The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-19 00:00:00

....;•RESTING FESTIVAL AT KINGSTON.

409,_ur commercial and travelling friends will no
mot recollect that about seven years since the de-
slllo.
' . 'on of the " Old Sun Hotel" took place,which
qtfloated in the centre of the town of Kingston-
' P°" e hamand upon the site has since been
'erected a -ter g;
magnicent structure, at a very enor-
tri,Cu' espense, bearing the same name; in comme-
I °ration whereof it has been since an annual custom
i° eelebrate its revival by a festival, which we have
44C.pleasure to announce transpired yesterday, and
''!crY select company were invited and congregated
}
;',Deo the occasion. J. Barnes, Esq. presided over
. festive board in a very convivial and cheerful
L'lrotrtnee; arid Mr. James Thompson, the respectable
orewer of the town, officiated as Deputy with be-
coming assiduity and attention. On the removal of
..th-ecloth, the Chairman rose, and, with some pre-
iatuey eemarksr, made allusion to the object of the
,meeting, and stated that' he felt much satisfaction in
calling the attention of his friends assembled to the
rst and grand toast, namely--;that of 'propo,ing the
Health of Iris most gracious 1 Majesty." The
'::Y'torthy Chaiiman then drew 'an interesting picture,
to- contrasting the sovereignty of this country with
that f b
-..0t .er nations. -
After the ,g Duke of Clarence and the rest of the
Yal family" had been given, with suitable de-
At. tonstrations of respect,
The. CHAIRMAN gave " The Army and Navy,"
.The Duke of Wellington and his Majesty's
linisters," which were drunk with much cheering.
s The Corpotation and Trading). Interest of King-
, 11"," -were here given with mucl appplause, and
lame was acknowledged by Mr. Reed in a very
ecling and consistent manner.
The CHAIRMAN then gave the Merry Wives,
lbe,„belloy Lasses, and buxoM Widows of the Town
Kingston ;" and added, that as it was a most en-
felting toast, he trusted that every gentleman
resent would stand upon the occasion. Three
tj!'les three followed this announcement, and three
istinct rounds of applause in succession.
h PIKF, Esq., in a very neat speech, pro-
d the health of the Chairman, with thanks to
rrr for the ability and exertions displayed, which
"e said had so pre-eminently contributed in every
.witY to enhance the enjoyment and comfort of all
Present. A very spirited and attractive acknowledg-
- :lent followed the conclusion of this toast, and im-
iense cheering greeted the reply.
• t Air. Basis now rose, and stated that he had a
try observations to make, and a toast to propose
that he felt confident would afford them a great deal
of 4atisfaction and pleasure. The Worthy Gentle-
Pao began by saying that the " Liberty of the
Preis," it had been observed, by a celebrated
" was like the air we breathe, which, if we
Gave it not, we die." And as the advantages re-
sulting from the powerful effects of so formidable an
"gine, were of a most beneficial kind, too much
could not be said in its praise, when devoted to just
WWII upright attainments; and, moreover, added he,
that Whether taken in a commercial,-charitable, corn-
-'
„suoicative, or other point of view, its efficacy was
riost essentially advantageous in a free country like
nitiend—its effects resisted oppression—it assisted
the
f•
riendless, and kept- all in authority from exer-
e''iog an abuse of their station. The Chairman here
eery feelingly remarked, that tine daily Journal in
Perticular it- was hardly necessary to mention to
their notice,but to command esteem, he meant the
'aforning Advertiser. This paper, . the worthy
blltirmatt observed, originated with a very credit-
.. le (though very frequently ill-used) body of
, eredesmen, he meant the publicans and inn-
eePers ; and added, that it deserved and re-
ced the warmest patronage and support,
ar
4141 out of the very "benevolent and chari-
table intentions of its founders ; and, there-
for▪
e, said he, no motives Of self-interest had actuated
ita original establishers : for not only had the Pr 0....
.... Prietary been enabled to construct and maintain a
school fur the education and protection of the orphan
the fatherless, but had very recently erected also, at
or cost of several thousands of pounds, by the aid
contributions.and otherwise, an asylum for no less
'lumber than forty persons of their body, who,
Petehance might happen, either from decayed cir-
e_uolstances or infirmities, to be rendered incapable
housing themselves. The speaker was here in-
s• rrupted by an unanimous burst of applause, which
c
could for several moments, and as soon as silence
1'4(1 be obtained, we further understood him to
ii-u)r, that he trusted an example of this character and
21cription would never fail to inherit success, and
tt,
the Game time to meet its just reward ; and
. it'"eluded by proposing The Liberty of the Press,
" ineY prosperity attend its energies on all upright,
and charitable occasions ;" which was drunk
• 14":'dst as great cheering as we ever recollect to have
Witnessed at a similar meeting.
After this toast followed the healths of the De-
eut.7 the worthy Proprietor of the Sun—the
rlekrters and other sporting characters of Kingston.

