The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-04 00:00:00

THE BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL.

What are all the steps by which mars advances
himself by degrees towards perfection but refinements
—refinements in his wants, modes of living, his
clothing, dwelling, furniture ; refinements of his
mind and his heart, of his sentiments and his passions,
of his language, morals, customs, pleasures !
What an advance Iron► the first hut to a palace of
Palladio's; from the canoe of a Car►•ibean to a ship of
the line; from the three rude idols, as the Bcetians,
in the olden times, represented their protecting god
desses and the Graces of Praxiteles ; from a village
of the Hottentots or wild Indians to a city like
London ; from the ornaments of a female of New
Zealand to a splendid dress of the Sultana; from the
language of a native of Tahiti to that of a Homer, a
Virgil, a Tasso, a Milton, and a Voltaire!
Through what innumerable degrees of refinement
must man and his works have proceeded before
they had placed this almost immeasurable distance
behind them !

The love of embellishment and refinement, and the
dissatisfaction with a lower degree es soon as a higher
has been recognised, are the only true and mose
simple motives by which man has advanced to what
we see him. Every people who have Lecome civilized
are a proof of this principle; and it' any such are to
be found who, with peculiar physical or moral hin-
drances, continue in tne same state of unitnprovability,
or betray a complete want of impulse to improvement,
we must needs consider them rather as a sort of hu-
man animals, than as actually mea of our own race
and species.—Eliza Cook's Journal.

FIRST ANNUAL DINNER OF THE
LONDON BRANCH OF THE ROYAL PA-
TRIOTIC SOCIETY VF SCO ! LAND.
The dinner of this rising institution was held on
Thursday evening, in the Freemasons' Tavern,
Charles Forbes, Esq., of Aslown, the treasurer, ably
filled the chair, and was supported by the Rev. Mr.
Fisher, G. Bain, Esq., Secretary of the Highland
Society, Daniel ;Davidson, Esq, and a number
of gentlemen, some of whom were in Highland
costume.
After grace by the Rev. Mr. FISHER,
The CHAIRMAN observed, that as a vice-president
of the society he bad been called upon to occupy a
post, in the unavoidable absence of his Grace the
Duke of Cambridge, the Right Hon. the Lord
Mayor, and of The Chisholm, who had severally ex-
pressed their regret at being unable to occupy it.
Under these circumstances he was delighted to pre-
side over a meeting of gentlemen, met together at
their own expense, to form the nucleus, he trusted, of
many a happy and influential reunion of what he
considered the noblest and most glorious of all their
Scottish societies, inasmuch as the Royal Patriotic
Society is one, not for depressing the spirits of the
Gael by eleemosynary doles, but by intelligence,
example, and stimuli to " help the Highland pea-
santry to help themselves.”—(Cheers.) With very
inadequate means, it had already done much goo,l,
and it would be a disgrace to Scotland if such an
enlightened and practical organization failed for want
of means to carry out its benevolent designs. It was
not at all creditable to Scotchinen that every now and
then appeals should be made to toe generous
Saxon to avert famine from the doors
of the suffering, but peaceful and loyal Gael, when his
own glens were adequate for his self- support, if pro
perly developed. It was the great aim of this society
to render the Highland p'asantry self supporting,
and he thought the wisdom and even economy of this
would recommend itself to those who had so liberally
contributed to the relief of immediate de<tii ution.
After thus prefacing the business of the evening the
usual loyal toasts, &c., were proposed and responded
to. in many instances with Highland honours, in-
cluding the society's royal patrons, the Queen and
Prince Albert; the Lord of the Isles ; the Duke of
Cambridge, and the rest of the Royal Family; the
Army and Navy; the late president, the Duke or
Sutherland; the president of tht. year, James Mathe-
son, Eq., M.P., ; the president of the London branch,
the Right lion. the Lord May or, with thanks
for presiding over the annual meeting; Sir C.
Forbes, Bart., of Newe; the honorary secreta-
ries, J. Mackenzie, Esq., M. 1). Eileanach ; the
London secretary, G. Ban), Esq., D. D isidson, Esq.,
the secretary of the parent society ; the Highland
peasantry, &c. The harmony of the meeting was in-
creased by some amateur singing and some excellent
pibrochs by Mr. Charles Macdonneil, piper from Glen-
garry. Though the last of the Scottish reunions, this
gathering was not behind its predecessors in good
fellowship and enthusiasm, and augurs well for future
anniversary celebrations, to be held earlier in the
season.