The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-11 00:00:00

ROYAL LITERARY FUND.

The anniversary festival of the Royal Literary
Fund was held last night at the Albion Tavern,
Aldersgate-street, when about 100 gentlemen sat
down to dinner. The Archbishop of York occupied
the chair, and among those present were the Marquis
of Clanricarde, the Earl of Sheffield, the Bishop of
Carlisle, Mr. D. F. Fortescue, M.P., the Dean of
Westminster, Mr. B. Westhead, M.P., Mr. Goschen,
M.P., the Astronomer Royal, Dr. Livingstone, Pro-
fessor Plumptre, M. Vambery, and Messrs. Locker,
A. Michie, IL Bell, C. C. Hoskyns, Matthews, Q.C.,
and Otto Qoldschmidit, &c. After the removal 'of tlie cloth,
The Most Rev. CHAIRMAN, in proposing the toast
of " The Queen," said that although circumstances
had deprived her Majesty's subjects of the oppor-
tunity of seeing her as frequently as they might
desire, it would be a great mistake to suppose that
her seclusion was accompanied by any indifference
to public affairs or to the interest of her subjects.
On the contrary, her Majesty's interest in all that
concerned the welfare of her people had, if possible,
been increased by the loss which she had herself
sustained.

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The toast was received with the utmost cordiality,
aa wa
ss alsond that oe
rest
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Tthhee RPeryinacleFaanailndy.P”rincess of
In proposing the latter toast the CHAIRMAN
acknowledged the important service which had been
rendered to this corporation by his Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales, who 'd prem ed at the annual
dinner last year, and who had the satisfaction of
knowing that many cases which would otherwise
have been undealt with
had been relieved out of the
munificent contributions which his presence had
secured for the fund.
The toast of " The Church" was proposed by Mr.
D. FORTESCUE, and acknowledged by
The Bishop of CARLISLE,
said that not the
least reason which had induced
who
ed him
to attend the
dinner was a feeling of
loyalty to the most rev. pri-
mate, to the ability and success of whose adminis-
tration of the province which had been
committed
to his charge he bore willing and ample testimony.
The CHAIRMAN, In, - •
p'-'Posing the toast of the
evening, " Prosperity to the Royal Literary Fund,"
said that he ,-- 1 ed.rticular y desired to guard himself
a"...ist being supposed to entertain any notion of
patronising literature. Literature had now become
so great a power that anything like its patronage
was entirely out of the question. It preached to us,
taught us, and made laws for us, or, at all events,
suggested them, and they were then enacted by the
proper authority. It tried men, and severely—
sometimes too severely—punished delinquents. Now
and then it appealed to public justice on behalf of
some one against whom public opinion had pressed
too strongly, and procured his acquittal. It worked
great social reforms, and it delighted us with the
contemplation of fictitious characters, and in that
way almost pushed the actor who used to monopo-
lise that function off the stage. This power, as an
aggregate one, was a thing of quite modern date.
We were accustomed to speak of the Elizabethan
era as the most glorious in English history, but
there was then no community, Commonwealth, or
republic of letters such as now existed. A friend of
his said to him the other day that no member of
the House of Commons told the whole truth upon
any question; yet after a long debate in thathouse,
and after suggestions from all sides, there remained
no part of the subject that had not been explored.
In the same manner, although no individual writer
might tell the whole truth upon any subject, by
the combined exertions of all writers it came to
be fully discussed and completely explained, and
thus a common sense of mankind was
formed which no single individual could create,
but of which every individual might reap the ad-
vantage. Let them conceive for a moment the good
effects which arose from this constant and searching
criticism, which was so all-pervading that nothing
passed without being thoroughly examined by per-
sons who were competent to the task. In the first
place it was a great means of our education. We
were being educated daily. Every hour of travel,
every interval of leisure, every spare five minutes
was now occupied by reading. Nor was this confined
to the privileged classes; literature was now so cheap
• -