The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-29 00:00:00

INC4-_,AITGUST 26, 1 53.

health of Lord and Lady Pahnerskm." [The toast was
drunk with enthusiastic applausi.l
Lord PALMERSTON then rose and said Ladies and
gentlemen, on behalf of Lady Palmerston, and in my
tiwii rianiey I beg to return you our most cordial and
sirlobtrq thanks for the most kind and flattering manlier
in which, in the first place, our worthy chairman has
beets pleased to propose the last toast, and in the
next place, for the manner in which you have been
pleased to receive it ; and I can assure you, on the
part of both of us, that the circumstances of this day
will leave a most grateful impression upon on hearts
to the longest day of our existence. (Cheers.)' For
Lady _Palmerston I may say that she, lam certain, us
her relations to this place will ever bear in mind the
maxim that property has its duties as well as its rights
—(cheers)—and nothing will give her more pleasure than
doing anything which may lie in her power to contribute
to the welfare, the happiness, and prosperity of this town
and of its inhabitants. For myself, with respect to the
kind manner in which our excellent president has been
pleased to notice the plf lic duties which have devolved
upon me, I can only say that it has been my endeavour,
in whatever public situation I may have been placed, to
perform the duties of that office ; and in regard to those
duties as connected with ourforeign relations, any humble
endeavours on my part properly to maintain the dignity
of the country, and duly to afford in every part of the
world protection and support to my fellow-countrymen,
have been so ably, so amply, and so honourably sup-
ported by the unanimous feeling of the country—(cheers)
—that very little merit—no merit, I may say—is due to
the man who was the organ of England in these matters,
The merit is due to the English people, and I am per-
suaded that whoever may be the person charged with the
conduct of the department of foreign affairs, he will
always find in the manly determination and the generous
spirit of the country all the support which he may re-
quire in the most difficult circumstances. (Cheers.) It
has afforded me, ladies and gentlemen, the most peculiar
pleasure to be enabled to assist at the interesting cere-
mony which we have had to perform to-day. There can-
not, to any person who has been conversant with public
affairs, be anything more interesting, and nothing, I am
sure, can be more important—than to assist in the de-
velopment of the intellectual progress of the inhabi-
tants of this country. It is a subject of pride
to every Englishman to feel how awakened is the
spirit of the people to objects and matters of this
kind ; and when we see everywhere endeavours spon-
taneously made by the population of every district
to cultivate their own minds, and to lay the foun-
dation for the cultivation of the intellect of the rising
generation, it is a contemplation which is not only grate-
ful to every lover of his fellow-men, but which is pecu-
liarly gratifying to an Englishman, because he feels that
thereby we are laying the surest foundation for the great-
ness, the prosperity, and the happiness of our country.
(Cheers.) Gentlemen, I see before me a motto which is
peculiarly appropriate to the occasion for which we have
met, and a motto which, I trust, will lead naturally to
the toast with which I shall beg to conclude, viz.,
" Prosperity to the Institution of which we have to-
day laid the foundation." The motto I see is " Know-
ledge is power." Now, if there is any axiom which is
more true than another, that axiom is the one which I
see before me ; for it is by knowledge man is enabled to
coerce to his service the elements of nature—it is by
knowledge that he is able to make the wild winds of
heaven conducive to the purposes of commerce—it is by
knowledge that he is enabled to reduce the almost in-
describable power of steam to obey him like a slave—it
is by knowledge that we have lately been enabled to
bring the destructive element of lightning to our service ,
and to make it subserve the most ordinary and daily
purposes of human existence. (Cheers.) But there is
one power which knowledge gives us, which, perhaps, '
for each individual is still more valuable than what I
have alluded to, for knowledge gives to man power over
himself—(cheers)—it is by knowledge that men are en-
abled to control their passions, to regulate their conduct,
