Star.
London, England, 1826-05-11 00:00:00

LITERARY FUND.

The Anytiversary (the 37th) of the Literary Fund
Society was held yesterday, at the Freemasons' Tavern,
► his Grace the Duke of Somerset, the President, in the
• Chair, supported by Lord Glenorchy, Sir William
• Clayton, S r John Malcolm, Sir John Swinbutne, Mr.
Thomas Moore, and several other persons of di•tinction.
" Non nuks, !)mint," having been sung in the usual excellent
style, by Messrs. Atkins, Colpeper, and Droatilitu•st, and Masters
13.1ylry and Nichols,
The CHAIRMAN proposed the " health of the King ;'
c'runk with three times three—Song, " God save the
King."—He next proposed the "health of the Duke of
Yotk, and the As my;" drunk ssith titree times three—
Song, 4; Hal k, hark ! the Lark," &c. The next toast
WAS a Toe Duke of Clarence, and the Navy ;" drunk
also with all the honours—Song, " Rule Britannia."—
The health of the Duke of Somerset," being given,
As nil kgh imurnendations of the support which he had
given to the Institution, was drunk with all the honours.
The Duke of SomEnsEr, in a few words, returned
thanks, and stated, tha: he was proud to pay every
attention in his power to an Institution of so vet), useful
a nature as this, which had derived its great success
fr m the exertions of many other men, who had devoted
much of their means and of their vain ible time and
talents to its support—SonZ, " All a Sheep-shearing."
'the CnAtastsm then proposed the " Health of the Vice-Presi-
i
dents* which was received with all the usual honours.
. .

•
Sir WILLIAM CLAYTON returned thanks in his own
name, a td in the names of the other Vice-Presidents.—
It was quite unnecessary for him to dwell upon the
great success which had attended this society under the
peronage of his Majesty, or upon the great good which
the Institution was calcul.►ted to do, and had done. He
pronnied the" Health of Mr. Hobhouse, M.P. Chairman
of the Committee." This was drank with all the honours.

The Rev. Dr. YATES, one of the Treasurers, stated
• that he had a not from Mr. Hobhouse, mentioning
that he (Mr.H.) was unable to attend from indisposition.
He then gave a brief account of the Funds of the Insti-
ttnion, as follows:
A BSTRACT of the CASII ACCOUNT, audited according to
the Charter. Prest•nted to the General Meeting, March 8,1826.
. Balance.in the Treasurer's hands the 31st Dec. 1824:
At hkssis. Ransoms and Co. £ll6 13 3
Coutts and Co. . 105 8 4

222 1 7
At!lfived since, in Subscriptions, Donations, Diiidends
al Soak dr.:. • . 1,839 3 0

2,061 4 7
NiThfloriller nf the Committee; uprin applications fur
relfef, Including purchase of Stuck, and incidental
.
e:pe:see 1,668 9 6

Balance in Treasurer's hinds, 31st Dec. 1825. . 392 15 1
The Haus. Fund is now incorporated with the preceding Gene-
ral AccOunt's of the Society. .
*The Perminenc Fund consists at present of 3 per

Cent: C ms. . £13,633 4 2
The Stock of the Newton Property, now available to
the Society, formerly consisting of three Accounts,
has been transferred to one Account, amounting, lit
the Reduced Three per Cent. Annuities, to 6,367 15 10
Three per Cent. Reduced (Dividend not yet payable

to the Society) . .
The New.on Estate produces antsoally :

