The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-25 00:00:00

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BIRKBECK TESTIMONIAL.
(THIS DAY.)
A public meeting was this day held at the Freemasons'
Tavern, Great Queen-street, for the purpose of receiving ehe
Report of the Committee appointed (at an adjourned public
meeting in the theatre of the London Mechanics' Institution,
.on the 3d of August, 1841) to take into consideration the best
,means of testifying the public gratitude to Dr. Birkbeck for
Vie services in promoting the education of the people, especially
by the promotion of Mechanics' Institutions, Lord Brougham
its the Chair.
The meeting was advertised to take place at one o'clock, but,
.long before that hour, persons began to arrive, and by the time
:the chair was taken, the Ball was crowded. There were seve-
tral ladies in the body of the Hall and also in the Gallery. Lord
;Brougham took the chair at twenty-five minutes after one
oteclock. His Lordship was greeted with the most enthusiastic
cheering from all parts of the Hall as he entered. Lord John
Russell, who made his appearance upon the platformimn(i)e,l
-
ttately aster Lord Brougham, was also loudly applauded. m
t, he platform we observed Lord Dudley Stuart. Mr. Hume, M. P.,
eNtr. Roebuck, M.P., Dr. Bowring, M.P., Mr. Monckton
X: ilnes, M.P.
Lord BactuunAet, on taking the Chair, said, It is impossible
f r rue to open the business, the important business of this
day. tipsiness which I may venture to describe as at once me-
laneleely and gratifying, witheut observing in my own vindica-
tion, net so much for haling come among you on the present,
as for having on so many former occasions during the last two
r three /ears found myself under the absolute necessity
of declining to accede to so many applications from
many persons I Sea assemiried to-day to attend public
:meetings. I may add that the rule which I was
eeeiged to lay down to myself, I should most cheerfully have
ones more broken, as I have broken it this morning, if ever—
as is very unlikely—in your day, or in mine, an occasion should
again arise which called upon you and me, and the people of
this country, to testify their sense of gratitude for the obli-
gations they have received front the late Dr. Birkbeck.—
( Cheers.) I speak from a knowledge of upwards of flea-and-
forty years of the late Dr. Birkbeck, and I bear testitnoscy to
his talents, to his learning, to his worth, and to his constant
steady, and strenuous devotion to all the best interests
of mankind.—(Cheers.) He well knew--and his conduct
was formed on the maxim that the noblest of ali pursuits is the
pursuit of truth, and that the highest of all duties is the diffu-
sion of it among our fellow creatures,--(Cheers)—that human
reason has no worthier, or more noble employment than its in-
sestigation, and that its propagation among mankind is the
nly legitimate use and province of all human eloquence.—
( Cheers.) Nor let such observations as these be deemed trivial,
because they are self-evident, and perhaps trite, when we re-
collect how many gifted men in all ages and countries have
sinned against these rules—(Cheers)—and, suffering them-
selves to be led away by corrupt and sordid and selfish
f elings, Or blinded by party prejudices, have perverted
the faculties with which Providence has endowed them, to
n Weld, and not guide their fellow creatures—(Cheers)—
not pursue and propagate truth, but to devise errors in all their
iorrns, from venial and slight mistake up to wilful, perverse, and
pernicious delusions.—(Cheers.) When we recollect this, we
nenst deem it, not a superfluous honour, nor unbecoming, that
it is neither without its use, nor foreign from our duty to
tr editate on such a life as that of Dr. Birkbeck's, and to profit
by• such an example as he has left us.—( Cheers.) Now, it was
the peculiar province of that excellent and useful man, and
it was during the whole of his careeer the constant
obje ct of his exertions, by all the means in his
powesr and by the unremitting and successful application of his
endowments, whether natural or acquired, to labour inces-
sande, on behalf of the working classes of this country.—
( Chet rs. ) The friend of peace, including foreign peace and
domesvic tranquillity, the friend of edueation in all its branches,
the promoter—l will not quarrel about a word, whether he was
the foueider or originator, or the successful promoter—of these
institutions by which education is bestowed, and
which are calculated still further to bestow, the incal-
culable benefits of education on the working classes .of the
community.—(Cheers.) He knew, as we know, that these
working classes, whether they cultivate our fields, or work our
manufactories, or drive our trade, are the very support and
life of the prosperity of England—(Cheers)—that to their
unrivalled skill, to their unfailing—l speak of the class at large
—to all rules there are exceptions—to their unfailing and un-
eeviating submission to the laws, in the performance of their
duty, to themseives and the country, that we owe whatever of
prosperity this country has ever reached.—( Cheers. )
And, atti; ! it is a hard reflection we must make
tha' as they are the cause of its prosperity, if ever in evil times
adversity comes over her, by the hard necessity of our nature,
by our lot in society which never can be otherwise, it follows
tha,, those evils must fall on the working classes, that on them
must mainly and severely press the sufferings which those na-
tural reverses of affairs give rise to. Then comes the greatest
of all the praise which on these industrious and worthy and
able men can be bestowed—that their conduct, their
patience, their submission, their cheerful endurance
of those distresses, almost makes us forget their
other prodigious merits.—( Cheers.) To raise a monument to
the memory of one who laboured so much for them, and who
so well deserved their gratitude and ours, what can we do
better than, instead of spending our money in vain trophies
of marble and stone, which he himself would have been the
very first to despise, and the last to deem an appror
priate tribute—that we should found some institution
that may help to remove those obstacles that still
stand in the way of the better education of our artisans?
