The Press. — London, England, 1856-10-11 00:00:00

OCTOBER 11, 1856. THE EXPERIMENTAL IRON PAVEMENT laid down in Leadenhall-street, opposite the Church of St. Kathe rine Cree, does not, it is reported, exhibit that "fixed ness and stability " so essential to be regarded in the pavement of the permanent carriage-ways of the metropolis. The various compartments already ex hibit indications of wear and the vibrations to which they are perpetually subjected have induced a certain looseness and prove a want of tenacity and en durance, the reverse of which is the characteristic of granite paving. THE DEPOSITORS OF THE BRITISH BANK held a rnee'.ing on Monday night at St. Martin's.hall, to hear the report of their committee appointed on the sth September last. Mr. Wyld presided and read the report, which detailed the various steps taken, and the following result. The manager, Mr. Harding, stated: — That with all despatch he could not declare a dividend before the end of the year; that, with the information at that time before him, he could not declare a dividend of more than Os. in the pound at the end of the year 1856 ; and that his impression was that the whole affairs of the bank, under the ordinary course, could not be wound up under two years, but that he was prepared to obtain ad vances on the securities of the bank, and that if the depositors would accept a composition of 15s. in the pound he would pay a dividend of Os. in the pound in the month of December, 1856, and issue promissory notes under the authority of the Court of Chancery for the payment of Os. in the pound at the end of six months, and ss. in the pound at the end of twelve months. A resolution was then passed empowering the com mittee to accept a reasonable compromise. THE DESIGNS for the Wellington Monument and new Public Offices are to be sent in to the Public Works-office between the Ist and 20th March next. Those of the public offices will be exhibited at West minster-hall immediately afterwards, until the Ist of July, when the exhibition of the Wellington Monu ment design will follow. THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL'S QUARTERLY RETURN ending Sept. 27 shows a mortality of about 1,000 above the average : 1.L,066 persons died in the time. The increase lay principally in consumption cases and diarrhea. The deaths from drowning, 138, were considerably above the average. The usual weekly return gives 1,071 deaths, and 1,598 births. Vrobintial. THE HANTS ADULT EDUCATION SOCIETY held its third annual meeting on Tuesday, at Basingstoke. The Dean of HEREFORD presided, and opened the proceedings in a speech advocating the " half-time" system in agricultural as practised in the manufac turing districts. That is, that all children between R and 13 should spend half their full labour time at school:— The project was no doubt surrounded with difficulties, but a half-time system, which would contemplate that on every alternate day such young persons should be with drawn from their occupations for the purpose of attending school, might, perhaps, be feasible. At all events, the question was well deserving of attentive consideration. The report of the committee was then read. It gave a very satisfactory account of the operations of the society. During the past year classes had been formed in various parts of Hants and Wilts, lectures had been delivered, examinations had been insti tuted, prizes had been awarded, a system of inter change of books had been set on foot, the number of schools and reading•rooms had increased, and several important institutions had been taken into union. The society was viewed with manifest inte rest by the classes for whose especial benefit it was designed, and suggestions for its more ample development were continually coming in from Itomsey, Alton, Hayling Island, Farnham, Basing- stoke, and other places. The Bishop of WINCUESTER then rose, warmly eulogised the Dean of Hereford, bore testimony to the usefulness of the society, praised competitive examinations, but doubted the proposed half• time system : There is one great difference between fan agricultural county and a manufacturing district. Except on urgent occasions, the processes of manufacture may be post poned from one day to another without detriment. Ordi narily speaking, it is not of so much importance that a certain number of yards of calico should be manufactured on this day mo re th an an y o th er d a y ; b u t y ou cannot take this liberty with the operations of agriculture. You cannot deal thus with the productions of the land. Yon cannot postpone ploughing and sowing. You cannot take the ploughboy from his team, nor let the plough lie idle, that lie may go to school for a few hours. It is clear, then, that the half-tinie system cannot be applied to the agricultural county in the precise form iu which it prevails in the manufacturing district. You must subject it to certain modifications ; and the suggestion that there should he alternate ploughboys —that is to say, that a boy should n!ough one day and go to school another—is, I think, worthy o. attentive consideration. .In the cou rse o f a di scuss i on w hi c h ensue d, M r . A . V. L. Scl a t er t oo k occas i on to express his convic tion that the "half-tine " system was, as regarded THE PRESS. the agricultural