EXETER-HALL AND ITS ORATORS. {From Mark unknown Visit to England)

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 220, 8 July 1848, Page 3

EXETER-HALL AND ITS ORATORS. {From Mark unknown Visit to England)

To speak in that immense au\i ol li\i»cr lln' l , to f( ur ! thousand iuniilois— njy, foiu ilhiumiul miras mnul auditots — who icplv by Hcclam'alion io the least word ■ that finds ;m echo in then hc.ut > i. no U.il\ expect" ; ;t!ly to foingncis 'i li n remarkable cayae ty of I ho. English and the bcotch fjr 6[vakus'j; well, cle.irlv, and eloquently, is known to e\cry one This ia in some degiee ii natural gilt, but it is partly alto an acquned I on". Every son of Biitaiti giowa up in the middle of public life. Eveiy one accusto-is inmsclf to think eleaily, and to ex-press lotcibly, whatever is essential in all things. Besides this, the English, those, at least who speak in these meetings, aie fainilur with the two (ireat tioasviiies (10111 which nil elegant diction and eloquence is dituwi ; the one is the Bible, the other is (he Gieek and Laun classics. The art wi'h whicli these assemblies arc pii'paicd, she continued pi ogress the aniaia'cd, on., ud niaieli wlueh lln: leadeis seek to impiesi upon t'iciii ; tlie appea <m c at one time of a b^n,,)), ••! aiiol.lK« of a Nor li Amei lean Indian, now of a Now Zeal -noVi or ;i Chinese, in i lie full costume, ot tluir respective (ounlißS, and cadi milking a speech in his turn, like dheis, (I was myself confounded wnh these 01 atoro fioni the different (.ailsol the ivoild) ; the ait with which the ino^t po-elu' srciKeis mo geneially re.veivtd for the conclusion — .ill (licm- things rent/ci the meetings ovcrpowcitig .111 ! woudi'iful. If I w re asked which c'floids ihe most o\qui ,n« enjoyment to the mind ; the intimate n.nvetsalion in a Get man study, where tin ec or four eminent; thco o^inn-. assembled, with whom the mint' freely mnges over the higlu st it*. ion .of thou 'h' ;01 t iese stnjt -adous raettmi;s, in uhuh the houls ol lli-* aii'litu y aie di.iwn on by an onUoi as in a rice, aie snbduiu \,nh him, a)i(l then on ;i sudden earned away a I,l lst .s',lo 'U imd acclimations, — wue, ! to he nskul whiri oi ih'-se two cnjoynui's 1 pioler, rc.illv I •■ liould not 1 now on. which, bide the balance would incline ; bm wen: I to jud"o 6f the inteiiiity, or raihei the ciithi'.'-i.vw of enjoymeut, I think I should decide in favtin of the London or Scottish meetings. Oh, how much do we live m those few hoius! bow doom 1 heatN buiti within us! And yet aitcr these volcanic explosion:, and those slicama of burning lava which (low in toirents, il iniibl; be owned something more ejlm and moie intimate i 1;i 1 ; siliiUiy, nml we love to i?tnrn io " ihe walcis of Sshiloah that £0 sottly." (Isaiah vi.i C>.) I will not nien'ion all the admifjb'e otatb'a whom, I have beard in England and Scoll.rid ; tU« list v/oultl I>B too loner. I) it it I u.nst give the nmr.es of the liona of eloquent c t I would point in Scotland to Ciialmcra, whose "profound inttl'ectaiid ankiUlx .srt nn- displayed through the medium of a dirlioa of furvid, I would even say of Scotti h ci\oc",y — Ciialmcrsi whose lips utter fl>m j s- and fue, so tliat in spite of an accent so stionijly provhvhl as to be almost unintelligible to ! us« the foreigner Io es not one of bis expressions, lor the? soul of the orator icveals xvhnt lnb oi^ui sqcids to coneeil— Cialracrs, who fenilessly t'nows himself int.* the mosr diflicalf, snlij'ctn, because wherever this great orator he ids hk steps a lay of 1 ishl «pnn^s up aiul makes all clear, — Chalnieis,' the ltiust powerful soul thut was ever made subst-mout lo the ino^t lucid aud vigoroii'* intellect. I woujd nq^t natne i)i- C- ( ; at iint gr<ive, beveic, abrupt, fe'tiu;. r hib scnti'ticcb full with a certain monotony, njnearin;; 't-rpid, Hlmo'str asleep; then «»11 at once bursting like a shell aniidnt the assembly, moving heaven and earth, and lauving all his auditory crushed and shattered by the thunders of his eloquence. I would name also the Rev. 