The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-17 00:00:00

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Advertisements sent from the country must be accompanied by a remittance or a reference for payment in town. of which we do It) ritgg+ LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1855. POSTSCRIPT. HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY. -- - A discussion was raised by the Earl of ALBE likitLE respecting the transport of horses by steamers. Lord Panmure and the Earl of Lucan, and the Duke of Cambridge, entered into some technical datails on the subject. Adjourned at a quarter to seven. HOUSE OFCOMMONS.-FmAy. In answer to Sir H. Wuxouoturr, The CHANCEII.OR of the EXCHEQUER said, that he should not make his financial statement till after Easter. Sir J. PAKINOTON brought forward his motion for the better encouragement and promotion of general education in England and Wales. He had taken up the subject, believing that the Government of Lord Aberdeen had abandoned it ; and he thought that his notice had induced the proposition of Lord John Russell on the same subject. He began by finding fault with the Committee of Council, as having too great interests to manage without a more distinct recognition, and without representation in that house ; and, secondly, that the sums voted for edu cation were misapplied by the committee. The President of the Council was, in fact, a minister of public instruction, and his department ought to be represented by a responsible Minister. He gave several instances of the want of wisdom and manage ment in the proceedings of the Council. He would give that Council more power, but under a different administration. After these pre liminaries he adverted to the slow progress of education, which was proceeding at a slower rate of increase of late years than it was from ten to twenty years ago. Besides which the education itself was lamentably deficient. He proceeded to analyse the latest statistics of education, and commented on 'she large number of children, shown by those statistics, to receive no education at all. The cause arose, not from the number of children at work, but from the poverty and indifference of the parent, that indif ference being caused by the want of education in the parents themselves. Yet more important were the defects of such education as was given. He read the returns of European education, showing that England stood nearly at the bottom of the scale, and that the instruction given was inferior to that of almost every other country. The results were shown in the great proportion of criminals to the population, and in the frightful amount of crime in the unedu cated districts of the metropolis and the great towns. He read further reports, showing the great igno rance of the population, as proved by inquiries among prisoners. This state of things was worse than barbarism. It was said that religious differences prevented all improvement in the system, but what was religious difference to those men not new no thing of any religion whatever ? Ho th ated the nature of the measure he proposed. It was to be permissive in the first instance. He would frame its structure on that of the Poor-Law Board. The areas in the towns were to be those of the municipal cor porations, and in the country those of the poor-law unions. He thought it should be optional for the ratepayers to adopt or not the provisions of the act. If they did they were to elect an Educational Board, the qualification for the members of which would be an income of 301. per annum. Magistrates were to THE PRESS. be members ex officio. The board was to have power to establish new schools, and to levy an educational rate. He believed that the voluntary system would not succeed in insuring a proper system. The rates should be assisted by grants, as at present, from the consolidated fund. He proposed that all the schools should be free, and ridiculed the notion that the poor only valued education for which they paid. New schools were not to interfere with existing schools or interests. Existing schools might come into the union or remain as they were. He then approached the religious difficulty. He quoted the large pro portion of schools already established by the Church of England, simply as matter of fact, and urged the feeling of the country against the secular system, which the country would reject if voted by Parlia ment. He proposed that schools in connection with every denomination should be equally entitled to the advantage of his measure, and that the religious teaching of each school should be in accordance with the majority of the district. He argued at length against the possibility of obtaining religious instruction generally, except at school. Why could the religious difficulty be got over in every country in Europe, and not here? He had endeavoured to deal with the subject in a spirit of fairness to all, and he trusted that he should be met in the same spirit. Mr. HADFIELD said that the actual progress of education was very great, and argued against the conclusions of the hon. baronet as to the extent of ignorance. Rates and taxes would produce general unpopularity. The difficulty was to get the children to attend the schools, of which there was no lack. Lord STANLEY warmly approved of the measure proposed. The purely voluntary system was now practically abandoned, and the principle of State in terference generally recognised. He would support almost any scheme for the promotion of education, but thought that the secular system was so entirely opposed to the feelings of the people that its adoption was impossible. If there were to be denominational schools at all, they could only be established under a plan like the one proposed. He recommended the reference of the proposed bill and that of Lord John Russell to a committee, so as to form a complete measure. Sir G. GREY said that the Government cordially approved the introduction of the proposed measure, though not very sanguine of its success. Without! compulsion it would be difficult to obtain the genera attendance of children. Approving of most of the details of the bill, he thought that a majority of Churchmen in populous districts would not fairly authorise the establishment of none but Church schools—that the difference between the secular and religious systems was exaggerated—and that jus tice had scarcely been done to the Committee of Council. Lord ROBERT CECIL