The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-09 00:00:00

THE REFORM CLUB-HOUSE.

(From the Spectator,)

The Reform Cliib-house, in Pall-mail, was orened par-
tially this week ; and great has been the influx of visitors as
well as of members, curious to see if the interior realized the
expectations raised by the noble exterior•. That it does fully,
to say the least, we think there can be but one opthims. in
the yet imperfect state of the decorations, the merits of the
design in alt its details cannot be properly app eciated ; mi-
nute criticism, therefore, would be out of place ; enough is vi-
sible, however, of its characteristics to justify a few general
remarks.

The grand feature is the hall, which strikes the visitor
on entering with a feeling of admiration amounting to sur-
prise; for its novelty is no less remarkable than its magnifi-
cence. It is a saloon of vast dimensions, nearly square, sur-
rounded by a double colonnade shpporting a &mod ro: the
full height of the building, lighted from above by glass covings.
The effect of the introduction of colours in the architectural 10 ms
is here most beautifully exemplified ; harmony of proportion and
harmony of colour combine to fill the eye wit li a sense of sumptuous
richneis and elegance. The coldness which light, air, and space
tend to produce, is counteracted by the warm though sober hues of
the sienna marble columns, enriched by porphyry and verd
antique in the arched intercolumniations, and relieved by the
subued tone of the tesselated pavement, and the light delicate
tints of the ceiling and entablature. Besides its magnitiuset
architectural effect, this hall is useful as a means of lighting and
ventilation; and, with the surrounding corridors, it will form
a most agreeable lounge idwarm weather.
The principal apartments are likewise distinguished by their
architectural decorations--the upholstery fittings being subor-
dinate ; the curtains and carpets, of course, contribute to
heighten the pervading warmth and richness, but without dis-
turbing the chaste, quiet tone prevailing throughout. The in-
terior, so far as we had an opportunity of judging, is in accord-
ance with the style of the exterior ; the same massiveness and re-
pose—the same grandeur and symmetry of proportion—charac-
terize both. This correspondence between the external and in-
ternal features of the building gives an entireness to the whole de-
sign, which thus impresses the mind at once, as if by a single coup
d' wit ; the impression made being that of unostentatious splen-
dour and finished elegance,- the result of a perfect union of
beauty and fitness, where ornament becomes the crowning
grace of utility. A palace in point of extent and magnifi-
cence, it has withal an air of luxurious comfort. The eating
room, while it presents a perspective the whole length of the
facade, as of three fine apartments thrown into one, has snug
recesses where a tete-a-tete repast may be enjoyed free from
interruption. This saloon and the drawing-room above over-
look the gardens ; but by filling the space above the central
chimney-pieces with a large transparent plate of glass in lieu
of a mirror, a view of the hall is presented, which adds to the
cheerfulness of the apartments, and improves the effect of the
entrance by opening a vista opposite.
The arrangements for the comfort of the members, and
the convenience of the attendants, are as complete as art and
science can render them. The entresol and basement are no
less admirable on the score of accommodations than the
principal floors in point of elegance. Ranges of bath-rooms,
dressing-rooms, waiting-rooms, steward's-rooms, &e., oc-
cupy the entresol; and the basement is devoted to the culinary
department, which is on a grand scale of completeness. A
beautiful little steam-engine, of five-horse power, supplies
the motive force . it raises water from a well 217 feet
deep to the dormitories at the top of the house ; it sots
in motion a fan that circulates through all the building
a supply of fresh air, warmed by an ingenious applica-
tion of its waste steam; and it works the various " lifts" by ,
which fuel, viands, dishes, &c., are sent up and down to and
from the different rooms. The batterie de cuisine presents a
formidable array of stewing-stoves, boilers, and hot closets,
ice-wells, and cool-pantries, and two enormous fire-grates,
each big enough to roast an ox a hole. Altogether, the Reform
Club is, perhaps, the completest specimen of domestic archi-
tecture in the kingdom ; the architect, Mr. Barry, has natu-
ralised in England the Italian palazzo, by combining with its
solid magnificence of style and superb taste in ornament, those
luxuries of convenience which cur cold damp climate and in-
door life render essential to domestic comfort.

