The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-13 00:00:00

not have happened. If the first engin*
with six wheels %T hen ItS axle broke, it
its equilibrium. If a second locomotive
toyed, the only co►►sequence of the accident
-shock; and even admitting that the two
accident existed, had the doors of the wag-
gUns not been locked, a number of the passengers might have
escaped the flames. In fine, the interposition of the elastic
system would have saved the train, even if no other precaution
had been observed.' "

LITERARY FUND DINNER.
This excellent Society celebrated on Wednesday at the Free-
masons' Hall its 53d anniversary. Great eclat was given to
the proceedings of the evening by the circumstance
,of h
Royal Highness Prince Albert having honoured the Society
by condescending to preside over its festivities. The Linn ary
fund Society was established in 1790, and in 1793 the brat
anniversary dinner took place, since which period it has pur-
sued an uninterrupted career of usefulness.
At half-past six o'clock his Royal Highness, preeeded by a
number of the stewards, entered the room. Immesliately the
illustrious Prince was announced, the acclamations became loud
and general, and the beautiful band of the Coldstream Guards
played the National Anthem. The galleries were tided 'Kill, a
number of elegantly-dressed ladies, who al Feared fo take an
unusual interest in the proceedings.
About 360 sat down to an excellent dinner.
On Prince Albert's right. hand sat the Duke of Cleveland,
and on his left the Marquis of Lansdowne. Among the die,
tingnished visitors present, we noticed the following noblesneo
and gentlemen :—Lord Ashley, Lord Mahon, the Marquis of
Lansdowne, Lord Monteagle, Lord Jocelyn, the Prussian Am-
bassador, the Russian Ambassador, Sir R. Inglis, Mr. Serjeant
Talfourd, Mr. T. Moore, Mr. T, Campbell, Mt. G. Knight,
Mr. H. Hallam, Mr. Barham, Sir H. Ellis, Mr. ashington
Irving, and Vice-Chancellor K. Bruce.
Upon the cloth being removed,
His Royal Highness Prince ALBERT rose and said—Gentlee
men,—l propose "The Health of the Queen," who, lam able
to tell you highly appreciates this excellent institution. I have
her permission to say, that she is its sincere well-wisher, and
feels much interest in its prosperity.---( Loud cheering.
The Duke of CLEVELAND then proposed " The Prince of
Wales, the Queen Dowager, and the rest of the Royal Family."
The Noble Duke said, that he had been called upon unex-
pectedly to propose the second toast in the list. Ile had never
yet been present at any public meeting, where the health of
the Prince of Wales was proposed. lie considered it a fortu-
nate coincidence that the first time he should be called upon to
propose such a toast should be in the presence of the Prince
of Wales's illustrious parent.
Vice-Chancellor KNIGHT BRUCE gave " The Army and
Navy."—(Loud cheers. )
Lord COLVILLE returned thanks for the Navy, and
Colonel Guitwoon briefly acknowledged the eompliment
paid to the Army.
After which Mr. T. Campbell's well-known song—
Ye mariners of England,
That guard our native seas,"
was sung amidst loud applause.
Prince A Limier then rose, and spoke as follows.--The toast
which 1 have now to propose is, "Prosperity to this Institu-
tion," an Institution which stands unrivalled in any countess
and which ought to command our warmest sympathies, in pi,.
viding for the exigencies of those who, feeling only the
promptings of genius, and forgetting every other consideration,
pursue the grand career of the cultivation of the human mind,
and the promotion of the arts and sciences.—( Cheers.) It is
• surely right gratefully to acknowledge the benefits we s ave de-
rived from the disinterested exertions of those great arid good
men, and cheerfully to contribute to their wants and add their
necessities.—(Cheers.) I conclude with a warm wish • that
the object for the promotion of which we have assembled this
day may be responded to in the most ample and generous
manner. I propose " Success to the Literary Fund."—(The
toast was drunk amidst great cheering.)
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE responded to the toast.. Ile
begged in behalf of himself, and all those connected with the
Society, to express to his Royal Highness, and all the noble-
men and gentlemen present, his acknowledgement for the ho-
nour which had that day been conferred on the Institution. He
had resigned with much pleasure the chair into the han
'ls
of the illustrious Prince who presided over the meeting.
would ill become him, in the presence of his Royal High-a
ness, to enumerate the many virtues and good qualities
which adorned his character.—(Loud cheers.) He was not
surprised to see the Prince among them that evening, when he
recollected that he was connected with an illustrious family
residing in a country, which had always been the asylum of
teen ef genius and letters.—( Cheer's.) In occupying the
Chair that day his Royal Highness was only discharging a
debt of gratitude due to the Society. The father of her ;Ma-
jesty had honoured the Society once with his presence ; and an
the last occasion previous to his lamented death that he had
consented to take the Chair, he was only prevented from dein.-
so by the birth of her present Majesty.—( Cheers. ) The *ob-
ject of the Literary Fund Society was to relieve the distresses
and miefortunes of literary men. Surely such a Society re-
quired no recommendation. It spoke its own want, and its
