The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-09 00:00:00

THE LATE MR. B. TVYON.

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Anioiig the losses with which we have to
the year so recently elated, we must not omit some
record of one who was himself an eminent member
of a family long eminent in the branch of art which
they professed. Benjamin Wyon, who died on the
21st of November last, was the son of Thomas Wyon,
the well-known chief engraver of seals to Kings
George 111. and George IV.—and was born, in
London, on the 9th of January, 1802. He began
his Art career, of course, under the eye of his father;
and, along with his cousin, the late Win. Wyon,
he studied under his distinguished brother Thomas,
the chief engraver to the Royal Mint; whose short
career, as is well remembered, though it endedat the
untimely age of 25, yet sufficed to raise the medal-
list's art ,in this country to a height of excellence
which before his day it had not at any time
attained. If the prize of pre-eminence be due to
the early dead, Benjamin Wyon had yet his ample
share of the family gift. At an early age, he carried
off several prizes for medals from the Society of
Arts, and the silver medal of the Royal Academy
was conferred on him for a head of Apollo, which
afterwards the Royal Academy of Music adopted as
the design for their prize medal. At the age of
nineteen, young Wyon was employed, with much
credit to himself, on the great seal of George IV.
He also attracted considerable notice to himself,
while still young, by a head which he executed of
Dr. Hutton. In 1830, as a natural consequence
of such antecedents, he was appointed to fill the
vacancy which his father left in the office of chief
engraver of his Majesty's seals—and he executed
the seal then required for the new sovereign,
William IV. The works, however, which earned
for the late Mr. Benjamin Wyon his highest repu-
tation were the seals which he executed for the
present Queen.—Out of a vast number of other
medals, regal and corporate, public and private,
which during his successful career Mr. Wyon pro-
duced, we may select the following for separate
mention :—The Shakspere Medal of the City of
London School, presented to that institution by the
late Mr. Beaufoy. The model of the Royal Scottish
Academy; at Edinburgh. Medals, for the Art-Union
of London, in commemoration of the architects, Wren,
Chambers, and Vanbrugh. The medal awarded by
the Board of Trade for gallantry in saving life at
sea. The medal for the Humane Society at Ply-
mouth. A medal commemorative of her Majesty's
marriage,—and one commemorative of the baptism
of the Prince of Wales, and the King of Prussia's
visit to this country as sponsor on the occasion.
A medal commemorating the visit of the Emperor
and Empress of the French to the city of London,—
and another on occasion of a similar visit from the
King of Sardindia. These two latter medals were
executed at the cost of the Corporation of London,—
and are splendid specimens of the medalist's art.—
By a large circle of friends, to whom the qualities
that do not belong to a record like this had endeared
him, Mr. Benjamin Wyon will long be missed. He
leaves a widow and many children to mourn his
loss ; but it is pleasant to know, that if the long-
accustomed pitcher be broken at this old family
fount of Art, death has not dried the well. Mr.
Joseph S. Wyon, whom his deceased fathertrained
to his own profession, and who was the assistant of
his later labours, inherits the family gift,—and has
in virtue of it, been permitted to put on his father's
fallen mantle as chief engraver of seals to the
Queen.—Art-Journal.

