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

EAIPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.) _ ROYAL ASSENT. The Royal Assent was given by commission. to the f ollowing bills, viz.:— the Exchequer Bills (17,183,0001.); t 8 Common Law Procedure (Ireland) Bill ; The Mu inY Bill ; the Marine Mutiny Bill ; Tea Duties Decline Susp ens i on Bill ; the Secretaries and Under-Secretaries ef State Bill. • LThe L or d s ' C omm i ss i oners were the Lord Chancellor, ord Stanley of Alderley, and Lord Monteagle. Their lordships then adjoureed during pleasure. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the wool ascii at five o'clock. ~...Lord SHAFTESBURY presen t e d pe titi ons f rom N ottingham and other places, praying for the closing of Public -houses during the whole of the Sabbath. Lord MONTEAGLE moved for a continuance of the • return of penny s'anaps issued to the different newspa pers op to the sth of January, 1855.—Agreed to. f rom E ar l o f ALBEMARLE presented a petition 'Tern Bristol, praying that the war might be prosecuted With the utmost vigour. THE HORSES SHIPPPED TO THE EAST. The Earl of ALBENTARLE moved for a return of the c amber of horses shipped to the seat of war by her Ma 3e6tY's Government in sailing or steam transports, for t he purposes, during the year 1554 ; the amount of he tonn age o f, and the number of horses conveyed in, each vessel ; the number of horses that died on the pas -8/110, or were rendered unserviceable in each vessel ; ! s lid the average expense o f th e conveyance o f eac h h orse . -the nobl e l or d s t a t e d th a t hi s o bj ec t i n b r i ng i ng f orwar d - the subj ec t was , if possible, to persuade the Minister of he ar to d es i s t f rom th e p res e n t me th o d o f shippi n g horses, and, at least, to give a trial to the plan adopted t . up. He contended that the system of shipping horses at present pursued by the Government was the W orst that could be by any possibility adopted. The ho rses suffered immensely from the cruelty ; it " 6 a loss to the country, and utterly unneces ..:arY for the services required. The difference be, "en the system pursued by the Government and thatatli t tll was i n t wo points--the one was thatthe cavalry Ones were only allowed a width clear, while the horses s hipped at Hull were allowed 3 or 4 feet. It might be , 1111 Pposed that by giving double the space to each horse L' u ere would be a double expense. He thought he would be able to show satisfactorily to their lordships that the 411 1 ) ense attending the Hull system would he one-third less • to the Government. The other point of difference was. t hat the cavalry horses were never allowed to lie down. -It • 1 - signified not what the length o the voyage was, the ho rses were never allowed a moment off their legs. In • considering the expenses of the system followed by Go -I:ernment, there was, first of all, a eletferin to 6 erected, upon which the horses were to stand, 11 P 0 ,w which were raised pillars, posts, and ~ a "st and each horse found itself wedged in b etween the rails so tightly that it was hardly able to ;s tli° fe- The Government were also put to great expense 'Lithe purchase of sheepskins and other contrivances to Prevent the horses from being chafed by friction. When it was considered how many horses died on the passage through the treatment they had received, ha thought that this of itself was a fact greatly in favour of th e Hull sy s t em . Th e no bl e ear l th en re f erre d t o th e limits of the system under which a greater space was - given for horses on board, and accommodation afferded them for lying down, and proceede wouldow that, taking r ill thing s into consideration, there positively be a ' st ing to the Government and the 'country of more than - ,,11e-third of the expens. that they were subject to under • , t he present system. The noble earl then concluded by matingthat the best places for embarking horses were a4llllol.lth and Plymouth, as none of the difficulties ho all mouth to there existed. The E ar l of LUCAN agree d w ith th e no bl e ear l th a t , horses should be conveyed as far as possible by land. „„ e was perfectly ignorant of what was calico the Hull Item,-,Jf and until the last few days he had never heard He agreed with the noble earl that every horse o ught to have the power of lying down. He also agreed W ith him th a t th ere was a grea t l oss sus t a i ne d by the evernrne n t in the number of horses which they con ivh -" e Yed.in proportion to the tonnage of the vessels ; for ,° average wa s co ns id era bly a b ove 10 tons for a h orse , W hich th e no bl e ear l s t a t e d t o b e th e average i n th e the trade ; but the noble earl had argued as if it was e intention of the Government to ship all the horses n i board saili ng vess e ls ; he hoped it was not the case ; 1:141Q he he thou g ht th a t the experience of the last twelve 1 4 1 ol iihß, and thesmall number of losses which had arisen <la wone successive voyages made by the steam ves ts,: d show the great necessity of employing steam -4 aports. He did not know of a single case in which 4. s team-vessel had lost a large number of horses. the aPoke from memory only, but he believed it to be ho rdes fact that the Simla did not lose more than five 1 4 %; the Himalaya, which carried above 400 horses, 0Y lost one ; th e Jason, out of 237 horses, lost only f e als o . H e believed that nothing could be more per . st et than the taking up, by the Government, of the vessels. Thus, within the last 12 months, they ha d not on l y carr i e d t h e B r iti s h cava l ry , b u l the French cavalryi also, together with a large number of transport i t e tL t itia . 18 ; and if they took the average that had been 8 , It would be f o und that it was not one per cent. He th ought that where a system had worked so well it Would be very hazardous to adopt a new system which they did not understand. - , Lord PA.NISIURE said that, if the only question at issue was as to th e comparat i ve mer i ts o f steam an d Bailing vessels as transports, he entirely concurred in the view of the noble earl who spoke last. There could be no doubt that if steam vessels were at their command, with capacity between decks, the length of the voyage would be much shortened, and the suffering of the horses would be much less than in sailing vessels, While the fittings and accommodation would be much more complete. But the noble earl seemed to think that in the transports, of which the Government availed itself, it could, at its own control, command steam vessels for the purpose of conveying the horses. He wished entirely to disabuse the mind of the noble earl, and that of the public, as to the number of steam-vessels at the %I:amend of the Government. The Government took 4 1 ) as many as they could, having reference to the na ture of the s erv i ce th e y were ca ll e d u p on t o p er f orm ; hut Considering the vast number of horses which had ss °, l : l 3 and which would still have to be, conveyed from " 41 a country to the seat of war, some sailing vessels must of necessity be employed. The question was whe ther that which had been called the Hull system" , ith euld be adopted, or that system which had been car ' "ed out under the auspices and directions of the best c a• valry offic:rs, should be continued. He understood 'l 6 principle of the "Hull system" was to take a vessel ° f t about 300 t ons , a nd s t r ip h e r altogether 'tween decks Z - ura stem to s t er n. She was then fitted up with refe .i3erife only to the conveyance of the horses to be put on : a rd, but without any regard whatever to the number nen who were to accompany them. Those horses, as he understood, were shipped as a matter of traffic .etvreen dealers at home and purchasers abroad ; ~,- 41(1 not more than four or, five men accom- t a llied every 100 horses. He understood the room g iv en to horses by the Hull system was 4 1 , feet, Vile in the Government system it was only W ould re s t, s o th a t it was cl ea r the Government system would admit of more horses being shipped than the Hull t 9 tnil. By the Government system horses could never e dow n , but, by the Hull system, the moment bad ; f eather set in the horses rolled about. He was in t°,lliled the moment the storm was passed, and the mo ' . °4 of the vessel became less inconvenient to horses, 4 i fter a very few days they experienced far greater relief ,ban if they were enabled to lie down. He had a return - 4 1 his hand, which stated that year the total number of horses shipped was 3,100 in sailing vessels and steamers. • those, 92 were lost, being about 34 per cent. of the b ee's' shipped in steamers, and of those in sailing trans ,,l"B, 78, being an average of 3 4.sths per cent. The av erage length of the passage of steamers was 16 days— that of sailing vessels 39 days. This clearly showed that th e system of carrying by steam-vessels was far to be Preferred to that of sailing vessels ; but when steam- Zessels could not be obtained, and sailing vessels could , s e had recourse to, he maintained that, according to the g3' esent system, by the return he had read, he thought ; 1. " had no reason to find fault with a system by which • Zei had been enabled to carry horses a distance of 3,000 'tea at so small a loss as 3i per cent. The Earl of LUCAN again rose and•said he believed that s when any horses were 14 days er three weeks at sea, " Would be impossible to work them again for a consi derable time. He had known a great many cases in the Ilth Lancers, in which the horses suffered from fever in s ' t he feet, and of two detachments sent after Lord Cardi , 1, 4841 on the patrol in the Dobrudscha—of that party, 80 '‘ - ` ti faes of the Royal Dragoons, and 12 of the 11th, never • • re covered from the effects of fever in the feet. He . th ought the Governinent had a sufficient steam power At their command, if they had made proper use of it. If th eyhad sent to Balaklava harbour, he would under ' , to say that they would find steam-vessels that * O Ol4 land a very large force of cavalry at Censtauti • bfple within the next six weeks. Why could not the G overnment bring home the Jason, the Simla, the Trent They were of no use at Balaklava ; nobody W anted them there. He did not think the Government • I"ghtto allow those vessels to remain idle in Balaklava • harbour. The D u k e o f CAMBRIDGE—I entirely agree with • th enoble lord (Lord Lucan) as to the disadvantage of system of carrying horses by sailing transports, but t es ti annot help thinking that some arrangement might bmade by which some of those large steamers might e made to carry those horses, and I think a little ar- • 0 f t gement would enable us to carry them with more • I.Y,than sailing vessels. The Himalaya was only a „ 4...t'light on the voyage, and at an average of 39 ," she might make two or three trips in that vet' ob . l °d• I, therefore, do hope. you will permit me 1,`"12 1 Y to impress upon my noble friend ' 1 1 % to be derived by a regular course of steamers. think th ere li es t h e w h o l e difficuly. (Hear.) I think u a cmght to have one steamer every fortnight to oarry fie nd h orses. With reference. to what fell from my noble rend ab ove (L or d P anmure ), as to the horses sent out in IF ailing ships last year, I happened to be Inspector- Ge neral of Cavalry at that time • I inspected those yes l', and I had the advantage of having an interview bath r. Goodwin. I never saw the Hull system, but ti lt Good w i n exp l a i ne d t o me th a t by th a t sys t em the • had been cleared so, that thus room was found for t h e horses to lie down. Now, I beg to submit that it is Ittr e inconvenient at e that a large space should sacrificed. Yon must carry drettoons and all their „ T i. 1 , k 't) , " , reali " As regaros the iiLtit.g of those they i s Y Were as well fisted as any ships could be. There the great difference between battens and shingles— 'hips, and I must say I prefer he shingles ; but as far as the fitting of the ship is concerned, I may rirmtio:a that the ships fitted up at Deptford was as credits ble and satisfactory as could be. (Rear.) Lord. PANMURE said, with reference to the steam vesse'ts, the impression should rot go abroad that any of them were lying useless. There was not a steam•vessel in the Black Sea at this moment that had not their duties assigned to them, or where the opportunity oc curred. - these vessels had not been brought home ; and where i”r the Government could avail themselveS of steam-m;ssels they had done so. (Hear.) After• a few remarks from the Earl of ALBEMARLE in reply, aad from the Earl of LUCAN, the motion was withcb sn. CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILL. On the motion of the. LORD CIIANCELLOR, this bill wa a read a third time. The Commons Inclosure Bill was read a second time. GENE,:::-.tAL FAST AND HUMILIATION DAY. Earl GRANVILLE moved that the Bishop of Salis- Lury b e requested to preach a sermon before their lord ships Westminster Abbey on the morning of Wed nesday next, the 21st instant—that day haying been ordere I by her Majesty to be observed as a day of genet al fast anal bouse adjourned at 20 tninutes to seven o'clock until I tfanday. HOI USE OF COMMONS—YESTERDAY. The SPEAKER took the chair shortly before four o'clock., NEW MEMBER. The Etight Honourable W. KEOGH, the new Attorney- Genera l t for Ireland, took the oaths and his seat, on his re-election, for Athlone. PRIVATE BUSINESS. The 'c , llowing bills were real a third time and passed : Cam bridge University and Town Water, Over Dar wen G Podsey Gas, Taunton Gas, and Woolwich Consun.s'ws' Protective Gag. PETITIONS. Mr. THORNELY presented a petition from Woirer hamptn et praying for the repeal of the newspaper stamp. Sir WALMSLEY presented a similar petition. Also a p etition from the L9icester Gas Light and Coke Compaix T, against the Public Health Bill. Mr. .SIUNTZ presented a petition from a newspaper proprietor in Birmingham, praying for the repeal of the newspaper stamp. _ _ iiIICEIELL presented a petition from a place in the We 3i. of, England, against the sale of intoxicating liquors o a Sundays. Mr. G OULBURN presented a petition from the National School Society, against certain clauses in Lord J. Russ el l's Education Bill. Sr . ANDERSON presented a petition from Glas gow prig ink; f,T the repeal of the newspaper stamp. Mr. _=*;COBE11:14 presented a petition from the publi cans of alth, praying for the repeal of the Beer Act of last sess 7 A 01. Yr. EORSFALL prennted a petition from Liver pool a,g a net the opening of the National Gallery and lA:uscum on Sundays. Lord B . GROSVENOR, presented a petition agreed to at a pu - elie meeting of the working classes of Westmin ster,'praying that public houses should be closed during the whole of Sunday. On the motion of the noble lord the petition 'was read by the clerk at the table. Mr. STAFFORD presented a petition from Nor thamptc.rt, praying that the entire system of promotion in the a:lily by purchase may be abolished. Mr. A— PELLATC presented a petition from a tallow boiler in Lamly,tl), now a prisoner in Horsemonger-lane prison, stating that twelve months ago he was indicted and convicted under the Nuisances Removal Act and fined 1001., but bong urab!e ti pay the fine he had 'a:en imprisoned ever since. The petitioner prayed t asbt the house take his case into considerfition with a view to his liberation. ROYAL COMMISSION. Mr. 1? UL7vIAN, the Yeornati Usher of the• Black Rod, app eared at the table and summoned the house to attend at, the bar of the Peers to hear thc Royal assent given by commission to several acts, for which see Lords' report. UNFUNDED DEBT. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY gave notice that on the mo tion for going into committee of supply, ho should call attention to the state of the Unfunded Debt. CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. Mr. ICEINNLD Y asked the Secretary of the Treasury whether in the present unsettled state of the eastern frontier of the Cape of Good Hope, it was the intention of the Government to establish more frequent communica tion with that colony, by contract with a steam packet company or otherwise. Mr. WILSON said the subject had been under con- sideration for the last two months, but no arrangement had yet been come to. METROPOLITAN GRAVEYARDS. Mr. H. BERKELEY asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he was aware that at many of the cemeteries in the east of London, for instance Keldey's Ground, Bethnal-green, Saint James the Less, Bethnal-green, and the Victoria-park Cemetery, they were in the daily practice of burying many bodies in one grave, and did not comply with the conditions on which they had been allowed to continue open and that nearly all the cemeteries in the neighbourhood. of London still adopt the system of pit burial ; and, if he was aware of this, whether he meant to prevent it ? Sir G. GREY raid the Victoria-park Cemetery was not within the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State, but a statement having been sent into the Homo-office, com plaining of their state, an inspector had been directed to report on the condition of the other graveyards. The St. James the Less ground lied been yiutisting the Order in Council, and a communication had keen made to the managers on the subject. SOLDIERS' WIVES. Mr. KINNAIItD asked the Under Secretary for War if any order had been sent, either to Constantinople or to Scutari, to send home those soldiers' wives whose services were not required as nurses or laundresses ; also, if any measures had been taken to provide proper ac commodation in the barracks about to be erected at Dover and elsewhere for the wives of soldiers who were permitted to marry ? Mr. PEEL replied in the negative to the first ques tion. With regard to the second, the plan of the bar racks at Dover had not yet been settled. • BROWN BESS. Mr. HORSFALL askOd the Under Secretary for War whether it was a fact that the 6th Regiment of Foot, now under orders for the Cape, were about to be sent out with no other firelock than the old Brown Bess. Mr. PEEL raid it was a mistake to suppose that the 6th Regiment of Foot was now under orders for the Cape, because that regiment had been in service in the Cape for some years. It was armed with the percussion musket, and the detachment new about to be sent out to join it would be armed in the same way. SOLDIERS' KNAPSACKS. Mr. BERESFORD asked the Under Secretary for War whether a knapsack, known as "Brady'. Patent," and condemned at Chobhatn•by a committee of officers commanding regiments, was not authorised by the late Secretary at War for the use of the militia, and a great number of them issued accordingly, notwithstanding that a knapsack of a different pattern was established in the regular army ? Mr. PEEL said it was optional with the colonels of militia regiments to select what knapsack they thought best suited to their men. STAMPED ENVELOPES. Mr. T. DLTNCOMBE asked the Secretary of the Treasury when it was likely that the public would be able to obtain stamped sheets of paper and private enve lopes for free transmission by post. Mr. WILSON said instructions had been given to the Board of Inland Revenue to make the necessary ar rangements for issuing stamped paper and envelopes, and in about two months he expected such arrangement would be completed. The public would have 101. worth of stamped paper issued to them for the duty, but par ties requiring paper to be stamped -for a less amount, would have to pay is. beyond the duty. that, if not so, they yore not led to attach much value to the education afforded, which was so bad that they cared not to let their children purtake of it. This was the most important pert cf the case --that those children who were sent to school did not receive the proper benefits of education. And here he turned, with feelings of humilia ti to the comparison between the state of education in this country and in the rest of the civilised world. He grieved to say that, with the exception of Russia, Spain, Italy, and the slave states in America, England was at the botlieni of the scale. In Switzerland there were, in many of the cantons, 1 in 5 at school ; in Saxony, also lin 5 ; in the free states of America, 1 in 5 ; in France, 1 in 6 ; in Wurtembetg, 1 in 6 ; i n Prussia, 1 in 6 ; in Denmark, 1 in 7 ; and in England, lin 8 . Bat there was a still greater contrast in the nature of the systems pursued in these different countries. In Prussia the course of instruction in every elementary school comprised-1, religion ; 2, the German language ; 3,4, 5, the elements of physicial and ie nes geography, labour, arithmetic, &c.; 6, singing; 7 natural writin sciences, 8 manual and especially instruction in agriculture. And religion, reading and writing ; arith• metic and singing, were d ec l ar ed " indispensable." In Switzerland the course of instruction was-1, religion; 2, reading ; 3, writing ; 4, linear drawing ; 5, geogra phy ;6, arithmetic; 7, singing 8, elements of geo logy ; 9, history of Switzerland; 10, elements of na tural philosophy ; 11, the " Rights and Duties of a Citizen." In Denmark few children were unable to read and write. A code of general regulations had been in operation since 1817, and the condition of education made constant progress. Parochial schools were everywhere established. Attendance at them was not optional. for by a late law all children between the ages of 7 and 19 meet be sent to public schools; and if their parents were unable to pay the children were educated at the pub lic expense. So in Prussia. Tho course of instruction in Den nark and Prussia included, besides religion and read ing and writing, arithmetic, geography, and natural his tory. In France, under the system established