The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-11-16 00:00:00

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOIREE AT THE
ROYAL INSTITUTION, COLQUIT•STREET.

The first of these agreeable meetings for the present sea-
son, was held on Wednesday evening last. The attendance
was even more numerous than on any of the soirees last sea-
son, and amongst the visitors were several of the principal
families in the town, several members of the Town Couna,
of the clergy, and of the bar. The ladies numerically kept
pace with the "lords of creation," and contributed by
their presence, great gaiety and liveliness to the scene.
Promenading commencedas usual, through the different
apartments, soon after seven o'clock,and continued till eight,
when an adjournment took place to hear the lecture in the
theatre of the institution; after the lecture there was a gene-
ral rush to the coffee rooms, where the refreshing beverage
was plentifully provided for those who could insinuate them-
selves through the crowd to the tables. Promenading was
then again resumed till the parties were wearied of it, and
retired.

Not much change was exhibited in the objects of attraction
in the various rooms, but very judicious ar:angements were
made for affording more room for the company, by the re-
moval of several bulky objects—as for instance, an immense
stuffed seal, which occupied the centre of the zoological and
entomological specimen room. In this room were hung two
very beautiful paintings —portraits—by Vandyke, of exquisite
finish and colouring, and also one by Bronzino, kindly lent
by private individuals to grace the soiree. A number of
books of drawings were also strewed about. A German
globe, stuck on a pedestal, shewing the various hills, valleys,
and rivers on the different continents, by having some soft
material moulded on the surface, excited some attention.
The chief attraction in this room, however, consisted in a
very powerful electro-galvanic battery, which afforded a
great deal of amusement in the physiognomical contortions
which it produced in those who could muster courage suf-
ficient to seize the wires and have a shock. The curiosity
of some of the ladies so far overcame their fears that several
tried the experiment ; and their half-suppressed screen's
and the haste in which they were to drop the wires, " like a
hot potatoe " (as an Irishman would say,) excited great mer-
riment. Zlarge fish, made of gold-beater's skin, and filled
with gas sufficient to make it float in the air, constituted the
only other novelty exhibited in this room. In the top room,
a great ntttnber of crayon drawings of statuary, &c., orna-
mented the walls. Amongst the new mineralogical specimens
we observed a very beautiful block of petrified wood from
New Holland. It was somewhat of the appearance of mar-
ble, but with the grain of the wood perfectly plain, so much
so that unless felt it would be mistaken for a block of wood.
There were also numerous specimens from the quarry at
Stotton, in Cheshire, of the footmarks of extinct and un-
known animals, in relief on slabs of sandstone, which had
been taken off layets of clay, which has at some distant
period constituted that part of the earth's surface, and in
which the footmarks of the animals had been imprinted. The
arrangements in the passage hall of the various savage war-
like, and fishing implements, was also better than last season.
These constituted the only material changes we observed.
We now come to the lecture of the evening;
,but before a
we give an account of that, we may be excused slight di
gression on the object of lectures at the soiree, and what in
our opinion constitutes their applicability or inapplicability.
No doubt, the idea first entertained of holding these soirees
was to have a scientific meeting; but to allow the chilliness
(if we may be allowed the phrase) of science—its cold, pure
intellectuality—to be enlivened and warmed by the cheerful •
and social presence of the ladies, and by introducing this
change from grave to gay to produce a most agreeable me-
lange,. This was no doubt a well-conceived arrangement
for a meeting of such a character, and was offering a proper
food to the intellectual and social refinement the individuals
composing such a meeting might be supposed to have. But
the all-attractive presence of the ladies soon drew there
crowds of gentlemen, who, in their turn, no doubt, because
loadstones to the ladies; and the meeting intended at first
to be purely a scientific and polite conversatione, began to
change its tone to that of a popular and fashionable meeting.
Now with all due respect for the people, and also for the people
who dub themselves or are dubbed "people of fashion," we
do not think that with the mass of them, science, strictly
speaking, is an acquisition which many of them possess, or a
quality which many of them either understand or have any
taste for. The question then arises, having a mixed auditors,
assembled by far the major part of them, purely for amuse-
ment, whether dry science be the proper kind of intellectual
food to offer them? We fancy not; and our fancy is con-
firmed by the facts of the many sleepy eyes, open counte-
nances, and restless figitiness which many exhibited at the
lecture. Amongst the hundreds who attended the soiree on
Wednesday evening, how many scientific folks were there?
Were there twenty? We doubt it. Well then, when it is
apparent that the audience is not a scientific one, does it not
behove those who have the management of this affair, to
change the intellectual food offered from one of pure science
—from one of geology and "new red sand stone," to some
general and interesting subject suited to the tastes of the
auditory. There are scores of subjects both improving and
generally interesting, connected with history, geography,
literature, and what is always interesting to man—hirnseif,
which might be made the basis of a popular set of lectures,
without plunging an unprepared auditory over head and ears
into the midst of technicalities which they never heard of
before, or presenting before them the abstract conclusions
of a science,the principin —the very rudiments of which, they
have perhaps to learn We end our long digression with
suggesting this hint to the managers of the soirees.
The Theatre was quite filled, and also part of the gallery,
to hear the lecture.

