The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-21 00:00:00

"The Immortal Bard "

altogether unmistakeable, though without any name to
mark the individuality.

According to the syllabus, the programme of yes-
terday's lecture ran as follows :
" The Drama—lts rise and progress in England
The predecessors of Shakspere—His art, intellect, and
power—His successors—Ben Jonson, Beaumont and
Fletcher, &c.—Reasons why the Drama declined—Spe-
cimens of the style of the different Dramatists."
Conspicuous among our regrets, yesterday afternoon,
was one that the Lecture did not allude in more genial
language to the lives as well as to the writings of Beau-
mont and Fletcher—the Damon and Pythias of Litera-
ture.

THE PROTESTANT ALLIANCE.—The second annual
meeting of this society was held yesterday in Free-
masons'-hall • the Earl of Shaftesbury in the chair.
There were also present the Earl of Roden, Mr. Chambers,
M.P., the Hon. Captain F. Maule, Admiral V. Har-
court, the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, the Comte de
St. George, Colonel Alexander, Captain Trotter, Mr.
R, C. L. Bevan, Colonel Edwards, Captain Valiant,
Captain H. Layard, Rev. Dr. Marsh, Rev. Dr. Steane,
Rev. Dr. Bunting, Rev. Dr. Malan, Dr. Thompson, &c.
The Rey. Dr, Marsh having offered up prayer, the chair-
man said it had pleased God to bless the efforts of the
society with considerable success. Two or three events
had occurred during the year in which its friends had
every reason to rejoice. He believed that the libera-
tion of the Madiais was, in a great measure, the re-
sult of the efforts of the Protestant Alliance—(hear,
hear) ; and the friends of Protestantism had also
gready to thank the society for having been the means
of bringing the question of the nunneries before Par-
liament with so much prospect of success. Respect-
ing the college of Mayhooth, he believed that but'little
good would result from the commission of inquiry ;
and that, whatever that commission reported, nothing
but the total repeal of the Maynooth Grant would
satisfy the Protestant feeling of the country. The secre-
tary then read the annual report, which stated that four
new alliances had been established, making a total of 61
in connexion with the society. The income of the al-
liance was 1,500/. (leaving a balance of 801.), exclusive
of 5001. which had been subscribed for the future benefit
of the Madais. An increase was recorded in the number
of public meetings held, convert schools opened, and
tracts distributed. On the motion of the Earl of Roden,
seconded by the Rev. Dr. Malan, the report was una-
nimously adopted. The meeting was then addressed by.
the Rev. W. H. Rule, the Rev. S. Garratt, Mr. Cham-
bers, M.P., the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, the Hon.
Captain Maude, and the Comte de St. George. The
last-mentioned speaker stated that the conventual system
was on the increase in France, and attributed that cir-
cumstance to the fact of English\ parents sending their
Children to French schools, under Roman Catholic influ-
ence. These schools, he said, were nearly all filled,
while those conducted by Protestants were for the most
part deserted. He then described the state of a recently
erected nunnery, which he visited on Monday last in
Paris, where he said the treatment of the nuns was
worse thrn that to which criminals and paupers were
subjected in the prisons and workhouses of this country..
A. vote of thanks having been accorded to the chairman,
the Rev. Dr. Steam closed the meeting with prayer,