The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-25 00:00:00

THE STEREOSCOPE.

Sir D. Brewster bas addressed the following letter to
the Editor of the Times :
" Sir,—ln the notice of Mr. Faye's stereoscope
which I sent ' you under the signature "A," not
thinking it of sufficient importance to add my name,
I claimed the invention of it for Mr. Wheatstone as
well as for Mr; Elliott, referring distinctly to Mr.
Wheatstone's paper, •as published in 1838, nd
to the later date of 1839, when Mr. Elliot executed his
instrument. I therefore gave to Mr. Wheatstone all
the originality which he claims from prior publication.
But, as I had undoubted evidence that Mr. Elliot in.
vented the stereoscope in 1834, and as his form of the
instrument was exactly the same as Mr. Faye's, while
Mr. Wheatstone's, though equally ingenious, was diffe-
rent, I place Mr. Elliot's claim before Mr. Wheatstone's.
I believe, therefore, that Mr. Elliot and Mr. Wheat.
stone are independent inventors of an instrument or me-
thod for uniting two dissimilar pictures, and thus pro-
ducing relief, but that neither of them discovered-thr
principle of the stereoscope. Mr. Elliot lays no claim to
such a discovery. Mr. Wheatstone does on the follow-
ing grounds. After quoting a curious experiment on
binocular vision, in which Leonardo da Vinci was on the
eve of inventing the stereoscope, he makes the following
observations :

" Had Leonardo da Vinci taken, instead of a sphere, a
less sio.ple figure for the purpose of his illustration, he
would not only haveobserved that the object obscured from
each eye a different part of the more distant field of view,
but the fact would also, perhaps, have forced itself upon
his attention that the object itself presented a different
appearance to each eye. He failed to do this, and no sub-
sequent writer within my knowledge has supplied the
omission ; the projection of two obvionsl3 dissimilar pic-
tures on the two •retina when a single object is viewed,
while the optic axes converge, must therefore be regarded
as a new fact in ,the theory of vision."—Philosophical
Transactions, 1838, pp. 372-3.
Now, this claim to the fundamental principle of the
stereoscope is groundless. Euclid knew it. Galen
knew it, and explained it. Baptista Porta quotes Galen's
explanation, and Illustrates it with a figure. Aguilonius
in various parts of his Optics does the same, and in his
chapter on the vision of solids (ra nrfpfa,ta sterea)
he is puzzled in explaining how the two dibsimilar pic-
tures give a distinct image in relief. Early in 1852, and
more recently, in my Treatise ova the Stereoscope, I have
quoted the passage from these authors to prove their
knowledge of the principle in question, end Mr. Wheat-
stone has roads no reply to the statement. It is doubt-
less strange that he was not acquainted with the re-
searches of Galen, Porta, and Aguilonius, for he tells us
Tvans., 1838, page 372) that, "after looking over
the works of many authors who might be expected to
have made some remarks relating to this subject, he was
able to find but one which is in the Trattato della Pit
tura of Leonardo da Vinci." Among these works were
those of Pota and Aguilonius, and he has more than
once quoted both of them (pages 388, 390, 391, 393),
but, though I make this remark, I do nut mean to in-
sinuate, nor do I believe, that Mr. Wheatstone saw the
passages to which I have referred.
In the extract from Mayo's Outlines, &c., from which
it is evident that Mr. Wheatstone was acquainted with
the principle of the stereoscope in 1833, and therefore
earlier than Mr. Elliot, there is no mention whatever of
any instrument or method of combining the pictures. It
affords no proof that the reflecting stereoscope was then
in existence ; that he did combine them is obvious, and
if he had assured us that he did it by means of the re-
flecting instrument I should have implicit confidence in
le statement.

In concluding his letter, Mr. Wheatstone remarks
that I was the last person to have disputed the origi-
f
nality of his invention, as he can show from his corres-
pondence with me in 1832 " that 1 was aware that at
that time he was preparing for publication his memoir
on the subject." I therefore call upon Mr. Wheatstone
to publish this letter, or any part of it that has the
least reference to the stereoscope. If it has, I pledge
myself in future to place his claims above those of Mr.
Ethot, whenever I have occasion to write or speak on
the subject. Mr. Wlaeatstone's memoir is entitled
" Contributions to the Physiology of Vision," and I
may well have known that he was preparing it IT
publication without the slightest knowledge that the
stereoscope was to be one of the :various subjects of
which it treats.
As priority of publication is held by Mr. Wheatstone
to establish the "originality of an invention," it may be
sufficient to state to English readers that if this doc-
trine be admitted Sir Isaac Newton has no claim to
be the inventor of Fluxions. Leibnitz published the
method before him, but there is ample evidence that
Newton was the earliest inventor.
