The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-24 00:00:00

EISTEDDVOD

The Cymmrodorion Llundain, or the London Society for the
cultivation of ancient British Literature and music, held a con-
gress of Bards on Saturday last, at the Freemasons' Hall. The
Hall was filled by a very fashionable audience. Sir WATSIN
WIttIADIs WYNN presided, and was supported on the right
by Sir Charles Morgan, of Tredegar, and on the left by Lord
Kenyon. There were also present Lady Harriet Wynn, Miss
Morgan, Lord Dynevor, and several other persons of rank.
The entertainment began with a concert, which, although it
was not entirely Welsh, consisted of the works of British coni-
posers, executed by British artists. Miss Carew and Miss Mel-
ville, and Master Longhurst, Mr. J. Smith, and Mr. Collyer,
were the principal performers. duet, between Messrs. Parry
.and
Atkins, to the fine air, " Of a noble race was Shenkin," received
great applause, but this was owing to tile music, and to Mrs.
Heman's spirited poetry, rather than to the singers. The first
part of the concert was terminated by Penillion singing, per-
formed by six modern bards, accompanied on the Welsh harp
by Mr. H. Thomas. This sort of singing seems to have been
a very favourite practice among the ancient bards at the Eisted-
dvodau. The custom was for the chief hard to sing a certain
number of stanzas, accompanying his voice with his harp ; as
soon as he had finished, the bard next to him in rank and
excellence took up the subject, and was in like manner suc-
ceeded by all the other bards in turn. To perform this well,
required at the least as much talent as the improvisare of
Italy, while it was far more sociable, and directed to more
exalted purposes than mere amusement. Great, however, as
the powers of the Beirdd of old may have been, their descend-
ants of the present day are not very likely to become the rivals
of the Pistrucci or the Sgricci. The bards of this Eisteddvod
not only sang as ill as one would wish to hear, but their lays,
instead of being composed inipt•oviso, were only parts of songs
Gin various subjects, and haring no connexion with each other,
save that they were all sung to the old air of Serch Hada; or
" the Allurements of Love."
When the Penillion singing was concluded; Lord Kenyon
announced the names of the successful candidates to whom the
society's prizes had been awarded. From the
Stores of ladies, whose bright eyes

" Rain'd influence,"
his Lordship selected Miss Angelina Morgan, the beautiful
daughter of Sir Charles Morgan, to " judge tke prize." The
first prize was a medal to Dr. W. O'Pughe, author of several
valuable works relating to the history of Welsh literarure, and
the translator of the " Paradise Lost," into that language.—
The next was to a gentleman who had written the best
essay on Ancient Genealogies, under the assumed name of
William of Badnorshire. The Chairman received the medal
as his proxy. The third prize was given to the venerable
artist, J. Flaxman, Esq. as a testimony of the respect en-
tertained for him by the Society, and their gratitude for his hav-
ing furnished them with an admirable design for their medal.
It represents an ancient bard, in the dress of his order, stand-
ing upright, with his left hand on his harp, and in his right the
primitive machine on which the bards wrote their poems. A
motto is subjoined in the old bardic character, the purport of
which is, that " it is the province of the truly wise to protect
valuable things from passing into oblivion." The design is at
once elegant and vigorous, and has been executed as it deserved
to be, by Mr. Wyon of the Mint. The candidates, as they
received their prizes from the fair hands of the lady who be-
stowed them, shortly expressed their thanks and compliments.
The second part of the concert then followed. Miss Melville
and Master Lon 'burst were very deservedly encored in the duet
" Tell me, gentle Stranger," in which the boy executed his part
with great humour and skill. The Welch air Pen Rliaze was
very well played by Mr. W. Prichard, on the Welsh harp :
there was some more Penillion singing, and the entertainment
concluded at about half-past three o'clock, with " God save the
King," to which a Welch verse had been added for the occa-
sion by Dr. Pughe.
At six o'clock a numerous party of Gentlemen partook of an
excellent dinner. Sir Charles Morgan, Bart. in the Chair. A
number of loyal and patriotic toasts and sentiments were given,
followed by appropriate music, and many able addresses were
delivered by the Noblemen and Gentlemen present.—The com-
pany did not depart till near eleven o'clock.