THE WEATHER.

ROYAL GALLERY OF SCIENCE, ADELAIDE-

STREET.

NOON. MARCII 8.
Barometer 3O 45 In.
Thermometer
Highest ..... .... . 60
Lowest

Wlnd W.—Freezing Point 32 DCg.

THE ARMY.

Lieutenant Balfour, of the 79th, has been appointed acting
Paymaster to the depot companies of that regiment, which
situation became vacant by the recent promotion of Captain
Skene.

Ensign Lyons, of the 73d, has been appointed acting Adju-
tant to the depot companies of that regiment, in succession to
Lieutenant Fanner.

Lieutenant Brown of the 75th, has been appointed acting
Adjutant to the depot companies of that regiment, in succes-
sion to Ensign Knox.

Captain Jan Hiern, of the 36th, joined the depot com-
panies of his regiment, at Clare Castle, on the 19!h ult , from
the service companies in New Brunswick.
Captain H. Brewster, of the 76th regiment, joined the depot
companies of his regiment at Londonderry on the 27th ult.,
from the service companies at Bermuda.
Lieut.-Colonel Jackson has returned from leave of absence,
and resumed tie command of the 6th Dragoon Guards (Ca-
rabineera) in this garrison.
Lieut.-Colonel Emmett, of the Royal Engineers, has re-
lieved Lieut.-Colonel Blanchard, C. 8., in command of the
engineer department in Scotland. _ ' •
Major Orange, of the 67th Regiment, having left ext.l-
- ay on leave of absence, the command of the depot com-
panies of that corps has devolved upon Brevet-Major Adair.
Lieutenant J, W. Baird, of the 70th, joined the defot cf
his regiment at Spike Island, on the 15th ult., from the ser-
vice companies in the West Indies.
-. _ _

Major-General Sir Robert Arbuthnot, K.C.8., and his
Aide-de-Camp Captain Thurlow, of the 90th Light Infantry,
have been removed from the staff of Ceylon to that of the
Bengal Presidency; and Major-General Sir Willoughby
Cotton, G. C. 8., is to return home from Bengal.

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF FOREIGNERS IN
Dismass.—Friday the Annual General Court of the
Gov- roues of this admirable and truly-philanthroric In
stitution was held at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-
street, for the purpose of receiving a Report of the pro-
ceedings and state of the accJunts for the past year, and for
other purposes ; Mr. Jahn Labouchere, Treasurer of the
Institution, in the Chair. The Report stated that the
donations and annual subscriptions announced at the last
anniversary dinner amounted to a sum of 1,3181. 11t=., since
tchich they had received several donations from royal and
a,:guit personages at home and abroad, amongst whom were
the following.--her Majesty the Qacen, her Mlesty the
Queen Dowager, his Royal Highness Prince Albert, his
Majesty Christian VIII., King of Denmark; his Majesty
Louis Philippe, King of the French ; his M,jesty Leop Id,
King of t' .e Belgians; her Majesty the Queen of Hanover,
her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, their Royal
Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of CambridgC., &c. The
amount t f tie receipts for the past year la as 2,412/. 15s Bd.
and the disbursements 2,2.55/ ; leaving a balance in the
treasurer's hands of 157/. 6'. 83. The funded capital of
the Society amounts to 7,350/. in the New Three per
Cents. The secretary then read al account of the num-
ber of foreigners whom they had temporarily relieved
since the last report, making a total of 2,370. The report
hating been received and adopted, the Governors pry-
ceeded to the election of the usual officers for the ensuing
year, and then to the election of eight weekly pensioners,
after which a vote of thanks to the Chairman was passed,
and the Court dissolved.