4 There was a heavy fall of snow on Thursday
aPparently very general in its visitations iu this and
°joining. counties.--Berbs Chronicle.

LITERATURE.

EDINBURGH REVIEW, No. XCIX.
rDINBURGII, 1829.

We have read many better numbers than the

present, of this Review, though few whose table
of contents was more attractive. Locke—Dr.
Channing, and American Literature—the By-

zantine Historians, from whom Gibbon, in his

latter volumes of the q Decline and Fall," has

gleaned so many delightful sketelies—" Flax-

man's Lectures on Sculpture :"—such are a few, a
very few, of the subjects comprised in the pre-
sent number. We wish we could add that they
were worthily treated ; but, unluckily, though
they are all wrought up in a workman-like

tshion, they possess little boldness, or novelty

of thought, are meagre, and; barren of informa-
tion, and divested of any superior claims to
eloquence. The first article, a Review of
" Lord King's Life of Locke," tells us nothing

,hat we did not know before ; it is, altogether,

a pasteboard and scissars concern, like a modern
dramatic adaptation from the French, being
merely a trader of certain striking passages from
Lord King's quarto, to the pages of the Edin-
burgh Review. By those who would desire to
obtain within the compass of a few pages, a

tolerably correct sketch of Locke's biography,
the article may be consulted with advantage ;
but to those who have previously acquainted
themselves with this great logician's productions
as well as his biographer's details respecting
him and them, they:will.,-appear a decided
failure. Locke is one of those few really great
philosophers, of whose amply stored intellect the
more that is said, the more remains to be said.

He abounds to profusion in materials for thought

His works are a store-house of ideas, all cha

racterised by the severest good sense. Such
a writer consequently cannot be too often
canvassed, ar.d we regret to perceive that the
Edinburgh Review has tnissed'so fair an oppor-
tunity of once again enlarging on the merits of

the disinterested advocate of truth—the friend
of Newton—the inquirer into the extent and
properties of the " Human Understanding."
The notice of Mrs. Heman's poetry is sparkling,
eloquent, and just ; from the style and quality

of its remarks, we should conclude that it pro-
ceeded from the pen of Mr. Jeffrey. The intro-
ductory matter which explains and comments on
the causes of the difference in the poetic tem-
perament of man and woman, forcibly reminds
us of the judgment and eloquence of the able
reviewer
.of " Alison's Essays on Taste." The
following remarks, though perhaps severe, are in
the main just, with the single exception of the
allusion to Byron, whose works so far from be-
ing, in the slightest degree perishable, have all the
:elements of eternity about them :
" We hive seen too much of the perishlble nature of
modern literary fame, to venture to predict to Mrs. He-
mans that her's will be immortal, or even of very long
duration. Since the beginning of our critical career, we
hays seen a vast deal of beautiful poetry pass into oblivion,

