrystal streamlet, was
rendered foul and turbid at its very source. The
Lecturer stated, and most happily displayed, the ap
plicability of the ordinary conversational style to the
most varied kinds of reading, and assured his
hearers that, by just analogy, it might be adapted
alike to poetry and to prose of every description.
The Professor proved himself a most versatile anti
effective living illustrator of the principles he ad-
vocated, and he passed " from grave to gay, from
lively to severe," with admirable tact. His lecture,
which had throughout received the warmest token;
of approbation, was concluded with some diverting
specimens of the styles of soi-disant orators, amid
loud and repeated cheers.

GALLERY OF PRACTICAL

SCIENCE.

THE DAGUTAiithOTYPE.

The interest excited by this invention appears to L
daily increasing. Mr. Bradley gave a lecture at the:
rooms yesterday on the properties of the Daguerreotyi e.
and the manner in which the representation of obje. t,
are delineated by it ,and M. de St. Croix, who broti,.2i.t
the apparatus from Paris some weeks ago, assisted hi!r
in the operations. Not fewer than a hundred and fist•.
persons were present at the lecture. Mr. Bradley, in aL:
course of his remarks, stated a new circumstance whit
will teed to diminish its value in all northern climate:.

In climates near the line the impression on the pia!,
can be made in one minute, or two at most, while icy
the latitude of London, and at the pros-nt season, it
will require from twenty-five to thirty minutes. In I.h!
course of that period tho sun changes its position by a
certain number of degrees, and, consequently, deraligc;
to the same extent the images on the plate. .
Bradley, while be spoke in the highest terms of the
covery, expressed his fears that this circumstance woui,:
render the invention of little use here. We are
however, to think that these fears are greatly
exaggerated. No views can be more correct, or mor.,
nicely defined, than several of those taken by M. de S.-.
Croix since he came to England, and most of them hate
been made in unfavourable weather.

These rooms continue to be frequented by numeroui
visitors, who receive both instruction and amusement at
a ►ery cheap rate.

DOMESTIC POULTRY.—Under the term do-
mestic poultry in this country are understood ti ,e
chicken or fowl, turkey, duck, goose, pea and guinea
fowl, to which perhaps may be added the swan. l',-t;
have no history so ancient as the domestication of she
common cock and hen. The cock was supposed to
be of Persian origin ; but the species has been since
propagated and introduced into general use throughout
the whole world, from east to west, from the burning
climate of India to the frozen zone. Although fow!s
used for the table are by nature granivorous, yet all
the various species, the goose perhaps excepted, are
carniverous likewise, and great devourers of fish. By
propagation and crossing, gallinaceous fowls have ben
distributed into almost endless variety ; but without
including the more marked breeds, Dr. Bechstein dis-
tinguishes eight varieties of the common barn-door
fowl, namely, the fowl with a small comb ; the crowned
fowl ; the silver-coloured fowl ; the slate-blue fowl ;
the chamois-coloured fowl ; the ermine-like fowl ; tie
widow, which has white tear-like spots on a dock
' ground ; and the fire and stone-coloured fowls. It is,
however, difficult in many cases to identify the distinc-
tions mentioned by foreign writers with the fowls bred
in this country.—The Poultry Yard.
" The temperature at this place," says the
Semaphore of Marseilles last Saturday, "is so mild,
being at 20 degrees of Reaumur, or 77 Fahrenl.eit,
that one's faith in the calendar is shaken, and we c In
scarcely believe but that we are in Spring. We have
almond and cherry-trees in full blossom, and in many
gardens the lilacs are putting out their flowers as if it
were April.
A tremendous storm occured on Friday in the
valley of Semur, at Marcigny, in the Saone et Loire, ,as
the Courrier de Lyons states. The flood was so powerful
that the soil, with its produce—trees, dwellings, and cari-
riages, and other vehicles on the road—was carried im-
petuously down to Marcigny. The Countess de Bus-
seuil and her daughter, who arrived at that time in the
place, were saved only by the presence of mind of the
master of the hotel where they had stopped. He took
them in his arms from their carriage and carried them
out of reach of the water. The ground floors of the
houses in some parts of the town were filled up to
the ceilings. An old couple were in imminent dan-
ger of being drowned, when the Mayor, in spite of
the remonstrances of all around, determined to save
them. Notwithstanding the house they were in was
tottering under the force of the torrent, he ventt.red
in twice, each time bringing away one of its terrified
inhabitants. The scene on Saturday was highly in-
teresting; crowds of people were engaged in claiming
and identifying innumerable articles which had been
carried away by the flood.
ALLEGED DEATH PROM Vim.ExcE.—On
Thursday an inquest, which lasted four hours, was held
by; adjournment at the Queen's Lauding, Wapping-will,
Lower Shadwell, before Mr. Baker, Coroner, on the
body of Eleanor O'Brian, an elderly woman, who, it
was alleged, came by her death in consequence of
blows inflicted upon her head by her son, Dennis
O'Brian, a coal-whipper. The Coroner, in summing
up, said he was of opinion neither a verdict of murder
nor manslaughter could be sustained. The evidence
was conflicting, and it was probable that the deceased,
who was a drunkard, had fallen down stairs and injured
herself. The ruling passion for gin was in this case
proved to be very strong, for the deceased called fir
ber favourite liquor on her death bed. The Jury, after
a long discussion, returned a verdict " That Eleanor
O'Brian died from external injuries, but by whom in-
flicted there was no evidence before them."

FoxTUNE TELLING.—An aged woman, resid-
at Bercy, where she practised the art of fortune-telling
by cards, and inspired terror into the minds of a great
number of the inhabitants, who believed her to be a
sorceress, was condemned by the Tribunal of Correc-
tional Police, a few da's ago, to five years' impriion-
, ment for having extorted from another old woman nearly
I,ooof. in money, a quantity cif linen, and about 80 bot-
tles of wine, which she pretended to employ in inc iota-
' tions and spells,to discover the infidelity of the husband of
her dupe, whom she stated to be in love with anoti?..:r fe-
male. To such an extent had she acted upon the mind
of the jealous old lady, that the latter bud at one time
attempted to suffocate herself with charcoal to get rid
of her uneasiness. The husband, an old man, was in the
body of the court, which he enlivened occasionally by re-
marks on the foolish jealousy of his wife. The sm caress
denied the charge, particularly as to the wine, of which
she said she had only had a glass now and then, to keep
body and soul together, but admitted the receipt of
little presents from time to time, and invoked the indul-
gence of the Tribunal, having, she said, exercised her
profession merely "pourags condemnedagnersapautvoretwvoiey."cal A
im-
prisonment. -
masleo,nmheernat.coomplice, was