districts, purely chimerical. The farmers would never stand it. They would not listen to the idea of an alternate ploughboy. That notion should be dismissed at once and for ever ; but the ploughboy would still have ample opportu nities of instruction during the long evenings of autumn and winter. Mr. H. Cole remarked that, come what might, the people must be educated. It was all nonsense for the farmers to say that they would not stand it. Whether they liked it or not, they would have to stand it. And why not they as well as the manufacturers! The subject then dropped, and, after some further discussion on minor points, the report was unanimously adopted, and the meeting separated. The members dined together in the evening. THE TURKS REFORMATORY was inspected last Saturday by a number of ladies and gentlemen in terested in the institution. At the conclusion of a minute inspection, Mr. Benyon, one of the original founders, called a meeting, and addressed the audience with reference to the progress of the reformatory. He said that twenty-one boys at present were in the establishment, and related some anecdotes of their conduct. It had been, both morally and indus• triously, exceedingly good : Their diligence in field labour was shown by the crops which had been harvested, and some knowledge of tailor• big and shoemaking, which formed part of the industrial occupation and helped to economise the expenditure of the establishment, had been acquired. During the busy time of haymaking and harvest some of the boys had been employed by the neighbouring gentlemen and farmers, and their conduct had been entirely satisfactory. As the habits of domestic life formed the basis of the system pursued at the school, all the inmates of the house took their meals together, in order that the boys might have constant inter course with their master and his family, and might be brought as much as possible under their influence. By this means the spirit which ought to unite the members of one family was encouraged, superintendence was con stantly maintained, and care and attention were bestowed upon each boy according to his character and disposition. The effect of such treatment was shown in the readiness with which the boys conformed to their new life and the good feeling which prevailed in the house. Only two in stances of attempts to abscond had occurred. One boy from Hardwicke, who was free to go, left without notice, but after some months' absence returned and was refused readmission. On another occasion a boy was tempted away by Reading Fair, but was at once brought back and placed in confinement, when his schoolfellows joined in a petition for his pardon. One boy, however, declined to support the petition, giving as his reason, that "if a boy was fool enough to run away it served him right to be punished." Provision was now made in the school for thirty-five boys, and the additional buildings required for that number had recently been completed. The cost of the maintenance of the boys was entirely covered by the sum allowed by Government (7s. a week each), but it was necessary to defray the establishment charges, the repairs, and contingencies by an annual subscription. These ex penses, which varied according to the number of the boys and the profits of the land which they cultivated, were estimated at about 1001. per annum. The law which required parents whose children were committed to the reformatory to contribute to their maintenance was strictly enforced by an officer specially appointed by Government for that duty. The experience which the founders of this institution had had, enabled them to state, without hesita tion, that the principle upon which the reformatory system was based was sound. It aimed at saving the outcast, whose ignorance and necessities had led him into crime, by making his maintenance and enducation go hand in hand ; it made the parent pay the penalty of his negligence by obliging him to contribute to the cost of his child's reformation ; it united Government inspection and national aid with private effort and individual philanthropy, and it appealed to humanity as well as to Christian benevolence and sympathy. Resolutions confirming the proceedings of the manager, and approving the manner in %Ihich the reformatory had been conducted, were then agreed to, and the meeting was brought to a close. THE NEW FREE-TRADE Hut at Manchester was opened on Wednesday with a great deal of ceremony. Mr. Wilson, the chairman, in an opening speech explained the object of the institution, which was as a monument to the memory of the free-traders, be sides being intended to promote the assembling of learned societies and lecturers to disseminate in struction among the people. In order to calm the apprehensions of any one who might view the mag nificent building with alarm, Mr. Wilson begged to inform them that— The merchants and traders by whom it had been erected were those who had spent nearly a million of money in instructing the public before they asked the sanction of Parliament for the ratification of the views which they advocated. The same men within the last two years hail spent 1,0001. in dispersing " The Charter of the Nations " among the foreign Governments of Europe, with the view of the work being placed in public libraries as a means of