NEW MUSICAL FUND.--The Annual Concert,
for the benefit of this laudable Institution, took
place on Thursday, and we are sorry that we
had not an opportunity of noticing it before. We
are, however, much gratified in stating that the
audience were very numerous, and that the
Boxes, Pit, and Gallery, were filled soon after
the doors were opened. The host of talc nts,
vocal and instrumental, will well account for the
attraction. CATALANI, the two BEGNIS, PASTA,
SALMON, Miss GOODALL, the Misses CAWSE,
BRAIIAM, SINCLAIR, BELLAMY, and others, ge-
nerously gave their gratuitous assistance. Mr.
F. CRAMER led, and Sir GEORGE SMART presided
at the piano-forte. A Mr. GUILLOU displayed
considerable skill on the flute, and Master
KORICELL, a very young performer on the harp,
acquitted himself with extraordinary ability. It
would be unjust to omit noticing any of the Per-
formers who assisted on this liberal occasion,
and they must have had a reward in their own

feelings in witnessing the prosperous result of
their commendable exertions.
SWEARING IN THE NEW JUDGE.—At the sitting
of the Court of King's Bench this morning the
newly appointed Judge (LiTTLcoALE) rose and
took the customary oaths of allegiance and su-
premacy to his Majesty GEORGE the Fourth, as
a fit. and qualified person to sit as one of the
Judges in that Court, and was sworn in accord-
iugly.

THE ROYAL SANDWICII ISLANDERS.-Some of
the statements which have been published respecting the
and QUEEN of the Sandwich Islands are very errone-
ous. His Majesty is of very gentlemanly appearance, and
but for the darkness of his complexion, which is of very deep
copper colour; might pass for an Englishman, having in every
respect correctly adopted our costume. The Queen is not so
tall nor of so robust an appearance as has been represented.
Her Majesty is certainly a fine full grown Lady, but very
little above the middle stature; she is remarkably well made,
possesses an open and very agreeable countenance, not devoid
even of sweetness and sensibility, with good eyes and teeth,
and is by no means deficient in gracefulness of manner or ele-
gance of demeanour. Already, with the exception of her head-
dress, which is very plain, has she, like her Royal Husband,
conformed in a great degree to the English mode of dress
(such at least was her appearance when we saw her on Saturday
last); and whilst they throw themselves upon British protec-
tion, these interesting strangers seem in every respect desirous
of benetitting from British example, and-civilized manners and
taste. Their own native. islands, it is only necessary for us to
observe, are situated in the South Sea; they were among the
latest discoveries of Captain Cook, who named them the Sand-
wich Islands, in honour of the Earl of Sandwich, under whose
naval administration these discoveries were intule. The islands
are eleven in number, nine of which are inhabited. It was at

one of these (Owhyhee) that the great discoverer of them
lost his life, through sudden resentment and violence ; but the
character of the people is nevertheless that of mildness of tem-
per and affectionate dispositions. The Royal Suite are eight
number, composed of the Governor, his wife, Admiral of
the Fleet,- Treasurer, Secretary, Steward, and two menial ser-
vants. On their way to this country they touched at Rio Ja-
neiro, and during their stay their Majesties were presented to
the Emperor of Brazil at a Court Levee, when the Emperor
was pleased to present the King with a most elegant sword ;
and in return the King presented the Emperor with a
most curious cloak or mantle, made of the richest materials
' of his islands, the outside of which is of feathers of rare birds,
of the most beautiful colours. Their Majesties and Suite
landed at Portsmouth, under a salute of twenty-one guns from
the ship. The following are the names of those distinguished .
Islanders :—Rheo Rhio, the King; Kamehameha, Queen ;
Boky, Governor • Twinny, Governor's Lady ; Kapihi, Ad-
miral ; Joanoa, Treasurer ; John Rives (a Frenchman and In-
terpreter), Secretary; Macaweaw, Steward; Wawwaw,
Manmua, Servants.
The Proprietor of the Theatre Royal, in the
Ilaymarket, is making great preparation for the opening cam-
paign. In addition to some old favourites from the two Win-
ter Theatres, and amongst them the inimitable LISTON., the
Manager has imported some new stars, to which report gives
the credit of unusual brilliancy.
It is not true that either KEAN Or DOWTON
are, at present, engaged to go to America.
Drury-lane Theatre intends to close about the
30th June. The period. for Covent-Garden to close is
not yet
determined.
-
Captain CHARLES Fox, we are sorry to hear,
has met with a serious accident,
c,ousequence,
f a fall from his horse.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH--(Tuffs DAY.)

