23 OCTOBER 1852, Page 8

A literary soiree was held on Thursday in the Shire

Hall at Hertford, under the presidency of the Mayor, in behalf of the Literary Institu- tion and Mutual Instruction Society of the town. The -prominent speakers were Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, who was eloquent 'and in- structive on the text " Knowledge, a rich storehouse for the glory of the Creator and the relief of man's estate" ; and the Honourable W. F. Cowper, whose themes were' the advantages and aims of study, and the wide-spreading influence of the art of printing.