The Press. — London, England, 1854-01-21 00:00:00

52 L._ GUANO. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—l very much agree with you in the opinion you express in the money article of your last impres sion, that, " with regard to I'eru, it is a matter of negotiation depending on the amount of sinking fund ; for there can be no doubt that the sales of guano might be increased fourfold, and such a sum annually appropriated to the purchase of the debt as would extinguish it in five years." I have for years been of the opinion that there is no other way of obtaining a large and cheap supply of good guano for the use of our farmers but by the purchase of the debt due by Peru to our bondholders. As long as that incubus sits on the guano market we shall never obtain guano that will afford a profit to our farmers. I was in great hopes that Mr. Disraeli would have proposed, in his budget, to purchase that debt. It would not then have, perhaps, cost much money to have purchased it, on the principle of an annuity, extending over four years. lam still, as I was then, of the opinion that had that right honourable gentle man proposed such a negotiation with the Peruvian Government, for the instant and direct benefit of agriculture, instead of the indirect and distant benefit by means of the repeal of any fraction of the malt tax, he would have received such a hearty support from the agriculturists, in and out of Parliament, as well as others, as would have ensured his remaining the Chancellor of the Exchequer to this day. I now sincerely regret I did not take the liberty of suggesting such a negotiation, at an early period, to the right honourable gentleman. Who knows but the hint was all that was wanting for the adoption of such a measure ? I have no confidence in the Aberdeen Coalitionists doing anything for agriculture; and per haps the time has passed for prosecuting such a negotiation to a really successful issue for agriculture. Be that as it may, it is futile to lead the public mind astray in search of other deposits of guano than Peruvian, for no other country but Peru presents the indispensable pm-requisites for the production of a guano worth its cost—of a wide expanse of ocean, in a rainless, sunny climate, which can alone fix the ammonia, the most valuable ingredient in guano as a manure. Experience and analysis have now amply proved the superiority of Peruvian guano over other kinds in the requirements of our agriculture. Thou sands of pounds have already been wasted in the purchase of worthless guanos by the farmers of the United Kingdom. It is time that this folly should cease when a short prodnce in any season causes the nation to depend on foreign countries for the food it eats. H. S. January 17, 1854. Om contemporary the Morning Herald has the following appropriate rnorceau for the Clerk of the Council:— FROM THE WELCH. (ireville's freaks invite my song, Grevule ever in the wrong ; Ever plotting, ever peddling, Master of all modes of meddling. Hasa lady made a slip In morality, or scrip ; Is the difrence to be paid up, tir the quarrel to be made up; Imes a husband (wicked Wight) Stay out, sundry times, all night ; Is a case to he decided As law never yet provided ; Does a " Fusion " come in vogue 'Twixt Conut Newdle and Duke Voio.; Is the Coalition tumbling, Are the daily papers grumbling; Is a hint to be convey'd, Without bustle and parade, To the Times, the Czar, or Devil— Fang the bell !—and send for-641reville. THE QUEEN will open Parliament in person. The usual preparations for her Majesty's reception are being made at the House of Lords. A CABINET COUNCIL is to be held at the Foreign- office to-day, at one o'clock. THE MAYOR or WiNnson received a cheque for 1001., forwarded by command of her Majesty and Prince Albert, with a request that HO/. should be appropriated for the relief of the poor of Windsor, and 201. for the poor of Clewer, in food and fuel. Sot H. 11. Nous has resigned the seat for Oxford University which he has now occupied for twenty ive years, on the plea of increasing age and infirmity. The vacancy cannot be declared until after the meet ing of Parliament. Meanwhile Sir William Heathcote has coins forward as a candidate, and an Oxford com • mittee is formed to secure his return. Several names of possible competitors have been mentioned, but any positive announcement on this subject, as we have stated in another column, would be, at the present moment, premature. MADRID JOrRNALS of the l-ith"have arrived. The Queen had so far recovered that it was not consi dered neeessaty to issue any further bulletins. The Ambassador of France, M. Turgot, has become per fectly convalescent. THE PRESS. THE CITY CORPORATION INQUIRY. THE commissioners, during the week, have added considerably to the information elicited from civic functionaries. On Tuesday Mr. Sergeant Mere • wether supplied them with a detailed return of the charters granted to the City by successive Sovereigns, and the prices paid for them : " In 1139, in the reign of King Stephen, 100 marks of silver fur the privilege of choosing sherithi; in 1158, reign of Henry 11., 1,0431. as a domun ; in 1159, 1,000 marks a s a donum ; in 1170, 000/. 