by M. Guizot, 1831, elementary schools were everywhere estab lished, in which the course of instruction was-1, moral and religious ; 2, reading ; 3, writing ; 4, arithmetic; 5, French ; 6, weights and measures ; 7, geography ; 8, his tory; 9, linear drawing; 10, singing. Every school wax divided into classes, according to the capacity of the pupils, certain portions of Scriptere were committed to memory, and every Saturday the Gospel for the ensuing Sunday was read by the pupils. In Germany, including most of the states in Austria, Wurtemberg, Hesse ' Bavaria, &te e regu lations were establi s h e d, requ i r i ng that every poor child be sent to schobl. In Hesse, for instance, public function aries every six months saw that all the children above six years of age were sent to some of the public schools; and if the parents were unable to pay the fees they were paid out of the public funds. In Holland no child of ten years of age could be uninstructed. And in the United States ho need scarcely say how generally education was disseminated. (Hear, hear.) How different was the case in England. According to Mr. Horace Mann, there were 45,003 soh eels in Et - inland, in which reading was taught in 93 per cent., writing in 68 per cont., arithmetic in 61 per cent., grammar in 44 per cent., geography in 39 par cent., music in 10 per cent., industrial occupations —one of the primary objects of popular schools —(hear)—only 2 per cent. (dear.) Such was the gene ral character of our education. What was the condition of the Church school., according to the reports of the Na tional Society ? Of the Church schools 30 per cent. were not secured for educational purposes, 47psr cent. wore not even virtuelly secured ; and so about 50 p e r cent. were dame schools, or in cottages, corners of churches, Sze. And what was the condition of the schools not belonging to the Church ? Mr. Horace Mann stated that, upon a rough attempt at classifying them according to their efficiency, o ily 20 per cent. of the whole could be callel "superior" — about 5,000 in number. There were 7,003 only "mid cdlin;," 14030 "inferior." Bat the most startling fact was, that out of these last about 800 of the schoolmasters or schoolinistrenses were unable to write, and signed their roterns with marks. (Hear, hear.) So that in 800 of our schools the masters and mistresses were unable to write their own names. (Hear, hear.) Thus then it appeared that not only was the proportion of our poor children e lucate I much smaller th oe in most of the ceun• tines of Europe, but the species of instruction afforded in our schools was most inferior, and quits discreditable, as compared with that in foreign countries. (Hear.) What was the deplorable result of this fearful deficiency in education ? Need he trace the connection between ignorance and crime? (Hear.) Statistical information upon that subject it was difficult to obtain; there were indeed complete returns of convictions at sessions and assizes, but not of summary con victions. The only foreign country whose returns of crime were complete, and with whom we could institute a com parison, was Austria. In 1840 the population of England was 17,000,0000, and the total number of convictions was 60,809. In Austria the pOpulation was 23,600,000, and the detected crimes amounted to 30,000. Thus, then, while the population of Austria was six millions and a half more than ours, the detected crimes in England doubled those of Austria. In ether words, the crime; in England were as three to one compared with Austria. Now, Austria was a very well educated country, and it was curious that the number of detected crimes appeared greatest in her mining districts which were leant educated. Let them now look at the state of some districts in England. And first as to the metropolis. Take four populous parishes north of the Thames, and four south of the Thames. In Stepney, St. George's-in-the-East, Bethnal-green, and Shoreditcb, there were 358,600 persons, and 44,800 children, of whom only 19,000 were at school. In Southwark, Bermondsey, St. Ge'n e e ee 's, and Newiugton, there were 304,000 persons population of more than 660,090), and about 56 , 000 chil dren,(making, with the four parishes first mentioned, a total of whom about 36,000 wore without education. There could be, alas ! no difficulty in divining the condition of these poor children. (Hear.) The report of the inspector of schools for the western district stated that inDevonshire, Cornwall, Dorsetshire, and Hampshire, there were thou sands of poor children who were not acquainted with the Lord's Prayer, and hardly knew that there was a God in heaven ! (Hear.) This, he stated, was the rule and not the exception amongst the children of those who were in the habit of receiving parochial relief ; they were in a state of the most heathenish ignorance. In Newcastle there was a population of 87,000, including 18,400 children, and of those the inspector of schools stated that 11,400 were unaccounted for as -regarded education, onlese7,ooo chiral-ea ' we - Ming schaolse- The same state of things existed at Gateshead, Hartlepool, Sunderland, and Shields. So iu the eastern counties. Mr. Mitehell, the inspector, had lately ascertained from the colonels of seven regiments of militia lately embodied the state of the men as regarded education—the Cambridgeshire regiment, the North and South Essex regiments, the Huntingdon, the East and West Norfolk, and the East and West Suffolk regiments. There were 5,6;0 men, of whom only 2,000 could write their names. (Hear.) The chaplain of the gaol at Worcester stated that out of 1,100 prisoners4so were totally ignorant; and he added that a"woeful amount of gross ignorance on moral and religious subjects existed among the great ma jority of cases brought under his notice." The excellent chaplain of Preston gaol (the Rev. Mr. Clay) stated that in three years the performance of his duties had brought him into contact with 1,700 men and boys, and 387 womenand girls, altogether unable to read ; and 1,300 men and boys, and 280 women and girls, ,who did not know the name of the reigningen and 1,290 men and boys, and 290 women Clid not know the meaning of such the e , r w ei h g o n terms as vice and virtue, iniquity or holineis. In 1849 that gentleman stated that there were about 2,000 persons com mittee ignorant p li e whom m ce 4 n B t cent,.opferthe ignorant Saviour'sow f e r t e h enunanmaa name ee andotof t om h f read,cunt,i e ttht'd4 u Ll e to o por n ed , tr'h 6 B 2 P g p ra' e Yo r r o e : t, unacquainted with the meaning of virtue or vice, and 19 per cent. were unable to count up to 100. There was a similar report for IE4B ; and the rev. gentlemen assured him that his statements were rather of w a careful a a r f d u i l . personal uifulas t w as under the mark, and could be safely relied on as the result s v v . ge e o a nre) apt ts to st r b ut t w o i f t observation. h ou h:o li things was disgraceful to the country. (Hear, hear.) It risrngosrrtai disgraceful, veuhf S t uei uolnas he Surely and he contemplated h u oden c such (eosm a i tp. fancyls „Ta t t a . e t pdte that i o ai tct f : ourselvesexample t t e h o a t t h i e f r o n u a r t a io r i m is y . wAaslintto large little while our military system was perfect. That dream had been a ago at least we lately rather roughly di sturbed. (Hear.) Let us take heed fl w a e t s t e e t re d an lest in other matters of great weight and moment, instead' of setting an example to other nations, we become their warning or their la ughingastock. He repeated, what could be more disgraceful, either to the country or to the House of Commons than that such a state of things should exist all around us. Were they to bear with it ? Were they to say, " We are doing better every year ; we have liberal grants and an active Committee of Privy Council, and let us be content 9 " • Was it consistent with our duty to be content with such a state of things? No, sir -(ex claimed the right hon. baronet with energy). At least I, for one, will not be content. (Cheers.) And, however inadequate I may be for the task I have undertaken, I will venture to say that if the House of Commons allows such a state of things to continue it will neglect one of its first duties as a Christian legislature. (Hear.) Sir, such a state of things is worse than barbarism. ( Hear.) The rev. gentleman whose report I last referred to most truly uses that expression. He states, that out of the 2 , 00 0 prisoners of whom he spoke, 1,300 did not know the names of the months of the year, and 800 had never heard the name of the Saviour ! Most justly does he say that their sate is worse than barbarism. It is ignorance, gross and dense, of all matters, secular or religious. It is ig norance of everything W hi ch can make them worthy of the name of human beings. But, I repeat, it is worse than barbarous, for these unhappy outcasts, while they are thus ignorant of the name of the Saviour, or the existence of a God, are conversant with every form of vice, and familiar with crime of every kind. (Hear, hear.) Yes, they are steeped in debauchery, hardened in iniquity — (hear, hear)—and for these wretched beings you' pass stringent laws, and if they transgress them punish them severely, not reflecting if they are really morally responsible for their actions, in the dense ignorance in which we allow them to remain, from our neglect of our paramount duty as a Christian legislature. (Hear, hear.) I am told, indeed, that this is au act for whish there can be no remedy. Why ? because some of us are Churchmen, and will insist upon teaching the Catechi sm _ ; and others are Dissenters, and will not revere creeds. Sir, I should like to know what these distinctions between Churchmen and Dissenters signify to those thousands of miserable beings who aro ignorant of the primary truths of Christianity ? (Hear.) I ask whether it is not a mockery to speak or think of such distinctions upon such a question ? (Hear, hear.) Is it not time anxiously and earnestly to consider, is there 'no middle term, no neutral ground, upon which Church men and Dissenters may meet, remembering the great car dinal doctrineeof Christianity on which we agree, thinking more of them than of the points (comparatively unim portant) of Government and discipline on which we differ? (Hear, hear.) Ido not ask Churchmen to relinquish creeds and catechisms, I am a Churchman myself, and I will not consent to forego them. Neither do I ask Dissenters to accept anything they object to. But I implore them all alike—Churchmen mid Dissenters —to reflect on this dread ful state of things which I have described, and to meet, or to endeavour to meet, in a spirit of toleration and forbear ance, and consider if the time has not come when some means should be adopted by which we may teach these miserable beings to whom I • have referred their duty to God and man. (Hear.) He would