The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-31 00:00:00

INSTITUT'
ing of tho E

stitution wzs
of the building, Lord Jo!

theatre vas densely crowded. The Noble Chairman ex-
pressed the great gratification which he felt in being in-
vited to preside over the business of the evening ; and
having eulogised the obj-cts which such institutions
have in view, and the benefits which the instruction im-
parted in them are calculated to confer on society, he
introduced the young gentlemen of the class respectively
to the notice of the meeting. The pieces chosen for the
exercise of their various talents afforded a good range
for display, and most creditably did they acquit th,in-
selves, e.:cla in the part assigned him, indicating high
proficiency in the art of eloquence, a just appreciation of
its advantages, and a degree of preparation for the atage
of" public " life, honourable to the training and cha-
racter of the institution. Among the young tnen of the
class wha took parts and distinguished thems'ilves on the
occasion, were—Messrs. G. H. Law, Graham, Letch-
ford, Surridge, llori..by, J. Brosghton, G. Grossmith,
Brind, G. S. Nottage, W. C. Rowton, J. R. Bailey, and
Ileylin. The recitations and scenes being varied, "from
grave to gay, from lively to severe," produced corres-
ponding effects on the auditory, who were alternately
moved to the utmost pitch of laughter and the deepest
and most touching pathos. Harmony of feelinr, cha-
racterised the proceedings throughout, and thanks have
ing been voted to the Noble Chairman, the assembly
separated.

SHAKSPERE.—UntIer this attractive title bills were
a day or two ago circulated by a gentleman who signs
himself " Edward S. Dickson, Barr. Linc. Inn," an-
nouncing his intention to " demonstrate" that William
Shakspere and crowds of other names in English and
foreign literature are all "spiritual ideas," and never
belonged to earth-horn mortals who ate beef steaks and
smoked their pipe) in the chimney corner. Friday
evening, at eight o'clock, was the time appointed for this
learned and ingenious lecturer to " demonstrate" his
case, and, accordingly, at that hour, " a good few," as
the Scotch have it, of curious visitors might be seen
stumbling over the benches of the basin-shaped lecture
room in anxious anticipation of the bright idea that was
to fall from the honied tongue of this redoubtable "Barr.
Line. Inn." The lecture by aforethought was a dirty
one, so that females and youths were delicately recom-
mended not to come. This " Barr. Linc. Inn" kept
—as far as this portion of the announcement was
concerned his promise to the letter, for a more
gratuitously disgusting affair wo never had the
misfortune to listen to. As regards the " demon-
stration," characterised as it was by self-conceit, inter-
spersed, in the most rambling and incoherent manner,
with etymology of which the merest tyro might have
been ashamed, divested of everything pt °raising even a
semblance of careful and dispassionate inquiry, and
evincing a helpless ignorance of the very points most
material in entering upon such an insane enterprise—we
have merely to observe that it is a pity the managing
people of the place do not ascertain beforehand the
nature of the lecture by which the "Members" are to
be instructed.
IMPORTANCE -OF FLANNEL NEXT THE SKIN.—It
would be easy to alliance strong evidence in behalf of
the value and importance of wearing flannel next the
akin. " Sir John Pringle," says Dr. Hodgkin, " who
accompanied our army into the north at the time of the
rebellion, relates that the health of the soldiers was
greatly promoted by their wearing flannel waistcoats,
with which they had been supplied on their march by
some of the Society of Friends ; ' and Sir George Bal-
liugall, in his lectures on Military Surgery, adduces the
testimony of Sir James Macgregor to the statement that,
in the Peninsula the best clothed regiments were gene-
rally the most healthy ; adding that, when in India,
ho
witnessed a remarkable proof of the usefulness
of flannel in checking the progress of the most aggra-
vated form of dys,,atery' in the second battalion of the
Royals. Captain Murray told Dr. Combs that "he was
so strongly impressed from former experience with a
sense of the efficacy of the protection afforded by the
constant use of flannel next the skin, that when, on hiss
arrival in England in December 11823, after two 9
years'
service amid the icebergs on the coast of Lahrador,t
ship was ordered to sail immediately for the West In-
dies, he ordered the purser to draw two extra flannel
and pairs of drawers for each man, and instituted a
regular daily inspection to see that they were worn.
These precautions were followed by the happiest re-
sults. He proceeded to his station with a crew of 150
men; visited almost every island in the West Indies,
and many of the ports in the Gulf of Mexico ; and not-
withstanding the sudden transition from extreme cli-
mates, returned to England-without the loss of a single
man, or having any sick on board on his arrive!! It
would be going too far to ascribe the excellent state of
health solely to the use of flannel, but there can be little
doubt the latter was an important article in Captain
Murray's success."—Robertson on Regimen and Diet.
GUTTA PERCH A.—The name of this substance is
pure Malayan, gotta signifying gum, or the concreted
juice of a tree, and percha being the name of the plant
which produces it. The tree is found in many parts of
the island of Singapore, and in the forest of Johns, at
the extremity of the Malayan peninsula; it also pro-
bably exists in the island of Sumatra, as the native name
of that island is Polo Percha. It is also said to exist
on the south-east coast of Borneo; and Mr. Brooke, the
English Resident at Sarawak, asserts that it is common
in the forests of that island, where it is called Niato by
the inhabitants, though they appear to be ignorant of
the properties of the juice. The tree attains a
diameter of from three to six feet, but the wood
is of no value; the fruit furnishes an oil which
mingle with their food. The
es round Singapore is proved by the
d tons have been exported since
employ such a method in eel-
-a must speedily bring about
Instead of piercing
what exudes naturally, they cut
tripping the bark entirely off,
left to

Wound Inec
fact that r
1842. Ti:

of thi

lectin9: tli

the tree.

the entire de!lrit

the hark, a

dawn :he tree, a

they obtain the wly,ie of the juice, which is tacn .
stitTenin- the air. There appear to be three varictiep7-
the.gutta guek, gmta tubar, and gat:a percha. This
extrAordinary substance has the property of stifteni)g
when exnoied to boiling water; in this state it is capa-
ble of Hein; moulded like clay. It is also capahl of
combining with was, fatty bodies, and caontchouc;
these substances con,itltrablv modify the froperties of
the ;arts perehs; the ettoutchouc mikes it more elastic
told softer.