THE LONDON JOURNALS.

DAILY
Extracts from the Morning Peitpers, May 24.

[BRITISH PRESS.II
When we advocated, some days since, on the
principle of fair competition, the incorporation by
Parliament of new Marine Insurance Companies,
we had no idea whatever of reflecting on the use-
ful and highly respectable establishment at
Lloyd's. We are perfectly aware of the import-
ant benefits this •great establishment has often
rendered to British commerce in every part of
the civilized world ; and we cannot be ignorant
of the important information constantly derived
from its numerous agencies, spread through al-
most every part of the habitable globe. The
correspondence of Lloyd's is indeed immense,
and must be attended with prodigious labour and
expence. An opinion, we thought, seemed to
prevail, even in the Ilouse of Commons, that
Lloyd's was a chartered body, possessing a
monopoly in right of a legislative enactment
but the fact is, that important establishment has
neither charter, incorporation, nor immunities
of any sort ; all its power and influence pro-
ceed from the extended commercial pursuits and
influence of its members. Nor is there any
thing whatever of monopoly about it : the very
correspondence of this house, often so valuable,
is freely given to the public at large ; the rooms
at Lloyd's are all open to subscribers, who pay a
sum of four guineas annually; this is but a mode-
rate charge for the accommodation afforded, and
the interesting information which the subscribers
often receive. The Committee are always anxi-
ous to increase the number of their subscribers,
so as to extend the resources of the establishment,
and the amount of the business done ; every new
.member, therefore, is considered an accession,
and there is no restriction as to any particular
_rank
; merchants, brokers, underwriters, respect-
able traders of every sort, and members of the pub-
press, have all, in succession, been admitted.
Of course no admission can take place but by
ballot. The Committee have a right to see that
.the individual who seeks to be a member of this
establishment is respectable in his character and
'pursuits. But in this there is certainly nothing
of either exclusion or monopoly ; nor could we
mean for a moment to insinuate that this esta-
blishment was founded on any such principle.—
• What we then said was, what we repeat now—
that if the respectable underwriters at Lloyd's
insure on equal terms with the new companies,
and pay their unquessionable losses as readily,
they can have nothing to fear from the most ex-
tended competition. Every individual concerned •
in the proposed company will be rendered liable
to the extent of his entire property for any losses
sustained. The subscribers therefore must pause
before they commit themselves in any specula-
tion of this hazardous description. But should
such a Company be ultimately formed, we can
see nothing the underwriters at Lloyd's can have
to apprehend, if their insurances be effected on
equal terms, and their indisputable losses made
good without cavil or unfair delay.

LTHE IMES.]
We last night received the French Papers of
Thursday and Friday, and letters from Paris
.of
the same dates. The Journals contain no news
of the slightest interest to the English public.—
We have as yet no report of the discussions in the
Chamber of Peers on the financial Project for the
reduction of the Reifies. The Commission ap-
pointed to examine it consisted of Count Mol-
lien, who was Minister of the Treasury under
the Emperor, of M. Roy, late Minister of Fi-
nance, of the Duke de Levis, of the Duke de
Fitz-James, and three other Members hostile to
M. de Villele's plan. 'there was therefore every
reason to apprehend that the report drawn up
by such a Commission would be unfavourable,
and accordingly no effort was spared to gain
Over its members. Four of them have al-
ready been converted ; and as they will form
the majority, the opinion of the three refractory
Peers will be of little consequence. The struggle
which these noble persons had to sustain between
their love for popularity and their regard to their
own in terests,may easily be conceived from the fact
mentioned in one of our private_ letters, that the
Archbishop of Paris, when commanded by the
King to vote for the project, assured his Majesty,
that by doing so he should lose all respect in the
eyes of his clergy, who held the reduction of the
rentes in such horror, that several priests had so-
licited him for permission to offer up public prayer
in the churches for the interposition of Heaven to
avert such a calamity. M. de Martignac has been
appointed reporter to the commission on the pro-
ject of law for the septenniality of the Chamber.
An absurd report is stated by the Quotithenne, on
the authority of letters from, Constantinople, that
Lord Byron had been suspected there of being
poisoned by some rival Greek Chief, jealous of
the ascendant which his Lordship was gaininc, in
the management of Greek affairs.

