The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-02 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

BRUSSELS, SEPT.- 28.—The most-interesting-event in
the celebration of the anniversary of the Belgian revo-
lution was -the public distribution' -of -pilzes to those
pupils who had distinguished themselves in the univer-
sity and general concursus. The ceremony, which took
place in the so-called Temple of the A ugustinians, was at-
bvyera al
great Min Ministers
number
m ofbSer tat
olta
tended by the King, the Queen,-theDuke of Brabant, se-
tmheorhirgeh3pfueentealojenarreiessid,
residents
ds
'ther tither
er
in this city. The introdamory discourse was delivered
by M Van de Weyer, the Minister of the Interior, who
set forth the advantages of the concursus, eulogise 1 the
strict impartiality of tho distinguish d persons who had
to decide on the relative-merits of each student, and
indirectly but hreiblY-condemned all attempts to excite
suspicions of the purity of motive and unbiassed judg.
bent of the jury of examiners. "1t st welt con-
vinced,. my young friends," said his Excellency, ad-
dressinc, the pupils, " that .in order to attain a high de-
gree of morality yourselves, it is strictly necessary to
have faith in the morality of when,. Consult history,
and you will discover that nothing great has ever been
produced by mistrust, which only discloses an im-
poverishment and decay of mind." The part of M. Van
de Weyer's speech referred to a portion of the Catholic
party,- which persists in throwing suspicion on the insti-
tution, as well as on the acts of the jury of examiners,
who are appointed by the Legislature. The conchs-
sion of his speech was as follows:—" It was a happy
idea, on the part of - the patriotic Minister who first
conceived the project of this concursus, to fix the
day on which the laureates should receive the reward
of their labours amongst- the anniversary days of our
national independence. -His impression, no doubt,
was that the enthusiam inspired- into the hearts of the
young by the conquest of oar free institutions should
be accompanied - by the solemn conviction that know-
ledge can alone secure their maintenance, that there is
no true liberty save an enlightened one, and that the
greater the number of
.our acquired rights the more
numerous -a so are, our &sties towards our beloved
country. For our parts, gentlemen, we shall endeavour
to accomplish our task. Already has his Majesty. in
his lively anxiety to forward the interests of studious
youth, opened a new career for the active intelligence
of the laureates, for the disinterested cultivation of
science, for the sake of science, and for the national
formation of the university corps, by the organisa-
tion of the institution of aggregate professors. The Go-
vernment, moreover, by the re-establishment of the per-
manent inspection of scholastic institutions, will be en-
abled_to unite all the elements of a good law on secon-
dary education. May I be allowed to express my sin-
cere satisfaction at being called upon as a Minister to
carry out measures which as a professor I should have
gratefully applauded, at a time when the approaches
to the higher branches of instruction presented al-
most -insuperable difficulties ? These reminiscences of
past days press the snore vividly now before me,
standing as I am in the presence of the learned per-
sons here assembled, amongst whom I have the happi-
ness to meet again with professors who were once, and
who are still 'my colleagues."
- M. Van de Weyer's speech was received in a manner
which, for a select Belgian assembly, may be termed
enthusiastic.

After an annual report had been read, the laureates
received their prizes from the hands of the Minister of
the Interior, and were presented by him to their Majes-
ties, who graciously complimented them on their success.
An affecting episode (so to write) in the regular
proceedings of the day must not be suffered to
pass unnoticed. The pupil who obtained the first
prize in rhetoric (written and oral) was Charles
Petit, of the College of Mons. His composi.
tions, which set forth the natural glory of Bel-
gium in the persons of its warriors, poets, prose
writers, and artists, was read to the assembly, and
greeted with considerable applause. The general secre-
tary of the Minister of the Interior then arose and read
a Ministerial report to the King, in which the long ser-
vices of the professor of rhetoric at the College of Mons
were referred to in warm terms of praise, and in which
also his Majesty was respectfully recommended by the
Minister of the Interior to nominate the professor in
question a Chevalier of the Order of Leopold. The
reading of this document was followed by that
of a royal decree, conferring the order alluded
to. It is time now to state that this re-
spected professor was M. Petit,. the father of the
young laureate above-named. Thus did one day and
one public ceremony witness the well-deserved triumph
of father and son, of professor and pupil. It must be
mentioned also that M. Petit, sen., through an honourable
and nice (perhaps over nice) feeling of delicacy would
not allow his son to compete with his fellow-students for
the special prizes of the college of Mons. The recent
opportunity, however, of gaining distinction was a na-
tional one, from which no pupil could be excluded, and
at which only real merit could hope to be recognised.
The Honourable Professor was presented to their Ma-
jesties by M. Van de Weyer, amidst general applause.

