The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-17 00:00:00

MECHANICs.

Two very interesting weekly publications, en.
titled, the Mechanics' Magazine,. and the
Iffeekl;lJournal, are now regularly is.
sued fro.lp the press of the Metropolis,.undrcsii.
not fail to ,stxercise a great and beneficial influence
over the purgikits and the habits of mind of the
wolrking classes., lit the former of these new. pe-
riodical 'works, tie proposal for founding the
London Mechanics"Anstituto originated, and the
promptitude with whisch the suggestion has been
adopted proVes that its ionthors had founded an
accurate calculation as to the probability of its
success. The Mechonice Wee4jJournal,,which
is of more recent origin than the'.lllagazine, very
properly seems determined to exercise a whole-
some vigilance over the proceedings ipq the Me_
chunks' Institritc, and to use every exelitfoo for
keeping its managers to the.strict-performamce of
their obligations, and to a rigid adherence to ells:
principles and views on whiEli the Institutioto
is professedly founded. The followinv
ticle, which we quote from the sth number of
this miscellany, will suffice to convey to our
readers some idea of the spirit which the Me—
chanics' Wechly Journal fulfils this part' of its
duty : .

(Prom the lifechanie.o Treekly Journal.)
On tho LONDON lIIECHANICS' INSTITUTE, anti Si.
pillar Societies. -

TO Tax EDITOR or Tali; MECITANAC'S WEEKLY JOUIWAL.
Stn,—On perusing the rules and orders of the "Mechanics'
Institute, of which you will no doubt furnish your readere with
a copy or abstract, I was much struck with the jealous
siokof visitors; a singular feature in a London association.
well know that the University of Edinburgh makes visitors pay
five shillings for a sight of their museum ; and that many tit the
inhabitants of that city feel so ashamed when an English'per-
son, or a fbreig►ncr, desires to be led to the 3lmteum, as to
send beforehand and pay the demand themselves, in the hope
of the imposition, for so it must be really called, not being ails.
covered by their Southern or foreign friends.: but I did not ex-
pect that any London Scientific Society, (for so ,I suppose this
London scientific institution expects to ho called,) would re.
quire the written recommendation of twomembers, the personal
introduction of one, and a payment of five to see
heir rooms, or hear a lecture, by .frigning to Income Is

member.
Ily this jealousy of access, and the extra payment which is
to be made for the admission of sons and apprentices, either to
the lectures or the schools, the expence,althoughin appearance
less, will be greater than in the present societies, whialt allow
the liberty of introducing visitors—even females. As to the
obligation, in some of these societies, of each member reading
a lecture in his turn, this turn occurs so seldom, and the &ens
small, that the obligation may be said to be merely noMinal.
In the sociefi with which I ant acquainted, a shilling a-yeer
will cover the fine.
The projectors of the Mechanics' Institute el'idently suppose,
I think very unjustly, that the mechanics of London PM 110,eat
tremely ignorant as not to perceive, that if they are to paylla.'64,
a-quarter for each of their sons and apprentices to attend this.
lectures, and another N 6d. to attend the schools, they might
As well pay is. a-quarter at once, and make them members. r -"
We have heard so much of the mechanics having the, ma.*
nagement of the concern in their own hands, that I expected
every member might have attended the Committee of llionages nient, if he found himself inclined,- as in the Society of Arts, &c. ; but it turns out that the members have no other share in
the management but a vote in the annual choice of officers ; that the managers in possession, hx'acting in a body, and seta r-
ing the votes of their Immediate friends, will always he able to
perpetuate the management in their own hands; and the .ioe
dependent subscribers have no other resource but to leave the
Inatitution
I think it would be more desirable that, instead of thin single
institution, the old societies, of ;e similar mauve, ehould ruse
their existence more public; and I observe, with pleasure; that
you have mentioned, in your tinnier numbers, the rules orthe
principal societies of this kind. In those manufacturing district*
which have not any societies of a similar nature established, it
is to he hoped that some active Spirits will institute societies
upon the same liberal plan as,the old tineledes. As the. mahu-
&nitres of London are mostly carried on in the outskirta the
town, this circumstance, added to the immense ant! continually
increasing size of London, renders:a single institution very in.,
convenient.
J. 11,

Li T14;i7;2115: ° IC L.
KONINCISMARKE, the LONGI:I4ZI/47.1." a Tak
of
ll'
Nt;IV World, In Three Volumes. " r
The succe,is of the :various
WAstmvoTort IRVING has excited no small de.
gren c,f interest in the public for the produrtiom of our Trans-. Atlantic, brethren ; and ire Aver,.
consequently not surprised at the announcement
of a new work from the pen Of an American,
Thu novels ,of the 44 Great Unknown" have, it
seems, been very favourably received irt.Anwrice,
aud the avidity with which they have been pet-
used has had the effect of putting its Nov'elisfs on their mettle. The Work before us is avowett*,
ly written in the style of ths4 Ctlraa(4lllP94.lMS
the realm of novel-writing—the unity of fiction
and historical fact. it is merely justice to tho
Author to say, that even after the Scottish No-
vels his work will be read with touch interest.
Some of the scenes are described with con-
siderable power, and the characters are in
general n ell pourtrayed. The Meg Ater..
rifles of this novel (for no writer in the
style of tin Scotch Novels can do without
Meg Merrllies), appears in. the person of Ambit- -
of the Frizzled Head, a caysterioni#idy, quite in
the secret with the Author, and causing notch
distress to tho different characters, arid mach
speculation to the Reader. The heir Piper
and honest Lob Dotterel are well imagined, and
equally well sustained. The Reader is, Perhaps,
kept too long ignorant of what Koningsmarke
really is, but de guslibus, &e. this may he
thought by some to augment the interest. We
much 'regret that a press of other matter pre-
cludes the possibility of giving any extract ; we
must, thert-fore, be satisfied with recommending
the Work to our Readers, confident that our re-
commendation will be sanctioned ,by their ap.
proval.