now state the nature of the measure which he had to propose. (Hear, hear.) He did so with the greatest diffidence, knowing the difficulty of the question, and ho did it in no party spirit and for no party purpose ; on the contrary, persuaded that if the sub ject were involved in the struggles of party it would never be settled, and his anxiety was to induce men of all parties to combine in the hope of solving this difficult question, and releasing the country from so disgraceful a state of things. (Hear, hear.) Tho first point he had to notice in his measure was one of doubt; it was intended to be only permissive. He was not fond of permissive legislation, and knew of many in stanceswhich it had not conduced to the public welfare . Betho ' ne know the anncultv of the snlject ; and in his pp . • • . .1 n. • ;•,- •c: !. :..: ~, ~- ilc L Lvi - (31.1 vi ;ol' pnrpos.es of clucaticn to the present system of poor law rolief, which had worked well, and, in his opinion, was applicable to the object he had in view. The noblest page in ohr statute-book was that which enacted that no man THE SUN, LONDON SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH i 7 1855. should be destitute; and he desired to add a still nobler page. to that book, providing that no man should be ig norant. (Hear, thea,r.) The areas within which he pro posed that the measure should operate were in corporate towns the limits of the municipal corporations, and in country districts the poor-law unions. He proposed that in the poor-law unions it should be optional to the rate payers to decide whether tney would adopt the act, pur suing in this respect the precedent of the Public Libraries Act of a recent session. If it be adopted, then I propose to elect an educational board, to be chosen by the rate payers at large ; that the management shall be placed in the hands of be lies popularly elected, following the plan pursued in the United States. But, it being most desir able that man of the highest education and position shall bo members of the board, I propose that the qualification shall be a retirg of 301. per annum, and that all the magis trates of the district shall be ox-officio members. (Hear, hear.) When the board is elected it shall have power to provide schools where they think them necessary ; to su perintend the general education of the district, to levy the rate for the purpose of maintaining the schools, and expend it. Sir, this brings me to the voluntary principle. (Hear, hear.) I have thought much upon that subject, and the more we consider it, the grouter, I think, must be our general conviction' that on the voluntary system we Can deatiidemoryuoti passes y e ,ai t te l r e t t,aitclisacoetot,noinhe the e( e wtHl ee people. ( Hoar , hear ) I believe we can no more educate the people on the voluntary principle as they ought to be educated, than that we can carry on a war or any other great enterprise by means of taxes volun r9e, voluntaryvn h i o e l t a e rn evidence principle.e receive G that ov be begging - letters the g m ei n e ug n -tul peopleet t inspectors tesri rsfaon,hardlyn ao I t eas assist ance. aea. mace. (Hear, hoar.) I have in my hand a letter from a gentleman in the Eldon district in Sheffield, in which he says : " I beg leave to inform you that having been appointed to the newly-formed district of Eldon, Sheffield, containing a population of 5,000 souls, I built a church, whi c h was con secrated in June, 1841, but it is still without a tower, and lo have no schools built for the accommodation of the young Chartism and infidelity avow in all directi ons th e i r danger,- ous principles. (A laugh.) The young grow up in ignorance and vice. The temptations of a large manufacturing town are felt in numb Tless ways. Under these circumstances I am anxious to complete the work I have begun, and to raise a school for the reception of daily and Sunday scholars ; but local resources are few and scanty." Sir, I say the local resources ought not to be few and scanty. (Hear, hear.) I say that this district ought to pro vide schools without sending a bagging-letter for the pur pose. (Hear, hear.) The Rev. Mr. Kennedy, one of the, school inspectors, says, " Everything seems to point to rate for education, for a want of proper funds leads to in efficient teaching" auleth sr evils. In 1852, the same gentleman thus sums up his views : There aro 10 propositions on the subject which my ob gseeti•iev:,i.atilonarleealdjost mate thist a t ffi im r e m being alEleegmueaititealyrynlsacihnotaoilusedih 2, There is not a fair prospect, on the present system, that they will have a sufficient annual income. • 3. On the con trary, there is in a majority of places a decline of income. 4. The endeavours to obtain yearly contributions to schools are harrassiug and vexatious, and the m-ans sometimes re sorted to for raising funds, such as high fees and scales of fees, are injurious to the schools. 5. There is a painful and injurious uncertainty about the efficient maintenance of schools, also pernicious fluctuations of income, arising from such causes as the death of a benevolent landed proprietor, or of a lib sal mill-owner, or the loss of a goad !master, undoing in a moment the work of years, and causing flourishing schools to fall into decay. 6. Many districts are absolutely unable from poverty to maintain good schools without extraneous annual aid. 7. In districts where there is no absolute defi ciency of money, or even where there is wealth, the schools are often suffered to languish from parsimony, or from in difference, and from hostility to education. 8. It is desirable to abate the jealousies and ill-feeling often at present engen dered among different religious denominations by contests for subscriptions to schools, eze., and to enable every deserving school to have an independent income. 9. It is often very desirable, but not feasible through want of means, to admit some of the scholars free to school ; and, iu some cases, wholly free schools are requisite. 10. The above-named evils cannot be remedied, nor the wants supplied, by other means than by a vote for education." But I have other testimony from iespectors of schools, showing that we cannot go on as we are. The voluntary system is breaking down, and the only legitimate mode of providing education for the people is by calling on them to contribute a rate for the purpose. (Hear.) But I think these rates should be assisted by public grants fron the Consolidated Fund, and that the whole burden ought net to be thrown os the local rate. (Hear.) Therefore, in every case where the locality is called upon to provide a certain amount by rates, the public funds of the country shall contribute in a fixed proportion. (Hear.) And this proposal is perfectly consistent with the course at present pursued. (Hear.) Sir, I feel that the next proposal I shall have to make may, more than any other, give rise to a difference of opinion ; bat the most anxious study I could give to the question has convinced me that the edu cation of the country ought to be free. (Hear.) I pro pose, then,- that all new schools shall be free schools, and that whenever scholars are sent by the board to existing schools there shall be no charge for their education. (Hear.) I am well aware that upon this point a difference of opinion may exist ; but I think one of the weakest of the argu ments of those who contend that education ought not to be free, is, that the poor do not value education unless they pay for it. (Hear.) This argument I hold to be incon sistent with human nature ; for a man is glad to get a good thing for nothing if he can. The error arises, I believe, from the fact—first, that we only know free education in this country as connected with endowed schools, the edu cation in a greater part of which is of an inferior quality; and, secondly, that the population confound education so conducted with pauperism. (Hear.) But the education of the poor relates not only to the individual himself ; it relates to the interest of the state—(hear)—and in this view every example and precedent leads me to the convic tion that a free education is the best. Let us look to what has occurred in America in connection with this very ques tion of free education. In Philadelphia, in 1835, there were 9,346 scholars in free schools, because those schools were inferior ; but the result of reforming them was that private schools became almost superseded; and in 1845, instead of 9,316, there were 36,665 free scholars in Phila delphia; while in 1852 the number had risen to 49,635. This occurred on depriving the schools of their panper , cha racter, and showed that immediately they were thrown open to all classes gratuitously, the objection that the people cared little for that for which they did not pay was triumphantly met. In New York the question of free and non-free schools was also the subject of great discussion and division of opinion ; but the people of New York de cided, by an overwhelming majority, that the schools should be free ; and there are 700,000 scholars at this time deriving the benefit of a free education, or one in five of the whole population. (Hear, hear.) In Austria and Holland the education is entirely free ; and I believe that if you make education free in this country you will promote its interests, and that the whole system will be a better and sounder one than if you persevere in taking the existing school pence from the scholars. In the countries where the free system does not prevail those who are poor are allowed to attend free ; b u t it would be difficult in this country to test who is and who is not able to pay, and the soundest plan will, therefore, be to decide that education shall be free. This proposal, however, is not essential to my bill, and I throw it out for the consideration of the house. Sir, another, and, as I think, an important element in my bill, is that it does not interfere with existing schools or with existing interests. (Hear, hear.) We must not loafs sight of what education has effected, of the exertions of benevolence, or of the fact that in a great many instances the education is good. But I wish it to be understood that I interfere with no existing interests ; but that it shall be optional with every existing school whether it will or will not come in union. If it do not come within the union it will remain precisely where it now is ; but if it come into the union, I shall respect every existing-school, on the condition, however, that the school shall be periodically inspected, and that they shall submit to the provisions of the act with respect to religi ous teaching. Tho question of religious teaching, I feel to be the most important of all, and the one most surrounded with difficulty; but I venture to ask the house whether the dreadful state of things I have portrayed does not de mand that we should approach this religious difficulty in the