Argyll-Rooms.
The Times, 1824-08-20T00:00:00

To en;tble the public to form some judgment of a, new institution which is about tO be founded, under the title of "Athgnc 6oYal de Londres,` a teklng, rconsisting of vocal and instrumental music, itnterspersed with lectures, was last niglt given atthese roms. Alr. Richardsion delivered a loiuz and laboured diseonru on the occasion lie rcasoned on) tite grenta(dvantages which, tn a ptvateas well as a national poinlt of' view; must le derived trom tbe general diffu- sion of kroDw1edga-a poilnt whibc no one felt inclined to contro- vert. He descanted on tite immense benciits whir: Athens had derived frornt he erection of her Atheaettn. anti contended that the interests of science had bea conside.-ably advanred in France by the establishment of the Adat6c f d dtParis, vhich he highly eulogized. He next impressed on hii auditorv tbe proprietv or founding a similar institution iu 1ondon, in whicb lectures would be delivered on every branch of art and science. whether it onlv ministered to our pleasures, or, what was of more importance, cos- tributesi to our sLubstantial comforts. One point, which he dwelt on, as being of primary consequence, was, that lectures would be given in the living languages of tlie continent, instead of being pro- nounced, as they were at our distinguished literary establishments, in English only; a second objlect of the institution was, to use the precise words of Mtr. Richarbson, "to unite the women of science withl tite men of literuture" -a "censumrnation tnost devoutly to be wished ;" but we fear it wiU not be effected by theAthlt6nc Ro_y:zl de Loqdres. This newly-projected academy, aectxding to the show. ing ef M r. Richardson, would, if carried into effect, only differ from various literary ins ititutions whiclh have beea established of la e years in the circumstance that certain lectureswould bedelivered in Frencb, Italian, Spanish, &c. Now we last night heard two of tbese lec- tures, as they were misromered, (for tlhey were, in truth, violent rhapsodies), and, from these spero, veare quite certain that no person but a foreigner, or an TgEnliahmsn who had pasaed a great portion of his life on the continent, could follov the rapid tdelivery of the lecturers, sa as to form even a tolerable idea of the manner iei which they treated the subjects confided to thern. Signor Cicchetti teclahimetf in a most aninated style. on the principal rules of Italian irrammar;land Mons. iLaCombe,in explaining theFre-ch grammar,ww% equally energetic. The grave and sententionisrtvleand nmanner,which ought to claTacterIae a lecture, were treated with perfect contempt. We quitted the roems at near 12 oecloek, at which. hour, not one lhalf of the bill ot fare had been got through. The De Bcgris were advertised to execute several p cces of music, but they had not, at tliat time, appeare(l. There was little to praise rn tthe wliie course of the evening, except the imprw isatorial talents of Pistrueci.which swere thcadnirationofAll who witnessed them. His"Praiseoflibertv" -asexcellent.'By the wayv,why should this institution he distinguishc.d by a Frencil nanmc ? and by what maglc has it become Royol al ARJG YLL-ROOMA'I