THE CHARACTER OF PRINCE ARTHUR.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1372, 11 July 1872, Page 2

THE CHARACTER OF PRINCE ARTHUR.

A correspondent of the Birmingham Post gives a high estimate of PrinceArthur's character. The Prince, who presided at the annual festival of St. John's Foundation School for the Sons of Poor Clergy, must bepronounced, saysthe correspondent, the best public speaker of all the Queen's sons or sons-in-law. He is calm, collected, unembarrassed, and makes his "points" effectively. He has thought, over what he shall say, and says it neither more nor less. He takes a high moral standpoint, and resembles the Prince Consort in the earnestness of his views and the solidity of his character more than any of his brothers who have yet come before the public. His attention to his military duties is exemplaiy. He takes, his lull share of drills and parade duty, sets an excellent example of obedience to orders, and exacts from those under his command the same observance of discipline. Some of the company, whoevidently thought a Prince of the bloodroyal must be more or less of a holiday* soldier, smiled when Prince Arthursaid, "There were doubts even at the last moment whether other duties—the duties of my profession—would permit me to accept your invitation." It did not seem (hat the commanding officer of the Prince's ivgiment would be likely to deny him any leave of absence bomight require to preside over a public charitable dinnei. TJie Prince, however, spoke with such evident sincerity that it was clear he has military duties to perform which lie has too high a sense of honor and discipline to impose on others or to be asked to be relieved from. Prince Arthur pitched the tone of the meeting in the high Prince Contort key, when he gave the heaHh of the Queen as the monarch "in whose reign the country has obtained its present high standard of wealth and freedom, and, above all, of morality." This i% a boast which any son of Queen Vic*

toria is entitled with filial piide to make ; but it is one seldom heard from his elder brothers, and, coming from a young soldier Prince, it was not only personally creditable and gratifying, but peculiarly appropriate to a clerical charity. A sarcophagus was recently landed at Philadelphia from the United Slate* steamer Richmond, which was lately discovered at Mycenae, and is said to contain no meaner ashes than tho<e of the Apostle Paul! The New Fork Tribune, in commenting on the circumstance, expressed its disbelief in the authenticity of the relics. •• Barn urn " lias not yet secured the prize. The following passage, by Mr P. G. Hamerton, gives his estimate of the peculiar excellencies of the Lancashire dialect:—Much facetious conversation ensued, but as it was conducted by both speakers in the pure Lancashire dialect, which the refined reader probably despises, it will be more prudent not to report it. One might write a dissertation to prove the vigor, and the venerable antiquity of that variety of speech, which ought to be studied as an independent idiom, and not confounded with corrupt and vulgar English, like the English of the uneducated Londoner ; but such a dissertation would be written, however eloquently, in vain. The old provincial languages are passing away from the face of the island, and the time is at hand when the pure dialect of Lancashire will have given place to the English of the school-master and the penny-a-liner. This may be in many ways a great gain—it will bring an important population into closer and easier relations with the other inhabitants of the island—but it will not be an unmixed gain; and a thousand pregnant turns of expression, a thousand keen-edgfd phrases that have been sharpened by the wit of many generations, will be lost for ever to our softtongued posterity.