spirit of forbsaranca and moderation. There are two pasties in this country—the one to which I myself belong, insisting on the imperative necessity of religious teaching ; the other insissin,g on the secular system. I confess, sir, I cannot understand what the secular system is. Ido not understand whotherthe subject of religion is to be banished altogether, or that the Scriptures only shall be road and doctrinal teaching be reserved for separate training. But I ask the advocates of the secular system, first, to consider the fact of our our has ing an Established Church ; and, secondly, that the immense majority of the people of this country are attached to that Church. (No, no, from Mr. Hadfield and the Nonconformists, and counter cheers.) Sir, I approach this subject with the most dispassionate intentions, the most disinterested ob jects. (Hear, hear.) I know it is a question whether the aggregate of Churchmen do or do not prepon derate over dissenters, and that turns on the omission in the census to classify large numbers of the people—(hear) —but no one will deny that the Church is in an overwhelm. ing majority as compared with any other denomination. Mr. Horace Mann gives a census of the actual proportion of the schools of the Church and of dissenters. _ Mr. HADFIELD—Day schools. Sir J. PAKINGTON—Yes ; and I find the total of day schools of the religious bodies to be 12,700 ; and the day schools of the Church, 10,555 ; Independents, 453 ; Roman Catholics, 339 ; and Wesleyan., 381. We have, then, 10,555 schools in connection with the Church of England as compared with 12,700 of the various religious bodies. But, sir, we must net only consider the Established Church, but the feeling of the country. (Hear, hear.) Assuming for the moment the secular system to be the best, I believe that if you attempted to force it on the people of this coun try they would reject it. (Hear.). I maintain that the feel ing of England is against the secular system, and that you ought to teach religion in your schools. The question then arises how to secure religious teaching, and reconcile it with the most scrupulous regard for the conscientious feel ings and opinions of dissenters. (Hear, hear.) The plan I would venture to propose is, that schools in connection with every denomination recognised by the Committee of Council—whether Baptist, Presbyterian, or anything else — shall be equally entitled to claim the benefit of this act; but subject to this indispensable condition, that no child shall be excluded from any school on account of its religious views. This I would apply equally to the Church and the dissenters. With regard to supplying educational defi ciencies by the creation of new schools, I have been told that my measure would have been better had I struck out this part of my proposal ; but, looking at the present state of education in this country, I think every plan would be incomplete which would not provide for new schools, My proposal is, that the religious teaching of such schools shall be in accordance with the religious feeling of the dis trict in which they aro situated ; that if a majorily, of a district is in favour of the teaching of the Church, it shall be taught—subject to the condition that Dissenters shall not be excluded from the schools ; but if the religious ma jority of that district entertain another belief, then that ceived into the school. The hon. member for Manchester t t h h e e s s a c m ho e ol ru sh le a s l I i a (Mr. Bright), in a speech at Manchester , at the commence ment h b a e t a n l IC c h o u r d r c a h n e s e c h w o i l a t li r s l a t h' Cli n t dbj subject r t :- meat of last year, had admitted the importance of teach ing religion to the children. He said— " He could not see any connection necessarily between re ligion and arithmetic, for example, or between the doctrines of Christianity and any of those other matters which formed the ordinary branches of education. He admitted, of course, that if a man was thoroughly educated—and, speaking iu a Christian country, he might add, if ho was a complete Chris tian man—he must not only have that instruction which was to be obtained in the ordinary routine of schools, but he inset also have, from some ssui:ce or other, a traini, and , established in America, which everybody applauded, which means now at their disposal, and ,he was sa tisfied that at all persons sub:n tt e d t o w ith pro b a bl y grea t er sa ti s f ac ti on presen t no sys t em wou ld b e successful which. was not, to a than they subscribed any other state impost whatever, could certain extent, a denominational system. Wear, hear.) not be transplanted i n to our own t owns ?" Assuming, then, the two principles o f St a t e i nterferenc e The opinions of the hon. member for Manchester were-- and religious teaching, it-remained to be seem what were first, that religion should be taught; and secondly, that it the other requisites for an efficient educational ernes, ought to be tauclit upon the American system. Well, I sure. He thought there were two others. They so us e ask hon. members, in the spirit of candour and fairness, to have a full recognition of, and a satisfactory moans of in say whether they really thought that the American sys_ eluding, the schools now in existence. He did not believe tem could be adopted in this country? I think I can that any scheme would work which undertook to remodel show the house that it would be utterly impossible. In the whole . educational system de novo, and excluded or re- America there was no one creed predominant. Let me re- fused to recognise existing schools. He was quite aware mind the house of the mode and manner in which religion of the inefficiency of the existing means of education ' • he is taught i n A me rica. Mr. Twissolton, an abl e an d di s- knew that our school s w e r e insufficient in number and in. tinguished gentleman, in his work upon the system of re- adequate in the quality of the teaching they ailerded, but ligious teaching in the state of Massachusetts, states th e still they gave instruction after their manner to a large following facts : —This gentleman saes he addressed a cer- portion of the population, and many persons took an in. tain number of questions to the heads of the schools in the torest in them, and any scheme for sweeping them away United States. H e as k e d what the system of religion was Would meet with such opposition that it could not pass that was taught and how it had worked, and was informed through Parliament. His right hon. friend's bill allowed that the children received all distinct teaching according these schools to stand aloof—it was a permissive, not a com pulsory measure. It p er mittedthemto joinon t wo reasonable to their religions t ene t s . Th en comes th e question, " How do they get it ?" The answer given is, " they are taught it at an d almost G d s o i v i n en p r nel eemeconditions.i . ) T ri h n e e fi ip r l s e t, o t f h a at G o o l v in er sp n e m e e t n io t n g , r f a o n ll t o , w fo ? , home." Now, let me ask the gentlemen who advocate the k ft a m o r i l y s, in the w p h e a r t introduction of the American system into this country to somnsanwnhe a or ssistatico to a school from any public say whether they are prepared to trust the teaching of ga ha ctto they hli n ao t t r i : o. 1 awf friend i nk dti expended.n o dge t L st \ o ihr ,e s ,ed to a n The s o u other h t t o religion to the children of England to their parents at home ? condition which his ri ght What do they suppose is the home of those thousands to ass i i t sted schools optional, not compulsory. whom I have referred—those thousands who have never inniogreinimallposrttaatnet--- inlpsoteseawchm heard the name of our Savour, and who scarcely know of the existence of a God ? Do not compare the state of a He believed it was only by moans of such a permission that young country dike America, where there is a pop u l a ti on the existence of denominational schools, s u pp or t e d b y t h e so scanty and wealth so abundant, where poverty was al- State, could be reconciled with common justice towards the most unknown, with the state of things in England, where various schools at present in existence. A purely denomi. we had a dense and pauper population whose education national system would necessarily be productive of great has been long neglected. (Hear, hear.) I have shown you unfairness towards those sects which, being small and scat that in all the countries of Europe religion was wisely put tared, could not establish schools of their own, and in in front, and the first item in the educational code of all order, therefore, to do justice towards suck religions Christrian Countries was religion. How then is religion to communities, it was not enough to give them the means be taught in England ? Will you contend that in a popu- of establishing schools of their own ; but they must also lation so debased, so ignorant, and so irreligious as unhap- have legislative permission for the children belonging to pily exist amongst us, the wretched parents can or will them to frequent thewchools established by public grants teach their children as much religion as they ought te without being required to attend religious teaching. know ? In Day opinion if religion be not taught in s c h o ol s Although he had listened with i n t eres t t e hi s r i g ht l ion. it will not be taught at all. Well, in support of the sys- friend's statement upon this point, he was not quite tern I propose, lam fortified by the examples both of Pro. sure how far he meant to go, but lie was sure that this testant and Roman Catholic countries. First, I will quote scheme could not be worked out unless it were broadly Austria, in respect to which I find this account given of laid down thatattendance upon all religious teachingshould the mode in which the difficulty of religious' teaching i s be optional with the parents of the children. He did not met : understand how there could be any objection to such a pro •" The Roman Catholic as the national religion is that visior. He could understand and respect the feelings taught in the schools of Austria ; but dissenters from this of a man who claimed religions equality, but he could not form of faith are neither excluded nor separated, nor are they understand th e f ee li ngs o f th o s e w h o ,laid they would no t required to engage in th e religious services or peculiar eccle- allow the c hild ren o f ot h er sects t o go to t h e i r schools un siastical learning in these schools. In the Romaa Catholic lesa they were permitted to force their own religious mteach schools the Jews, as well as th e P rotestants and other dis- ing upon those children. missive provi s i on would He meetwithmuch had no doubt theasittitobo from other arrive one hour after and l eave one hour before the various quarters, a s it wou ld ne ith er satisfy those