In the preceding observations I have avoided the
offensive personalities with which this subject has
been noticed in a silly article in the Westminster
Review. I have no personal feelings to gratify in giving
an opinion on this question. As the inventor of the
lenticular stereoscope now in universal use, and of
other forms of the instrument, I, of course, feel an
interest in the subject, and, involving as it does nice
questions in the theory of vision, that interest has been
greatly increased. In preparing lectures on the philo-
sophy of the senses I had occasion to study the depart-
ment of binocular vision ; and in the " Edinburgh
Transactions for 1843" I have given the true and de-
monstrable theory of the stereoscope, after Mr. Wheat-
stone bad wholly failed and acknowledged his failure
(Phil. Trans., 1838, p. 360). That theory has now been
before the scientific world for nearly 14 years, and has
never been controverted. When the paper which con-
tains it was written I believed that Mr. Wheatstone was
the sole inventor of the principle of the stereoscope, as
well as of the reflecting instrument, and I never failed to
give him the credit of both. He himself knows how I
waii compelled to investigate the subject, and to estab•
fish the claims of others —of ancient authors to the prin.
ciple, and of Mr. Elliot to an instrument for exhibiting it.

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The speeches Commenced with " The Health of Mr. Pea-
body, and a cordial and hearty Welco me to that distinguished
Citizen, eminent Merchant, and public Benefactor."
In reply, Mr. PEABODY said—Mr. Chairman, Ladies,
and Gentlemen,—The reception you have giVen me today
overpowers me. Few boys ever left a New England home
under circumstances more humble than I did—none could
return more honoured, too, where honour is said not to
be usual, in his own country and among his own kindred.
I feel proud as well as grateful at these testimonials, so
far beyond my merits, but so gratifying to my heart, and
which I shall ever esteem the greatest honour of my life.
You have alluded, Mr. Chairman, to my course as a mer-
chant. Heaven has been pleased to reward my efforts
with success, and has permitted me to establish, through
my own exertions, a house in the great metropolis of Eng-
land, which I think my mercantile friends here present
will bear me out tu saying sustains a high character and
credit throughout the world. Coming back to the home
of my childhood I honesttly confess that I feel great
pride in this, and I do not believe that you will accuse
me of egotism in saying so. I have endeavoured, in the
constitution of its members and the character of its busi-
ness, to make an American house, and to give it an Ame-
rican atmosphere—to furnish it with American journals—
to make it a centre for American news and an agreeable
place for my American friends visiting London. That I
have partially succeeded in doing so I think I may reason-
ably conclude from the flattering testimonials which I
have received since my arrival in this country. (Cheers.)
You have also been pleased to allude to my humble efforts
to promote good feeling between Great • Britain and the
United States, by increasing the social intercourse between
my English and American friends. That a cordial alliance
ought to exist between these two countries, founded on
social intercourse and personal friendships, as well as
mutual interests, is an opinion which I share with most
persons who have had the opportunity to see both. (Ap.
plause.) lam happy indeed if my humble efforts have
aided in promoting au& good feeling. If there are two
nations on the face of the earth that ought to be connected
by the closest ties of mutual goodwill they are these two
countries. (Renewed applause.) It is not in the language
ordinarily used that I point to the similarity in their in-
stitutions, their laws, their language, and their commer-
cial interests. The exports of this country to Great Bri-
tain are larger than to all the world besides. The exports
from Great Britain to this country, though not relatively
so large, are on an equally gigantic scale. A monetary
crisis i❑ one country is generally followed by like results
in the other. A change in the financial policy on the one
side is met by a responsive change in the other The
journals of each country reflect at length each other's
views and sentiments. Out of this very intimacy of
relations there grows frequent cause of difference ; but I
am sure that, notwithstanding the little outbursts of
jealousy which occasionally show themselves, England is
not less proud of her offspring than is America of the parent
stock. I can assure you that from the universally beloved
Queen who rules those realms down to her humblest suu-
ject, one feeling of goodwill towards this country prevails.
(Three cheers for the Queen.) I say this with the greatest
confidence, sine," I see around me many gentlemen who have
had an opportunity to see for themselves whether these
things are so. To none can I appeal more confidently than
to you, Sir (turning to Mr. Everett), who have filled the
most• important office abroad in the gift of our Government
with so much honour to your own country and so much sa
tisfaction to those to whom you were accredited. (Loud.
cheers.) I have been reminded to-day that one who fol-
lowed worthily in the footsteps of my friend on my right
has passed away. The corner-stone of the Peabody Insti-
tute was laid by Abbott Lawrence, but before it was com-
pleted his pure spirit had left the world. I admired him
for his practical talents ; I respected him for his virtues,
and loved him as a friend. Like myself, he was convinced
of the great importance of conciliation, forbearance, and
-mutual goodwill between England and America. During
his whole mission he laboured oainestly to culeivato these
feelings, and I take a melancholy pleasure in adding ray
humble tribute to his memory—in testifying not only to
the profuseness of his own hospitalities and the constancy
of his own labours to these ends, but to the heartiness and
zeal with which he co-operated in my more humble efforts.