[MORNING lIERALIL]
Thursday's Paris Papers, received yesterday
in the ordinary course, are unimportant. They
contain no intelligence from Lisbon, and are even
studiously reserved on the subject of what has
equally
recently occurred there. They are des.
from
titute of intelligence -pain. The noted
IVlorillo has been at length permitted to come to
Paris, and was admitted to the presence of the
Duke of Angotileme. This fact has given rise
to suspicions and speCtilations. llis visit to
Paris, and his audience of 44 the Hero of the
Trocadero," are supposed to have relation to South
American Affairs. There are accounts from Corfu
of the 23d, and from Odessa
.of the 96th ' of
April. According to the former, the 'affairs of
Greece wore a promising aspect. There were
some jealousies and dissentious, but it .was ex-
pected that the presence of the Turks would
unite all parties, from the sense of common in-
terest and common danger. The Turks have
wholly failed in raising an Albanian force. The
if liole Turkish force in that quarter does not ex-
ceed 1500 men, occupying
.Arta and Prevesa.—
Accounts from Constantinople, by the way of
Odessa, come down to the beginning of April.

Great preparations were in process of being
made against the Greeks, so great that they are
regarded as the last stake of the Porte. The
approaching will be the fourth campaign, and it
is calculated more severe and sanguinary than
any preceding one. Turkey, it is said, has not
resources for a fifth.

