MR. BARRY'S LECTURE A.TGUY'S. 1 ' WE can scarcely conceive a more
flattering or a more honourable situa.. tion for a man of talents, than that of an authorized public teacher, who has to expound some science which he has made it his care to cultivatet and improve. The youth come to his feet eager to be instructed. Their minds are opened before him, like blank sheets, on which he may write the fair characters of his own thoughts and his own discoveries. The advantage of having minds so laid out for writing on, has ever been well understood by one class of persons ; but by scientific men, at least in this country, it is wofully neglected. They seem insensible of the means of influence placed in their hands ; and have theme selves to blame that they do not here, as in France, stand at the very summit of society. The principal source of the celebrity of M. GUI. ZOT, the French Minister of the Interior — of M. ROYER Cola. LARD, late President of the Chamber of Deputies— of M. VILLE.. MAIN, a conspicuous Deputy, and a crowd of other great men irt France--was their success as teachers. But we have beforehad occasion to lament over the want of good lectures in this metropolis, and to ex.. plain its cause ; and we only now advert to it to say that we cannot compliment Mr. BARRY on being a remarkable exception to the general deficiency. This gentleman proposes in thirty-two discourses to go through the entire circle of Mechanical and Experimental Philosophy*. It is too much for one man to undertake, and a great deal more than any one can perform. It may answer as a commercial speculation, but it can never enable Mr. Benny to teach or his hearers to learn any one subject. Be must be a gifted man who is an equally good astronomer and chemist, and who can discourse equally well on the steam.
• Course of Thirty-two Lectures on the various branches of Experimental Phi. losophy, including Dynamics, mechanics, Pneumatics, Acoustics, Hydrostatics, Hydraulics, the Steam-engine, Elect%icity, Galvanism, Eleetro-Chemistry, Volga. noes, Magnetism, Electro-blagnetiv.n, Optics, and Astronomy; tobe *Avenel the Theatre of Oily's Hospital, by Alexander Barry, engine and thermo.electricity. M. GUIZOT lectured only on htstory, and only on one branch of ib. ROYER COLLARD never discoursed but on metaphysics. Mr. LESLIE contents himself, as Mr. PLAYFAIR was contented:with explaining in one season the principles of one science. Mr. BARRY embraces the whole. Setting out on such a plan is a bar to success. Accordingly, we found his lecture on Thursday evening—and we should do both him and the public injustice not to say so—confused, unsystematic, ill arranged, and quite unworthy of one of the large establishments of this metropolis. Mr. BARRY is capable of remedying this. He has a good voice; his style is not bad ; he possesses self-command ; and if he would concentrate his purpose and systematize his discourse, he would command to a far greater degree the attention of his audience. He is a neat experimenter ; and his experiments have the great advantage of being simple and really Illustrative. His hearers were sufficiently numerous to make any man desirous, coming as they do from various parts of the country, that each of them should never speak of him but with the voice of praise.
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