The memory of such a man as Abbott Lawrence is doubly
blessed.

gives vigour to the civiliation of the present day but the
world-wide extension of ommercial intercourse, by which
all the products of the erth and of the ocean, of the soil,
the mine, of the loom, I the forge of bounteous nature,
creative art, and untirig
industry, are brought by the
agencies of commerce int. the universal market of demand
and supply? No matterin what region the desirable pro-
duct is bestowed on mai by a liberal Providence, or fa-
bricated by human skill. It may clothe the hills of China
with its fragrant foliate—it may glitter in the golden
sands of Californ'a—it ray wallow in the depths of the
Arctic seas—it may whien and ripen in the fertile plains
of the sunny south—it say spring forth from the flying
shuttles of Manchester in England, or Manchester in
America—the great won magnet of commerce attracts it
all alike, and gathers itall up for the service of man. I
do not speak of English ommerce, or American commerce.
Such distinctions belitle our conceptions. I speak of
commerce in the aegreente—the great ebbing and flowing
tides of the commercialworld—the great gulf-streams of
traffic which flow roundfrom hemisphere to hemisphere—
the mighty trade-winds of commerce which sweep from
the Old World to the Jew—that vast aggregate system
which embraces the whde family of man, and brings the
overflowing treasures of nature and art into kindly rela-
tion with human want, tonvenience, and taste. In carry-
ing on this system, thins for a moment of the stupendous
agencies that are put inmotion. Think for a moment of
all the ships that navig.te the sea. An old Latin poet,
who knew no waters beyond those of the Mediterranean
and Levant, says that the man must have had a triple
casting of oak and braseabout his bosom who first trusted
his frail bark on the raging sea. How many thousands of
vessels laden by commerce ai1...,t this oneaent nevigating,
cot the narrow seas frequen Led by the ancients, but the world-
encompassing oceans. Think next of the mountains of
brick, and stone, and iron, built up into the great com-
mercial cities of the world; and of all the mighty works of
anciept and modern contrivance and structure—the moles,
the lighthouses, the bridges, the canals, . the roads, the
railways, the depth of mines, the Titanic force of enginery,
the delving ploughs, the scythes, the reapers, the looms, the
electric telegraphs, the vehicles of all descriptions which
airectly or indirectly are employed and put in motion by
commerce—and last and most important, the millioni of
human beings that conduct, and regulate, and combine
these inanimate, organic, and mechanical forces. And,
now, sir, is it anything less than a liberal profession, which
carries a quick intelligence, a prophetic forecast, an indus-
try that never tires, and, more than all, and above all, a
stainless probity beyond reproach and beyond suspicion,
into this vast and complicated system, and, by the blessing
of Providence, works out a prosperous result? Such is the
vocation of the merchant, the man of business, pursued is
many departments of foreign and domestic trade—of
finance, of exchange, but all comprehend under the general
name of commerce—all concerned in weaving the mighty
network of mutually beneficial exchanges which enwraps
the world. I krow there is a shade to this bright picture.
Where among the works of the fortunes of men shall we
find one that is all sunlight ? Napoleon L thought he had
said enough to disparage England when helad pronounced
her a nation of shopkeepers ; and we Americans are said
by some of our own writers to be slaves of the almighty
dollar. But these are sallies of national hostility, or the
rebukes which a stern moral sense rightly administers to
the besetting sins of individuals or communities. Every
pursuit in life, however, has its bright and its dark
phase; every pursuit may be followed with a generous
spirit for honourable ends, or with a mean, selfish, cor-
rupt spirit, beginning and ending in personal gratification.
But this is no more the case with the commercial than any
other career. What more different than the profession
of the law as pursued by the upright counsellor, who
spreads the shield of eternal justice over your life and for-
tune, and the wicked pettifogger, who drags you through
the thorns and brambles of vexatious litigation? What
more different than the beloved physician, the sound of
whose soft footstep, as he ascends your staircase, carries
hope and comfort to the conch of weariness and suffering,
and the solemn, palvering, impudent quack, who fattens
on the fears and frailties of his victims ? What more dif-
ferent than the press, which like the morning sun sheds
light and truth through the land, and the press which daily
distils the concentrated venom of personal malice and party
detraction from its dripping wings? I believe that the
commercial profession is as capable of being pursued with
intelligence, honour, and public spirit as any other ; and,
when so pursued, is as compatible with purity and eleva-
tion of character as any other, as well entitled to the hon-
ours which a community bestows on those who adorn and
serve it, the honours which you this day delight to pay
to your friend and guest. I was not the witness of the
commencement of his career abroad ; but we all know that
it soon fell upon that disastrous period when all American
credit stood low—when the default •f some of the States,
and the temporary inability of others to meet their obliga-
tions, and the failure of several of our moneyed institu-
tions, threw doubt and distrust on all American securities.
