The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-09-04 00:00:00

THE DUBLIN UNIVERSITY.

Our first extract is taken from "Scenes from the Life
of Edward Lagoales, Gent. Chap. 9:—
Ten days more, and St. Helena 'hove in sight. But where
were now the numerous well-appointed men-of-war that on our
former visit cruised round its rocky coast, the cannon that bris-
tled its batteries, the signal-posts that surmounted its rugged
promontories, and gave intelligence of all that passed within
and without. The great Napoleon was no more, and with him
had vanished all "the pomp and circumstance of war." In-
stead of the gay troops that formerly.crowded the streets of the'
town, and the mounted picquets that traversed'the country, rm-'
thing was now to be seen but a few lazy yamstocka .lounging;
about the dismantled batteries, awaiting the uncertain arrival,
of such Indiamen as either profit or pleasure might induce to
visit (heir now deserted island. Like Ferrara, St. Helena de-
rived its temporary fame from being a great man's prison, and
it was now only remembered as being a great man's grave. A
gallsip to the tomb of Napoleon, a saunter through Plantation
Gardens, a visit to the arbour which I had once considered as
the bower of love, a sigh for Sophia, and adieu to " St. Helena's
rock-bound shgre." _ •

Prosperous winds and bright anticipations accompanCOd us
during the rest of our .voyage, which at length rapidly ap-
proached its termination. One night chanced to , have the
middle watch, and Strangway was the officer in. charge of the
deck. I was pacing about in silence, thinking, as usual, of.
friends at home, when I was startled by the voice of the lOok-
out at the mast-head.
" On the deck there." •
"' H Moe."

" A light two -c.oints on the lee-how."
"Two points ou the lee-bow," cried Strangway. "Then, it
must be the Lizard l—and the Lizard accordingly it proved to be.
Who cart describe the mingled emotions of delight and hope
and impatience which the first announcement of this far-famed
beacon predticed. Fain would I have mounted the rigging to
get a peep at‘it ; but.duty confined me to my station, and I was
obliged to wait with patience until. 4 should become visible from
the deck.

Captain Morley had been for iotne time retired to his cabin,
and Strangway went below to communicate to him the tidings:
The night was dark, the sky obscured by dense clouds, and
not a star was visible.in the firmament. I kept my eye firmly •
fixed in the direction of the land ; and as we were going through
the water at a rapid rate, it was not long till I discovered in the
extreme distance Something that resembled a solitary planet.
"Can yundertiny spaik be the Lizard, sir," Itaid to Strang-
way, who at the moment returned from below.
"Hurrah!" cried the jolly lieutenant,lossing his cap in the
air, and grasping one cordially by the hand. "I give you joy!
The old. Liza-rd it is, .ancfno other. Come, my boy ! everything
is as it should be ; ourreckoning correct to a mile, and a fine
rattling.nine-knot breeze -from the south-west carrying us up
channel. The captain, God bless him, is snug in his cot, and I
don't think he is likely to rouse out to greet his old acquaint-
ance. So, jump down to my cabin, will you, and fetch up a
bottle of champagne, which you will find in the locker. We
must drink Success to Old England? Quick! in case the cap-
tain should conie."

Haying received the bearing and distance of the said bottle,
I dived below, and presently returned b.taring it triumphantly
iu one hand, while some cold junk and biscuit loaded the other.
"Should the captain chance to come upon us,".l said, as I
placed the eatables ot the deck; " what will be say to our booz-
ing champagne upon watch. You know how strict a disciplina-
rian he is."

"I don't care," Cried the lieutenant, "though the whole
board, with the first lord at their head, should come upon us. I
am determined to drink my toast. 1 have stored up the bottle
full six mouths on purpose. Quick, my boy . out with the cork,
and no more about it."

I accordingly untwisted the wire after the most approved me-
thod, and was Just proceeding to cut the string, when I'descried
a hat not easily mistaken emerging from,the after ladder.
"The captain, sir !" I whispered to my companion; as, smug-
gling the bottle under my jacket, I was about to bolt round the
mainmast from the gangway to my proper station on the lee-
side.