who de other pupils, these two hours being occup i ed with religious services and instruction, such as was attempted in this coun- sired an absolutely non-sectarian system, noT those who try some years ago. There are other non-Catholic schools , desired a purely denominational system; but the principle particularly in Transylvania and the .military frontier, Gal: upon which it was founded was analogous to that which licia, Moravia, and Silesia, tioh - imia, and Corynthia, amount. had been established 24: years ago e rend had since worked ing to 2,037 primary schools, whose religious instruction is in so successfully in Ireland That part of his eight hen. accordance with the creed of these countries, the oversight of necessityfrieriels measure in in which he proposed the establish ment of new schools seemed to him open to serious which is committed to the clergy of each particular denome objection. (Hear, hear.) He was not ignore nt. of the s re ch li o y o io ls u , s a t n e t a l c h h9 nation." existed for the establishment of those In Austria, then, you have the system established which I venture to suggest for adoption in England—viz., teach fairest and most equitable admitted that the plan of having the ing the religion of the majority of the place ; but at the thatsettled üblydt be h ati majority opt‘e d , was but the - au experiment which would excite a t e h re o a u t gh d t ea t l h o a f t i a t n ‘ g v ry feeling,. and not be likely to succeed. same time showing the most perfect toleration to all others. In Switzerland how do they act? But this was simply an adttnentcortahipeibinilelipeihe.se' " In the majority of these schools the members of the dif- H b e m thought ight b e ferent religious sects are received with a willingness and with removed, in no way affecting ' ' the measure didall that co uld b:expected in the way of reco a Christian charity which puts to shame our religious intoler ance. .. . . Those who differ in faith from the master of • • insure and including existing schools, and it aloe affirmed ,the school are allowed to absent themselves from the doctrinal ei as far as possible the principle of local self-government. lessons given in the school, and axe required to attend one of die thought it of great impoßtance that districts were not their own clergy for the purpose of receiving from him their but only empowered if they thought fit, to ava il doctrinal instruction. Even in Fribourg, a cantos governedcompelled,by Catholic priests who are themselves under the infl uence of themselves of this bill, because he knew that in many plac es the Jesuits, Protestants may be found mingled with' th e C a - there was a strong feeling entertained against 8 tate inter tholics in the schools, and are allowed to alesset themselves Terence in matters of education, and this feelilng mainly during the hours of religious lessons; and in Argovie, a can• arose out of a dread of centralisation. In this bill three ton which has lately so distinguished itself by its opposition different provisi ons were ma d e —th ey prov id e d f or cen t ra l to the Jesuits of Lucerne, I found that several of the pro- direction and advice under the Ministerof the Crown; then fessors in the normal school were Catholics, and that the ut- they provided for assistance from the local public funds ; most tolerance was manifested to all the Catholics attending and at the same tim e , w hil e th e bill gave i mportant assist the cantonal schools." ance from the-State, it in no wa y di scourage d , b ut rather "In Prussia every complete elementary school neces tended to encourage, the exertions of indi v id ua l s an d o f sarily comprehends the following objects :-1. Religious in- pu bli c bodies throughout the country. Th e bill a l so recog -a struction as means of forming the moral character of chil- nised various principles which he beli e v e d necessary t o a circa according to the positive truths of Christianity. 2. The successful educational measure ; it r ecogn i se d th e p r i nc i p l e German language. 3. The elements of geometry, together of religious teaching, also that of in c ludi n g e xi s ti ng sc h oo l s with the general principles of drawing. 4. Calculation and in the system ; but, above all, it recognised the principle practical arithmetic. 5. The elements of physics, geography, of local self-government and management. The rest of general history, and especially the history of Prussia. 6. the bill, though very important, was, comparatively speak- Singing. 7. Writing. 8. The simplest manual labours, and ing, matter of detail, for the full discussion of which ample some instructions in husbandry, according to the agriculture opportunity would be a ff or d e d. H e was very muc h en of the respective parts of the country. couraged at seeing the little diff e r ence i n po i n t o f pr i nc i ple that there was between the pr e s en t bill an d th a t i n t ro d uced cc It was long debated in France how the difficulties arising no from religious differences should be overcome—whether they from the other side of the h ou s e some ti me ago . H e h a d he should attempt to establish separate schools for all the diffe- doubt that when the noble ear l w h o p res id e d over the rent sects of Christianity ; whether they should open the board of education should i n t ro d uce th e bill, w hi c h was schools to all these various sects, and banish from them all understood to be in course of preparation, then both that religious instruction ; or whether they should open the schools bill and the present could be r e f erre d t o a comm itt ee , an d on consideration of the two, he hoped thit they would not to the different Christian persuasions, and commit the ma - sties be able to carry an addition a l measure, but that they nagement of each to a master chosen from the most numerous sect in the department or commune of which it was the no would also'be able to do s o by a l arge ma j or ity. (H ear .) r- Sir G. GREY said that the house was not called upon mal or elementary school. . . They (therefore) adopted to pronounce any decision with regard to the measure the third alternative, and resolved to place each of the normal which the right hon. baronet now proposed to introduce - s chools of the different departments, and each of the primary out he now rose to express, on the part of the Govern. ' chools of the different communes, under the .management of knent, their cordial assent to the motion before th e house, a teacher selected from the most numerous Ch r i s ti an sec t i n the department or commune in which the school was situated. And to say that the right hon. baronet was entitled to They further arranged that the parents who diff ere d i n re li- great credit for the large, comprehensive, and lib era l na gion from the master or director of the school should h ave th e tare of the scheme which he had propound e d. (H ear, power of requiring their children to absent themselves d ur . hear.) He (Sir G. Grey) ouly wished that he could be sanguine as to the succ e s s o f th e measure ; b u t h e was ing the periods of religious instruction. . . . So far from religious education being overlooked in France, it is constantly sure that this discussion would be extremely useful. With referred to in the different decrees on the subject of education regard to the bases on which the measure of the right hon. as of the most deep and momentous importance ; and the re- gentleman proceeded, he h a d on ly t o s t a t e th a t t h ey met with .his concurrence. Reference h a d b een ma d e t o statis ligious education and moral character of the candidate mas ters are strictly examined into before they can receive their tics ; and, without pledging himself to their accuracy, he brevets de capacite , believed it was perfectly true that at the pr esen t ti me a e enahlin. them. to conduct primary schools." largo portion of the children of the lower c l asses -re - Now, I have given you examples of both Protestant calved only a very imperfect education, or none t all, and that this was a • prolific source of crime. and Catholic countries in favour of the system—a system ' e Such a state of -- things was not creditable to a which in them all has been attended with the most perfect success, and which I venture to advocate. But is Christian and civilised country. Here he must this principle unknown in England? By no means. It advert to one point which had escaped the notice of has been tried in England. I have on more than one oc- the right hon. gentleman. In this country we had never sion drawn attention to the signal success of the laudable yet attempted a compulsory system of education—he meant, exertions of the present Bishop of Manchester, when at a system which compelled parents, under penalty, to semi the head of that splendid school called King Edward's their children to school. Schools might be multiplied, School. (Hear.) In that school no dissenting child had but the evil could not be effectually remedied so long as a the religious doctrines taught there forced upon him. The large portion of the community was indifferent to the practical result has been this, that the children of every value of education. Many people would not send their chil epaajainrjodg.rytiedo p °Hsi::: not school i f f eobdt t fuh h twa e t y thhitee e hh o bect u ehr l d make a profit of their labour. religions denomination freely came to participate in the advantages of that school, and religious dissension was ut mei ea right i e g p u d h r nt e t i I i p thy e a o r t n e u: i n g t tei would ° l n i t tlrewen attemptam a a s ani a it in attempted ll c p e o d t n e kn ' t . 1 .. .