[MORNING POST.]
Thy French Papers of Saturday reached us
last night by Express. Their contents would be
insignificant, as the Chambers have done nothing
of importance, were it not for the following
observations of the Journal des DAats—(see
another column of TILE Smx)—respecting the
sailing of the Ex-Emperor Iturbide for Mexico,
which certainly tend to confirm the idea that he
is gone to that country in consequence of a secret
arrangement with Spain and France. Now such
a paper as the Journal des Dhbals, publicly re-
cognised as the organ of the French Ministers,
would hardly venture to prophecy what it had
not some authority for knowing it was intended
to attempt, but we trust to attempt in vain.
The Quotidienne contains letters from Constanti-
nople, which state that the death of Lord Byron
had produced a deep sensation in that capital ;
and that it was rumoured in the suburb of Pera
46 that the ascendancy which the illustrious Eng-
lish Poet had acquired had excited jealousy
amongst the Chiefs of the Insurrection, and
perhaps caused the end of his life to be hasten-
ed by poison." That his Lordship was poisoned
there is not the least ground for supposing, after
the clear account which has been given of the
cause of his death. But should it, contrary to
all present appearance, turn out to have been the
case, it would be to the apprehensions of the
Turks, and not to the jealousies of the Greek
Chiefs, whom his active interference had ap-
peased and reconciled, that we should look
for the employment of such infamous and
dastardly means to get rid of an enemy.—
The _Mode of Saturday has intelligence from
Madrid to the 11th instant, but it possesses no
interest. It is only said that the late disturb-
ances at Saragossa were greatly exaggerated, al-
though it is admitted that there was a struggle
in the streets which required the interference of
the Royal Volunteers and of the military, that
an officer was wounded, two men were killed,
and fourteen taken and ordered to be put upon►
their trials.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
The third reading of the County Courts Bill
stands for this evening. From this measure we
anticipate the greatest benefit to the country.--
The benefit is no doubt attended with this alloy,
that it reduces the share of independence still
possessed by a profession, at no time remarkable
for tenacity of principle, within still narrower
limits. Perhaps, after all, however, we have
exaggerated the amount of the evil which we
must take as a set-off against the good. In the
House of Commons the Bar will remain as be-
fore, because the vote bliere depends on the
interest which returns, and when, in consequence
of sudden conversion, a Member can no longer
conscientiously vote in any manner which
shall be agreeable to that interest, it is un-
dertood that he is in honour bound to take
the Chiltern Hundreds. The chief danger most
be from increasing the disposition of the profes-
sion to sacrifice their clients, when their defence
is unacceptable to men in power. But in this en-
lightened age, a man of professional eminence, by
either selling his client, or pleading his cause
in a bungling manner, would endanger his re-
putation for ability ; and men whom the repu-
tation of knave would not deter, might yet
pause before they earned that of fool. That the
County Courts Bil will diminish the expence of the ,
suits which are within its competency, cannot,'
we should think, he doubted for a moment, be-
cause certain costs which are specified, cannot
be exceeded. But we never expected that it
would lessen the number of law-suits. The ob-
ject of it is to increase the number of law-suits,
by bringing law within the reach of parties, svho
could not before purchase it, and who were con-
sequently often obliged to pocket their wrongs.
Mr. Cobbett takes up a notion which was once
very prevalent among the higher classes of this
country, that litigation is an evil, and that
whatever checks it is a good. Under the
influence of this notion, many very well-mean-
ing men were rejoiced at every addition to the
taxes on law proceedings, as it would diminish
the amount of litigation. They reasoned very
correctly, for every addition to the expence of
law proceeding must, in a corrsponding degree,
diminish the number possessed of the ability to
litigate. If the expence of a law suit could in
in no case be less than 1,000/. all those whose
means did not equal in value this sum would be
cut off from litigation ; if in no case Jess than
10,0001. litigation would be altogether confined
to men of fortune. We have no doubt that the
County Courts Bill will increase the number of
law suits five-fold at least, because it will induce
many persons to prosecute claims and to resist
claims, who must remain passive under the exist-
ing law. We do not believe,that we exaggerate
when we say, that the Small Debt Act for Scot-
land at once quintupled the number of law suits.'

[NEvr TIMES.)
On Wednesday last we adverted to the Bill
brought in by Mr. Buxton for altering the law
of Marine Insurance. We are inclined to believe
that the actual state of the law on this subject,
though so important in a commercial country, is
not very generally known to the public. It is
commonly supposed that a great Chartered Com-
pany exists at Lloyd's Coffee-house, which pos-
sesses a monopoly of the right of insuring ships
and cargoes. Now nothini, can be more con-
trary to the fact. Lloyd's Coffee-house is the
local rendezvous where a large number of
insurers meet, and for their mutual accommoda-
tion they agree to subscribe an annual sum
each, for the procuring of intelligence relative
to shipping. This is the whole extent of their
association. They have no monopoly, no Char-
ter', no exclusive privilege ; they trade on no
joint stock, they have no common profifor,lo9s;
but every individual subscriber manages his own

DIED.
On Saturday last, in Baker-street, Frederisk, second son of
William James, Esq., M.P., aged 5 years.
On the hist., at llose-cOttage, Putney, Mr. Samuel Jen-
ne!, after a long and painful illness.
On the 21st inst., at Lower Tooting, Surrey,
the infant
daughter pf Robert Hoggart, Esq., aged three months.
At •Madeira, on the 7th ult., Mr. Robert Burnett, late of
,_- _ Fleet street. _ .
_

On the 11th inst., at his house at Walthamstow, Richard
Stainforth,.Esq., aged 64.
On the 22d inst., in his 59th year, Mr. Edmund Marsden, of
the Borough of Southwark, hop and seed-merchant.
On Friday last, Robert George Spcdding, of Golden Heart-
wharf,
DoWgato, and' llarefield, Middlesex, Esq., aged 66.
On the 22d inst., in the 33th' year of her age, Sarah, wife of
Mr. James Smith, solicitor, Austinfriars.