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It was moved by Mr. J. BOULT, seconded by Mr. T. SANSOM, and carried:

"That this Meeting be adjourned until Monday next, for the purpose of appointing Delegates."

ADJOURNED EXTRAORDINARY MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION.-March 6, 1854.

ROBERT MCANDREW, Esq., F.R.S., VICE-PRESIDENT, in the Chair.

It was moved by Mr. JOSEPH BOULT, seconded by Mr. EDWARD HIGGIN, and carried unanimously:

"That EDWARD HEATH, THOMAS SANSOM, JOHN HARTNUP, J. P. G. SMITH, Esqrs., and Dr. W. IHNE, be re-elected as Delegates, in order to carry out further arrangements for the proposed Amalgamation with one or more of the other Learned Societies, and report thereon, with a sketch of amended laws."

TENTH MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION.-March 6, 1854.

ROBERT MCANDREW, Esq., F.R.S., VICE-PRESIDENT, in the Chair.

The Rev. Dr. HUME announced that the valuable Collection of Saxon Antiquities, made by the late Bryan Faussett, had been purchased by Mr. Mayer.

Mr. FRANCIS ARCHER exhibited a Pebble Basalt, found at the Giant's Causeway.

Mr. SANSOM read extracts from a letter, received by him from Mr. RICHARD SPRUCE, dated San Carlos, del Rio Negro Venezuela, 27th August, 1853, detailing his progress in the investigation of the Botany of the Amazon, particularly as regards the Musci and Hepaticæ. Mr. F. W. BLOXAM read a Paper

ON THE MINOR POETS OF THE DAY.

After contending for an increasing taste for and love of Poetry at the present time, and its beneficial influence in civilizing and refining society, he took a rapid survey of what he deemed the distinctive phases of the minor Poetry of the earlier and later Stuart and Hanoverian reigns. Passing to the verses of our own times, he claimed for them a marked and special purpose in the illustration of social kindliness; in the correction of public and political errors and abuses; and in the aspiration for a purer, a juster, and a more satisfying era.

Adverting to the peculiar beauties and defects of the best American poets, Longfellow, Whittier, and Poe, he devoted the remainder of his Paper to a minute criticism of the works of those whom he considered the leading exemplars, or otherwise, of the modern English school, viz. Tennyson, and his chief disciple, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Alexander Smith, Matthew Arnold, and others.

Alluding to Tennyson's great Poem, "In Memoriam," he animadverted upon the unfairness and want of discrimination with which it had been reviewed in certain high quarters, and contended that a due attention to the context would generally unlock his alleged obscurity of meaning and mysticism; the poetry of mysticism, however so much excepted against, he regarded as but a state of transition to a clearer atmosphere, agreeing with a modern eloquent writer, "That when the long passionate wail of Byronism had died away, there came an age whose motto was 'Work,'" but now, by degrees, we are beginning to feel that even work is not all our being needs, and therefore has been born what has been called the Poetry of Mysticism. For just as the reaction from the age of Formalism was the Poetry of Passion, so the reaction from the age of Science is the Poetry of Mysticism.

ELEVENTH MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION.—March 20, 1854.

JOSEPH DICKINSON, M.D., F.L.S., &c., PRESIDENT, in the Chair.

The SECRETARY announced that the Council had appointed Friday, the 31st March, at seven o'clock, to take into consideration, for the second time, the subject of the union of the learned societies.

Mr. THOMAS RIGGE was ballotted for, and duly elected an Ordinary Member.

Dr. W. IHNE compared Horace's "Ode to Pyrrha" with its translation into English by Milton.

The Rev. A. FISCHEL read a paper on

THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF JOOST VAN VONDEL. THE United Provinces of the Netherlands are known in this country chiefly in connection with the English revolution, and other political events, in which they played a prominent part; perhaps, also in connection with the celebrated artists of the Flemish schools; but little or nothing is known of their literature. In the absence of any information on the subject, it is thought that the Dutch, as a commercial people, have paid but little attention to letters. Far from this being the case, it may be shown that they have contributed more than their share to European literature; and, although principally devoted to mercantile pursuits, have nevertheless produced poets, dramatists, philologists, and philosophers, whose works may be placed among the best productions of ancient or modern times. It is indeed a remarkable fact that all commercial people have distinguished themselves by literary genius. The ancient Greeks were as active in commerce as they excelled in the arts; the English, though less imaginative than the Germans, have nevertheless excelled them in literature; for, as Goethe* remarks, "German literature is chiefly the offspring of English literature." Even the Americans, a people of recent birth, have

Conversation with Ackermann, vol. I., p. 184.