thought that the want cm education was exaggerated, and objected to the reli gions clauses of the proposed bill. Mr. W. J. Fox could not entirely approve of the plan, but hoped that the advocates of various systems would endeavour to concur in some comprehensive plan which should raise the people from their pre sent degradation. He cordially admitted that the proposed bill was brought forward in such a spirit. He advocated more especially the free native of the proposed schools, and argued in favour of secular schools on the ground that schools instruct and do not educate. The low state of teaching arose from the system where the teacher was chosen, not for his qualifications, but his opinions. Mr. MILNER GIBSON said that the great difficulty of the bill was the absolute condition that in every school some religion must be taught, and that there fore all creeds must be supported by the public money. The religious part must be otherwise pro vided for, else persons would be called upon to con tribute to the support of a creed they condemned. The secular party would present a measure of their own with the view of forming a coalition measure, and he gave notice that ere long he would intro duce it. Mr. ADDERLEY deprecated the rivalry of contend ing bills. The time for action had arrived; bills and resolutions had been mooted one after another, and we had not made a single step in advance. After a few complimentary remarks from Lord PALMERSTON, leave was given to bring in the bill. Sir B. HAIL then moved for leave to bring in his bill for the Better Local Management of the Metro polis, in a speech filled with the anomalies of the present multitudinous system of vestries, boards, and commissioners. Mr. FITZROY criticised the bill, which was sup ported by Mr. Labouchere and Lord Ebrinton, and Lord Palmerston having spoken, leave was given, and the bill brought in. The House adjourned at one o'clock. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER hag ac knowledged the receipt of two halves of a 500/.-note for income tax, am, from a "Junior Partner." SATURDAY, BY CONTINENTAL TELEGRAPH. PARIS, Friday. The Moniteur contains to-day a despatch from Madrid, dated the 15th March : The proposition of the minority of the Commission that the Senate be composed of members of which some be elected and some nominated by the Crown, was rejected by the Cortes. Three per Cent. Spanish, 33; One per Cent. De ferred, 1815. General de Wedell has been received yesterday by the Emperor. VARNA, 9th March. Latest advices from Sebastopol state that the garrison was still in ignorance of the death of the Emperor. The first meeting of the Congress took place in Vienna on Thursday. There were present one French, two Ottoman, two English, and two Austrian plenipotentiaries. The discussion on the general principles of the basis of the negotiations terminated satisfactorily. The conference began with a pacifio speech on the part of Count Buol. Prince Gortschakoff, who has at length received his powers in due ;orm, has signed a public document, recognising generally the principles which are to serve as the bases of negotiations, and which it will be the business of the plenipotentiaries to define and apply On the Bth inst. the Prussian Government pro hibited the exportation of articles contraband of war ; also of sulphur, saltpetre, and lead, if not the pro duce of the States of the Zollverein. Belgium is still without a Cabinet. The latest account is that M. Theux, the leader of the Conser vatives in the Chamber, had had an audience of the King. From Constantinople on the 10th we learn that Lord Stratford de Redcliffe was seriously indis posed. A new decree respecting the Tanzimut had The "IssenibUe Nationale states, on the faith of letters from St. Petersburg, that the body of the Emperor Nicholas is exposed to public view in a Chapelle Ardente. The face of the Emperor is said to be uncovered, and the reports of the decompo sition of the body are stated tobe unfounded. The new Emperor Alexander 11. has ordered the following last words of the deceased Czar to be placed upon the order of the day of the army : I thank my faithful Guard, who saved Russia in 1825, and whose eonduct has never belied itself; I also thank my army and my fleet. I pray God to perpetuate the bravery and good conduct of my soldiers, to assure the security of the empire at home and its power abroad. Then woe to the enemies that should attack Russia. If the condition of all my subjects has not been im proved as much as I could wish, it is because it was not in my power to do more. AUSTRALIA. By the Argo steamer, intelligence from Sydney to the 2nd of January has been received. The riots at the Ballarat diggings had ceased; there had been no fresh outbreaks. Those who had taken up arms against the Government were the lower class of diggers. Business affairs at Melbourne were anything but satisfactory. There was great financial confusion, and many failures had taken place. The markets were overstocked, and merchandise could be obtained at considerably less than the cost price in England. , The Argo has brought 310 , 014 /. i n s p ecie and g old dust. MR. JONES OF PANTGLAS, M.P., who during the last six weeks has been seriously indisposed and unable to discharge his parliamentary duties, is now, we are happy to state, progressing towards recovery, and it is hoped that by Easter he will he well enough to remove from his seat in Wales and resume his duties in Parliament. THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY is appointed Chan cellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. ADMIRAL H. EDEN has entered on his duties as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty. Mr. Walter Drummond will be his private secretary. THE EXPORT OF WHEAT from Algeria has of late years undergone a remarkable increase. In 1850 it was only 2,868 hectolitres ; but in 1851 it rose to 107,803 hectolitres ; in 1852 to 363,595 hectolitres; in 1853 to 543,560 ; and in 1854 to upwards of 754,000. SINCE the Ist of July last the total stock sold out of the funds on account of savings-hanks was 1,503,5441. 14s. PROFESSOR OwEN having bad submitted to him a carefully-executed drawing of one of the more per fect impressions left in the snow at Luscombe, North Devon, on or about the Bth ult., decides it to be the " hind foot of a badger." The superstitious Devo nians had already given the track the name of the " Devil's Walk " v• 11M■isms.