The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-15 00:00:00

ROYAL LITERARY FUND.

The anniversary dinner of this institution was cele.
brated yesterday at the Freemasons' Tavern. His Ex-
cellency M. Van de Weyer occupied the chair, sup-
ported by the Spanish Ambassador, the Turkish Am-
bassador, Lord Ashburton, Baron Charles Dupin, Mr.
R. Comyn, the Vice• Chancellor Sir Knight Bruce, the
Hon. E. Phipps, &c.
After a very excellent dinner,
The CHAIRMAN proposed " The Health of her Ma-
i esty," and took cccasion, in connexiun with the literary
character of the assembly, to mention that among the pa-
pers scattered by the French revolution were several let-
ters written by her Majesty in French, which , for the purity
Of their diction and the elegance of their style, elicited
the high admiratoin of the best French scholars.
In proposing the "Health of Prince Albert," the
CHAIRMAN pronounced a warm eulogium upon the
sterling practical sense which his Royal Highness bad
always exhibited, in combination with the deepest phi-
losophical appreciation, and the most generous aspira-
tions for the good of mankind.
The Rev. J. S. M. ANDERSON acknowledged the toast
of " The Church," proposed by the Chairman; and Sir
C. MALCOLM that of " The Army and Navy," proposed
by the May or of Bristol.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed " Prosperity to the
Royal Literary Fund," and, in doing so, bore testimony
to the wise and generous method in which the managers
of the Literary Fund conducted that charity, the promp-
titude and delicacy with which its committee were ever
ready to administer to the necessities of the unfortunate
scholar who could satisfy them that his misery was not
the just punishment of immoral habits. His Excellency
expressed his great satisfaction that the plan recently
published fur the establishment of a Guild of Literature,
and other circumstances, manifested that there was an
increasing disposition to improve the condition of lite-
rary men in this country; and suggested that one most
efficient means of placing writers in positions where, re-
lieved from sordid anxieties, they could tranquilly
pursue their beneficial labours, might be afforded by the
practical development of the Act of Parliament which
had been passed for the establishment of public libraries
in all our great towns. lie, himself, in the outset cf his
career, had derived inestimable aid from being appointed
librarian to the city of Brussels—(Loud cheers)—and
in the same way the interests of literature and the wel-
fare of literary men in England might be advanced to
an incalculable degree by the appointment of men of
acknowledged literary merit to the position of public
librariens.—(Hear, hear.)
The Rev. Dr. RUSSELL, in reading the financial report
of the institution, slats d that in the course of the past year
3S cases had been relieved, to the extent in the aggre-
gate, of 2,370/., the classification of cases relieved being
—History and biography, 4 grants; biblical literature, 5;
science and art, 3; topography and travels, 4; education,
5; poetry, 4; essays and tales, 7; drama, 1; law, 1;
medicine 1; and miscellaneous, 3 grants. The Reverend
Gentlemen paid a high compliment to the secretary of
the institution, Mr. Blewitt, and mentioned that, in con-
sideration of his services, the King of the Belgians had
conferred upon Mr. Blewitt a splendid medal.
Among the donations announced by Dr. Russell were
—the Queen, 14th donation, 100 guineas; M. Van de
Weyer, 12th donation, 30 guineas; the Duke of Somer-
set, 44th donation, 10 guineas; Lord Ellenborough, 10
guineas; Lord Ellesmere, 10 guineas; Mr. T. B. Ma-
caulay, 10 guineas; Mr. Alexander, Ker, 10 guineas, &C.
The health of the Chairman was then proposed by
Lord ASHBURTON, and gracefully acknowledged by M.
VAN DE WEYER, who mentioned that the chairman elect
far the ensuing year was Lord Campbell.
The next toast was " His Excellency the Turkish
Minister, and the Foreign Ambassadors," which was ac-
knowledged in French by the Turkish Ambassador.
M. CHARLES DUPIN spoke in acknowledgment of
the next toast, " The Literature and Science of all Na-
tions," and took occasion to recognise the genuine
liberality with which ho had found all classes of En-
glishmen ready to give information to foreigners as to
the manufactures and machinery in the development of
which they so eminently excelled.
Mr. GROVE also spoke to the toast.
en proposed " Mr. Alison and the
Mr. HARDINGE then
Historians," and
Mr. Ausore returned thanks in a speech which gra-
phically contrasted the Congress of Peace, now assem-
bled in Hyde-Park, with the Congress of War which,
thirty-five years ago, ho had witnessed assembled at
Paris.
Vice-Chancellor K. BRUCE proposed, " Mr. Macke-
ray and the Novelists."
Mr. THACKERAT, in acknowledging thetwtecoraesdtes,ogrraevdpeeruyd-
dieted on the part of his brethren that pity which so
people, takingd their cueeor fer o
11.,
h
literarymany
hacks
of f the ay
much disposed to bestow upon them. "The patron and
the gaol " had alike ceased to be words tear in the
ears of
literaryero
t a
tsw men
eorfek,
dru England.n
Several
the
ot and the whole of the
proceedings wero characterised b I.
y a genuine cor.iaaty.

- -
Tun GOLD DUST ROBBERY.—lnspector Field has
ascertained that two men quitted Southampton on Thursday
night by the mail train for London with two weighty bags in
their possession, who evinced considerable anxiety about
them, and requested to have them conveyed in the sarn:
carriage. There is good reason to believe that these men
then had the two missing boxes of gold dust in thetir.pa,,,_
sion. The train arrived at the Waterloo Station
caabull.
past four o'clock on the morning of Friday,
20 (one of the number privileged by the corrl:Pdnal7Y)'
a d for them,
by a man named Pitcher, was called oil' thre..e
sin.
Some-
and the two bags were placed by the porteuytn
the cabman as
thing auspicious, however, was obseivedanner driven
of his passen-
to the contents of the bags and theitin
Railway at Shoreditch,
gers. They ordered him to drive w
the terminus of the Eastern Counties h all possible speed to
given him 4s. as his
Coffee-house opposite to
but stopped the cab at the Railway
it, where they alighted, andheh
They then entered the coffee-house,
fare, he was discharg
in which the bags were placed,
they then called another cab,
towards the Minories. This cab
where they bad breakedta.st,Tand it has been ascertained that,
and Air• Inspector Field has, it is be-
lieved,
ybw.iirisb loricuilla:ooirtereelda.pse
has also been traced, at
t.
'nforms ton of the place where the tree-
lieved, gained such
ti
at
many
and the parties were driven
e
tilt Whole of 024 iltol. P t before
tilt was deposited,
.1422