to devote their energies and exertions to the welfare of
themselves, of their families, of their neighbourhood,
and their country—(hear)—and therefore of all the
powers which knowledge confers upon man, there is
none 4which, perhaps, is more valuable—none which
comes more home to men's business and bosoms—than
the power which it confers upon man to govern and
regulate himself. (Cheers.) I am persuaded, gentle-
men, that the institution of which we have to-day laid
the foundation will convey to the inhabitants of Mel-
bourne that most valuable power, and that they will
exert and employ it for the purposes for which Provi-
dence has destined it to be applied. (Cheers.) I beg
therefore, gentlemen, to propose to you the toast of
" Prosperity to the Melbourne Athenaeum." (The toast
was drank amidst great cheering.)_
The CHAIRMAN then gave " The Health of Lord and
Lady Cowper," and said that the people of Melbourne
would be delighted to hear that there was a prospect
that they would have an annual visit from the distin-
guished subjects of that toast, and have the benefit of
their counsel and advice, as well as their kind patron.
age, their active benevolence, and admirable example.
(Drank with the usual honours.)
Lord. CoWPER, in returning thanks, expressed the
pleasure it afforded him to attend the proceedings of
that day, and his hope that the institution which had
been just founded would bring forth good fruit, and be
attended with great success. The noble lord concluded
by proposing "The health of the Committee."
The Rev. Mr. DEAN returned thanks on behalf of the
committee, and proposed "The health of Mr. Moss, the
mayor of Derby, and the visitors."
Mr. Moss acknowledged the toast.
Lord PALMERSTON said—l beg leave, with the per-
mission of the worthy president, to propose a toast to
the company. Derbyshire has been celebrated for the
praises bestowed upon it by tourists, and in all works
treating of the different remarkable things in the coun-
try—and nobody who. hue look.d ab ti guide-book, or
has at all thought it well to visit the interior of his own
country—can be ignorant of the attractions which are
offered by what are called the beauties of Derbyshire.
By those attractions have generally been meant the
mountain scenery and the other naturai but inanimate
objects which have drawn persons to all parts of this
country. Now I propose that we should drink to the
beauties of Derbyshire ; but the beauties to which my
toast will refer are far from being inanimate, and far
from being uncultivated (laughter and cheers)—and may
vie with any other parts of the creation the attractive
beauties of which excite the admiration of all beholders.
(Hear, hear.) I trust, gentlemen, that we may in that
toast, for the present day at least, include any beauties
that belong to other counties—they will allow us to
consider them for this day at least as Derbyshire beau-
ties. (A laugh.) I therefore propose that you shall
drink, with that enthusiasm which I am sure the toast
will excite, "The Beauties of Derbyshire."
prank amid loud cheers.
The Hon. H. COWPER M.P., returned thanks on
behalf of the ladies who, he said, felt that the noble
lord had done them full justice, and that he had as
accurately and as faithfully described them as any land-
scape painter could depict. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.)
Turning, however, to the interesting event which they
were met to celebrate, he felt glad for Melbourne's
sake that the inhabitants had at last determined to
rear an edifice worthy of the wealth, the prosperity, and
skill of the town. It had never occurred to him
to hear of a hall being built to combine so many
useful and excellent purposes, for there they were
to have a place where they might invest not only
their surplus money, but their surplus leisure, and he
hoped that the mental and moral benefits they would
reap would more than equal the pecuniary advantages
held out by the institution. There was something
interesting to his mind in the name by which the insti-
tution was designated, taking them back as it did to the
centre of ancient civilisation and to a temple reared two
thousand years ago on the shores of the 2Ege,an Sea.
This reminded them that they must not be too proud of
their modern civilisation ; and that, though it was Etc-
rally true that we had made conquests over nature and
attained to heights in science unexampled in the pre-
vious history of the world, yet that in comparing
modern with ancient civilisation, we had our defects