A Berlin letter, of the sth, states that her Majesty
Queen Victoria, the Emperor of Russia, the Queen of
Prussia, the Grand Duke of Weimar, and the Princess
Charles of Prussia will be the godfathers and godmothers
of the infant prince.
A private telegraph from Algeria, dated Tester-
day, announces that the 23d and 90th Regiments of the
Line and Bth Chasseurs were to commence embarking on
that day for Marseilles, and the'4lst and 56th Regiments
were to embark the following week.
At a pension of the Society of Gray's-inn,
holden on the 26th ult., Mr. Joseph Thackwell, the first son
of Lieut.-General Sir Jos. Thackwell, G.C.8., was called
to the bar. Mr. Thackwell was, until within the last few
months, in the army, and is favourably known as the author
of "The Second Sikh War," in which he served as aide-
de-camp to Sir Joseph Thackwell.
In consequence of an intimation that the depar-
ture of the Oneida from Sydney with the homeward
January mail would be deferred, it has been ordered by the
Government that the outgoing Australian mail be delayed
for a week. The Teviot will consequently not leave Sou-
thampton till the 19th, instead of the 12th ; and the Wye
will be despatched from Marseilles on the arrival of the
London mails of the 23d. Letters for Australia can conse-
quently be posted here up to the evening of that day.
It is said the Chancellor of the Exchequer con-
templates a change in the sugar duties, that discriminating
rates are to be abolished, and a uniform ad valorem amount
substituted. The extinction of the present system will be
generally hailed, but the ad valorem principle will in turn
involve endless difficulties. Some of the chief per-
sons in the trade desire the simple plan which prevails with
regard to tea and other articles, of charging one duty without
reference to differences in value or quality.
" The Dutch flag," says the Pays, "has met with
a serious insult, if the following fact, given in a private letter
from Curacoa of 26th December last, is correct. It states
that the Dutch schooner Amalie, belonging to the house of
Jesurnn and Son, of Curacoa, has been taken possession of
by the authorities of St. Domingo, who have transformed
her.into a vessel of war without any legal formality, and
simply alleging that she belonged to the republic. The letter
adds that this news produced a great impression at Curacoa,
and it was expected that the Dutch government would
adopt energetic measures to obtain satisfaction."
ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN.—At
the general monthly meeting, held on Monday last, William
Pole, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., treasurer and vice-president in
the chair, the Earl of Ashburnham, John ,plerby Allcroft,
Esq., Capt. Augustus T. Hamilton, and M. M. A. New-
man Smith, were duly elected members of the Royal Insti-
tution, and G. F. Chambers, Esq., was admitted a member
of the Royal Institution. The presents received since the
last meeting were laid on the table, and the thanks of the
members returned for the same.
THE GUILDHALL REFORM MEETING.—We are
requested to state that Mr. Whitehurst, of the Ballot Society,
did not attend the reform meeting at Guildhall, on Satur-
day, to represent that body, but as an elector of the City,
and that he moved the vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor
without consulting the managers of the meeting, because it
gave him an opportunity of protesting against the course
pursued by them in calling a public meeting of the electors
of the City of London, and intimating that certain speakers
and resolutions only would be "permitted."
FIRE AT EXETER COLLEGE-HALL.—The members
of Exeter College, Oxford, were "yesterday morning, about
four o'clock, aroused from their slumbers by the cries of
fire, which it appeared had broken out iii their new hall
(late Dickenson's coffee-house), opposite the college. The
fire, which was fortunately confined to the top storey, broke
out in the rooms of one of the undergraduates, and was
caused by the igniting of a beam in connexion with the fire-
place, which was supposed to have been some time burning.
A good supply of water soon extinguiahed the-fire, and but
little damagewas occasioned.
THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF MR.
JENNINGS, AT MALTON.—Since the 21st of December, the
disappearance of thimentleman has become more and
W
more a mystery. In i t ion to the £5O reward offered by
his relatives, the Secretary of State has offered £5O more
for the discovery of his body, if found murdered, and will
advise the grant of her Majesty's most gracious pardon to
any one giving the required information, and not being the
actual murderer. As may be imagined, the greatest interest
is felt that this strange case should receive some solution.
COLLISION AT SEA AND LOSS OF LIFE.—FLEET-
wooD, Feb. B.—A fearful collision occurred last night by the
Prince Patrick steamer coming in contact with the iron
schooner Elphin, from Liverpool, for Ardrossan, laden with
pig-iron, and almost instantly sinking her. The master,
his wife and child, and two seamen, unhappily wont down 1
in the ship and perished. The remainder of the crew
escaped by grasping hold of the steamer's bowsprit as their
vessel went from under them. The steamer, which trades
between this port and Belfast, immediately put back, and
seems to be considerably damaged b." the collision.
FRIGHTFUL OCCURRENCE AT ELLIOT'S BREWERY.
—On Saturday a man, named John Kirk, aged 24, a dray-
man, was very seriously injured at Elliot's brewery, Pim-
lico. The poor fellow was engaged hoisting a barrel of
beer by means of a crane, when, by some meant, the barrel
slipped and fell upon him, and crushed his arm and shoulder
in a most frightful manner. He was taken to St. George's
Hospital, and seen by Mr. Keal, house surgeon, when it
was deemed advisable to amputate the arm, which was
done ; and the unfortunate man now remains in an ex-
tremely dangerous state.
EXTENSIVE FORGERY.—Within the last few days
forgeries, on an extensive, scale, of leases granted by some
of the city companies have been brought to light. The per-
petrator, Mr. James Purssell, formerly connected with the
well-known confectioners, has succeeded in raising money
upon the spurious documents in various directions, and has
fled on the discovery of the fraud. Although in the aggre-
gate the amount reaches some £30,000, the loss in no indi-
vidual case will be very considerable, the transactions
having been spread over a wide circle, and the measures
adopted to secure his property prompt.
The Roman Catholics of Sydney have been
offended of late by the return to the colony, unsanctioned, of
their bill to establish a Catholic College in connection with.
the University of Sydney. In this bill the phrases "arch-
bishop" and "archdiocese" of Sydney were used, and the
bishop remonstrated against them, not by petition to the
Assembly, but by letter to the Governor, and privately by
communicating with the high ecclesiastical authorities at
home. Lord Stanley sympathised with the objection, and
sent the bill back to be amended. Resolutions have been
several times brought forward in the Assembly by the
Catholic party, strongly condemnatory of Lord Stanley's
conduct, but they have been invariably met by a count out.
ESCAPE OF A CONVICT FROM DURHAM GAOL.—
During Thursday night a convict escaped from Durham
Gaol, and has not since been heard of. Great excitement
was caused in the town next day on tho occurrence being
made known, the officials declaring that they are totally
unable to account for his obtaining possession of the means
by which he made his escape. His name is James Gray,
aged 21, by trade a shoemaker. He had got through a sky-
light, having previously secured a quantity of rope suffi-
cient to let himself down from the roof. As a new wing is
in course of erection, he had ample means at command to
scale the high wall which surrounds the prison. Gray was
convicted at the July sessions of 1858 for highway robbery,
and sentenced to 12 months' hard labour.
A CENTENARIAN.—There is living at the present
time in Rochester a man named John Hill, who has at-
tained the patriarchial age of 101 years. He was born at a
village in Surrey on the 6th of January, 1758; conse-
quently, he is now in his 102 d year, and he has lived in the
reigne of no fewer than five sovereigns. Nearly all his life
he has been engaged in agricUltural pursuits of a laborious
character, notvithstanding which, and also his great age,
ho is -still comparatively strong and in the enjoyment of
good health. his hearing and seeing are very good, and
his powers of calculation, for which he was always remark-
able, still very extraordinary. He has a good memory, and
frequently alludes to the incidents connected with the early
years of the reign of the third George.