That great sympathetic nerve of the commercial world—
oredit—as far as the United States was concerned, was for
the time paralysed. At that moment—and it was a trying
one—our friend not only stood firm himself, but he was the
cause of firmness in others. His judgment commanded re-
spect, his integrity won back the reliance which men had
been accustomed to place in American securities. The re-
proach in which they were all indiscriminately involved
was gradually wiped away from
those of a substantial
character ; and if on this solid base of unsuspected good
faith he reared his own prosperity, let it be remembered
that at the same time he retrieved the credit of the State
of which he was the agent, performing the miracle, if
by which the
Iwod map
soventure
of an honest
m t
mac
express
turns
paper ,
into
gold. A course
like this, however commendable, might proceed from cal-
culation. If it led to prosperity and opulence, it might
he pursued for motives exclusively sebish. But Mr. Pea-
body took a different view of the matter, and immediately
began to act upon an old fashioned New-England maxim,
' which, I dare say, be learned in childhood, and carried
with him from Danvers, that influence and property have
their duties as well as their privileges, and sot himself to
work to promote the convenience and °ahea
meats of his travelling fellow-countrymen, a numerous and
important class. The traveller, often the friendless travel-
d° the en
ler, stands greatly in need of good offices is a foreign laud.
Several of you, my friends, know this,
er I a m
veri sure, by ex-
perience ; some of you can say how pse ngly, how
liberally these good offices were extended by our friend,
through a long course of years, to his travelling country-
men. How many days, otherwise weary, have been winged
with cheerful enjoyments through his agency; how many
otherwise dull hours, in health and in sickness, enlivened
by his attentions ! It occurred to our friend especially to
do that on a large scale which had hitherto been done to
a very limited extent by our diplomatic representatives
abroad. The sniallsalaries and still smaller private means
(with a single exception) of our Ministers at St. James had
prevented them from extending the rites of hospitality as
liberally as they could wish to their fellow-citizens abroad.
Our friend, happily, with ample means, determined to sup-
ply the defect, and brought together at the social board from
year to year, at a succession of entertainments equally
magnificent and tasteful, hundreds of his own countrymen
and of his English friends. How much was done in this
way to promote kind feeling and mutual goodwill, to soften
prejudice, to establish a good understanding ; in a word, to
nurture that generous rivalry inculcated in the sentiment to
which you have bid me respond, I need not say. I have been
particularlyreqnested by my friend, Sir H. Holland, a gen-
tleman of the highest social and professional standing, to
state, while expressing his deep regret that he cannot
participate in this day's festivities, that he has attended
several of Mr. Peabody's international entertainments in
London, and felt them to be of the happiest tendency in
promoting kind feeling between the two countries. We
are bound as Americans, on this occasion particularly, to
remember the very important services rendered by your
guest to his countrymen who went to England in 1851 with
specimens of the products and arts of this country to be
exhibited in the Crystal Palace. In most, perhaps all other
countries, this exhibition had been made a Government
affair. Commissioners had been appointed by authority to
protect the interests of exhibitors ; and, what was more
important, appropriations of money were made to defray
their expenses. No appropriations were made by Congress.
Our exhibitors arrived penniless—some of them penniless
—in the great commercial Babel of the world. They found
the portion of the Crystal Palace assigned to our country
unprepared for the art and industry which they had brought
with them, naked and unadorned, by the side of the neigh-
bouring arcades and galleries fitted up with elegance and
splendour by the richest Governments in Europe. The
English press began to launch its too ready sarcasms at the
sorry appearance which Brother Jonathan seemed likely to
make, and all the exhibitors from this country, and all who
felt au interest in their success, were disheartened. At this
critical moment our friend stepped forward. He didwhat
Congress should have done. By liberal advances on his part
the American department was fitted up, and day after day
some new product of American ingenuity and taste was
added to the list—M'Cormick's reaper, Colt's revolver,
Power's Greek Slave, Hobbs's unpickable lock, I foa's won-
derful printing presses, and Bond's more wonderful spring
governor—and it began to be suspected that Brother Jona-
than was not quite so much of a simpleton as had been
thought. He had contributed his full share, if not to the
splendour, at least to the utilities of the Exhibition. In
fact, the leading journal of London admitted that England
had derived more real benefit from the contributions of
the United States than from those of any other country.