- terly unknown there. (Hear, hear.) At the present mo ment the same system was going on there and prospering, ing that the voluntary system had failed to accomplish the Well, I ask what reason can be given against the intro oh.baojde e n t o. s tttee i ntended . eioabi: toI keep heapd pace o o d e doubt d t o h n e e much in pi o b p u u t I a it_ daction of such a system generally into this country which has been found to work so advantageously in the other crea g s o er countries I have mentioned ? It seems to me that if hon. t o i tu ti ty or as to ° the isle of a pplyi n g the mo ney raised for the believed that there would be diffi gentlemen will only approach the subject in the spirit of candour and fairness, there is no difficulty in it which can educeition but he thought' purposes of , that the scheme of Rot be easily surmounted. Even the large number of educational boards was one as good as could be fra mes!. upon connected with the National Society do not insist that in the 'country d . • flied* He was a fraid districts the permissive upon the teaching of the Church Catechism in the case of Dissenting childten. I, therefore, submit to the house, nature of the measure might render the proposed syste m looking to the precedents of other countries, and the diffi- of little real benefit. He agreed that it would be impose culties of the subject in this country, that t his i is the. true sible to anticipate suctess in any plan of general education solution of those difficulties. I will no longer detain the unless there was in some way engrafted :upon it assistance house. I have now explained the whole of the grounds to existing schools. With regard to new schools, the dife upon which I think it is the imperative duty of Parlia- densities would be very great. They Were, he concluded meat to legislate upon this subject. This bill may be nn. frosts the statement of the right hon. baronet, to be schools successful in passing through this house, but I feel the in accordance with'the religious view's of the majority of deepest conviction that the importance of the question will the inhabitants in the particular district. In the country be increased more and more, and that ere long it must be districts the majority would belong to the Established settled upon a principle to the one I now submit. Sir, I Church, and, in that case,was no provision to be mad e am willing to incur the risk of failure upon a question of for the education of the hildren of those who dissented such importance. (Hear.) lam confident that even from the Church? The amount of the proposed rate was not amongst my own friends I will be told that I have gone stated. (Sir .L Pakineton—The maximum would be Gd.) too far—Churchmen may say that I concede too much, He (Sir G, Grey) fully agreed that the general feeling of the while Dissenters will, perhaps, say that I do not go far country was that religion should be connected with any sys. enough. Well, I have endeavoured, with a siulgeoninded tem of national education. This fact, he believed, had been object, to deal with the question in a spirit of fairness and sufficiently proved in the debates on the Manchester and justice to all classes and creeds; and in this spirit I DOW' Salford Bill. The supporters of that measure were of ask for leave to introduce this bill. Be its fate what it opinion that children should receive religiousinstruction may, be its consequences to myself what it may, I shall when they were not at school. There was, therefore, no still possess great satisfaction in knowing that I have irreconcileable difference between the views of the right always endeavoured to make my contribution to a subject hon. baronet and of those who were the advocates of what upon which I conscientiously believe that the welfare, was termed the secular system. The only objection which the character, and the happiness of this country de- he should have to referring the bill to a committee was, pende. (Cheers.) that they might be travelling over the same ground which. The SPEAKER having put the question, they had investigated when the Manchester and Salford. Mr. HADFIELD opposed the bill. After referring to Bill was before the house, and thus there might be an in the progress which education had made within the last few definite postponement of legislation on the subject. He years, he proceeded to advocate the importance of estab• trusted that the right hon. baronet would not press the se c lishing Sunday schools in preference to day schools ; be- road reading of his bill before Easter, and that when the house came Wits consideration in detail, it would do so with.cause the difficulty of getting children to attend day schools was so great that he did not believe that the number of a determination to accelerate the progress of education in , - scholars would be greatly augmented if day schools were this country. It had been said that pupil-teachers re much increased. He believed that it was the common de- calved so high an education that they left the business of teaching to engage in other callings. He said that they sire of persons of all creeds to promote the course of educe teaching but he was convinced that the object could never be should endeavour to elevate the edneafion of the teachers, and to make their occupation more worth theft. while by accomplished by rates and taxes. There could be no real h .) It had also success unless the voluntary system was adopted, and he giving them higher salaries. the com mitt ee (ll"t' of council had cation, would only retard progress and damage existing __ believed that compulsory rates, so far from assisting edu- been said that the grants, of not been fairly administered amongst yes poorer classes. stS . that in p institutions. He was afraid that neither this bill nor that He found from a Parliamentary re turn italfields of the noble lord the member for London would meet there had been grants amounting to 7x01; ; - 'll3. . George's ' the epprobation of the country. with in-the East, grants amounting to 2,80 0 /. ;in St. Mary' s , Lord STANLEY said, it would be equally difficult Totbill-fields, grants amounting to 1,:3501.; in White chapel, grants amounting to 1,060; and in the different and superfluous for him to follow his right hon. friend districts of Bethnal-green, grants amounting to 9,0621. through the vast variety of important details which he had (Rear, hear.) He merely now would add that he gave his discussed, but he wished to takethis the earliest opportu- most cordial assent to the introduction of the b i ll , and . , that he hoped it would tend to advance the , cause of edn nity of expressing in the strongest and most decided man cation in this country. (Hear, hear.) ner his approval of and adhesion to the general principles Lord. R. CECIL condemned the bill as not differing ape upon which his right hon. friend had attempted to settle preciably from the secular system, and challenged the, this question. The present time was most eminently fa- fairness of the right hon. baronet's statistics. - vourable for the settlement of this controversy; the stat e of Mr. W. J. FOX cordially re -echoed th e sentiment that the a d v ocates o fall of the right hon. baronet, feeling was different in many respects from what it had ferent schemes should endeavour to approximate to each been a few years ago, and there was upon all sides a grow- other, and to concede all that was possible for the sake of ing desire to effect some compromise and to make some obtaining some general scheme. In that spirit he was sacrifice in order to come to a practical arrangement. Some willing to consider the bill now brought before the house, theories which were very current *few years ago had been and he regretted that the noble l or d w h o last spoke had fully and frequently discussed, end after discussion had not done the same. One feature in this bill he particu teen condemned by a majority both in Parliament and in larly admired—that all the schools were to be free; and the country. For instance, the voluntary system a few if the great masters made education a condition of e m'- years ago was much more popular than at present; he ployment, it would act as sort of moral compulsion upon would not enter into the question of principle with regard parents to have their children educated. He defended the to that system, but he was considering how far it could principles of the secular system, but he would not allow ctically be adopted, and he thought it was impossi- his prapreference of that system to stand iu the way of a can did and even ,-, g rateful consideration of the hon. baronet's from every section of the house, without seeing that bill. the purely voluntary system was now supported by a very Mr. M. GIBSONaIs o a greed with much that was its p small minority. The hon. member for Oldham (Mr. Pole), the bill. The feared, was that in every in 1852, introduced with great ability an education b'll school or other was to be taught. supported by rates some religion founded on the secular system ; a measure had, also been re ligious people of this aught. He was sure the s i nc erely introduced by the noble lord the Colonial Secretary ; and t all sorts of religion out now another one had been brought forward by his rig ht country would not agree t e o w s o uppor would far rather leave religion hon, friend, all of them, although di ff ering in other re- of rates, and separatethereforeh hours and by different teachers ; spects, recognizing the priociple of State interfe rence ,to be taught in rtunity of giving notice that be would. and he took this oppo rtunity. which principle had, therefore, inhis opinion been ado pte dday move for leave to bring in a bill for free , o n an early by a majority of the house. (Hear.) They had s ec ular system, se that the house • for all schools en the might practical purposes got rid of the purely voluntary th e ory. a ll the schemes before them. together. Next carne the purely secular _ ary h a ve a principle. This,again, he Mr. ADDERLEY preferred this bill to Lord John would argue upon the ground of p rinciple , and, although Russell's. strong feelings were entertained • - PALMERSTON—I am sure the with respect to it, he Lord house is greatly must say that he seen so much of the •' d in debted to the right hon. hart. for the most interesting - mischief which h a d mos and been done to our labouring popul a ti on by the gross and able speech with which he prefaced his motion, showing, as utter igncrance in which they had been left, that lie s itdid, that he had given his powerful and vigorous ' •g' was prepared to support almost any feasible plan that would the investigation of one of the most interesting and impor give them the elements of knowledge, or at least enable tent subjects to which a public man can devote his atten them to acquire knowledge themselves. (Hear, hear.) tion. With regard to the measure he proposed, until it is He believed, however, that in the present state of feeling laid before the house, and we have seen the details printed, in this country the secular system was one which it would I think it would be premature to express any decided opi. be utterly impossible to carry out. In the first place, it nion upon the comparative merits of the scheme of the would b e oppose d b y th e c l ergy of all d enom i na tions, num• right hon. bast. and that of my noble friend the member bering i n E ng l an d an d W a l es a l one , 15,003 able, active, for the City of Louder. And here I may remark that I and educated men , exe rcising great influence iu their re- think, in truth, some of the observations of the hon. gen era-U.lloe lee The . f„,,H, 43 of the . g i cat . mass of the 4 tieuian 'Who last addressecl the house o: the bill of my .“ •- ---hichcli , l stol Include some I n -' , - • , wilo f rien d, rather anticip , e , rt itlialle tLiseussiorts, and v - ' ' '''-' '-. - 0. ' 2 ` l- '' ''.'"'" • : - -:;‘11g oi 1 .,;i,j 0u laity wup also `p i na t a s._ke.. ~ who thought ' ' and the teae'uin , of those things as regarded the place a t ' mixture of religious teaching. home persons_ ere ominational system was the best would be occasion. It they were ' the teacher taught or by whom they were taught." 