I say at once, as the Committee have, in my opinion,
most wisely, judiciously, and I might say most happily sug-
gested, that they should found a professorship of the application
of science to the arts. I believe it is known to most of those
who hear me, that one very great difficulty which is found to
stand in the way of Mechanics' Institutions in various parts of
• the country, arises from the impossibility of lecturers.—( Hear,
i hear.) It is inconceivable how small an amount of lecturing is
ho be found, all over the country, how numerous so ever those
enessitutions are.—(Hear, hear.) • In communication with
that society, of which both my Noble Friend (Lord John
Rus =ell) and myself are members—l mean the Society for
the .Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. In communication with
met Society you are aware there is formed another Central So-
efety for the purpose of promoting the, establishment and im-
provement of Meehanics' Institutions. Of that Society the
late lamented Dr. Birkbeck was the President. In corre-
spondence with these are upwards of eOO of those valuable
bodies, comprising 25,000 members, of whom, I rejoice to
think, upwards of two-thirds are of the working classes ex-
clusively ; but the average number of lectures delivered to
them is not above 1,200—1 think I,l9B—making not
above six lectures, on an average, to each Institution
in the course of the year. Now, it has occurred to
my Noble Friend, who has well considered this subject,
that the benefits to be derived from lecturing would be greatly
increased if it were possible to establish such a professorship
as the Committee has wisely recommended, and I hope and
trust that this day's meeting will not end witnout an earnest
_being given in its success of the certain formation of such a
professorship. • This is an occasion on which I need hardly
remind you all political contention is out of the question—
(Cheers)—an occasion upon which the voice of party itself is
hushed, whereof 1 proceed to give you examples. Among
those benevolent individuals who have signified their
desire to aid you in your present design is my
_Noble Friend Lord John Russell.—(Loud and long-con-
tinued cheers.) I was going to say, of my Noble
Friend " whom to name is to praise." But you have anticipated
me. There are also Lord Dudley Stuart—(Cheers)—Mr.
flume—(Cheers)—who I am happy to know is returned in the
double sense of the word—Mr. Roebuck-( Cheers)—than
whom I venture to say the working classes of this country
neither have nor ever had a steadier or abler friend. There
are other gentlemen all more or less varying in shades of poli-
tical party and opinions, but all agreeing heart and hand on
• this occasion.—(Cheers.) I have it in command from his
...Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex to read to you his letter,
with which I think really I cannot do better than
vFe.upy the few remaining minutes during which I am
ec oout to address the present meeting.—( Cheers.) [The
ble and Learned Lord then read the letter in which his
Ito) -al Highness stated his entire approval of the object for
whit?: the meeting was convened,. and that he was only pre-
venteve attending by reason of the delicate state of his health ;
also his detiire to contribute his mite towards giving effect to
the reitoinixnendation of the Committee. The reading of the
letter was followed by loud and protracted cheers. ] Lord
Brougham proceeded to say—l have stated that no diffe-
rence nt party ought to interfere, and I ant now
about to show you that no difference of political sentimero
has inter. ered on this occasion.--I Cheers.) I have here a
letter tram the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
connected as, that department most appropriately is with those
th ;eel that relate toj the working classes of the kingdom.—
The Noble and Learned Lord here read the letter. It was
.to tiee etffect, that he heartily concurred in the objects of the
meeting, and to furthereit he would subscribe 101.] I have also
ha' a request made to nie, and which I have great pleasure
in'com rues iicating to the meeting, from my Noble Friend and late
colleague, sthe President of the Board of Trade, who has a most
arpropriete connexion with the day's business.—(Cheers.)
1... rd Relent desires that his name should be put down for ten
guineas to this great work.—( Cheers.) The Lord Chief'
Justice of they Queen's Bench, Lord Denman—( Great cheer-
ng)—has sent the same sum. —(Cheers. ) The late Attor-
ie-Geeeral, Sir Thome,: Wilde, has sent a sum of five
guineas, and t present Attorney-General, Sir F. Pollock,
has sent a similar sum.—(Cheers.) To which I have
to ae.'l, but no doubt others will be added, that of a
forme: Attorney... General, and the late Lord Chan-
cellor os' Ireland, Lord Campbell, has authorised me to
give the same sum ; and Lord Lyndhurst—(Cheers)—
dc sires me to put his name down for the same sum.—(Cheers.)