SINGULAR STORM IN JERSEY.—A gentle-
man resident in the . island cf Jersey, wri ing to a ft lend
descrit es a very singular storm,. which occurre I
these on the sth ultimo. On returning home from
dinirg with a friend, there was a bitter storm• of rain and
wind, with a perfectly preternatural degrees of cold. On
rising in the morning, and dratsiog up the window blinds,
he was aston'shed to find the pares of glass, though as
transparent as before, covered uniformly over their whole
external surface with a sheet cf ice full half an inch thick,
while large icicles depended from the division of the sash.
The roughte;s of the ice ur,vented lii seeing anythiog
with tut, not.vithstanding its transparency, nor was is ust.l
lite in the day, when the heat of a large file had thawed
about an inch square on some of the panes, that he became
aware of tic st ,te of things ahrcal. He then saw the ilexes
and other shrubs in front of the house, of fifteen to twenty
feet high, all prostrated, broken open, or boa ei do..vn on all
sides, exactly in the form of weeping ashes, by the weight
of an enormous coating of pellucid ice. Not a t ace was
there of snow, nor a single oven serni.opaque spot to be
seen--,all was solid ice. The sturdier trees on the opp,..
Site side. of the seadlarezented a. no .leas extraordinary
appearance ; -they looked as if all converted into the..
most b2autifut ornaments of pure crystal. He was so
much struck with this phenomenon, that he got in and
weighed two twigs, first in their crystal coats, and then
when these had melted off. One weighed four ounces
with its ice,, and one-fourth of an ounce when deprived
of it ; the other three and a half ounces, arid one-
eighth when bare. Another 'person weighed a branch
in his garden which bad been broken down ; it was
twelve and three-quarters cf a pound in ice, and
two and a half ounces without it. By the 7th ult.,
when it _never ceased raining, there was some Awe-
ment in the intensity of the frost, without which not a tree
bad been left whole in the island. Not a sisal could stir
about, and all from the windows appeared still a prrfect
tare de glace, By five o'clock of the Bth, the had seen
only the brewer, who reported the devastation among the
treesfinest aoarnfarimg
ehntftuall,
trees particularlybate
b.
been
nong the orchards, a_fact
and bran* and a prodigiTuspnhls:
which ales observation ampl • bore out. Many of the
utterly destroyed, sone
broken at the root, others
noupmebae, r and
if deprivedthe
finest . o f
fruittch
trees totally destroyed. worst mischief was in the
most sheltered places, which
been produced by
LORD HOLLAND'S
h proved that it had bean done
by weight, not inipet.us
const,a—ntt e load of ice which must h.:ve
WILL Ti will d .o-
cot gelation of true falling rain.
Holland, late of Holland H
co-
dicil a the It Holt. Henry Richard 'e at
t House,
Richard Vassall Baron
of M.clalesex, deceased, has9' ~ets ensington, in t..e county
passefd the seal of he Pr.....
rogative Court of the Archbishopj'
eie:ustrillul•aVe, the
Cawerbory, to the
R.ght Hon. Elizabeth Va,sati :1.0
widow of the decease!, and the sole executrix.
per-
sonal prorerty of the deceased has been swoz!:n n.nderthegimveernotuos his
bequests wtdow
(hisand
not to have forgotten his colleagues),
value of 60,000/. The property is
children. Amongst many and nu
a
very high and fhtte;ing testimonial is expressed to John
Allen, Esq., the master of Dulwich College, to whom he
Lordship seems
has left a legacy of 1,500/ , and the small miniature of
Oliver Cromwell. To Lord J. Russell be has begunthed
his Waterloo-bridge shares. To Lord Lansdowne, Earl
Grey, Earl Granville, Duke of Bedford, and Lord Broug-
ham, he has left paintings, as a small mark of the great
esteem and respect he entertained for these noblemen.
Pus EYI sm.—Lord John George Beresford, Lord
Archbishop of Armagh.
and Primate of all Ireland _the
i_ ie
spiritual head of the Church as by law e3tablished n Irc-
lind.,bas become a Puseyite.—Dublin Evening per.