own peculiar claims upon the sympathies of the kind and the
benevolent. He thought there could net be a more noble ob-
ject than to see the human intellect in the greatness of its
strength towering above the difficulties which surrounded it,
and triumphing over all the impediments which impeded it in
its onward course—(Cheers)—but how painful was it to con-
template genius weighed down by misfortunes. It was for the
benefit of this class that the Literary Fund' Society was insti-
tuted. The Noble Lord concluded by proposing " The health
of his Royal Highness Prince Albert.'—( Great cheering. )
Prince ALBERT rose, mid was received with long-continued
applause. He said, " Gentlemen,—l must return you me-
warmest thanks for the great kindness you have manifested
towards me in the manner in which you have received the toast.
which has just been proposed for your adoption.—(Cheers, )
I beg to assure you that I shall always he most happy to pro-
mote the interest of all those excellent institutions which so
prominently (his Royal Highness laid a marked emphasis on
this word) distinguish this country."—( Loud cheers. )
The SECRETARY then read the Report, an abstract of which
we have given. He also read a list of the subseripions just
received. The Queen, 100 guineas—(Cheers)—Prince Al-
bert, 100I.—(Great cheering)—the King of Prussia, 100/,
(Cheers)—the Duke of Somerset, 10 guineas annually ; the
Marquis of Lansdowne, 50/. ; Lord F. Egerton, 10/. ; Arch-
bishop of Dublin, a per tentage on the profits of all his works ,
Lord Bexley, 10/. ; Vice- Chancellor Bruce, 10 guineas ; Lord
Chief Justice Tindal, 10 guineas.
Prince A inner said—The toast now put Into my hand is the
health of our worthy President, the Marquis of Lansdowne. It
would be impossible for me to enumerate his many merits ; Ida
contributions to art and science are so well known in this as-
sembly, that it will ne unnecessary for me to particularly allude
to them. I have the greatest satisfaction in expressing how
highly I esteem him.. Gentlemen, I beg leave to propose
" The health of the Marquis of Lansdowne. "—Great cheeSine )
The Marquis of LA NsnowNE returned thanks, and •peepo,,,J
" The health of His Majesty the King of Prussia."......(Cheers.)
The PRUSSIAN AMBASSADOR said, in returning thanks for
the cordial manner in which the health of his Royal master, his
Majesty the King of Prussia, had been drunk, he was unable
to express the feelings which animated his heart. He knew
that his Royal master took a great interest in the prosperity of
the I.iterary Fund Society.—( Great cheering. )
Mr. T. CAMPBELL rose, and was received with loud cheers;
He said that at a meeting like the present, so full of the
friends of literature and science, it was a matter of congratu-
lation that the chair was filled by the representative of Bri-
tish Majesty, the Queen of queens, the Queen of hearts, their
own Queen of Victoria.—(Great cheering. e thouht that the great condescension exhibited by the) IllH
ustriousg Prince
could not fail to produce a feeling of strict amity between tho
sceptre and the press of this country, an amity which could not
fail to be productive to literature and to literary men. The
condescension on the part of his Royal Highness was as liberal
as it was generous.—( Cheers.) There was a natural sympathy
between wisdom and liberality ; " Verily," the prophet Isaiah
j says, " the liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things
shall he stand."—( Cheers.) The Constitution, with all its
great blessings, was based upon public opinion, without any re-
ference to party. It was with much pleasure he proposed
" Henry Hallam and the Historians."--(Cheers. )
The toast was drunk amidst great applause.
Mr. H. HALLAM, in returning thanks, said that he had
ways taken a great interest in the Institution.
Lord MAHON proposed "Mr. T. Moore and the Poete."____
(Loud cheering.) tlis Lordship said, that the poet whose' health he had the honour to propose was one who had shed ea
undying lustre upon the English language and people.—
( Cheers.) He would ask, who had not been delighted with
his writings ? He felt assured that they were ready to pay
of the
homage
illustrious
" To whom the lyre and laurels had been given,
With all the trophies of triumphant song,
He wore them well, and may he wear them long."
The toast was drunk amidst great acclamation.
Ur. T. MOORE briefly returned thanks.
Mr. Moore's beautiful Irish melody—
" Arid cloth not a meeting like this make emends
For all the long years I've been wandering away :'"
was sung by Mr. Broadhurst with great pathos and effect.
Lord COLBORNE proposed " Mr. James and the Novelists,'"
( Drunk with applause. )
Mr. JAMES returned thanks.
I Mr. MURCHISON proposed" The Marquis of Northampton,
and the Scientific Literature of this Country."
Trio Marquis of NORTIIA mrrox responded tc the toast.
Mr. G. KNIGHT proposed ‘. Mr. Serjeant Talfourd, and the
Dramatists."—(Drunk with great cheering.)
Mr. Serjeant TA srourin, in an eloquent speech, acknow-
ledged the compliment. Owing to the late hour at which tS,a
Serjeant addressed the meeting, it will be impossible fur t' to
attempt even to give an abstract of what he said.
Sir It. ING r.ts proposed " Washington Irving and th,e, Lite-
)--4Drunk
ature of the United States."—(Great ;cheering,
with great enthusiasm.)
•
Mr. WASIIINGTON IRVING briefly acknowledged the com-
pliment.