It remains only now for me to express the great gratification I
have in finding men of all parties and shades of opinion joining
in furthering this great and good deject. I have no manner of
doubt, under the blessing of Divine .Providence, we shall suc-
ceed—( Cheers)—in the object we all have in view, not merely
tuf reco ding our sentimenis of the high merits and great prat-
tical good actually done during the course of so many years by
that mcst eminent and worthy individual, whose name brings
us together this day, but to further the progress of
that v ork by furthering the irnprov,ement of the working
classes of the people.—( Great cheering.)
Captain ACKXRLEY, from the body of the' Meeting, called
mt, "Are you for Universal Suffrage, Lord'. Brougham?"—
( ea eat confusion and uproar, amid which )
Lord Bnotic 'tam rose, and after obtaining sil trice with some
tie Iheulty, s dd—Sir, if you don't instantly cease shall cause
Yogis to le removed.—(Great cheering.)
e Secretary then read the following Report :
. .61;oe. before you the result of our deliberations, we
will
said °from discussing the various forms of testimonial
ww. ,h!e4l have been submitted to us, confining ourselves to that
e have finally, almost unanimously, agreed to recommend
as tle be r means of perpetuating the memory of Dr. Birkbeck's
se. viees, i nd of marking the gratitude cf his contemporaries for
those sere, ices,
" Beariek e, constantly in view this, the main object of our
labours, es. resolved at our first meeting. that whatever testi-
mottill shou t Ibe determined on, ought to be of a permanent
char et ee a. >v I ought, if eossibl , toconnected with the ad-
s aecement of ' .knowledge among the pe le
s In arcing esti this resolution we felt, that whilst we were
uu be to deei Se mean, of affording
cirecr. advantage
to the
ati era we he to find in all part: of the Kingdom,
so it was ow duty to
avoid any epylietatioia to merely local pur-
poses of the prom stele e. f. a genera, eentributet
" The conside rationse• amongst has e led us to recom-
ne that a fund should be cod etee by subscription for the,
reseose of four ding a Proi;'ssership of machinery and manu-
factures in louden, to be called the De 144teli: Professorship.
It will be the duty of the Professor to to aeh else Rtlements of
maehinery, and the application of these to p sm‘sitl'arl erbibeihtinesti
the construction and operatiun of which h.. an
teach to the class. He will also show the api ilicates'n of che-
mistry, and other branches 'of natural philoa ,phy, to various
manufacturing processes; and he will exhibit t hose processes
by drawings and models, and by experiments.
It would have been satisfactory to us, if we cc
wield have Rig-
Bested some ineems whereby the fund which we
should be devoted immediately to the ins
reel fosshope to raise
t
classes of the people, whose intellectual andof those
improve-
ment Dr. Birkbeck has laboured to promote. x
:rum r
i ei tiling in
this endeavour, we believe that our plan will inn lirect
ly, and
not very remotely, tend materially
tion of
the workieig classes. It • to advance the educa
will be the duty of the Pi pfessor him'

rat ure

netted with the London University College. He believed that
the proceedings of that college werevery little known beyond
its walls. That College had been established seventeen years
ago, and he wanted to know what great man it had produced,
or what great discovery it had led to either in ,eience or in lite-
He would even say that, in his opinion, no event had
even so great a blow to the liberal a,pirations of the age as the
.ailure of that college.—(Marks of dissent and interruption. )
lle knew nothing great or good to which it had contributed,
if he night except the Reform Bill.—(Marks of dissent. )
But there was also a strong personal reason against founding a
Ptofessorship in connection with the London University; for
although Dr. Birkbeck had contributed liberally to that insti-
tution, about the 3etr 18.30 he withdrew from it, and he never
afterwards took part in the management.---(Cries of " No,
nn !") About this period, or a little subsequent to it, Dr.
13irkheck expressed to him the very strongest opinion against
the University. Upon these grounds he must dissent from
the proposal of the Committee to establish a professorship in
connection with the London University. The respected Chair-
man had referred to the project of erecting a statue to the
memory of Dr, Birkbeck in St. Paul's Cathedral. He would
not have addressed that meeting had it not been that there

were other alternatives by which they might attain the
bject ; and he thought the plan of ereecting a
staoe or tablet in St. Paul's preferable to that
which had been suggested by the Committee, There was,
hovvever,azlother plan to which neither the noble Chairman nor
the Committetse had alluded, but which he thought far preferable
to any that had lven suggested; namely, to establish itinerant
professorships under the control of a body in whom the funds
Lord Brougham
should be vestcd_ f9.r. that purpose. —(Cheers. )