The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-20 00:00:00

Indians waited upon Governor Everett in the capital
of Massachusetts, amazed at the wealth and splen-
dour they beheld on every side of them, they said, in
maintaining their argument, " We have no land to
put our words on—nevertheless what we say
is true." He (Mr. Emerson) had no land to put his
words on, but he hoped what he said was true.
Though he stood there as a stranger, yet he
could find nothing strange in such an assembly after
the eloquent ad4esses of their Chairman and of Mr.
Cobden. He was glad of the opportunity, as an
American, of sitting near such men as he had met
that night on that platform, and he rejoiced that that
assembly seemed willing to reciprocate with all the
nations of the globe intellectual advantages. The
literature of England-was dear to the American, and,
though now seen by him for the first time, he had
long known the gentleman whose presence there was
such an attraction. Mr. Emerson, after some re-
marks upon the identity of character in the English.
man and the American, both of that Anglo-Saxon race
whose imperial traits had secured for it the sceptre
of the globe, went on to say, that he had from child-
hood been brought up in the belief that this England
was not a lotus garden, a land of serene skies or soft
breezes, but that it was a cold, mournful, throat.
cutting, foggy country, producing no fruit well in
the open air, but giving birth to robust men and
truly virtuous women—these, too, of a wonderful
fibre and endurance—a certain people whose good
qualities were not detected at a glance, whose
virtues never displayed themselves till they quar-
relled ; a people, in fact, to use a Yankee phrase,
whe did not " strike 12 the first time."—(Cheers
and laughter.) Good lovers and hard haters, he
had understood them to be ; in prosperity, apt to be
moody, perverse, and dampish; but in adversity,
grand,--(Loud cheers.) And, as the wise ancient
was proudest of that ship which returned from
the long voyage with battered sides, but with its cargo
safe, as the flaunting, colour-bedizeued vessel, with
hopeful and eager mariners, left the pert, so he felt
towards aged England. There were gathered around
her the honours, the trophies, and perhaps the infir-
mities, of a thousand years ; and now, committed
inevitably to so many ancient customs, not easily
changed—pressed by the transactions of trade—ex-
posed to such incalculable modes elsewhere of rival-
ling her fabrics—driven back by all sorts of arts, ma-
chines, and competing nations—amid all these possible
and present disasters he rejoiced that she was not
dispirited or weak ; but that, remembering she has seen
so many dark da before, convinced that she can re-
cover, and even 1P lieving that in the gloom she can
see better than ever with her old eyes—she held up
still her head undaunted, her pulse beating like a
cannon.—(Cheers and laughter.) Seeing this—that
she was still young and in no way decrepid—that she
was confident still in her power of endurance and ex-
pansion—he hailed her, mother of nations, mother of
heroes.—(Much applause.) He was glad that in this
period of affliction the Athenaeum had resolved to
risk the storm. Long might it be so, from age to
age. If it was not to be so—if the courage of Eng-
land was to sink because of the passing calamities of
commerce and trade, he would go back to the capes of
Massachusetts, to his own little Indian stream, and
say to his neighbours, " The old race is all gone, and
if the hope and elasticity of mankind exist, they must
be in the range of the Alleghanies, or truly, nowhere."
Dr. BOWRING was the next speaker. He declared
that he had experienced great pleasure in attending
the soirée, and in a short speech he remarked upon
the wonders which had been accomplished by the
power of association, and expressed an opinion that
all that they could expect in the improvement of the
masses of our population must be by means of insti-
tutions similar to the Athenaeum.

Mr. G. CIVOIKSHANIC followed, and succeeded, by
the drollery of his manner, in enlivening the pro-
gramme of the evening, and in exciting very hearty
laughter. Like the reserved and not eloquent member
at the Bristol election, who said " ditto to Mr. Burke,"
he said ditto to everything advanced by the Chairman.
Ile had accepted the invitation to be present that
evening with great readiness. He had been told that
at Manchester it was always raining, and that the
people walking the streets were the most hideous set
of wretches that could be conceived. Accordingly,
finding that as an artist the trip might be profes-
sionally profitable, he had provided himself with
relays of umbrellas and pencils. But he could assure
them he had found the weather very good, and the
men and women not half ugly enough to suit him.
Mr. Alison here vacated the chair, his place being
taken b.> Mr. E Armitage, the Mayor of Manchester,
and

Mr. J. CROSSLEY then moved and Lord BRACILEY
seconded, " That thanks be returned to Mr. Alison
for his kindness in presiding over the soirée, and for
his conduct as chairman."

Mr. ALISON acknowledged the compliment, and
immediately afterwards the hall was cleared for
dancing, which on these occasions always follows the
oratory.