Lord ASHLEY proposed "the Vice-President of the So-
ciety.''

Sir
R. INGLis returned thank.
Prince ALBERT rose and said,--I suppose, Gentlemen, you..
would not like to part without proposing the health of the ladies-
- (Loud cheering. ) Gentlemen, " The Ladies."
Song—" Here's a health to all good lasses."
His Royal Highness left the chair a little before 12, the
tarn band performing the National Anthem.

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS.
HERALD.—The letters from Mexico advise of the agree-
able intelligence that a reduction in the duties on foreign
manufactures is about to be operated to the extent of 08 per
cent. This is an important concession, but a concession much,
more in the interest of Mexico than of any foreign countries-
which may be benefited by the reformed tariff. It may be taken
for granted that Mexico will gain more by the change, that 1:4
by the lowering of duties, in point of amount of custom-houses
receipts, than by the late high and prohibitory duties, which,
only led to a contraband trade on her sea-board in the Atlantic',
and Pacific, by which she was defrauded of duties altogether.
The proposed remission of duties on wines and spirits thre, to
the extent of 50 per cent., is intended to favour Spanish wines,
and spirits, which are the general objects of consumption, and
to the use of which the inhabitants have of course been long
habituated. The liberal tariff of the Mexican Government
comes opportunely to meet that large and liberal reduction IV
duties on commodities, those of Mexico inclusive, which is eon•
templated by the new tariff about to be passed here.

A ('.% t.t. TO REsIsT THE INCONIE-TAX.—Theri.=
should be some associations got up—some anti-Income-tax
associations. What arc our old Reform friends about ? Have
they sunk under the sudden success of poor miserable Sir
Robert Peel ? Let us have associations and good fellowships
and kindly feeling, and an understanding as to what. we can
do when the tax is passed, and we shall soon make an end of
Sir Robert Peel and his tax—let him politically expire with
his tax about his neck, and go into private life politically
hanged, and so he will do, and we shall he again happy in a
reasonable and reforming Government. Let us have Anti-
income.tax associations—let us begin them. We were formerly
famed for commencing any great reform in the Government ;
this town particuiarly poured its whole strength into the oppo-
sition to the Income-tax being again laid on. Let the town
try it once more, and we will cordially join them.-- Tyne
Me 'Tun'.
'ill': Pl,lll 4lecitled onlast year for the canalisation
of the arm of the Seine, which suns to the south of the cite,
and for deepenirg the bed of the Seine front Paris to the mouth
of the Oise, is about to be immediately carried into effect.
Dredging-machines of great power have been already prepart d.