The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-04 00:00:00

lii

hid described as uniting the front of I3acchus with
the head of Jove— (;auglater)—the Scotch universi-
tits; did not stand where every true Scotchman
would desire them tc) stand. They had starved their
schools so much thaethe pupils were but half-edu-
cated, and the consequence was that the professors
had to expend their strength on drilling raw, mi-
serable boys in their elementary lessons, instead of
leading, them into the inner shrines • and the
penetralia of science. _lle hoped the new
Parliament would not separate without doing some-
thing to place the Scottish universities on a higher
platform than that on which they-had. hitherto'
stood. (Applause.)
Tne Rev. Dr. HANNA, in giving "English Lite-
rature," observed that, as a clergyman, he had the
greatest pleasure in joining with his fellow-towns-
men in the present tribute of admiration for the
talent of Mr. Thackeray, and in the expression of
gratitude for the many hours of exquisite enjoyment
which they had had. in the perusal of his writings.
He would even venture, on the part of his profes-
sion, to claim Mr. Thackeray as an ally, and to
thank him for the great service which he had ren-
dered in the cause which was common to them all
—of spreading among their countrymen all kind,
and gentle, and high, -and pure, and Christian sen-
timents and principles. He coupled with the toast
tlait name of Mr. Stirling, who replied.
Mr. THACKERAY, in proposing "The Fixe Arts
and the Royal Scottish Academy," said—lt is now
my duty to ask you to 'drink a toast, which I am
sure you will drink without any pressing, and I am
glad, in doidg so, to speak my thanks to ten artists
who have held out their hands to me this evening.
I assure you that I have been a constant visitor at
the building with the Doric pillars not far oft; for I
have spent no less than is. 6d, for various cata-
logues—(laughter)—and I have come away with the
strong ideli that the battle of the lion and the uni-
corn is not altogether decided—(a laugh)—and that
I do not know what colours ought to have •prece-
dence on the pallet, and whether it should bo those
of England or of Scotland. I am perfectly
certain of this, however, that the President
of our Academy could not paint, and would
own himself that he could not paint, so
good a portrait as the President of yours. lam
perfectly certain that there is a certain Francis
Grant in London who could paint a picture as well
as any Scotchman out of London, or any man iu
almost any other country. I know that one of our
chief painters—one of our naturalistic school—
comes to draw his inspiration from Scotland, and
that he finds his most noble locks, his most beauti-
ful lakes, his Most splendid deer, and his most won-
derful heather here. I know that a week ago I
shook hands with a young painter, a leader of the
Young England school in Perth, and that he last
year found his autumn leaves, and his beauti-
ful grass, and his glorious sunset, worthy of
Giorgione him &f, by the banks' of the Tay.
lk.now the yaring Qaeen of the French natural-
istic school came into your country, and has
fallen in love with it, and has taken away
from it a little ark co: her own, carrying with
her many of your animals. (Cheers.) I cannot
say what particular power it
,may be in your coun-
ry which creates this immense attachment, but I
begin, I assure you, to feel it myself. (Cheers.)
What vitality is it in the air which causes all you
Scotchmen to have such an intense nationality ?
Not that your artists cannot go to other 'places
than to Scotland. Yesterday, in the course of one
of those visits of which I spoke to the Royal Aca-
demy's Exhibition, I was taken by Lauder into the
sacred garden of Olivet. I wandered also with
Harvey back into old times, and saw dear old John
Bunyan standing at the gate of Bedford Gaol. I
passed a little door, and there I was away from
John. Bunyan, but ilarvey was carrying me on
still, and I stood on the deck of Columbus's caravel,
and we looked out and saw land across the Atlantic.
Then I went with Noel Paton, who led me on to
the moonlit regions of fairyland, and looked at the
beautiful crowds of creatures that danced, and
frisked, and gambolled around Oberon and the
beautiful Titania, Then he brought me away from
that -fairy place into a place still more pleasant—
from fairy land into love land—and I beheld a young
couple sitting in uncommonly close conversation
under the gleams of Hesperus, that bright star,
who I am sure would wink at what that couple were
going to do next. (Laughter.) And I thought
to myself how delightful, and how calm, and how
pleasant, and how superior is your calling and your
business—the mistress you worship—to the noise,
and the turmoil, and the struggle and the excite-
meut which have been going on all over Scotland—
except in your studies and galleries—to that im-
mense noise and bustle of election,.., which, I am
sure, Mr. Cowan, is very glad is over. (Laughter.)
Your mistress is always young. It does not matter
to you what dark conspirators are attempting to
oust Mr. Cowan from his seat. (Laughter.) I have
heard of several. Your city is standing there, calm
andgre it, and bright, andbeauriful ; thogreat castle
looks down the great street that leads to Holyrood;
and Arthur's seat is enveloped in mist, or is covered
with cloud, or is golden with sunshine. What mat- _ _

