The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-20 00:00:00

ROYAL LITERARY FUND.

The anniversary of this society was held yester-
day, at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen-
street. About 200 gentlemen sat down to a sump-
tuous dinner.

After the usual loyal toasts had been disposed of,
Mr. M. MILNES, M. P., in an elaborate speech,
proposed, " The Literature of the Colonies, and
Mr. Justice Haliburton," who had left the turbid
waves of the Atlantic to dwell on the pellucid
waters of the Thames. (Cheers.)
Mr. Justice HALIBURTON rose amidst immense
cheering. He begged to return to Mr. M. Milnes,
the chairman, and the meeting, his most grateful
!hanks (though he felt it most difficult to express
them), for the very flattering manner in which his
name had been announced and receivad. He felt
that more had been said than he merited, and that
much had been said rather in the spirit of kindness
han what was due—more in kindness than in j us-
He thanked them with all his heart. If

tice.

there was anything he had done either instructive
or amusing, it was because he had relied upon na-
ture, for in the colony, as in this country, and all
other countries of the world, there were two great
books which were spread before them—na tire and
human nature. Those who studied closest, and
approaehtd closest to nature, had the approbation
of the world generally. The other portion of the
toast would require a more ingenious man than he
was, to respond to, namely, " The Literature
of the Colonies." He was somewhat at a loss to
find where it was. (Laughter.) He was at a loss
whereto look for it. It reminded hula of the trite
saying, "The Spanish fleet you cannot se?, because
it is not in sight." (Great laughter.) It was the
expression of a wish rather than the announcement
of a fact, of something to hops for in future times
—it was what in legal language was termed,
" After possibility of issue extinct." (Laughter.)
He should rather apologise-why they had it not ;
instead of responding to the toast of the "lit:ra-
ture of the colonies." Why had they no litera-
ture in the colonies ? It was very likely they would
not have any for many years, and it would be no
great loss perhaps. The colonies, in the first place,
were too busy in clearing forests, in laying out
roads, in bridging rivers, in building cities for the
accommodation of ticket-of-leave men... Literature
required opulence and the luxury of academic
leisure—of well endowed, learned institutions, like
Oxford. The colonies were too young to afford
the time ; and if they had the time they could not
afford the means either. There were, however,
other obstacles—there were obstacles in the colo-
nies—not that he would put the colonies behind
the United States, but rather before them ; but
they bad difficulties to overcome. They had not
the institutions of England, and/ though it might
appear paradoxical, they were too free, too equal,
to have a literature. He did not mean to say
that a country which was free might not have its
literature, because this country was the freest
in the world • but every man was not equal, he
thanked God. Nature never made man equal, and the
legislature that attempted it must be foolish. Where
liberty and equality co-existed they might materially
neutralise, each other. Strange as it might appeaf
in a country that appeared too free, it was enslaved/
not by public opinion, but by the opinion of the
public. (Hear.) He could illustrate this. A trienci
had told him that evening that he was an old Toil,
and so he (Mr. Haliburton) was. (Cheers.) That,
friend had said that the Canadians were more loyal
than the people of this country, and so they were.
(Cheers, and laughter.) English people were the
freest people on the earth, and when he said this hie
meant they were free, because they were not equal'
Some gentlemen from this country contended .t 1
Russia was right and England was wrong, in the
late war, that the war was wickedapin its in-
ception, and disastrous in the results, and that
it lowered the best interests of the countl,
and that - they were glad of it. These
men were mad on the question ; they seek??
thus before parties, but did they convince theih •
No l people said they were fools, but that,they we
l
right to express their opinions. Let the Unite
States go to war with England ; let that war be de
Glared, as it must be declared, by the large nor-
rity of the people ; and let Mr. Cobden go t°
America and say that they were wrong, and lifei
land was right, and that he hoped England would
win, and be would be lynched in half an hour.
(Applause.) Freedom was neutralised by equaliTs
and where all men were equally free freedom W
only half freedom by equality. If that were true
in politics, how much more so it-must be in liter''
tore. In America the author flattered the public!
and the public flattered the author, and thell
was no honesty between them. His frieli,
Mr Manes had alluded to his (Mr. f[Bo
burton) having left his native country to reside I
England. It was true he had done so, but here-
tained his fondness and affection for his native
ej
land. He liked its freshness, but as he increased
in years he felt himself too old to be always lea;
ing forward to the future. He wished to epie)
himself and he came to the mother couhtl;
Therewas no literature in the colony, because the a
was no past, no infancy, and no youth. They hea4
no castles that had formerly been the stronghol,
of oppression and rapine ; the streams and rive:i,
bad no legends ; they had no fairies—no supers'4
tions. They were plain, hard, matter•of-fad
men. (Cheers.) Where there were no memerlo
there could be no poets. He hoped, however, 0,0
the literature of this country would long contiqo
to be, as it was now, the literature of t'f
empire ; for he believed the literature of the raotll'a
country would bind the colonies by the stronger
bond of union between them.
f 001
Mr. THACKERAY, in reply to an invitation if-,,,,
the chairman, proposed the toast of the ev_,,,el3,lit
" Prosperity to the Royal Literary Fund." Y"',./is
the bishops and the earls were pursuing 'their duviii'e
elsewhere, and were taking different sides a r
question, he hoped they would show how bi;
monious they could be, by proposing the toast woe
nine times nine, in the absence of the ii°oo
earl. In spite of all their difficulties, ,i 4
looking round the room he could see 'letup
but an immense chorus of prosperity. Ohbol
left there were those dark faces that
111 g
greeted him under the palms of India ; t° eel
right he saw an old friend whom be had neverlep
till that evening—(laughter)—and Colonel ila,,,itv
who bad written of the thunders of Alma, PO
klava, and Inkerman, and had written novel,e,. {,,tone of themselves. Everything looked well Gtr
the prosperity of the society. Each of these Fold
tlemen he would shake hands with as with eoll
friends. If they could only have heard the 51°1)0
he bad prepared for another toast to wbieb lid
name had been attached, they would have ribei
in a luxury of eloquence such as at present, bed
could not expect. (Laughter.) He heartily Zvi
prosperity to the Royal Literary Fund. fI
The,, Sir RODERICK MTJRCHISON proposed " T
fe
yellers and Dr. Livingsto-i." The "Ladies
lowed, and the meeting separated.

