The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-06 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUOLIC 0 VASA

C i.l RON ICLE.—Theniiitability of times, fail/fins,
wants, habits, and modetsenc, thinking, has Fegiitly
receive d a threefold illuateration of a verya:Clitious
character. We are simaktatiedualy. requireettai dis-
cuss the expediency of aboli,gpAor r,Todelling three
ancient offices—the Lord-LieUtenanCy of Ireland, the
Lord Chancellorship of England, and the Laureate.
ship—on the ground that they are no longer in
unison with our political and social condition, or that
the due performance of their respective duties has at
length become superfluous, impossible, or ridiculous.
Lady Morgan's clever and instructive Letters will
show how increased facilities of intercourse between
London and Dublin, with the resulting subordination of
the Castle to the Cabinet, have gradually reduced the
substantial powers of the 'Hill Viceroy below those
of an ordinary Secretary of Sate, and converted his
proconsular rank into an idle and expensive pageantry.
Law reformers of all parties are agreed that the
highest professional eminence is not the appropriate
reward of party services, and that, if the Great Seal
is still to be retained as symbolizing the constitu-
sienal union of the judicial and the political element,
a full half of the labour and patronage prescriptively
devolving on its temporary possessor must he de.
tached from it. With regard to the Laureateship
doubts seem to be entertained in many quarters, and
have been variously expressed by our contemporaries,
whether such a prize is honourable or degrading to lite-
rature—whether, in short, if it were au ppreesed, poetry
ought to play the Alegru or the Penserosa—to give
vent to her feelings in a congratulatory ode or in an
elegy. Sir Walter Scott, in allusion to the grant of
the office (together with that of Royal Historic).
grapher) to Dryden in 1670, observes, "Thus was
our author placed at the head of the literary class of
his countrymen, so far as that high station could be
conferred by the favour of the Monarch." But it
may fairly be questioned whether the appointment
was ever considered in this light, even by monarchs,
much less by the public. The names of Dryden,
Southey, and Wordsworth are hardly sufficient to
neutralize the unfavourable impression left by the
Shadwells, the Cibbers, and the Pyes.
"In twice five years the greatest' living poet,
Like to the champion in the fisty ring,
Is called on to support his claim or show it,
Although 'tis an imaginary thing."
But the more substantial Laurel, which was annually
freshened by Canary, was never held by the same
tenure as the Belt : the poetic (unlike the pugilistic)
champion was under no obligation to keep the ring
against all corners ; and his original duties were un-
luckily such as (with rare exceptions) the "greatest
living poet" would have repudiated with disdain.
Perhaps the most elevating point of view in which a
poet can be contemplated is that in which Milton is
placed by Johnson :—" I cannot but conceive him
calm and confident, little disappointed, not at all de-
jected, relying on his own merit with steady con-
sciousness, and waiting, without impatience, the
vicissitudes of opinion, and the impartiality of a
future generation." Compare this with the distress-
li''r picture, drawn by the same hand (in the Life
of Dryden), of a court poet, obliged to supply " in-
auguratory gratulations, nuptial hymns, and funeral
dirges," at the shortest warning—unable to wait (as
was the well-known habit of another master of the
craft) for his imagination, and consequently dispens-
ing with it altogether or supplying the deficiency
with bombast. How often, in sueb emergencies,
must the most practised verse-maker have found him-
self in the very dilemma which gave occasion for the
happiest repartee in the • language—we mean, of
course, that of Waller, who, when Charles 11. ob-
served that his panegyric on the Usurper •was better
than his congratulation to the restored Monarch, re.
plied, "Poets, sire, succeed better In fiction than in
truth." In the olden time it was a part of the Lau-
reate's duty to compose the royal masques and inter-
ludes as well as the birthday odes and congratulatory
addresses; and one of the severest more

'ifications inflicted on Dryden, through Rochester's
influence, was the appointment of Crowne to write
" Calisto," a mqsque acted by the lords and ladies of
the Court in 1675. It has been invidiously observed
that court-poets, who came into flphion contempora-
oeously with court-jesters, are now Equally out of
Late ; and that, it the precedents set by antiquity are
co be implicitly followed, the great corporations are
is well entitled to their Laureate as the Crown.
Elkanae Settle was Poet Laureate to the City, and is
i nmortalised in that character by Pope--
" Though my own aldermen conferred the bays,
To me committing their eternal praise,"
The heads of many feudal houses, also, might have
,xclairned exultingly, with Mrs. Warren, "We keeps
a poet." Nay, so fallen apparently were the pro-
fessors of the Divine Art in Fielding 's day, that this
inimitable satirist has ventured to include one of
them amongst the humble dependents of the squire
who hunted Parson Adams :—" The gentlemen of
curlike disposition who were now at his house, and
whom he had brought with him from London, were
in old half-pay cfficer, a player, a dull poet, a quack
doctor, a scraping fiddler, and a lame German dancing
master." Yet let us not be over hasty in drawing
inferences front such indications, which are utterly
inapplicable to the present times, and must be used
with extreme caution as aids towards an accurate
or philosophical appreciation of the past. The
poets of the nineteenth century can afford to smile
it the comic exaggeration of the novelist ; and no