1,800 0 o
. 450 0 0

So th ct the Society had in the whole about 20,0001.
in the Three per Cent;. Out of the 16681. which he
had mentioned, 57 cases had been relieved, many of
which were very interesting, and y hich would have
been communicated to the Meeting, were it not fcr that
characteristic c.f. the Institution which prevented the
disclosure of the names of those who were relieved.—
(Applause.) lie then stated, that the usual donation
of 210!. had been sent by his Majesty.—(4pplause.)
Several other donations of twenty, and ten guineas,
from various individuals, were also mentioned.
Mr. Fsranzasix recited a Poem in praise of the Institution.
SOTMEIT also highly praised the Institution, which, above
all others, was thoroughly competent for its purposes. It pene-
trated into the darkest places, and lighted up the fire of genius,
when on the point of bring extinguished by despair.
Sir JOHN MAICoLM stated, that he had the permis-
sion of the Noble Chairman to propose a toast. They
had all heard of the great progress which had been
made by the Institution, that administered relief in the
delicate manner in which genius ought to be relieved.
No Institution could be more calculated to rouse all the
generous and benevolent ft elings of our nature, and to
allay all angry passions. It was another characteristic of
the Institution, that it often afforded relief to those who
had themselves contributed to its funds in their more
prosperous days. This was a peculiar feature of this Insti-
lotion ; and it was also a remarkable feature in it, that
its applause and admiration might be valuable to genius
when its money was not wantel He alluded to one
now present among them, whom he hitd not the honour
Fersonally to know, but whose tame was well known all
over the world. He now claimed the liberty to pay his
trihute of admiration to the individual in question;
tor, although he (Sir J. M.) had spent a great part of
his life in distant climes, his fame had reached him; and
the me: it of oue of his works (continued Sir J. M.) I
myself well able to appr ciate—l mean Lolls
I;ookh—(Cireat applause),—in which the Author has
conitiined the truth of the Histoi ian with the genius of
the Poet, and the vigorous classical taste of his own
country wit!) the fervid imagination of the East. 1
propose " The heal h of Mr. Thomas Mcnte." This
wasr:ceived with all the honours.

Mr. Nloone—l feel highly flattered by the compli-
ment now paid me, although there are others who
might more justly have laid claim to it—l allude parti-
cularly to the translator of ()bows, %hose genius in-
stiucted, enlightened, and, delighted the world, long
beiore a lay of mine api.eared before the public. I can-
kowever, but feel myself highly honoured by the
manner in which my health has been received in such
an assembly as the present. The soldier is delighted
1/111h the applau e of his companions in arms; the sailor
love. to i:ear the prai,es of those who have encounteted
the Pe' 'l4 of the deep, and of naval waddle. 8 1 can-
not help feeling soroessliAt like A similar pleasure from
the api.rubnion of those who have laboured with me in
the same field. This is the highest honour wadi they
can offer, r I tan receive.—(Applamse.)—As to the
Now urable 13 ironer who has proposed my health in so
fueziag and eloquent a sumer, lice! that much. of

what lie has said in my praise may arise from the infiu
ence I f the spa, kling glass which has been circulating
among us.—(A laugh.)-1 do not.by any means say that
we have yet reached the state of double vision (a laugh),
butit is well known that objects seen through a glass
appear magnified, and of a higher elevation. The.e is
an anecdote in the history of literature, not unconnected
with this topic. When the art of printing was first in-
troduced, the types with which the first works were
printed were taken down and converted into drinking
cups, to celebrate the glory of the invention. To be
sure, there have been other literary glasses, not quite so
poetical; for it has been said, that as the warriors of the
North drank their mead, in the hall of Odin, out of the
skulls of those whom they had slain in battle—so book-
sellers drank their wine out of the skulls of authors.—
(t.aughter end applause.) But different times have now
arrived; for authors have got their share of the aurum'
potabile, and booksellers hive got rather the worst of
rt. There is one peculiarity attendant upon genius,
which is well worth mentioning, sill reference to the
great objects of thisldmirable histitution. Alen of ge-
n us, like the precious perfumes of the East, are exceed-
ingly liable t r exhaustion ; and the period often conies
when no:hing of it remains but its sensibility ; and the
life which long gave light to the world, sometimes ter
minates in becoming a burden t i itself. (Great ap.
plause) When we add to that the image of Poverty—
when we consider the situa.ion of that man of genius,
ho, in h s declining sears aid exhausted resources,
sees nothing before him but indigence ; it is then that wr
can only estimate the value of this lost tution, which
stretches out its friendly aid to save him from the dire
calamity. (applause.) This is a consideration which
ought. to have its due effect upon the mina's of the easy
and opule it, who may themselves be men of genius;
but there may be other s who may have no Eroperty ex-
cept that little light of talent which Gov has %en pleased
to bestow upon them; and the person wheil now ad-
dresses you speaks the more feelingly, became he can-
not be sure that the fate of genius; which he has just
ben depicting, may not, one day, be his own.
Sir Joan IffaLcoLac adverted to the importance of acquiring ac-
curate knowledge respecting the population of our eastern domi-
nions. and proposed to drink " Provelity to the Asiatic Society?'
The toast was received with applause.
About ten o'clock the Duke of Sumerset retired, and Sir John
Malcolm' having taken the Chair, the conviviality of the Meeting.
was kept up for some time longer.