- -
FOG IN GLASGOW.—On Monday we were visited
by a dense fog, which commenced about five in the morning,
and continued till near ten o'clock forenoon. Several of the
steamers which left the Broomielaw were obliged, after
groping their way as far down as Renfrew, ringing their bells
all the way, to remain at the wharf there for a couple of
hours, ere proceeding to Greenock. The vessels coming up
the river had likewise to remain a considerable time at
Greenock, and at Helensburgh the fog was so close between
eight and ten o'clock, that the steamers could not make the
quay, and the only means of communication between those
on board and those on shore was by sounding horns..Ar9us.
BustGLAnr.—Tuesday morning between twelve
and seven o'clock, a burglary was effected on the preini,es of
Mr. Smarting, a hosier. residing in Albion-street, New-road,
which was discovered when Mr. Smarting opened his shop in
the morning. The thieves had effected an entrance by
means of false keys, and had plundered the shop of a great
portion of its contents, and bad likewise put on new shirts and
stockings, leaving their old ones behind ; they had also made
their way:to the kitchen; where they regaled themselves with
some beef and ale.

THE GRAVESEND POST-OFFICE ROBBERY.--SIN-
GULAR DISCOVERY OF THE STOLEN BAGS.-It will be re-
membered that the mail bags were stolen from the post-office
at Gravesend, on the night of Friday, the 27th of June. ITp
to Saturday last no trace Of missing bags or any portion of
their contents could be obtained, when on that day they
were discovered within a hundred yards of the spot from
whence they had been stolen. An uninhabited house in
Edwin-street being about to be occupied, sweeps were em-
ployed to cleanse the chimneys, and from one of which the
bags and rifled letters were brought to light. It is said that
some of the notes obtained by this robbery have been nego-
tiated in Francs.

BODT FOUND IN THE RIVER.—On Tuesday Mr.
Baker held an inquest at the Queen's Head, Poplar, on the
body of a man, name unknown, but evidently a foreign sea-
man. The body was found on Sunday floating in the water
off the St; Katharine Docks, and appeared to have been im-
mersed for a considerable time. Deceased must have been
about thirty years of age ; was dressed in canvass trousers
and blue striped Guernsey shirt, had black hair and large
whiskers, and the sign of the cross tattooed on his arm. Ver-
dict, " Found drowned."

JUDGES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.—There are
363 judges in the United Kingdom, whose salaries amount to
402,0321 a year. England has 145, Ireland 124, and Scotland
94. The salaries in England are 208,9761; in Ireland,
116,086/. ; and in Scotland, 76,9701.