as well our preponderances. One of those defects, he
thought was, that we were so busy and so absorbed in
carrying out the great purposes of life, as somewhat to
disregard the best mode in which advantage might be
derived from the leisure at our disposal. In all that
beautifies and adorns life, in all that tends to taste and
recreation, the Greeks were our superiors ; and when
we looked to the development of mind, we had some-
thing to borrow from others instead of resting in proud
complacency upon our own pre-eminence. He trusted
that the Athenmum of that town would provide ra-
tional, innocent, and wholesome amusement, for man
was an animal who must be amused, and who, unfor-
tunately, could not always amuse himself—(a laugh)—
and it wanted a good deal of union, combination, and
forethought to provide large bodies of men with useful
and advantageous recreation. (Cheers.)
• The proceedings then terminated, when the company,
as well as the townspeople, afterwards dispersed them;
selves among the grounds of Melbourne gardens, which
•
were, by the kind permission of Lady Palmerston, placeth 3.
at the disposal of the committee for Lthe benefit of e
institution. Boats also plied on the lake for the accom -
modation of excursion parties.

APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS. —The Queen has
appointed the Earl of Craven Lord-Lieutenant of the
county of Warwick, in the room of the Earl of Brooke
and Warwick, deceased. The Queen has appointe d
Lord Lovat Lord-Lieutenant and Sheriff Principal of
the county of Inverness, in the room of the late Earl of
Seafield. Her Majesty has conferred upon the Duke cif
Athol and Lord Panmure the Orders of the Thistle, va-
cated by the Earl of Brooke and Warwick and Lora
Saltoun. The Commissioners to inquire into the System
and Practice of Education in th
the e College of Maynooth
are the Earl of Ilarrowby, Right Hon. David
Robert Pigott, Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland ;
Mr. Travers Twiss, D.C.L., Mr. Montifort Longfield,
LL.D, Professor of Law in the University of Dublin ;
and Mt James O'Farrell. The Commissioners under
the convention between her Majesty and the United
States- of America, for the settlement of outstanding
claims by a mixed commission, which, upon its ratifica-
tion was presented to both Houses of Parliament on the
20th inst. are—Mr. Edmund Hornby, on the part of
Great Britain, and Mr. Samuel G. -Upham, on the part
of the United States. Mr. N. Winston Barron, now
Paid Attache to her Majesty's Mission at Stutgardt, is
appointed Paid Attache at Brussels. The Hon. C.
Eden, now Paid Attache at Brussels, is appointed to the
same position at Stutgardt. Mr. James Egan Rosser is
appointed Assistant Government Surveyor and En-
gineer at Sierra Leone. Mr. Richard Savage Reilly,
barrister-at-law, is appointed Secretary to the Com-IW-
sion of Inquiry into the Law and Practice of Bankruptcy,
l of which Mr. ex-Secretary the Hon, Spencer Walpole is
I the head.—Observer.

NAVAL INTELLIGEICE.

PORTSMOUTH, AM. 23.

THE CHANNEL FLEET.

Lord Walter Kerr is appointed naval cadet to the
Prince Regent, 90, flagship of Rear-Admiral Corry, com-
manding the first division of the Channel Fleet, consist-
ing of the Queen, 116 ; Amphion, 34 ; Sidon, 22 ;
Highflyer, 21 ; Valorous, 16 ; Leopard, 12 ; Vulture, 6.
The Highflyer went out of Barbour this day to join the
second division, under Commodore H. B. Martin, C.B ,
consisting of the Duke of Wellington, 131 ; Agamen;
non, 91 ; Imperieuse, 50 • Arrogant, 46 ; and Despe-
rate, 8. By the arrival of the Plymouth and Ports-
mouth packet Brunswick at this port last night we learn
that both the above squadrons had put into Torbay, or
moored off Brixham, on Friday evening, from stress of
weather. They put in with top-gallant-masts struck.
The Brunswick, which was due on Friday morning, did
not arrrive until last night, owing to the violence of the
gale. She had a dreadful passage round ; many of her
passengers were landed at Torquay. Her non-appear-
ance here at the usual time created some alarm, her
punctuality having become proverbial.
C
The Edinburgh, 58, screw gunnery ship, Ca fain
Hewlett, which sailed from Spithead on Monday last on
a three weeks' cruise, returned to St. Helen's Roads,
off this port, last night, from stress of weather.
Her Majesty's screw-frigate Highfiyer, 21, Captain
Moore, steamed out of Portsmouth harbour this after-
noon, and anchored at Spithead, where her powder and
live shell will be nut on board ; she then sails, to com-
municate with and join Commodore Martin's scittatiror.