13s. 4d. ; in 1172, ditto ; in 1197, reign of Richard 1., 1,500 marks ; in 1150, reign of Henry 111., 000 marks ; in MO, 3,000 marks: in 1107, 20,000 marks ; in 1170, 000 marks ; in 1397, Ist of Edward 1,7001.; in 1311, 000 marks ; in 1319, 1,000 marks ; in 1311,1,000 marks ; in 1339, reign of Edward 111., 20,000 marks ; in 1371, 4,1;01 marks ; in 1383, reign of Richard 11., 4,000 marks ; in 1478, reign► of Edward IV., 7,000!. for a charter grunting package, carriage, porterage, garbelling, and gauging, and coroner; another charter respecting snort. main was also granted in consequence of the City releasing a debt ; and in 10(0, the 1011 of Charles 1., 4,2001. fur the porterage charter." Being examined touching the conservency of the Thames, Mr. Merewether produced a map of the sewerage system in the City as connected with the river; and also an elaborate report, drawn up in 1842 by Mr. Walker, the engineer, and Captain Bullock, R.N., who examined the state of the river banks and bed, assisted by the City Water Bailiff and the engineer of the City Navigation Committee : " The report was founded on the assumed necessity of giving as direct a course as possible to the channel of the river, with a view to obtaining an uniform depth of water. It was considered that the complete embankment of the river was impracticable, in consequence of the enormous cost which such an undertaking would occasion. The corporation nevertheless thought they might secure the same object by degrees, by securing a certain amount of frontage along the banks of the river whenever a favourable opportunity presented itself. A question arose, however, in the meantime between the crown and the corporation us to the bed of the river. The crown asserted the right to the soil throughout the kingdom between high and low water marks. That right the corporation denied in respect to the Thames. This was considered to be an extraordinary assumption on the part of the crown. If the crown pro ceeded by a writ of intrusion the corporation would afford the crown every . opportunity of trying the question on that ground. The right of the corporation to the bed of the river rests on prescription, confirmed by successive and repeated acts of ownership. The corporation derived no revenue from the conservancy of the river. They derive a small income of about 1,1001. a year from the soil of the river in the shape of rents; but any sum derived in that way must be expended on the river itself The corporation so look on the matter. It is rather a question of jurisdic tion than of revenue. _ _ "The Chairman ( Mr. Labouchere) : Does it not seem natural, when persons complain of injury along the banks of the river, that they should expect the corporation, who claim to be its conservators, should act with vigour? " Witness : 1 assure you they do. The corporation have very onerous and distasteful duties to perform, aml they perform those duties with en anxious desire to do justice to all parties. My belief is that, as far as conservancy is con cerned, the performance of that duty by the corporation is satisfactory; but I do not mean to say that some reforms may not be introduced, and 1 believe the corporation are themselves prepared to suggest some improvements. Of course any suggestions of the kind would come from the corporation as a body. There is no doubt as to the right of the City to the conservation of the Thames. With respect to the bridges over the river, the city built Black friars and London bridges, and they were in treaty for Southwark. The only question was as to the amount of purchase." SECULAR EDUCATION. THE annual " National School Conference" was held at Manchester, on Wednesday, as usual, before the assembling of Parliament. Mr. ALEXANDER HENRY, who presided, stated, in a brief opening address, that the meeting was convened entirely for business purposes, in order to review the educa tional progress effected during the past, and proside new agencies of advancement for the coming, year. On these heads he stated " Since our last conference considerable activity has been manifested beyond our pale in relation to the ques tion of education. The Manchester anal Salford education scheme has been brought before the Parliament and the country. Lord John Russell has presented an educational bill to the House of Commons. The National Public School Association has also prepared a draft bill, and a committee of the House of Commons has celeeted voluminous body of evidence on the subject of education. The Manchester and Salford bill, differing in essential particulars from the scheme of this association, will again be presented to Parliament during the ensuing session. Lord John Russell will again, it is supposed, bring in his bill, and it is intended to press forward the bill of the National Public School Association also. These facts are worthy of your grave consideration, and your advice and hearty co-operation, with a view tosuccesaful parliamentary action, is much desired." The chief speoch delivered during the subsequent proceedings was that of Mr. COBDEN, in support of a resolution introduced by Mr. S. Lucas, setting forth " the neoessity of providing sound primary instruction for, every child, that the present means of public instruction are SATURDAY, inadequate to this end, and that the necessary hinds for th e purpose should Le raised by local rates; the control of Ina rates, and the management cd the schools to be sup po thereby, being vested iu comm i ttees elected for that purp ou the ratepayers." In commenting upon this resolution