Our friend ou that occasion, much as he had done in the
way mentioned to promote the interest and success of the
American exhibitors, and to enable them to sustain that
generous rivalry to which the toast alludes, thought he
, , had not done quite enough for their gratification. Accord-

The next regular toast was—" England and America—
pidchra Mater, pulchrior Felix. Long may they flourish
in the Bonds of Peace, Rivals in their efforts to civilise and
Christianise the World."
The Hon. EDWARD EVERETT responded as follows :
Mr. President,—l suppose you have called upon me to
respond to this interesting toast, chiefly because I filled, a
few years ago, a place abroad which made me in some de-
gree the associate of your distinguished guest in the kindly
office of promoting goodwill between the two great
branches of the Anglo-Saxon or Anglo-Norman race (for I
do not think it matters much by which name you call it),
" the fair mother and the fairer daughter," to which the
toast alludes. At all events, I bad much opportunity,
during my residence in England, to witness the honourable
position of Mr. Peabody in the commercial and social
circles of London, his efforts to make the citizens of the
two countries favourably known to each other ; and gene-
rally that course of life and conduct which has contributed
to procure him the well-deserved honours of this day, and
which shows that he fully enters into the spirit of the sen-
timent just propounded from the chair. To the prayer of
that sentiment, sir, I fully respond, desiring nothing more
ardently in the foreign relations of the country than that
these two great nations may be rivals only in their efforts
to promote the welfare and improvement of mankind.
They have already done, they are now doing much
at home and abroad to promote that end by the arts of
peace. Whenever they co-operate they can sweep every-
thing before them—when they are at variance, when they
pull opposite ways, it is the annihilation of much of the
moral power of both. Whenever England and America
combine their influences in prorating a worthy object it
moves forward like a vessel propelled by the united force
of wind and steam ; but when they are in conflict with
each other it is like the struggle of the toiling engine
against the opposing tempest. It is well if the labouring
vessel holds her own—there is danger that she may be
buried under the mountain waves, or drift upon the rocks.
It is quite obvious to remark on this occasion and on this
subject, while you are offering a tribute of respect to
distinguished man of business, that these two great nations
.
twhni e,
ha aree thed oi
twonvg
have
ol
carriede a d muchi
n leading
vm for
onma navigation
o al
nand i nat advancement
o nations
ona o
fmto
ehf
fece civilisa-
tion, d
ithato they haa
height unknown before. And this consideration, sir,
will serve to justify you and your fellow-citizens, if they
need justification, for the honours you are bestowing upon
the guest of the day, as it will the other communities in
different parts of the country which have been desirous of
joining in similar public demonstrations of respect. With-
out wishing to disparage the services which command your
respect and gratitude in the walks of political, military,
or literary life, it is natural that in a country like the
United States, where commerce is so important an interest
you should be prompt to recognise distinguished merit in
the commercial career—a career of which, when pursued
with diligence, sagacity,enterprise, integrity, and honour,
I deem it not too much to say that it stands behind no other
in its titles to respect and consideration ; as I deem it not
too much to say of commerce, in its largest comprehension,
that it has done as much in all time, and is now doing as
much to promote the general cause of civilisation, as any
of the other great pursuits of life. Trace its history for a
moment from the earliest period. In the infancy of the
world its caravans, like gigantic silkworms, went creeping
through the arid wastes of Asia and Africa, with their in-
finitesimal legs, and bound the human family together in
those vast regions as they bind it together now. Its colo-
nial establishments scattered the Grecian culture all round
the shores of the Mediterranean, and carried the adven-
tures of Tyre and Carthage to the north of Europe and the
south ofAfrica. The walled cities of tho middle ages pre-
vented the arts and refinements of life from being trampled
out of existence under the iron heel of the feudal powers.
The Hanso towns were the bulwark of liberty and property
in the north and west of Europe for ages. The germ of the
representative system sprang from the municipal franchises
of the boroughs. At the revival of letters the merchant
princes of Florence received the fugitive arts of Greece into
their stately palaces. The spirit of commercial adventure
produced that movement in the 14th century which
carried Columbus to America and Ta cco di Gama round
the Cape of Good Hope. The deep foundations of the
modern system of international law were laid in the into.
rests and rights of commerce and the necessity of pro-
tecting them. Commerce sprinkled the treasures of the
newly found Indies throughout the western nations; it
nerved the arm of civil and religious liberty in the Protes-
tant world ; it gradually carried the colonial system of
Europe to the ends of the earth, and with it the elements
of future independent, civilised Republican Governments.