A young woman, named .Anne Dangerfield, met a
shocking death, while picking stone at the new work° 'near
Ketley, by the earth sinking, and she falling in, h';:r body was
almost instantly covered by the loose earth. Although as-
sistance was promptly at hand, upwards of an hour elapsed
efore the body was recovered, when Mb was quite extinct.
The falling in of the earth was occasioned by a part of a
mine which had been exhausted not having been propped up
by the colliers.—Shrewsbury Chronicle.
SWALLOWING PINS IN A FRIGUT..---On Tuesday
morning, about twelve o'clock, a young woman, named Sarah
Young, residing in Castle-street, Oxford-market, being sud-
denly startled by the report of a pistol, swallowed a quantity
of pins that she had in her mouth at the time. Several of
them fixed in her throat and threatened to suffocate her, but
Mr. Mottles, a surgeon, was proulptly In attendance and suc-
ceeded in removing three of the pins. It is supposed, how-
ever, that some were swallowed.
The Earl of Ellenbomugh was to leave Southern
Rouse, Gloucestershire. on Monday, to attend the funeral of
his uncle, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, on Tuesday, at Wells
Cathedral. -

The French Government have ordered the building
of three neve steemers for the naval service between Calais
and Dover. One of them is to be on the screw-propelling
principle. The two French mail-packets now in the service
at CPlaislwill be taken off that station.
THE OLD EEL-PIE HOtIsE IN TIIE FIELD3.—Time
strangely alters scenes and circumstances, and the "Old
Eel-pie House," under consideration, has undergone various
strange changes in its time. Some two hundred Years ago it
was an inn in good repute, and was known under the sign of
the Swan • here were tea. gardens for the • rural entertain-
ment of the citizens, and here many merry sports were in-
dulged in, according to the taste and fashion of those times,
At the period In question this house stood quite alone,
and was surrounded by green meadows ; the nearest
thoroughfare to it was 4 narrow viaduct, called
Swan-lane (now Swan.alley). Here hot eel-plea
were always ready to hand ; and so famous was the Swan
in those days for the above dainty edible, that it
ultimately became better known under the distinguishing
title of the Eel-pie House than by the sign under which it
was licensed. This domicile now stands in one of the most
densely populated neighbourhoods in the City of Loideu, It
-being immediately opposite Norwich-court; Fetter -lane. It
is still a public-house, and goes lly the sign of the Swan
and Sugar Loaf. But, tont,poro mutant-Qr.'
of the-old building has been so modernised as to shat Oct
tall!
The appearance
vestiges alts vestutan appearance, and the Qi;:,l or
rquen'tedeil;
whlch,_somethins short of half a centu 'X
Illy9achairiged for the
old homely looking kitchen,
the most_.. eminent
dining there,
literatiworse. ofill.htphecloyperllqdvezt
d-,ear.oo;l4iniolltlsahoteemrieilaaobfit
of
be enumerated the late LANs ]keuypn and ETeklne, and discussing the topics of the times; Among them might
Par-
tridge, Gould, GarreWi
sane' of and Qt ors of, the penultimate and ul-
timateotohtlzdisputAnts; Stochlart, of the Times news..
paper ; Quin, o the' New Times newspaper ; John ThelvrAll,
the elocutionist ; Docket, of the Public 14ed9or 1 Caidcr, of
I:oarlind
the Rneimman ; Brownlow, the eelcbmted qui:
distinguished and pseful writeTs; WI cAlnduetors of the public
press of those days, l'lm ore all gone, and l
now remMnptlwtiat was once the " Old Eel-pie lionso i
t 4 pelds," but the spacious antiquated salmn in inn days gore by, many great men who i_ _ ,
~.which,
, ,tl otter times, rendered
themselves famous bht at the. bar ' a d • m the senate, were
won,„t to ooildnc‘,l their ebates.—Postn
UIIANTING LEASES.— TO-4 N
of last session, called "'A aY ( VOckesday) an Act
certain Leases," comes ' "'An kiAStkeilit4te the granting of
menta may now %, yho me.r. Leases for lands and terse=
le. w,ticAtulei 410%4:
.e.9?1 it Very small piece of pArclonent.
legiA.,„,„, r.:ls annexed to the Act show the art of
...ensntion. -Payment. for leases under the Act is to
be made in- reference to the skill displayed, and not accord,
ing to the extent of -the instrument. By an Act of last year
a: deed •ne,eil not; be "indented " at the top, and the usual ex-
vession "this indenture" has heen changed to this deed,"

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