Mr. Yates occupied the chair, and on rising to open the pen.
ceedings, he said it had fallen to his lot to take the chair,
owing to the absence of the President of the Royal Institution
Influenced by the success which had attended the soirees o

last winter, the committee had been induced to repeat them
this season, upon the same principle as before, the whole
being conducted under the same management—the manage-
ment of the committee of the Royal Institution, and the com-
mittee of the Literary and. Philosophical Society. Ile should
not enlarge further on the advantages attending this descrip-
tion of conversationes, that subject having been dilated on be-

fore. He might briefly advert to the services which bad been
rendered to the Institution by these :milks, independent of
the advantages which resulted from the union of kindred spi-
rits on subjects so important as those of literature and science.
Thd substantial advantages to the Institution were, that the
museum had been enlarged, and other beneficial purposes
accomplished by the surplus fund, which was of considerable
amount. The cast room had been newly arranged, a circum-
stance attended with some expense, and other improvements
had been made which would not have taken place but for
these soirees: so that in whatever point of view they looked

upon them, they had reasen to congratulate themselves upon
their success. . _

The admittance to the museum was now greatly facilitated
by the regulations adopted. Proprietors of the institution
and annual subscribers might introduce their friends at any
time; and, with regard to lectures, a similar improvement
had taken place in the facility of admission, so that it ap-
peared to him that that branch of the institution which had
been held to have languished for a number of years, would
now revive, so as to afford very great advantages to the inha-
bitants of this enlightened town. To the morning lectures,
persons might be recommended by proprietors and annual
subscribers. The lectures would be repeated in the evenings,
and to these lectures the public at large were intended to be
admitted upon the payment of Is. each. And, if cheapness
could be au inducement to all classes to have recourse to
literature and science, he thought they were holding out a
lure to them, by cheapness of admission. He wculd not de-
tain them any longer. He trusted they would find in the
course of the season a fund of delight and mental entertain-
ment. (Applause.) Ile begged to introduce to them the
Rev. Thomas Dwyer, who would give them his lucubrations
on geology, in connection with the geological antiquities
recently found in the vicinity of the Hundred of Wirral.
The diagrams and geological draughts which ware intended
to illustrate the lecture, were furnished by Mr. Cunningham.
The Rev. Mr. DwvErt then proceeded to read a lecture on
geology. He commenced with alluding to the vestiges of dif-
ferent animals which have recently been found in the quar-
ries at Storton, in Cheshire. He then proceeded to give a
description of the face of the county, the situation of the
quarry, the commerce of the Mersey. bearing on its ample
bosom vessels fron► every clime, and bound for every part of
the world; and all that sort of thing; fora full description of
which we refer our readers to Pigot's last Directory. The
stratum of rock in Lancashire, trotter the surface, was com-
posed chiefly of new red sand stone. Under this we►e strata
of coal and limestone, dipping at various depths. The quarry
at Storton was composed of white sand stone; 30 feet below
the surface was a seam of clay, which at one time had
formed the surface of that part of the earth; and in this
were the imprints of the feet of lizards and other reptiles,
and the imprint of the feet of a remarkable animal now
unknown. Each footstep bore the marks of four fing-
ers and a thumb; the footsteps were crossed after the
manner of walking of a bear, and were twenty-two
inches apart, which was about the width of the footstep of a
cow, from which the size of the animal might be surmised.
This stratum of clay had .been washed over by a large body of
sand and water, which formed the sand-stone and retained
the impression of the footsteps made in the clay, and which
had therefore been preserved. This animal had been named
the Chirothelittet, and had been supposed to be of the Kan-
garoo tribe. Mr. Dwyer illustrated h►s description by allu-
sion to the disagrams, and appeared perfectly au fait in the
science which he was describing.
Thanks were then given to the chairmen, and the auditors
adjourned to coffee, with which delightful beverage they
washed down the dust of geology. Promenading again com-
menced, and after a very agreeable evening the company
began to separate at 10 o'clock.