But why should we dwell on the past ? What is it that

ingly, in a most generous international banquet, he brought
together, on the one band, the most prominent of his coun-
trymen drown by the occasion to London, and on the other
hand the Chairman of the Royal Commission, with other
persons of consideration in England, and his British friends
generally, and in a loving cup of Old Danvers oak pledged
them, on both sides, to warmer feelings of mutual good-
will than they had before entertained. In these ways, Mr.
President, our friend has certainly done his share to carry
into effect the principle of the toast to which you called
upon me to reply. But it is not wholly nor chiefly for these
kindly offices and comprehensive courtesies, nor for the
success with which he has pursued the paths of business
life, nor for the moral courage with which, at an alarming
crisis and the peril of his own fortunes, he sustained the
credit of the State he represented—i t is not these services
that have called forth these demonstrations of respect. Your
quiet village, my friends, has not gone forth in eager throngs
to meet the successful financier ; those youthful voices have
not been attuned to sing the praises of the successful banker.
No; it is the fellow-citizen who, from the arcades of the
London Exchange, laid, up treasure in the hearts of his
countrymen ; the true patriot who, amid the splendours
of the Old World's capital, said in his heart, "If I forget
thee, oh ! Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cun-
ning; if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to
the roof of my mouth." It is the dutiful and grateful child
and benefactor of Old Danvers whom you welcome back to
his home. Yes, Sir, and the property you have invested
in yonder simple edifice, and in providing the means of
innocent occupation for hours of leisure—of instructing
the minds and forming the intellectual character, not
merely of the generation now rising, but of that which
shall take their places, when the heads of these dear
children who now grace the table shall be as grey as
mine, and of others still more distant, who shall plant
kind flowers on our graves—it is the property you have
laid up in this investment which will embalm your name
in the blessings of posterity when granite and marble
shall crumble to dust. Moth and rust shall not corrupt it ;
they might as well corrupt the pure white portals of the
heavenly city where " every several gate is one of pearl."
Thieves shall not break through and steal it ; they might
as easily break through the vaulted sky and steal the
brightest star of the firmament. The great sententious
poet has eulogised the "Man of Ross"—the man of practi-
cal, unostentatious benevolence—above all the heroes and
statesmen of the Augustan age of England. Who, he asks,
" Who hung with woods the mountain's sultry brow ?
From the dry rock who bade the waters flow ?
Not to the sky in useless columns test,
Or in proud falls magnificently lost,
But clear and artless, pouring through the plain,
Health to the sick and solace to the swain."
But your Man of Ross, my friends, has taught a noble::
stream to flow through his native village—that bubbling,
sparkling, mind-refreshing, soul-cheering stream, which re-.
news while it satisfies the generous thirst for knowledge—
that noble unquenchable thirst " which from the soul doth
spring"--wiiich. gains new eagerness' from the draught
which allays it, for ever returning, though for ever slaked,
to the cool deep fountain of eternal truth. You will re-
collect, my Danvers friends, the I_6th of June, 1852, when
you assembled to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the
separation of Danvers from the parent stock. Your plea-
sant village arrayed herself that day in her holiday robes.
Herresident citizens, with one accord, took part in the fes-
tivities. Her children, dispersed through the Union, re-
turned that'day to the homestead. One ion: absent was
wanting, whom you would gladly have seen am )ng you.
But you had not forgotten him, nor he you. He was beyond
the sea, absent in body, but present iu spirit and kindly re-
membrance. In reply to your invitation, ho returned, as
the custom is, a letter of acknowledgment, enclosing a sealed
paper, with an endorsement setting forth that it contained
Mr. Peabody's sentiment, and was not to be opened till
the toasts were proposed at the public dinner. The tinge
arrived, the paper was opened, and it contained the fol-
lowing sound and sensible sentiment—" Education.—A.
debt due from the present to future generations."V Now
we all know that, on an occasion of this kind, a loose slip
of paper such as a sentiment is apt to be written on is in
danger of being lost—a puff of air is enough to blow it
away. Accordingly, just by the way of paper weight—
just to keep the sentiment safe on the table, and also to
illustrate his view of this new way of paying old debts,
Mr. Peabody laid down $20,000 on the top of his senti-
ment ; and for the sake of still greater security has since
added about as much more. Hence it has come to pass that
this excellent sentiment has sunk deep into the minds of our
Danvers friends, and has, I suspect, mainly contributed
to the honours and pleasures of this day. But I have oc-
cupied, Mr: President, much more than my share of your
time—and I will only, on taking my seat, congratulate
you on this occasion, as I congratulate our friend and
guest at having had it in his power to surround himself
with so many smiling faces and wane hearts.