tem. who is elected at Leith, andwhether Mr. Miller
or whether the Lord Advoc lie triumphs there ?
The waves, as before, come rolling into the Firth
from the .ea. What matters it at Aberdeen whe-
ther Colon,l Sykes or Mr. Leith is elected ? The
great, calm, old grey city of Aberdeen, and its Uni-
versity, with its crowned towers, still sits calmly on
the sands, and looks towards the ocean ; the Don
rushes by Seaton Woods, and under the slim arch
of the' old bridge away towards the sea. As I was
musing upon the east superiority of your calling
over other c tllings, I was met by a couple of friends
iu this city—aud I heard these
gentlemen engaged in the deepest consultations
about the last return from the Lochfin burghs, or
about John o'G'roat's House, or about who was to
be the member for the Orkneys. (Laughter.) And
passing away from their conversation, I thought I
would go into your Gallery, and there, to my sur-
prise, I found that the painters had been working,
and hacl been candidates for public applause too.
The landscape painters had 13et, at their work, and
as I looked round, I saw that Ferragon in Perth-
shire wore Harvey's colours in spite of the Act
(langhter)—that Lochaline Castle, and Inverlochy
Castle, and Irvine Mill were admirably ropreEented
by M‘bulloch ; that Arran from the large Cuwbrae
had been most triumphantly canvassed by Milne
Donald, and that though Edward Ellice may car-
t tinly sit ft -r St. Andrew's in the next Parliament,
1). 0. Hill has achieved a much greater triumph,
and made St. Andrew's sit for him. (Cheers.)
The other toastswere:—"The Chaii man, " by Mr.
Stirling, ''the Drama," by Mr. R. Chambers, t
which Mr. J. Russell rep Fed • •" the Press," by
Professor G. Wilson, for which Mr. Watson, of the
Courant, brieEly returned thanks; and "the Crou-
pier," by Mr. Cowan, M.P.
The company separated shortly after 11 o'clock.

BOROUGH OF SLIGO-RETIREMENT OF

1111 i!. BALL.

( From the Dublin Evening Post.)
We sincerely regrzt to learn, from an address
which appears in our advertising columns, that
Mr. Bali has retired from the contest for the borough
of Sligo, for reasons which, though very honourable
to that gentleman, reflect no credit upon a poriion
of the elect -ral body.

It is plainly intimated in Mr. Ball's address that
he foregoes his expectation of being returned for
Sligo, because be will not consent to secure it by
corrupt practices.

Though the electors of Ireland, as a body, are
singularly free from all taint of corruption—much
more than in any portion of the United Kingdom
—public rumour has pointed out two or three
boroughs as forming shameful exceptions.
But it is plain that such a stain on the public
virtue of the country could not long continue, if
there were not men who, from ambition or interest,
or weak vanity, were willing to seek Parliamentary
honours by indirect and illegal courses.
If there were no buyers there could be no sale ;
and electoral corruption must speedily cease, if all
candidates would imitate the honourable example
set to them by Mr. Ball.
Though it is always easy for a candidate to re-
main in convenient ignorance of details, we do not
believe that he is ever left SO completely in the
dark as not to suspect when corruption is being
practi=ed on his behalf ; or that a man, who really
wishes to avoid contact with foulness, can have his
handS much soiled against his will.
But on this point most men's consciences are
elastic, and our knowledge of this fact increases our
esteem fur a man who with the strongest tempta-
tions to secure a seat 'b an means iu his
hhasis exclusion
boldnessfrot
from
power,
sternly refuses to compromisep his principles, and
fill.
aubl. to indicate the cause of
position he is well qualified to

It is a lesson not merely to the electors of Sligo,
but 'to other boroughs similarly circumstanced,
which we trust will not be forgotten by them, or
by the country at large, to which Mr. Ball has
done good service by his spirited conduct on this
occasion.

We sincerely trust that Ireland will not long lose
the services of a man who can point within a short
career to so much good work done, both a' a
Member of the House of Commons, and as the
holder of an important position in the public service

Mr. Matthew Forster remained in Berwick some days
after the election to take leave of his intimate friends and
supporters. Ile left on Tuesday evening for Durham,
where he intends staying a short time with his brother,
Percival Forster, Esq., and will, we learn, issue a fare.
well address to the Liberal party in Berwick on his
arrival in London.—Berwick Aaverliser.