'f. G , binding, jesting, bcitleiin-j; flowers arounil you, and then soaring like an eagle from these gay parterres, ainonq; which jou thought ho would leave you, and dairying you with him to the highest hc.ivcns. In England, I would luime Di. 11. M'N~— , olii-of the most coinin.iudinp; figures I over mot with ia that country, taking Jus stand before the aulitory like a general, or like ,1 king ; uitli uiieiubj'n tsscd air, do.illus blows nianfullj on ei'oiy side, boiiieliincs not sp.aiin/; in Ins admnable aichiK- e » even tlio mends that ;uq sitting beside him, and c.iiiynii> away his hoau'i.s>v/it!t wonder at the oleg.uieo ol bis style. 1 would lncntioit the Rev. It. 8 , iv ihe pulpit 'i'nplo and ai a lamb, but as soon as he sttns upon the plalijmi li« suddenly become b a hon ; Ikmcl, handy and ieCt ,<ra all in mo'ion ; y u fancy you c.m see hi> veiy manu lisingon end. Jint iti, -iot a meie p]iybie?l agitation that animates him; and, as the stamp of Pcup'ey's foot upon the ground cuised soldiers tv aiiso fiofn it, so do S— — 's starts, and stamp* biin-> loith armies which subdue his auditois. Jj.istly, I would name l>. N-4— , that man so noble and so simple; whose look is :,i> candid, and whoso boul so heavenly; who, when ho begins, 'appears an inirufl] ><1 sea lying in the deepest tranquility. Jiut stay ! litlle by little the waters move-. N -'s boul glows waim, the wjnd of heaven descends and blows, the .speaker abandoiio lnuisi 11 to it without restiaint, he mounts up to the skies, and n-.es alolt in^ the midst ot lightnings. Tho calm is changed into n ! sublime tempest, and >ou foi-1 that it is not only on tbo surlace, but to the vciy depths ol the abyss, that the sea is stm ec'. You may judj>o of the enjoyment I lccoived fiom my travels, when 1 s iy that .ill the-.c men, < -id m.my nioic besides, oi lalonU peihans not lest, lemaikablc, welcomed mc as a lnend and a biot'uer ; and tint some, among them have aftoidcd me hospitality, so Ih it 1 could enjoy in their homes and at their I iblct, for several days, the chaims ot llicir most intimate conversation.' I shall only add, that all these spcoches 1 are extempore ; that it is, doubtless, whicli constitutes their beauty. MOlO than once I li.ivc been Mi. N , foe instance, arrive at a meeting in the middle of the ptoccedings. His cntiance might be peieeived by a murmer of pleasmc ninning through the assembly, il noL by noisy acclamations. linmodiately one of the secretaries would go J.q him and hand bun a card, on oiivj side of which was wiitlen the motion whicli they lequested this powciful oratoi to second. IN v/oukl hbten for a few moments to what was goiiuj on, as il' he would make a note of it, and then taking oul his pencil, and tinning the caid, would writu si.\ 01 c'ght u'oids upon the back. Tins was Lhe skeleton ol the speech hu was about to make. Soon after ha would rise to speak, and a lcmai kable pioduction ot the human mind would pioceed horn these scanty elements.

Tub Dutch Navy.— From anoffiuial document just published, it appoars that the navy now ieckoiis otiii Atimiral, bis Royal Highness iVmce Vredenck of the Netheilaids — three Vice Ailmiirilb — four Rear Admirals —twenty three Captains— tkiity-lwo LicutciihiUb oC the first cla>-B— one hundred and eighty-four d tto, oC tin second clb»,— -Engiuceis of the first class, lor the KTvice of tl.e steam cngiiu, with flic rank of Officer—* fifty Ensigns, first class — Ihirtv-six, seeovul cl.'SSr-aiul thir y-seren of 1101 10 third class.— Sylnej blii|»p:ugf Gazette,