ENTERTAINMENT TO lIA.iiBEBT
INGRAM, ESQ., M.P.,

At the annual dinner of the Evercreech Agricultural So-
ciety, held at Shepton Mallet, Somcrsetshire, on Thursday
evening last, Wm. Miles, Esq., M.P., presided. In the course
of the evening, " The County Members" was given as a toast,
in reply to which,
Mr. 11iLes said—l have now had. the honour of represent-
ing this county for twenty-two long years ; and though I
belong to possibly a party of politicians almost now extinct
—I mean the old Tory party--yet, I trust, you have found
that good measures, whatever party they came from, have
always had my support. (Applause.) But still, gentlemen,
though I thank God I at present enjoy good health, I cannot
forget that age is creeping upon me, and all I have to look to
is this, that when it becomes me to resign the office which you
have thrown upon me, I shall resign it with the goodwill of
my constituency, and at the same time with the feeling that,
though I may have been mistaken on some questions, yet I
have conscientiously upheld what I thought was for the good
of the whole nation. (Cheers.) At the commencement of the
war I was frequently among you, and then endeavoured to
collect your sentiments. I believe I did so honestly and faith-
fully, and endeavoured to represent them iu Parliament ; and,
therefore, when I supported the prosecution of the war with
all vigour, I felt that I spoke the language of my constituents.
But still, though I and my gallait friend near me (Captain
Scobell) have both in our former addresses wished and prayed
that the present peace may be long, yet I must not disguise
from you the fact, that there are elements at present in the
political world which bid fair, as far as human foresight can
see, to disturb the harmony which at present exists. I was
not aware of it, but the leading journal stated, in an article
some three weeks ago, that the basis of the conferences at
Paris lays dawn the rule that no .nation was at liberty to
maintain a rule or misrule which might affect the interests of
a neighbouring nation or the security of Europe. Now we
have always'gone, up to the present time, on the principle of
non-interference with the internal concerns of any nation. If
this was the basis of the consultations at Paris, I say it is
entirely opposed to the rule we have always adopted unani-
mously—the non-interference with the private concerns of
any nation; and moreover that it might threaten the stability
of any peace. (Hear.) For what we call misrule other de-
spotic nations may call rule, and who is to be the arbiter
between us ? (Applause.) Why at epee it becomes appa-
rent that it must be force on the ono side and force on the
other ; and therefore I think this is a dangerous doctrine to
maintain. My opinion is to stick religiously to the principle
which for `ears you have adopted—which was years ago laid
down by Lord Castlereagh—that of non-interference with the
regulations and laws of any foreign country. By so doing
you will maintain peace ; by doing otherwise you know not
when Europe may be convulsed by a general war. lam for
giving way to no power on earth ; let our laws be respected,
let our subjects be respected—and so they shall be if ever I
can say aye in such a matter—but do not, because a despotic
king holds his subjects in thraldom, interfere with the inter-
nal government of his kingdom, and plunge us into war.
While you do me the honour of maintaining me where you
have placed me, the principle of non-interference I will main-
tain, but let our dignity be touched, let England be outraged,
and then I will cry out, and shall be answered by almost
every voice in this country—" Throw away the scabbard,
out with the sword, and at once at it." (Loud cheers.) I
have little to address to you on other topics ; the papers are
exceedingly dull, and one paper is talking about the annihila-
tion of party, and another on the necessity of upholding it.
But when for two years we have been united on one point, is
it to be wondered at that you find some gentlemen voting one
way, and some another ? Depend upon it, if aggression is
made upon principles, parties will as readily come forward
and unite as they have ever heretofore done on such an occa-
sion. But I do not see so much to regret as the papers do ;
I think at present we are going on very well, and I hope and
trust that prosperity may still exist, that the agriculturist,
the mechanic, and the labourer may be well paid for theirks
work, and if so, I do not think we shall have much to cm:"
plain of in the want of union of the different parties who ma?
represent you. The hon. member resumed his seat amidst
loud cheers.

On Thursday last the inhabitants of Boston gave a
banquet to Herbetr Ingram, Esq., the member for the
borough.
The dinner took place in the hall of the Corn Exchange,
a handsome and spacious building, entirely roofed with
glass, and which on the present occasion was very tastefully
decorated. The archway -which forms approach to the
Corn-market was verry prettily set off with variegated
lamps, and bore the word "Welcome" in dahlias of various
hues, the front of the building itself being illuminated
by gas in the form of a laurel wreath which nearly covered
the facade. The interior of the corn market presented a
brilliant appearance, the walls being completely festooned
with flowers and evergreens, and exhibiting the flags of
England, France, Turkey, and Sardinia. Covers were set
for 50) guests, although double the number had made ap-
plication for tickets.
