The Sun.
London, England, 1825-09-13 00:00:00

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE LITERARY AND PHI-

LOSOPIIICAL SOCIETY.

On Tuesday evening. last, the new building of
the Literary and Philosophical Society of this town, was
opened by an address upon the occasion by the Rev. William
Turner, the senior Secretary, and founder of the establishment.
Tnis day was fixed upon, being three years this week since the
foundation stone of this elegant structure was laid by his Royal
Highness the Duke of Sussex. The Meeting was held in the
Lecture Room, which was crowded at an early hour. James
bosh, Esq. one of the Vice-Presidents, was in the Chair ; sir
John Swinburne, Bart. the President, being unfortunately pre_
vented attending by severe indisposition. After the ordinary
business of the election of new members, and Lord Howick
and the Hon. A. Barrington, with some other gentlemen, being
put in nomination, had been gone through, the several Bona..
tions of pictures, statues, and busts, to ornament the rooms,
from the Rev. C. Thorp, Mr. Morton, Mrs. Watts, Mr. Tur-
ner, Mr. Watt, Mr. Alex. Reed, Mr. Farrington, the gentle-
men who have subscribed to the bust of our townsman, Mr.
Thomas Bkwick, and various others, were announced. A va-
luable collection of birds was presented to the museum by Mr.
John Hodgson, of Petersburgh ; also from Mr. Crawhall, Mr.
Phillips, Mr. Dixon Dixon, Mr. Bewick, Mr. Trevelyan, Mr.
Gibson, of Reedsmouth, Mr. Cresswell Baker, and other gen-
tlemen. An extensive and el.r.gant collection of insects, from
New South Wales, by Dr. Mc.Culloch, were also presented to
the museum. Letters were read from Mr. Hutton and Mr.
Adamson, the former presenting to the Society a valuable col-
lection of British geological specimens, amounting to upwards
of 1,200, and the latter a collection of 1572 dried English plants
classed, principally from the neighbouring counties, and about
300 geological specimens, which, from their localities; will be
an acceptable addition to those given by Mr. Hutton. Mr.
Turner then proceeded to deliver his address, tracing the pro-
gress of the Society from its commencement as a mere literary
meeting, to its subsequent addition, of the library, the founda-
tion of the lectures, and the establishment of the Antiquarian
Society, whose library and collection were then under the same
roof. The utility of which the Society had already been, and
of which it was calculated to be to posterity, was then dwelt
upon. It would far exceed our limits to give even an outline
of this eloquent and able production, which was listened to
with the greatest attention, and which was only interrupted by
the applauses of the members ; but this is not so necessary, as
Mr. Turner has acquiesced in the unanimous request of allow-
ing the address to he printed. The thanks of the Meeting were
then voted to the Building Committee, more especially to Mr.
Thomas Hodgson, one of them, for his unwearied attention
and services from the commencement of the building ; also to
Mr. Hutton and Mr. Adamson, for their valuable collections.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT AT SHOREDITCH CHURCH.
—On Saturday evening Joseph Dane, the steeple keeper at
Shoreditch Church, met with a serious accident. The " Cum-
berland youths" being about to ring a peal on the bells of that
Church, it was Dane's duty to turn the clappers ; but while
doing so, his foot slipped off the frame, and in his fall caught
hold of one of the hells, the weight of which is nearly 19 cwt.,
and which, falling from the stay on the unfortunate man's leg,
split the bone from the ancle to the knee. In that situation he
lay for nearly forty minutes, until found by his son, who, hay_
b
ingrocured assistance, a rope was fastened to, the bell, in
order to raise it from the leg but in doing u
so, the rope n-
forturately broke, and the bell again fell with its whole weight
on the poor man's leg, which by this second concussion, was
literally crushed to pieces. He was taken to St. Bartholomew's
_Hospital in a very dreadful condition.