THE THEATRE ROYAL.—Mr. Kean has been playing his
round of characters during the week at this theatre, and takes
his benefit this evening, in the play of Richard 111.
On Monday, Mr. Francis Shand was elected a member of
the Dock Committee in the room of Mr. Robertson Glad-
stone, now a member of the Town-council.

WELLING'S HOTEL—When people are from home, whe-
ther on business or recreation, they always look nut for a
temporary residence where the comforts and conveniences
of home are most likely to be provided. It is the atten-
tion paid to this inherent feeling in English bosoms that
causes some of the hotels in 'Liverpool to be more exten-
sively pat ionized than others by the travellers who frequent
our town. A creditable auxiliary to the establishments
already in existence, has lately appeared under the ma-
nagement of a lady whose name gives it the title which
is prefixed to this paragraph. The advertisemeut states
that a spacious pleasure ground is attached to the premises,
and when we mention that the mansion occupied by
the late John Foster, Esq., and the adjacent land, have
been appropriated to the public accommodation, it will be
clear that there is no mistake in the description. e have
heard the'attention of the hostess and her supernumeraries, the
elegance and convenience of the apartments, and the cha-
racter of the wines, the eatables and other refreshments,
greatly eulogised by commercial gentlemen, and the mode-
ration of the charges has excited, even amongst that expe-
rienced class, a high degree of astonishment. As good wines
have the effect of increasing the number of customers, the
rivals in trade of Mrs. Welling, we are sure, will not regret
her location in Liverpool.
" Hannay and Dietrichsen's Almanack, Astronomical
Ephemeris, and Book of Gene-al Information for 1839.—We
are positively at a loss for words to express our astonishment
at the unparelleled comprehensiveness of the Alinanackjust
published by Messrs. Hannay and Dietrichsen, for the ensu-
ing year. There is scarcely a subject in the usual routine of
events to which we do not find reference in this book of WO
pages, at the insigniffcant cost of 6d; a sum which positively
can little more than cover the price of the paper. The bio-
graphical and chronological tables are exceedingly interest-
ing, particularly those for the present year. The tides,
eclipses, &c. are duly noticed, and the progress of Encke's
comet during the remainder of the present year, and Gain-
bares in 1839, are traced by diagrams of the heavens. We
have the list of the royal households • the House of Lords,
giving the titles of the Peers, the family name, the motto of
the Peers, and dates of creation; the House of Commons is
given twice, first alphabetically, secondly arranged by the
places the members represent; the whole of the army list,
giving the Officers' names alphabetically arranged, (a desi-
deratum long wanted) with the dates of Commission, and
the appointment the officer holds; the navy list is given in
like manner; the bankers, provincial and metropolitan; the
corporation dignities; ambassadors and consuls; universi-
ties; the list of fairs throughout the kingdom is by far the
best ever printed; and in short, as we have before observed,
imformation upon every possible topic of interest is afforded
to the public in this most useful pamphlet. Messrs. Hannay
and Dictrichsen have certainly put all competition out of
the field, for, we should say, it would be impossible for any
other firm to produce a similar compilation at five times the
cost."--r Morning Chronicle, Oct. 28.
Published by the Proprietors, and sold at their warehouse,
63, Oxfordatreet, London; and by all Booksellers and Sta-
tioners in the kingdom. In 14iYorpol, by Smith, 24, Scot.
141141140, .; • ' ,