At four o'clock the chair was taken by Mr. M. Staniland,
a gentleman who had twice filled the office of mayor in
the town. Mr. Ingram, whose appearance in the hall was
the signal for general cheering, took his seat on the right
of the chair. On the left of the chair was Lord William
Lennox, brother to the Duke of Richmond.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the health of their hon.
member and guest, Mr. Herbert Ingram.
The toast was received with the utmost applause, and
was accompanied by several rounds of cheers.
Mr. INGEtall, iu returning thanks, expressed his attach-
ment to his native town, and said he took that festival as
a sign th its inhabitants did not repent of making him
theirtsßoimoete sot
nirtmehhpeears
dewts
heseenesnttbat
banking
membersnnivkde.ng Faiton rtoteyotr
hoe
Parliamentseatrr
interest,
hth ene Conservative
tsis. eont rrtlvehnapetari
Cievase:
in:
n)ntaat
ttorryteansdietne:
interest or the landed interest, and sometimes to represent
a large landed proprietor desirous of a peerage. These
members represented their own interests very well in-
deed, but not the interests of Boston, or the interests
of the country at large. At the last election, however,
the constituency determined to elect a person to represent
their own and the country's interest. The example had
been followed in Nottingham and several other places,
where they had elected men well known to the consti-
tuency, and not sent by particular parties or interests in
London or elsewhere. Mr. Ingram said ho felt proud to
represent a town which sent out the pilgrim fathers, the
founders of a free state, whose inhabitants fought the
battle of freedom. He next proceeded to refer to the last
session of Parliament and several subjects discussed
therein, justifying his vote on the motion of Mr. Muntz
respecting the income tax, as well as that of Mr. Spooner
on Maynooth. Ho was for a reduction of the paper duty,
and for a reform of the state of the law. He thought
Lord Palmeiston's bill on agricultural statistics utterly
useless, and in its effects quite as likely to mis-
lead as to inform. He was for a national bank to en-
courage provident habits, by offering a better security
than can be found in savings banks. The bank which he
proposed should receive deposit accounts at interest, and
also the smallest sums from the poor, who should be en-
titled to withdraw their money without notice, receiving
interest at the same time; and in order to avoid danger
during political excitements, the Government should have
the option of giving at the rate of par cent. stock for all
sums in the deposit account. There could be no possible
objection to issuing if. notes. It would save the wear and
loss of geld. Sufficient bullion must be, however, always
in hand to pay all notes on demand. Not many years
would elapse before a Chancellor of the Exchequer would
be forced to found a national bank, which has now become
an absolute necessity. He was in favour of an immediate
extension of the franchise, so as to give votes to persons
living in 101. houses, and the joining of the adjacent coun-
ties to small boroughs, he thought, would prove of great
advantage to boroughs of less than 10,000 inhabitants. As
for any more extensive reform, no one could hope for it at
present. Our fleet and the imperial fleet of France were
now about sailing for Naples. He wondered if anything
would be said about the freedom of the press to the King
of Naples. That subject put him in mind of the old say-
ing, " the pot calling the kettle black." Ho thought the
policy of interference was questionable, unless followed up
by strong measures. Mr. Ingram said—Gentlemen, I shall
conclude by answering a question put to me by a friend in
this room. He asked me, " What is your motive for going
into Parliament?" My answer is, that it is a motive to
serve my native town and my country. (Cheers.) I
leave this legacy to my children—that I served you and
the country usefully and faithfully; and I know I shall
not go unrewarded in another and brighter world. (The
hon. gentleman then resumed his scat amid the most deaf-
ening and continuous cheering.)
Mr. W. D. COOPER proposed "The Members of the
House of Commons," coupling with the toast the name of
Mr. Oliveira, the member for Pontefract.
Mr. Ouvzitta returned, thanks.
Mr. P. Trxroao, of the Mark-lane Express, proposed the
next toast, " Prosperity to Agriculture.'
Lord Wm. LENNOX proposed the next toast, "The Press,"
coupling with it the names of Mr. Herbert Ingrain and Mr.
Shirley Brooks. (Cheers.)
Mr. S. BROOKS returned thanks.
Mr. INGRAM proposed the last toast of the evening, " The
Ladies," to which he would request Mr. Mark Lemon to
reply. (Cheers.)
Mr. Mass. LeMON —Mr. Chairman, my lord, and gentlemen,
I must first be allowed to thank you for the very kind man-
ner which you have received the toast with which your
worthy representative has done me the honour to couple my
name. The reception, I am aware, is more attributable to
or any
claim I may possess to your sympathies. (Cries of " No, no.")
ed
your own gotoedelinfeeeliiwnghetnianfult:
x:nyseumoeuriatdoenif
Your lion. member told you a short time since, and told you
truly, that one of the proudest moments of his life was that
which decided his election as your representative. What
must be my