in spite of our feeble efforts to 'recall or retain it in, re-
membranCe. The tuneful quartos of Southey are already
little better than lumber; and the rich melodies of Keats
and Shelley,—and the fantastical emphasis of Wordsworth,
—and the plebeian pathos of Crabbe, are melting 'fast
from the fields of our vision. The novels of Scott have
put out his poetry. Even the splendid strains of. Moore
are fading into distance and dimness, except where they
have been married to immortal music; and the blazing
star of Byron himself is receding from its place of pride.
We need say nothing of Miltnan, and Croly, and Ather-
stone, and Hood, and a legion of others, who, with no
ordinary gifts of taste and fancy, have not so properly
survived their fame, as been excluded by some hard fata-
lity from what seemed their just inheritance. The two
who have the longest withstood this rapid withering of
the laurel, and with the least marks of decay on their
branches, are Rogers. sal Campbell ; neither of them, it
may be remarked, voluminous writers, and both distin-
guished rather for the fine taste and consummate elegance
of their writings, than for that fiery passion, and disdain-
ful vehemence, which 'seemed for a time to be so much
more in favour with the public.
"-If taste and elegance, however, be titles to enduring
fame, we might venture securely to promise that rich boon
to the author before us;• who adds to those great merits a
tenderness and loftiness of feeling, and an ethereal purity
of sentiment, which could only emanate from the soul of
a woman. She must beware of becoming too voluminous ;
and must not venture again on .any thing so long as the
Forest Sanctuary.' But, if the next generation inherits
our taste for short poems, we are persuaded it will not
readily allow her to be forgotten. For we do not hesitate
to say, that she is, beyond all comparison, the most touch-
ing and accomplished writer of occasional verses that our
literature has yet to boast of."
" French Commercial System" is an elaborate
article, in drawing up which the most guarded
caution has been used. This is evident through-
out. An infinite number of commercial topics
are discussed, and, among others, that of iron,
the prohibitory duties on which, the Reviewer
states, have been highly injurious in their ef-
fects, having not only had the effect of adding
from 25 to 50 per cent. to the cost of that most
useful metal, but also of adding from 25 to 50
per cent. to the price of wood. " Memoirs of
Lady Fanshawe" is a tolerably well-written no-
tice, laudatory, but not unreasonably so, of the
fair biographer, n'f►o, however, is set down, and
iustly, as inferior to the matchless. Mrs.
Hutchinson. " The Byzantine Historians,"
from its :title, shOuld have been an admirable
essay, full of incident, eloquence, and eha-
racterisiic historical sketches. It is here
a scanty catalogue, or index rather, of
some among the principal Byzantine writers,
spiritless and common-place. " The greatest
Happiness Principle" is an ably-written reply to
the attacks of the Benthamites ; we need scarcely
add that it is satisfactory and triumphant.
" American Literature," as we judge from an
indirect defence of the gentilities of the " Beg-
gar's Opera," proceeds from the versatile pen of
Mr. Hazlitt. It is brilliant, acute, and as usual
paradoxical, but full of an anti-American spirit.
Cooper, the novelist, is scarcely treated with
candour ; and Dr. Charming is dealt with
harshly and unceremoniously. We are not among
the number of those who, with Locke as their
sanction, think that style is a mere matter of in-
difference. To us it seems fully as necessary as
a good address to a gentleman. Mr. Hazlitt,
however, dwells little, if at all, on the graces
of Dr. Channing's style. He calls it, to-
gether with his philosophy, " ambitious com-
mon place." This is harsh, and, 'ghat is worse,
unfair. Few, even among our very best modern
authors, reason so justly and write so eloquently
as the Rev. Unitarian of Boston. His opinions
have always the stamp of
liudgment? discretion,

and soundness, and his lanrii ref is unifornil

chaste, flowing, though perl ap rather too tame
and equable. The account of " Auldjii's Ascent
of Mount Blanc" is introducei by some ex-
tremely pertinent and useful remarks ou the folly
of such gratuitous and idle enterprizes. " Flax-
man's L?ctures on Sculpture" is not equal to
what might have been expected from so agree-
able a subject. It is, however, worth reading.
Altogether the number is a good one, though
assuredly in no one respect above the average
level of periodical excellence.