The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-16 00:00:00

THE GRESHAM LECTURES.

Yesterday, according to public advertisement,
was the day appointed for the commencement of
the Gresham Lectures for the present Easter Term.
These lectures, founded by the late Sir Thomas
Gresham, are supposed to be delivered every law
term in the large hall especially erected for the pur-
pose in Basinghall-street. The subjects treated of
are astronomy, physic, divinity, rhetoric, law,
geometry, and music. It is provided that the
lectures shall be delivered in Latin at 12 o'clock,
and in English at 1 o'clock, with the exception of
those on geometry and music, which are given at
7 o'clock in the evening, and in English only. The
first series of the present term was on " Astronomy,"
the lecturer being the Rev. Joseph Pullen, 8.D., of
Corpus Christi College, Incumbent of St. Benedict,
Cambridge. At 12 o'clock Yesterday there were
five persons present in the hall, three men and two
youths, who were evidently familiar with the place,
prepared apparently to sit out both the Latin and
the English orations, but when Mr. Pullen should
have made his appearance a beadle, vested in a
rich gold-laced habit, came up instead, and an-
nounced that Mr. Pullen had appointed Mr. Ed-
ward Alfred Hadley, Fellow of Trinity College,
Cambridge, to deliver the lecture for him, and that
Mr. Hadley had only that moment sent him a note
stating that he had got a severe cold, and could
not lecture, but that he would come to-morrow.
The disappointed auditory calmly dispersed on
being informed by the beadle that he would at
once proceed to the chambers of Mr. Hadley, who
appears to be a barrister in Lincoln's-inn, in order
to secure his attendance for the English lecture at
one o'clock. The writer of this notice asked the
beadle as he was leaving whether the lectures were
ever delivered in Latin, and his reply was, " Oh,
no ; .not for years." Shortly afterwards he asked
one of the youths the same question, and his re-
ply was, " Oh, yes ; when there are three per-
sons present." The question was then put to the
youth, " Have any Latin lectures ever been lately
delivered ?" and his reply, after some hesitation,
was, "Yes, certainly there have been Latin lectures."
Next followed the question, "What would have
been the case to-day, as there were five persons
present ?" to which his ingenuous reply was,
"Well, I suppose there would have been a Latin
lecture if there bad been anybody to deliver it."
An hour was to elapse before the delivery of the
English lecture, and at five minuths to oue the
writer again mounted the steps of the hall. At this
time there were three or four persons inside—quite
sufficient to form the retuilite quorum of three'—
but the beadle politely opened the glass door
about an inch, and politely said, "No lecture
to-day, sir ; the gentleman is ill." This was
the way in which the first day's Gresham Lec-
ture came off. The second of the astronomy course
is fixed for to-day, in Latin at twelve and in Eng-
lish at 1, if Mr. Pullen can attend or Mr. Hadley
can get rid of his cold. During the present term
the Rev. J. W. Burgon, Fellow of Oriel College,
Oxford, has to deliver English and Latin lectures
on divinity, Dr. Abdy on law, Dr. Symes Thomp-
son on physic, and the Rev. Charlton Lane on rhe-
toric—at least, that is the statement contained in
the announcements which the civic authorities who
appoint the lecturers and are entrusted with the
arrangements make to the public, .to
_whom they
Bay the lectured are entirely free.