The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-11-12
Sneech of Mr.. Dallas.

The anniversary dinner Of the Roya
Literary Fund was held at Freemason'i
Tavern, London, his Royal Highnes'
the Duke of Cambridge in the chair.
The chairman gave, "The Literatur.
and Science of the United States ant
his Excellency the American Minister
dwelling with much force on the unior
that ought to, and must exist between
the two nations, expressed his belief
that nothing was so calculated to pro-
mote the sympathy and friendship o.
the two countries as a common litera,
ture in the same language. The toast
was received with repeated cheering.
Mr.. DALLAS, the American Minister
then rose aud was received with most
emphatic and ~long-continucd applause
lie said, after thanking, as l now do:
his royal ~highness for recognizing by
this toast the literature and science OF
my country, and after thanking this
company for having received the toast
with impressive corGiaiity, it would
perhaps be most prudent for me to re,
sumo my seat and avoid the risks neces-
sarily incident to the handling of q
subject which 1 cannot pretend to be
master Of
CA little learning is q dangerous hing
Drink deep ortast not the Pierlan spring"
There axe, however, a few recollections
which stimulate me to do somewhat
more
Letime remind you of an historical fact
particularly interesting to me at this
moment, that over a small aud hcs;ta-
ting meeting 10 l773, which constituted
the germ Of this now A~ourishing and
brilliant institution, there resided a
countryman of mine. Hear, hear, aud
cheers. And if it be true, as doubtless
it is, that the severe and practical cher
acter of mind refused to entertain the
sanguine hores of it's subsequent foau-
der, still Benjamin Franklin, the Amer
lean sage, philosopher and statesman,
lent from the chair his grave sanction to
the purposes which, having been subse-
quently most zealously p%ersevcred iu'
have obtained the triumphs which | now
witness. Nor am l altogether %insensi.
bic to the fact that a relation of my own
was the great grand son of your first
chairman. Hear, hear, and cheers.]
Marked by the intellectual | character
of his ancestor, aud amid the ~loftiest
spheres of science he has displayed pow
ers equal. Hear, hear, and cheers
Perhaps, too, | am individually, rs lis
representative in this country, bound to
cooperate in the expression Of all hon
or to aud to give my adhesion to a cor
poration whose generous aud sustaining
hand is unstraightened by invid'o linn
its. 1t was my lot, about ten years ago.
to act as presiding chancellor of an i'll
stitutiou for promoting the increase and
diffusion of knowledge amorg men
among all men without distinction of
class or party, or faith or country. [ &C
ted in tat cap city in an institution
founded on aid subsisting by The boun-
ty of a wise aud benevolent English
man.
In accepting of the muni6cent bcquest
of Sa.ithsou to found an Institution bear
ing his name, and now being in success
full operation in the city Ct Washington,
in the United States, and giving it a di-
rection analogous to your own, the gov
ernmcnt cf the United States itself paid
a just homage to tie principles and prac-
tice of this society. %IIcar, hear, and
cheers It will afford mo great pleas
ure, and pcrl.a@s it might cater to my
national pride, If [ am admitted to be-
long to an lat. II, C uai bard b. which
the literature Of the United States has
been advanced and illustrated. They
owe a heavy debt, payable in the coin of
the brain, to the genius Of this island.
But let me say that they labor indefati-
gably. to reduce that debt, and already
they cease to regard as a hopeless &C,
ch:erment the payment of the debt in
lull. Ct!ear.l
Since my arrival, and during the last
seven weeks that | have been in your
great capital, 1 have been delighted to
listen to culogies on American judicial
science coming from lips or those who
are the most exalted and learned in
Westm str Hall. II sbacn delig1t
Allison, Bancroft, Macaulay, Prescott,
Grotc and Irving. [ have been deligh-
ted to remark that no exclusion from the
most magical precincts of Waverly,"
aud " Vanity Fair" and My Novel,"
is harshly pronounced against the Indi-
an romanccs and sea glnrics of Cooper,
or g nst the House with Seven Gables,
or the Scarlet Letter.
[IIear, hear.] Aud, in dnc, I have
been delighted to perceive as having
grown obsolete and permanently Danish
ed the sarcastic criticism | usad to hear
in my youth, Who reads an American
book ?" Hear, hear.
1t is from this harmony of scientific
aud literary expression between the two
countries that We draw the best hope Of
harmony in the general intercourse be-
tween ten. Loud cheers The influ
Of authors over communities was
neither to be doubted nor exaggerated
Let us then trust that the copious,
and polished language which is
to England aud America, may
cease to be the medium of strife, Tloud
but on the contrary, become
he Instrument of mutual instruction, of
cancellation, aud of peace. loud and
continued cheering.l
EPIDEMIC AMONG FIsu.--A curious