PLYMOUTH, AUG. 27.
At 9.30 a.m. on Thursday the fleet was observed by
Joel Treliven, Plymouth pilot No. 2, five miles south of
the Eddystone, passing to the westward under topsails,
courses, and jibs, with their larboard tacks on board.
Wind. strong, from S.W., thick we ether, with rain. -F1
The fleet consisted of two line-of-battle ships, four
steamers, and four. frigates. At 10 a.m. two guns were
fired, one steamer beiog a long distance behind ; when
she approached the firing oeased. At 3 p.m. same day
a bark-rigged screw man-of-war steamer, under steam,
and double-reefed topsails, wan, up Channel:
Her Majesty's screw steam-ship ,Duke of Wellington,
131, Captain Henry B. Martin ; the Ajamemnon, screw,
91, Captain Sir T. Maitland, and the bnperieuse, 50,
screw frigate, Captain Rundle B. Watson, are reported
by the Brunswick steam-vessel, Captain Harvey, to have
anchored in Torbay at 4 p.m. on Friday.
Very severe weathor has prevailed at Plymouth and
in the Channel for the last to oor three days. The
Odin, 16, paddle steam-frigate, Captain Francis Scott,
which left Portsmouth on Thursday for Lisbon, was
compelled to put into the Sound yesterday afternoon.
The Confiance steam-tug. Master-Commander Martin,
having in tow the Tortoise lighter, with caulkers to
assist in caulking the Caesar, at Pembroke, left this port
at 10 a.m. yesterday, but was obliged to put back into
Cawsand Bay. She started again for Pembroke at
6.30 this morning.
On Thursday night the French merchant schooner
cf Meaux, Captain Hubeau, 10 days from San-
tendero, with 1.250 sacks of flour for Liverpool, was
struck by lightning in a severe storm, which carried
away both topmasts, laid the vessel for some time ou
her beams, and filled the cabin with water. She came
in here to-day for repairs. On the same day at 8.30
p.m., the Lizard bearing N.N.WT., distant 20 miles, the
bark Alice Maud, of and from London for Algoa Bay,
was struck by a heavy sea, which carried away bulwarks
and stancheons, and did other damage, and forced her
to take shelter in this harbour.

This morning at five o'clock a war steamer, about the
size of the Odin, was observed going up Channel inside
the Eddystone, under single-reefed topsails.
AUGUST 28.

Her Majesty's frigate Leander, 50, Captain G. St.
Vincent King, arrived this morning from Halifax,
which place she left on the 13th inst. She has on board
the Earl of Ellesmere, Lady Alice Egerton, the Hon.
Algernon Egerton, and Sir John Acton Bart., with
domestics, and invalids from Sir George Seymour's
squadron, including Mr. Edward D. Herbert, clerk of
the Vestal, 26, Captain P. Thompson.
A court-martial assembled on board the Leander, at
Halifax, on the Bth inst., to try Lieutenant Thomas D.
Williams, first of the Medea, 6, steam-sloop, Com-
mander John C. Bailey, on six charges preferred against
him by the Commander. The Court consisted of Cap•
tain G. S. King, of the Leander, president ; Captain
George H. Seymour, Cumberland, 70 ; Captain Arthur
Forbes, Calypso, 18 ; Captain Thomas P. Thompson,
Vestal, 26 ; and Commander Joseph G. Bickford, of
the Cumberland. The inquiry continued three days ;
the prisoner was declared not guilty on five charges
of general neglect of duty and disrespect. The sixth
charge, for disrespectful conduct, was partially proved,
and the prisoner was admonished to be - more respectful
in future. Lieutenant Williams immediately on the close
of the court, sent in a letter to try Commander Bailey on
several charges of tyianny, &c.
A. court-martial, consisting of the same officers, was
held on a marine of the Medea for desertion, when he
was sentenced to lose his time, be mulcted of his pay,
and be imprisoned two years in gaol ; he is brought
home in the frigate.
The Leander was only 14 days at New York, and
went from there to Halifax, where she continued one
day. She then proceeded to Quebec, remained one day,
and sailed for Chaleur Bay to protect the British fish-

eries.
Prevailing winds, W.N.W. ; experienced light winds
for two days to the southward and eastward of the
banks of Newfoundland. Sounded on the banks on the
evening of the 18th instant.
Spoke Aug. 19th, lat. 43° 50' N., long. 47° 20' W.,
the Pallas, of Jersey, from Newfoundland for Oporto,
And Aug. 24th, lat. 4/' Du' N., long. 26° 10 W., the
Enterprise, of Prince Edward's Island, 13 days from
Bristol.
The St. Jean D'Acre, 101, Captain the Hon. H.
Keppel, will in all probability go out of harbour on
Tuesday on her first trial trip.
The Lady Jocelyn, which arrived on Friday afternoon
with the mails from India and the Cape, left in the even-
ing for Southampton.
Vessels in the Sound—Leander frigate, 50, Captain
G. St. V. King ; and Nautilus, apprentices brig.
In Hamoaze—lmpregnable, 104, Captain Arthur
Lowe, flag-ship of Admiral Sir John Ommanney ; St.
George, 120 ; Captain Kingcombe, bearing the flag of
Commodore Seymour.; St. Jean D'Acre, 101, Captain
the Hon. H. Keppel; Ajax, 58, Captain Quin; and
Philomel, 8, Commander Skene.