THE NEW PARLIAMENT.—The House of Commons
which assembled for the first time on Thursday is the
fifth Parliament of the new era of Reform. The last
met fur the first time in August, 1841, and lasted six
years. The present Speaker, Mr. C. S. Lefevre, has now
been elected to the chair of the house of Commons tor
the third time. The Right Hon. Gentleman was ori-
ginally proposed by the Melbourne Ministry on the re-
tirement of Mr. Abescromby, now Lord Dunfermline.
and only obtained the distinguished post wnich he has
ever since so ably and impartially occupied by the narrow
majority of eighteen votes over his opponent, Mr. Goul
burn, the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer. This oc-
curred in May, 1839. When Parliament was dissolved
two years afterwards (in June, 1841), it was pretty gene-
rally expected that Mr. Lefevre would be relieved from
his responsibilities, and removed from the chair of the
House by the newly acquired Tory mrjority. The
event turned out otherwise, for, in consequence of a
represeßtation or remonstrance in favour of the ex-
Speaket which was presented to the proximate Premier,
Sir R. Peel, by a considerable number of his supporters,
no attempt was made to disturb Mr. Lefevre in the pos-
session of his seat, and he was accordingly re-elected
nem. digs. On Thursday the same gentleman once more
had the honour to be handed to the chair of the new
House of Co-nmons without a voice being raised against
the motion to seat him. In fact, since the memorable
ejection of the late Viscount Canterbury in 1835, the
re-eleetion of the ex-Speaker has never been opposed on
the re-assembling of the House of Commons.
THE OFFICE OF LORD HIGH ALMONER.—This
office, rendered vacant by the death of the Archbishop
of York, and which is reported to be about to be confer-
red on the Bishop of Oxford, is one of distinction. To
the Lord High Almoner is intrusted the distribution of
the aims given on Maundy Thursday, on which occasion
as many poor men and poor women as the Sovereign's
age amounts to in years are relieved by the Lord High
Almoner. On the accession of Queen Victoria the
number of poor persons was necessarily much reduced ;
but those who were on the Maundy lists of William IV.
were glassed as supernumeraries, to fill vacancies as they
annually occurred.
DEATH OF PROFESSOR DIEFFENBACH.—The Ger-
man papers of the 11th announce the death of the cele-
brated J. F. Dieffenbacb, the greatest surgeon of yet.-
many. He was struck by apoplexy in the act of alight-
ing from kis cabriolet. Diffcnbach was born in 1795, at
Konigsberg. He served in the campaign of 1813 and
1815. Amongst his numerous valuable works are men-
tioned the continuation of Professor Scheel's work on
the transfusion of the blood and the injection of medica-
ments into the veins.

..._. .....,,.
DEATIT of SOULETMAN, NAPOLEON'S INTER-
PRETER.— Souleyman, who was interpreter to Napoleon
when in Egypt, died on Wednesday in Paris. He was
a Persian, but attached himself to the fortunes of
France, and rendered invaluable services to her army,.
when it wa, led to the foot of the Pyramids. He lived
upon a pension granted him by the French Govern
meet. He had a wife and children in Persia, to whom
he wished to return, but was refused permission on ac-
count of his conduct in Egypt. The Persian Ambas-
sador, now in Paris, had promised to use his influence
in procuring the assent of his Government to the re-
turn of Souleyman," but death has put an end to all
his hopes.
DEATH OF CAPTAIN GROVES.—Died at Brussels
on the sth inst., Captain Grover, F.R.S. Circumstances
are yet fresh in the mind of the public connecting this
gallant officer with the indefatigable Dr. Wolff. By him
the mission ef the worthy Doctor to Boekhara was pro
jected, and his chivalrous conduct in raising the " Stud-
dart and Comelly Fund" is well known. It is much to
be feared that his exertions in that cause contribute 1 to
his early death, since it was observed by his friends that
after that event he appeared gradually to lose his voice,
and to fail in bodily, though he never wanted in mental
energy. TO his exertions Dr. Wolff owes the preserve-
-6 '
tion of 1
life
by the intervention, at Bokhars, of the
friendly power wer of Persia. Lord Aberdeen will long re-
nt Soho, interviewsunder with this noble officer. Educated
via,Dwr.ellarlow, eontemporery with Sir J.
Moore, he
scientific powers to thel kl"wn as a gentleman of hieh
, and
others. ate Captain Rater, who left him
his executor,
He was an active and zealous
tmributed papers to f
thoue r
Rse.
sal Society,
societies, having e'econ-
Society, and others. Society, the Geographical
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean have been playing most
success=ful engagements in Live
On their last laitafnaephpeesatrear;wettirr";
tningham, and Sheffield.
The Manchester
the doors,
Liverpool, hundreds were turned awe
unable to gain admission to the theatre3'.'
Guardian, in speaking of Mrs. Kean's Rosalind,
serves—" We had again the pleasure on Saturday
evening last of seeing Mrs. Charles Kean asofßmoasarlkiniando.,
in As Like it—again the opportunity
and admiring those subtile beauties of acting which she
develops ill this &erecter to a greater degree than any
other actress
whom we have seen in the part. Lady
Macbeth is said to have left the stage with the retire-
ment of Mrs. Siddone, end Coriolanus with John Kemble.
According to our concept ion of the character, Rosalind
is as exclusively associated withhoMrs.slhieeawnth andnot
deso-hfeoiri
she leaves the stege (which We t
hr o f
an her
equally
darllay-
,
many years, for she Is nowin the
ruvery
dra-
stic powers) we know not were
tpe oloozekfifi o
truthful embodiment of one of the most poetic and
graceful of Shalespeare's female characters.,
According to the Aix la Chapelle Ga:e tie' a corn-
-mission is about to be nominated by the French, Prus-
sian, and Belgian Governments, to devise measures cal-
culated to facilitate the conveyance of merchandise be-
tweeu the three countries.