Star.
London, England, 1818-03-03 00:00:00

HIGHLAND SOCIETY OF LONDON.

•
Satitrday se'nnight, at a General Meeting of the
HIGHLAND SOCIETY or LONDON, holden in Freema-
son's Tavern, be,ides the election of Officers for the
year, the Rev. JAMES BOYD, who has been invited
to the Ministry of the Gnlic Church, was elected one
of the Chaplains of the Society.
The business of this Meeting being chiefly confined
to the private affairs of the Society, no object of na-
tional importance was submitted to the consideration
of the Members : but in consequence of Mr. Virructr..
the Artist, being elected an Honorai y Member, an
cpportunit,,y was afforded of turning the attention of
the Society, indirectly, to a subject of the greatest
consequence to the honour and dignity of the Scottish
Nation.—Mr. ROBERTSON, in seconding the motiqn
for Mr. Witatis election, stated that it was the first
time in the History of Scorland,• that a public body
of that country bestowed any honou 4 ,le mark of
distinction on account of proficiency in Art, and he,
was stare that it would be of incalculable benefit to
the genius which had arisen in their native land.—
" The Highland Society of London," he observed,
". has greatly distinguished itself by its exertions to
collect and preserve the productions of genius in
poetry and music, nor have the claims of living talent
been neglected. It is not generally known that the
medal struck by the Society, to commemorate the
Battle of Alexandria, is unquestionably the finest spe-
cimen of that class of art ever executed in this coun-
try, and vies with the best of the French collection.—
Let it only for a moment be compared with that
given to the Heroes of Waterloo, and the most igno-
rant eye will he immediately struck with the diffe-
rence. Medals outlive every other production of art,,
and this medal alone will transmit the name of the
Society to the latest time with enviable honour. The
tripod of silver, presented last year to the 4-2 d Regi-
ment, has not been excelled in this country for the
purity of taste and the beauty of workmanship. And
the Diploma of the Society is the most splendid ex-
ample of engraving on wood that the art has presen-
ted to the world. it is not only eagerly sought for
by collectors in this country, but is in request on the
Continent, and particularly at Paris, as a singular ex-
ample) of the perfection to which the art of engraving
on wood has arrived in Great Britain." Mr. ROJIERT•
SON then took occasion to expatiate with warmth and
friendship on the merits and talents of Mr. Wuxi;
remarking, that " Meetings of Public and National
Bodies constitute the Olympia of modern times,"
and he concluded by suggesting to the Society
whether it was not worthy of consideration to adopt
some means of holding out inducements to the Scot-
tish Artists to illustrate the history and poetry of
Scotland, referring to the admirable Report of the
Committee of the House of Commons respecting the
Elgin Marbles, as the most distinguished testimony
to the moral importance of the Fine Arts that has
appeared in any age or country.
The Meeting. was highly interested by these obser-
vations, and it is hoped that as soon as circumstances
will admit, the subject will be taken up by the So.
ciety with that ardour and effect which has ever dis-
tinguished its undertakings.
'We cannot dismiss this article without urging this
great, powerful, and patriotic association to lend its
influence to the amelioration of the Salt Laws. It
has rendered perpetual benefit to the country, and
arrested a lamentable decay of private morality, by
procuring an Amendment of the Distillery Laws ;
and the absurd and no less fraud-exciting-code, re-
specting Salt, equally calls for change and revision.