Mr. Cobden controverted the allegation that the scheme of the conference throw into abeyance the multitudes o f schools and educational establishments [d re w ) , existing for the service of the lower orders. Nothing of the sort, he remarked : " We always contemplated making use of them under the system we advocate. We say then, if the managers of any existing school, whether national schools in the o va ' villages of this country, or British and Foreign Schools, or National Schools in the large towns of the manufacturin g districts, we say to the managers and committees of th ose schools, if you are ready to separate your secular from your religious instruction, if you will only be so reasonable, so rational, as to say that at certain hours you will gi ve reading, writing, and arithmetic lessons, and at certai n hours you will give your religious education, we will then unite to meet you by giving, out of the public rates, a s much as shall be necessary for the whole of your secular education, on condition that your schoolroom shall he available to the whole population of the district in which you are situated, and that you shall be in good faith bound not to attempt to convert your schoolrooms during the time of secular teaching to purposes of sectarian proselytism, (` Hear,' and applause.)" Mr. Cobden proceeded to enlarge upon the excel lences of a strictly secular system of education ; con trasting the results of schools where the pupils were taught political economy and physiology with those in which they learned the catechism. He declared that nothing was easier than completely to secularise the national schools, if only the work were set about in earnest, and calculated upon various grounds that among the industrial classes of the country fully 50 per cent. out of their total number were growing up in the most utter ignorance. Resolutions were afterwards passed recording the approval of the conference to this secular system of education, recommending the additional establish ment of industrial schools, and suggesting the propriety of taking steps for the introduction into Parliament of a permissive bill at the earliest possible period of the coming session. The pro. ceedings lasted several hours, and the conference did not break up until late in the afternoon. In the evening a public meeting was held in the theatre of the Mechanics' Institution. More than 1,000 persons were present, being all that the place could hold. The proceedings on this occasion were not, as in the morning, strictly limited to business matters, and more scope was accordingly given for general discussion. Mr. Cobden then made another speech, which was preceded by long addresses from Mr. Milner Gibson and Mr. Bright. The general tenor of these orations was to insist upon the soundness of the three great principles adopted by the Conference for the development of education, "local rates, local management, and liberty of conscience." SIR E. B. LYTTON IN EDINBURGH. THE TEArounArioN OF Sin E. B. LyrroN, as Presi dent of the Associated Societies of Edinburgh Uni versity, took place on Wednesday, a special meeing having been assembled for this purpose. The large Queen-street Hall in Edinburgh was densely crowded on the occasion, and among the occupants of the platform were the Lord Advocate, Lord Robertson, Lord Curriehill, Sir Archibald Alison, Bart, Mr. Stirling, of Keir, M.P., Mr. Cowan, the Pro fessors of the University, and numerous well•known clergymen and gentlemen. When the formal cere monies of the day were completed, Sir E. B. Lytton delivered his inaugural speech, which he commenced by some allusions to the literature of Scotland:— " The first poets who charmed hint from play in the holidays of school were Campbell and Scott, and the fint ' historians who clothed, for him, with life the shadows of the past were Robertson and Ilutue. In a long vsentiou from his studies at Cambridge he contracted the habit of self-reliance by solitary excursions on foot, and it was to Scotland that he instinctively bent his way, as if to the nursery ground from which had been wafted to his mind the fast germs of those fertile and fair ideas which, after they have come to flower upon their native soil, ripen to seed, and are carried by the winds they know sot whither, calling up endless diversities of the same plants according to the climate and the ground to which they are borne by chance. Sir Edward then referred to the distinguished individuals of the University of Edinburgh; glanced at the medical schools of Scotland, and *Ho of the learned fame of its capital. He paid an eloquent to butte to Macaulay, and then spoke of the points 0101 were essential for excellence of study. Ills leading pro position in this respect was, that, whether in active life or in letters and research, a man would always be eminent according to the vigilance with which he observed. He was, he said, no believer in genius without labour. Sir Edward then spoke of books, and said it was Will ill youth to acquire the habit of reading with conscientiou s toil for a special purpose. His next topic was the in? portance of classical studies. Every professor who er• couraged the young, he said, would tell them how the ancient masterpieces of classic writers have served modern Europe with models to guide the taste and excite omit tiou. After dwelling upon the beauties of the ancient