Keep all fast youngster," cried the jolly lieutenant, nothing
daunted;—" what the d—l are you frightened for ! out with the
•
cork, I say—quick !"
In an instant my knife had done its office; the string was ie-
vered, and away flew the cork into the waist with a loud exhila-
rating pop.
"Hilloa!" cried the captain, who at this moment stepped up
to us—" What's all this, gentlemen ?"
"Champagne, sir !" replied Strangway, advancing towards
him with the bottle in one hand and a glass in the other; "and
I trust you will be inclined to overlook the breach of discipline
when you consider the occasion. The Lizard is beaming right
ahead, and we were about to drink SUCCESS TO OLD ENG-
LAND.' "
"That is a toast which I shall never refuse to pledge," re-
plied Morley, taking the creaming glass which the lieutenant
proffered in his hand, and draining it to the bottom as he spoke.
" But recollect, gentlemen, I do not permit my officers to pass
their time during watch in drinking champagne; so, the sooner
you finish the bottle and attend to your duty the better."
When daypght appeared—for leaving the deck at the expira-
tion of the watch was impossible—our eyes were greeted by the
glad sight of the cliffs of ?ear England. Our impatience ti) be
on shore was now redoaoled; and though we were running up
channel at a good ratc, before a fine fresh breeze, the Hesperus
seemed to linger among the waters. In the course of the morn-
ing we were hailed by a pilot-boat, and hove to for the purpose
of gathering news. A little puny insignificant craft she was ;
but we saw her with feelings which under other circumstances
the best appointed man-of-war would have failed to produce. To
us there was an indescribable sort of fascination in the idea that
a few hours before this little boat had actually left an English
pts;. that her crew had actually trodden upon English soil, and
spoken to English people in the English tongue ; and much did
we envy the captain when the pilot was brought on board and
sent down to the cabin.*
I was leaning:over the gangway ; the boat, with her crew,
were lying alongside immediately beneath me. Anxious to as-
certain what news there was, and what of good or evil had hap-
pened in England during the long four years of my absence, I
ventured to hail a fine weather-beaten old fellow, who was very
quietly chewing his quid in the stern-sheets.
" Auy news?" I inquired, in an undertone of voice, almost
dreading his reply, replied tidings should be of evil import.
"Why, no, the man, with one hand shoving his
little tarpaulin hat from his brows, and hitching up his trousers
with the other ; "nothing very particular, sir: only pilchard
fishing's uncommon slack—very!"
" Interesting !" thought I, as I turned away, determined not
to risk any farther interrogatories.
' The captain's cabin. —so called par excellence.

We find the following observations under the head of

THK 'BRITISII ASSOCIATION].
We cannot permit this number of the Dublin University
Magazine to. go forth to the public without recording in our
pages the visit of the British Association to the metropolis-of
Ireland. It had been our intention to have presented our readers
with a full report of the proceedings, and we had actually made
our arrangements for carrying this intention into effect. Upon
consideration, however, we determined that we might occupy
our pages with more interest to our readers than by devoting .a
large portion to the report of scientific discussions unintelligible
to the generality of our readers, and perhaps in the meagre and-
condensed shape in which we would have been obliged to present
them, uninteresting to all.
As Irishmen, we cannot but feel proud that this meeting of
the AssociatiOn has been distinguished above all others by the
excellence of the arrangements made for the reception of, the
visitors. The liberality both of the university and other public
bodies, as well at'of private individuals,. left nothing undone
that hospitality could.suggest to minister to the comfort of those
Who seemed to be considered as national guests. We could very
easily peiceive that many of the strangers left our shores with
:impressions of Ireland very different from those which they
brought with them. We ha.ve always believed, that, as respects
the general intelligence and inferroatioia of its members, the
tone of society is much higher in Dublin than in any other city
in the world. We would not even except the metropolis of the
empire or the boasted Athens of the north. It was with national
pride that we perceived that the strangers who visited us daring
the last month felt this. We had a feeling perhaps somewhat
more malicious than national pride in the consciousness that
the members of the English universities, who came over here
with exaggerated notions of the superiority of Oxford and Cam-
.bridge over our own Alma Mater, were a little humbled during
their stay, end were surprised to find the least ostentatious mem-
bers of our Irish university, certainly their equals, if not their
superiors.
This much we have written as Irishmen, and here perhaps we
should stop. We cannot,bowever, conceal our conviction that
for the purposes of the advancement-of science the association
is little better than useless. It gives scientific men, or men who
call themselves scientific, a week of pleasuring at the expense
of three weeks' idleness, but it does nothing more. It has
- created scientific, as we have already 'had religious dissipation.
Experimental philosophy may, perhaps, be served by it; and
yet:even. here it can do nothing which might not beewhich has
• not been much better done by the more useful scientific bodies -
who, content with being stationary, do not roam through the
empire in search of celebrity.
It is, however, perhaps, a necessary consequence of the spirit
of the age; hu: God knows we are no.worshippers of that spirit..
We cannot, however, but feel apprehensive, when we find that
even the Still purseits of 'science are, we must say, desecrated
by the love of excitement and- the desire of display. ' It is
another triuraph of the principle. of the march of intellect, a
principle-which retetigit non pullait—mav we not now add nihil
non teriyit,-:t6 speak plainly of verses the dreams of the alclie,
mists and turns the fine gold into dress—nihilquod the principle
of humbug—the principle of penny magazines and mechanics
institutes—the principle of sacrificing what is solid to. what is
showy—and spreading.the waters of knowledge over a large sur-
face without caring how shallow they may be.
The association, we prophesy, will somesee its end. Its prin
• eiple of existence is excitement arid with the novelty the ex
citement will subside. We do not, however, wish to contribute
to a consummation which will come without our interference.
It needs not "the serpents the reviewers (as we, of the gentle
craft, were somewhat unceremoniously named by its worthy
secretary) to destroy.it. We rejoice, however, that it has lived
long enough to visit Ireland—we rejoice in anything that can
confer honor upon." ould Ireland," and so having said enough,
perhaps some will think too much upon a subject which we could
not pass over in silence—we will leave the "sevens" and the
• association to go their ways in Fnce—and we will return with
a good heart and an honest purpose to our own labours—lebours
that though we may sav„it, "that should not say it," will do
more than fifty thousand British Associatiens to make that same
"ould Ireland"
" What she oug,ht to be,
Great, glorious, and free,
First flower of the earth and first gem of the sea."