oto,
Advices from Vienna state that Count Aroira„ 00S
richsburg, Prussian Ambassador to that Court, is '.la)
to retire into private I fe, and to be succeed° t,
Baron de Sockendorf, Prussian Minister at btuttgar
REMOVAL OF MIDDLE ROW, HOLBORN. —A. ge bald
meeting of the Metropolitan Board of Works vir'sfsol'
yesterday, to consider the removal of Middle-roc/kat/
born. Mr. Wright moved a resolution to the et";erite
" That, as it appears from the estimate of the ettFool'
tending architect, that the removal of Middle roon'ot, it
born, may be effected for a less snm than 50.°'„ to;
was advisable that the block of buildings shou4d
moved at the earliest possible opportunity. 00
Stevens seconded the motion. Mr. H. L. Taylorfiat t°,
as an amendment, "That it would be inexPe°l:iboo;
take any steps for the removal of Middle-row, nlo:"
the authority of an act of parliament." The or'
motion was carried by a majority of 13 to 5. ,„,i10.19;
THE FALL OP HOUSES IN TOTTENHAM- 001:11/" eltj,
—Yesterday afternoon Mr. Brent resumed the 1100:
at Lawaon's Rooms, Gower-street, respecting the otige°
of six persons, occasioned by the falling of the
on tbl
146, 147, and 148, Tottenham-court-read,
morning of Saturday, the 9th instant. Thep "&iige.'
evidence taken during the day was that of Mr. o'loo
assistant architect and surveyor of the metirlf 0„/'
police, Mr. Reading, the surveyor employe'', bagel
Hunter in making his alterations, and Mr. cOneare
the builder who carried on the works. It aBP.rg datia'
that the buildings were inspected and reported
gerous on the 23d of April, but that the surveYodedtol
not afterwards seen that the report had been etteules „,
and he said it would have been contrary to the r
It
the office if he had visited the buildings ag t d
Reading said it was his firm eonvictien that it fell sea
party-wad between Nos. 147 and 146 that firs.,tobser°o
(bagged down the rest of the premises. Re had Fle,
a " tremendous crack" in the wall. Mr. .Thhtsci (fate'
the whole of the buildings were in a dilapidail-toire
but be imputed blame to no one. The inquest h
adjourned,
COURT OF A LDERMEN. —Yesterday at 3 Ciar-lt.r.t ,:11:11;ot:
was held for the despatch of public business,
of tbecb
man Copeland, in presenting the yearly return
pert'
spectors of weights and measures, said he
_vs derive
regretted to find that the number of convicteloi,vg ye%i
the la,t waif almost equal to that of the pre6 riocira
Tt was a source of deep regret to find that the pv' r, no"i. its
delinquents were those who supplied the Pe ° avec
coal dealers and chandlers'-shop keepere. Theerpons
cto
which the nor were plundered by these art
truly frightful, He thougl-t that if the ~(302ersolis ;re,
adopt the plan of publishing the names For ineatsci be
victed of the offence of giving abort weie:)°''d,
the evil of which the poor complained P
ntirely 1103 ip
checked in a great measure, if not e.
_cycorregs.
(Hear). Sir P. Laurie said he perfectty.!End ea
the observations that had fallen from his rogievir 011
Alderman Copeland, and trusted that by lacy, folio
would Ulf]: t the siverest penalties allow_e_ofijo 0
oases in which persons were found in P"b
weights and measures. (Hear.)