T

produced some excellent poets. So also did the Dutch, at the time of their mercantile supremacy, excel in literature; whilst, with the decline of their commerce, their genius decayed. That their authors have obtained so little celebrity seems principally to be owing to their national language, which is hardly known beyond the borders of Holland. Those who composed their works in Latin have met with better success; and the names of Grotius, Erasmus, Buxtorf, and a host of others, have even obtained a world-wide reputation. There are, however, subjects which, being intended for the people, can be written in the national language only; such as the drama, epic, and satire. In this class of literature the Dutch have many productions not only of national interest, but of a literary significance also; especially those of their greatest poet Joost Van Vondel, whose life and writings form the more immediate subject of this paper.

Joost Van Vondel was born at Cologne in the sixteenth, and lived during the greater part of the seventeenth century. It was an era favourable to the development of genius,-an age of great men and of great events. The world, long pregnant with religious conflict and political disaffection, was giving birth to new ideas and new principles. Liberty of conscience was no more claimed as a favour, but as a right; and self-government began to encroach on the privileges of monarchs. The layman began to doubt the infallibility of his priest, and the subject the divine right of his king. The old system was effete, and new principles, long suppressed by antiquated authority, began with great violence to rush into existence. In England, king and law were contending for supremacy, and events were ripening on the continent which made the Emperor of Austria bow submissively to the king of a petty country; whilst in the Netherlands, the reaction of conquered tyranny was severely felt in the excesses of a violent democracy. Whether such events call forth great men, or whether the latter call forth those events, it is difficult to decide; but, seeing that at every emergency numbers of great men arise, it will not be hazardous to suppose that in troublous epochs, much genius is called into action which would otherwise have remained dormant. In ordinary times Cromwell might have remained the humble member of an obscure constituency, and Gustavus Adolphus unacknowledged "Majesty" among monarchs. Stirring events likewise call forth the power of the pen, and many an excellent composition we owe to the passing events of the day. So much is certain, that the political condition of his country called forth some of the best of Vondel's productions.

There was nothing, either in the position or in the education of our

poet, that would have justified anything but the most ordinary expectations. His parents, both natives of Antwerp, had been compelled to leave their country in consequence of the persecutions raging against the Reformed Church, of which they were sincere adherents. They removed to Cologne, and, in the year 1587, rejoiced in the birth of a son, who was afterwards acknowledged as the head of the Dutch poets. After a few years they were advised to emigrate to Holland, where every one enjoyed liberty of conscience; and, accordingly, Vondel established himself first at Utrecht, and afterwards in Amsterdam, where he carried on the trade of a hosier. As it is usual to trace genius to its infancy it may be as well to state that our poet showed in his boyhood a great love of poetry; but his first efforts were by no means successful. He himself seems to have been unconscious of his own talent, as on his marriage, in the year 1610, he entered into the same business as his father. It was then that an anxious desire for information began to manifest itself in him. Leaving his business to the care of his wife, he began to take lessons of an Englishman in the Latin language, and further improved himself under the tuition of a certain Abbama. He was soon able to read the Latin authors fluently; and in his writings gives frequent proofs of his familiarity with them. At a later period of his life, he furnished his country with an excellent translation of Virgil and Ovid. He was now thirty-three years of age, and had as yet produced nothing worthy of himself, when a serious illness threatened to put an end to his life; and so severe were his sufferings that he was often heard to wish for a speedy death. But, once restored to health, his former love of learning revived; and he joined a literary society, consisting of the most eminent literary men of his country, whose principal object it was to develope and refine their national tongue.

The United Provinces of the Netherlands were, at that time, passing through a most dangerous crisis, in the transition from a despotic to a constitutional government. They had been united during a long resistance to the Spanish dominion. No sacrifice of property, or even of life, was considered too much for the destruction of the common enemy, and for the maintenance of the national liberties. But when the enemy was subdued, the unsettled elements of the nation began to disturb the public peace. Every sect and every party contended for preeminence. There were at that time many men, who, by their patriotism obtained a great influence over the opinions of the senate, and of the people. William of Orange stands foremost among these; but there was one who, though playing a less conspicuous part, was not a less

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