intluencinq public sentiment; and now they had expended 40,000/. in the erection of the building in which they were assembled. Such men were not likely to do anything at variance with the constitution or institutions of the country. Mr. Milner Gibson, M.P., touched upon politics, and spoke at great length with the view of showing that it 969 would be impossible to carry out a free trade policy, unless taxation were lightened through the reduc ! tion of our enormous expenses for naval and mili tary establishments. Peace was now restored, ard the great financial and parliamentary reforms so long needed should be carried out. Government, however, were inclined to turn public attention to the affairs of other countries—" to busy giddy minds with foreign quarrels"—and by that means attract notice away from their own duties. He did nct wish to lay down any law of foreign interference, but he thought the English people enjoyed a strong ten dency to interfere unnecessarily in the affairs of otter r countries. Mr. Gibson, in conclusion, alluded to Mr. Bright, and stated complete repose would, be believed, restore him to health. Mr. F. Chetham, M.P., Mr. W. Brown, M.P., and Mr. Heywood, M.P., each followed with a brief speech in favour of frce trade, and resolutions of thanks to the proprietors and directors were proposed and duly passed. Later in the evening a ball was given to upwards of 2,000 persons. THE Bishop of Exeter and the Tiverton Burial Board are yet in hot water. The new cemetery at Tiverton, recently opened for interments, has a wall, dividing the Church from the Dissenters' ground, of about a foot in height. The Bishop of Exeter, on being applied to to consecrate the ground, oonsentAd to do so, provided that the "middle wall of partition" was four feet instead of one foot high. Upon this the burial board applied to the Mayor of Tiverton to convene a public meeting of the inhabitants to advise the board on the subject. A meeting was accordingly held in the Town-hall, last Saturday, the mayor pre siding. Mr. Patch moved, by way of satisfying the bishop, that a sunken fence be constructed, but only six persons out of a crowded meeting voted for it ; and a resolution was carried by a large majority advising the burial board to await the provisions of the bill on the subject which is to be brought before Parliament in the ensuing session, and in the mean time to agree to no further division of the ground. THE WINDSOR STEEPLECHASES will be renewed this year, and are fixed for the 27th and 28th of November. Although the list of stewards is not yet complete, Captain Lyon, 2nd Life Guards, Colonel Berkeley, Scots Fusilier Guards, Captain Wilkins, of the 11th Hussars, Mr. Craven, Ist Life Guards, and Captains Bulkley and Seymour, as local stewards, have consented to act. WIFE-BEATING is said to have found an advocate in the person of the Rev. George Bird, late rector of Cumberworth, near Huddersfield. The rev. gentle man is reported in the county papers as going about delivering a course of lectures on the subject, main taining that it is a man's duty to rule his own house hold ; and that if his wife refuse to obey his orders he is justified, according to the law of God,in beating her in order to enforce obedience. THE DANGER OF WALKING close to the den of a wild beast was shown on Saturday night last at Batty's menagerie, at Birmingham. A man impru dently approached too near the den of one of the tigers, when the animal suddenly struck out at him across the face with its paw, and tore skin and flesh off in strips. The man was carried out fainting and bleeding profusely. THE MANAGEMENT OF COLLIERIES was a question entertained at a meeting at Dudley last week of the mine agents of South Staffordshire and Worcester shire. After the delivery of many addresses, a com mittee was appointed to examine " the present special rules for the management of collieries, and preven tion of accidents in mines, with a view to their better adaptation to the wants of the district; and to con sickr the propriety of recommending such alterations and additions thereto as might be deemed most advisable to render them less objectionable and better suited for the purpose for which they were originally framed." THE LIVERPOOL NEW LIBRAIY AND MUSEUM prize of 150 guineas for the best design has been awarded to Mr. Allom, of Thornhill-chambers, St. Martin's-lane, and the second prize of 100 guineas to Mr. Holmes, of Bury—both subject to the opinion of the surveyor as to whether these designs can be executed for 20,0001. Kosstrru is about to visit Manchester, early in November. He will deliver three lectures upon the present state of Italy and the Concordat. Ile will extend his visit to Edinburgh, and deliver a special address to the workmen and mechanics of that city. LORD BROUGHAM, who recently completed bis seventy-eighth year, has been spending some time in Westmoreland. The noble and learned lord has recovered his health to some extent, and walks much about the neighbourhood. Mn. THOMAS CAmmix, actuary of the savings bank at Bromley for upwards of thirty years, ab sconded a short time since, leaving a deficiency of 5001. in his accounts. It is stated that no depositor who has made a deposit according to the rules of the bank will suffer any loss by the frauds of the actuary. MI