WOOLWICH, AuG..27

Sir James Graham, First Lord of the Admiralty,
Rear-Admiral Dundas, C.B. and Captain Alexander
Milne, Lords of the Admiralty, and Captain O'Brien,
Private Secretary to the First Lord, left Whitehall this
morning on an official visit to the Harbour of Refuge and
other sea-works at Dover.

Their lordships, after concluding their inspection of the
Woolwich division of Royal Marines on Friday after-
noon, remained about an hour in the offices of Commo-
dore Henry Eden, Superintendent of Woolwich dock-
yard, before leaving for town, inspecting the books and
documents and plans of contemplated improvements for
the greater efficiency of the establishment. It is con-
templated to place a caisson across the opening at the
west side of the upper landing place, which is at present
crossed by a wooden bridge, impassable for carts or
trucks.

The Cyclops steam-frigate, in charge of Mr. Pope,
Assistant to the Master-Attendant at Sheerness dock-
yard, was to have been taken out of the basin to-day,
having the remainder of the machinery of the engines
for the Cressy, 80, on board, for conveyance to Sheer-
ness, but the strong south-west wind blowing during the
day prevented the tide rising sufficiently high for the
purpose.

SCHOOL OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.
Sir James Graham, it would appear, is desirous of re-
forming that establishment, which he most injudiciously
abolished—the School of Naval Architecture. The cen-
tral mathematical school at Portsmouth for apprentices,
is now to be the " Naval Construction Class." This class
is to be supplied by the selection annually of one pupil
from all the apprentices at the various yards by the Rev.
Dr. Wolley. Each pupil will remain at the "Naval
Construction Class" for four years, and it will be so
arranged that one pupil will leave and another will enter
each year, and according to their abilities or their quali-
fications they will be disposed of by their lordships when
they leave the " class."—Heald.

THE EX
YARODUS OF HER MAJESTY'S DOCK
DS AND ADMIRALTY ALARM.

The Admiralty are taking alarm at the number of
young men who are leaving the Royal dockyards for
better employ, and have ordered these vacancies to
be filled by the entry of an extra number of appren-
tices ; but even these "entries " are losing their attrac-
tiveness. The parent of one of the lads recommended
on the last entry at Devonport refused its acceptance.
Some idea of the difference of wages in the private and
public establishments may be seen in the fact that a
caulker, lately superannuated from Devonport yard at
241. per annum, because he was thought to be past doing
sufficient work for his 245. a week, after his dischargeb
got engaged in a private yard on the river, where he is
owning 40s. a week. The Government scale of prices
is said to be so miserably low—that the caulkers em-
ployed on the St. Jean d'Acre at unlimited earnings
could not get more than 30s. a week.
The country will yet pay dearly for Sir B. Hall's
hubbub about the entry of men into the dockyards, and
the Star-chamber conduct of the political agent in the
late Plymouth election further-inquiry affair. The fact
is, the men are disgusted with the treatment they have
received, and only those remain in the royal service who
have claims for pensions.
In the royal dockyards in the Thames and Medway
the men are leaving by shoals, and a great many more
are about to quit an ungracious service. We hear that
the men of Woolwich and Deptford dockyards only in-
tend to give their lordships another chance of complying
with the terms of their most respectful memorial.
It must be confessed that their lordships hav
been very civil to the men-- a course of conduct on
their part which contrasts most favourably with the
style in which they were answered when Sir James
Graham was at the Board of Admiralty in 1832,
when the dockyard men were told that "if they
did not like it, they might leave it." Their lora-
ships now compliment the royal shipwrights on the
manner in which their petition for an increase of pay
was presented, but respectfully decline to comply
with
their request. But the men consider that it is paying
rather dear for compliments to be working in the Royal
yards for 245. a week when they can get 425. in private
establishments.
The Admiralty, with the aid of the Board of Trade,
have endeavoured to get the fleet manned by introduc
ing foreign seamen into the merchant service, with the

hope of disgusting the best British sailors, and throng
them into the Royal Navy. In this " artful dodge'
they have succeeded to some extent, but only pro tern
They are differently situated, however, with the arti-
ficers of the Royal dockyards. Private shipbuilders
will not have foreigners, and if any are imported the
Royal dockyards must have them.
We confess that at the present moment the aspect of
affairs, whether as respects manning the fleet or the
dockyards, is by no means satisfactory. Neither
artificers, seamen, or marines appear to have that re-
gard for the Royal service that they formerly had, and
Sir J. Graham, to use his own words, " knows the
reason why."—lle)wld.