literary man need now shrink from accepting the
!avours of royalty from fear let a dishonouring re-
rum, in the shape of flattery or servility, should be
exacted from him. It has transpired that the vacant
office was first offered (with an intimation that no
poetic tribute need be paid) to a poet full of years
and honours, who, from character, fortune, social
position, liberal patronage of the fine arts, and con-
ktant sympathy with struggling genius, is pre-emi-
nently qualified to give it dignity and importance. It
oaa been gracefully declined by him c n the plea of
,ge; but the bare offer will do good, if only by an-
nouncing that the detur digniori principle is to be ob-
served in future, and that there is a positive eagerness iu
high quarters to make even the ornamental append-
ages of the Crown subservient to the intellectual pro-
gress of the people. Not long since we hazarded an
;)pinion—which we see no reason to modify—that the
distribution of a limited number of small pensions by
!he Government for the time being is not calculated
to raise men of letters as a class. But an honorary
appointment, purified of the eleemosynary taint by
being pressed upon the acceptance of the author of
the " Pleasures of Memory," stands upon a totahy
different footing; and in the full confidence that it
will Speedily receive as well as confer fresh lustre, we
cordially give our vote for preserving unimpaired the
time-honoured institution of the Laureateship.

A CHILD STARVED TO DEATH Br ITS PARENTS.
—A man named Richard Hook, and Elizabeth Bubb, sister
of his deceased wife, have been committed to Gloucester
county prison for trial at the forthcoming assizes on the
charge of causing the death cf Maria Hook, aged four years,
daughter of the male prisoner, by keeping her without proper
food and raiment. The parties live et Chuicharn, in
i;loucestershire, and it appears that the mother of the ill-
fated child died two years tgo, from which period her sister,
Elizabeth Bubb, the other prisoner, had lived with Hook to
look after his household affairs. The deceased was the
youngest of Hook's children, and it appeared from the evi-
dence of numerous neighbours of Hook that the child had
been grossly neglected by its unnatural parent and the
continuallyH the
ok: aboutcryin hist
r
neglect of the child, they were met with ae for
g
woman Bubb. The witnesses stated that the child was ge-
nerally in a very dirty state, and that it was frequently left
cottonsittin f n sitting irocak. chairl,hfeor littleil uresretaotguerteh:l during coldest wait.
o after
they of last winter, with no cl.thiug upon i
they
request it except
that an old
food. When the neighbours spoke to
would mind their own business. The b dy
was
opened
Webury-on-Severn, who
deathl,rove
abythiNaltrt.
iiileum stomachbl e, siirNgveaosn ,
perfectlyof
cause of the child's death was theb want of
healthy, and that the
Theextreme emaciation. whenent
weighed, and found to weigh only 61b., including
rented an appearance of
and the necessaries of life.
vi nesitNighaictheditby7:l
rv,. rßaaprpneedit a c properiaeioanm.
itanhteletdte .
cloth
Iptwoirotaehni.
tershire, a verdict of " Dianslaeuegahs
, one of the coroners for Gloucea-
teerh”avainggainbsteepn
ufublblyanind-
Hook was returned.

The Era
a verbatim rNewspaperreport
of ofth
e Saturdayspeeches
tab
Drury-lane Theatrical ildeexlivter;%edillaTtli;
Fund Dinner Touchstone's Prophecy
for Probable Winners at Ascot The Royal Thames Yacht Sail-
ing Match—and full particulars of the Great Mill for Cham-
pionship of England, with the Era's Remarks concerning the
Referee's Decision. Sale of the Era 10,000 per week.
Order of all Newsmen in Town or Country.
THE HOP DUTY.—We are authorised to announce
that Mr. Hodges has relinquished further proceedings with
his Bill for substituting au acreage for the Excise duty on
hops, in consequence of an intimation from the Chancellor
of the Exchequer that the session was too far advanced to
give him any chance of accomplishing his object. We learn
that in Sussex great uneasiness is beginning to be felt re-
specting the payment of the second instalment of the 1848
duty, which is due in November next, and that an agitation
is about to be set on foot for obtaining its remission.—.3faid.
stone Journal.
OXYGEN GAS A CUBE FOR CHOLERA.--Dr. Macrae,
civil surgeon at Howrab, has, according to the Indian Times,
discovered a new and most successful mode of
patients. He causes them to inhale treating cholera
oxygen gas, which communicates a strong certainng stimulusportion of
to the
frame, and finally throws the patient into
Oa awakening, he finds himself restored to health, with the
exception of the general
weakness
physical prostration. _D which always succeeds any
Dr.Macrae has tested his mode of
pracke upon 15 European seamen, who have been carried
to the 'fiewralt Hospital iu the last stage of the disease, and
the patient tua in ev
Mail. ery instance recovered.—.4l4o4's Indian

COUNTY Cortts.—A return has just been pub-
lished giving an liOeount of the amount received by the
Treasury from the titaattivrs.of the several county courts in
England and Wales, from theirestablishment to the Ist of
March, 1850. The amount so received is 21,5001., the
whole of which has been advanced to the treasurers pf
county courts, the funds in whose hands have been insuffi-
cient to defray the liabilities of late courts of requests in their
respective districts or the expenses incident to the holding of
county courts in the saute.
DESTRUCTION or FARM PRODUCE.—On the after-
noon of yesterday- a tire broke out upon the premises of
Mr. G. Little, Farcet En (where a steam-thrashing Ma'
chine was being used) five mite from Peterborough, and
five large stacks of corn, three of wheat, and two of beans,
were consumed. The property wits insured ia the Sus
• Firs-9210"