1 that a non-den securing it, to wait 1.5 or 20 I on ' is tree,of-some hon. " willing, for the sake of . yeses that there is a great want more efficient system In a subsequent part of his speech the hon , member says-- i until a change tdoleplace in the feeling of the country, but ;for the education of the lower classes. I cannot, however, 1‘ The Vgdicin was, why was it theft ' ontelii which Nite that Was not pia view, He was willing to work with till) help twig th a t 1 4 awn kin, ho k ie e_imti__geratod tht - - , LETTER-CARRIERS. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE called the attention of the hon. member to the fact, that his promises, on the part of the Government, that the recommendations contained in the Report on the Post-office, relative to the letter carriers of the metropolis, should be speedily carried out, remain unfulfilled. Mr. WILSON said steps had been taken for carrying out the recommerviation at once, and a notice on the subject would be issued to-morrow. THE BUDGET. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he intended to make his Financial State ment before Easter ? _ . The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said there were several reasons, one of which was the period at which the financial year would terminate. That would induce him not to make his Financial St dement until after Easter. GENERAL EDUCATION. Sir J. PAKINGTON rose to move for leave to bring in a bill for the better encouragement of general education in England and Wales, and proceeded to address the house as follows :—Sir, I must, in the first place, bag to express my grateful sense of the courtesy and the fairness with which the noble lord has permitted me to-day, a day usually devoted to Government, to bring under the consideration of the house the motion of which I have given notice. It is perfectly true that after the postponement of my motion to which I consented in consequence of the state of public business, I might have lai I the bill of which I had given notice on the table in the same manner in which the noble lord the member for London had introduced his measure upon the same subject, and that I might have reserved any statement I might have to make until the second reading of the bill. But I was unwilling to take that course, partly because there are several portions of this groat ques tion of the education of the people to which I am very de sirous of drawing the attention of her Majesty's Govern ment and of the house in a preliminary statement, such as I am now about to make ; and partly because I confess I feel, that in my position as an independent member of this house, possessing no official power or influence, to have proposed a measure upon a question of this magni tude, without making any statement of the grounds upon which I did so, and of the nature of the proposal itself which I was about to submit to the house, would, i n my humble judgment, have been an unusual course, and a course disrespectful to the house. I am in T nr will consent to rith,lraw r; ,~, r ~ 01" ,- : ~ ~ . . . •, lieve to be ny far the I_ll.3st important, and not only the ino4 important, but the most pressnig of all the questions of the present day affecting the welfare and the institutions of this country. (Hear.) I hope that after a Driel time, perhaps after a few months, the war will have ceased, and peace will have returned ; but unless this house will con sent to address itself seriously to the present state of our pub lie education, we should still find ourselves surrounded by that mass of ignorance and crime which is now tarnishing our national reputation, and, as I relieve, sapping and un dermining our national welfare and our national prospei ity. 1 believe there is no question to which Pas liamont is more bound to address itself, and I think that, if the house will favour me with their attention, I shall be able to prove this evening that there is no question to which we as a Legis lature ought to devote more anxious consideration. lam happy to say that, even from the events of this war, we may draw some strong arguments in favour of education. (Hear, hear.) If there still are any persons who doubt the necessity of education, and who believe that to raise the people of this country as human beings, to teach them their duty towards God and man, is to unfit them for social duties and industrial pursuits—if there still are persons who linger in that belief, I think I may only refer them to the position of the British soldier as a satisfactory answer. (Hear, hear.) Ido not believe that any class of men were ever more rapidly raised in their moral and intellectual condition than our soldiers have been during the last forty years. (Hear, hear.) The Duke of Cambridge, in the course of his striking and able evidence—(Order, order.) Sir, I really forgot, but I will put itin another way. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.) I may say, then, I heard from his Royal Highness that even in his comparatively short expe rience, short as compared with forty years, the progress of our. soldiers in general education has been extraordinary, almost incredible. What has been the result? Sir, I think I may appeal to the results of the last few months, to many of those letters which we all have read in the public press, and then confidently assert that never at any period did our soldiery prove themselves more worthy than during those extraordinary combinations of victory and disaster. (Hear, hear.) I confess, sir, I approach this subject with a deep sen se , no t on ly o f its importance, but also of its difficulty. I feel, in bringing it before the house, and proposing legislation on the subject, it is duo to the house that I should give some explanations of my rea sons and motives to vindicate myself from any charge of presumption. I have been influenced in this course be cause. itehae appeared to me that the late Government of my Lord Aberdeen had been either deterred by the difficulties of the subject, or else abandoned ell idea of legislating upon it. Shortly after the formation of that ministry, I well remember that education was put in the very van of the professions made by the Government— (hear, hear) and very shortly after the noble lord the member for the City of London introduced a measure on the subject. That bill I will not venture to discuss at the present moment, but will venture to say there was a great deal in it that I was disposed to cupport, and which ap peared to me to be well worthy of consideration and dis cussion by this house—(hear, hear) - bat, unfortunately, it never progressed to a second reading. (Hear, hear.) Well, sir, what occurred last year, in the session of 1854 That plan, the mest important of all educational plans, in my opinion, known as the Manchester and Salford Bill, was brought under the consideration of the house]. That bill was the emanation of great patience, great labour, expe rience, and the combination of men of all religious deno mit-Miens ; yet how was the measure treated ? It was re jected and thrown out on the petty quibble as to whether, according to our forms, it was a public or a private bill. (Loud cries of hear, hear.) Sir, I must also observe, that • during the discussion on that bill the Treasury bench was absolutely unoccupied . ; and the Government having sub sequently given no sign, it appeared to ma as if the whole matter of educ a ti on l ea d been dropped. (Hear, hear.) It was, therefore, under these circumstances, and feeling that a subject of such importance should be dealt with by Parliament, that, at the close of the loot session, I de tormiued I would make this single attempt on the subject. and I accordingly gave notice of this bill. Iu the ses sion before Christmas I put my notice on the paper for the 25th of January, and, shortly after, the noble lord the member for the City of London gave notice of his intention to introduce a bill, on the 23.1 of January, two days previously, which bill has been introduced and laid on the table. I will not say that I know not whether but for my notice the noble lord would have introduced the bill.: (Hear, and a laugh.) I felt, however, I would not letS jastitied in withholding my notice—(hear)—but I can , clid:yesey it in no spirit of rivalry I come forward. I recognise the exertions of the noble lord during mane 'years its the cense of education ; and had he intimated, at .the - elose of last session, his intention to deal with the sub jecte-I never would have presumed to interfere in the mat tare but would leave it altogether in the bands of the noble lord. (Hear.) Now that we have embarked in the question, I hope, with the assistance of the noble lord and this house, that we shall arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. (Hear:) There is one portion of this subject of the greatest possible importance, and to which I am very desirous to call the attention of this house, and lucre particularly that of her Majesty's Government, because it is not embraced either in the bill of the noble lord the member for the City of Loudon or in that which I am desirous of introducing—l allude to the present constitution and action of the Com mittee of the Privy Council. Sir, Ism greatiy dissatisfied both with the constitution and the working of that commit tee. In the first place, I think the committee has become far too important• and intrusted with functions of far too great magnitude to continue longer without being recog nised as a department of the state, and consequently re presented in this house. ( Hear.) My objection to the action of the committee is this, that whilst Parliament vote: sums of money for public instruction, I veil tore to say that, by the present action, these sums are alto gether misapplied. (Hear.) Ido not at all deny that they have effected much good ; but I do contend the sums are badly administered and misapplied ; and that the liberality of Parliament produces the minimum, iusteacref the maxi mum, of public good. (Hear.) We have increased these grants, and risen from the sum of 10,0001. or 20,00e1., which used to be the amount voted in the time of the ad ministration of Lord Grey, until we have reached, as in the case of last year, the sum of 300,0001. Now, is there any case in which Parliament votes 300,0001. without having a responsible minister to account for its expenditure? (Hear.) There was a parallel case—the case of the Poor-law Board. After the institution of that board gentlemen of great ex perience and ability were appointed commissioners. Much dissatisfaction followed, and before many years the board had tJ bo reorganised as a public department, and cense quently represented in this house. (Hear.) Why should not education have a recognised department ? (Hear.) The time is gone by when these important matters can be dealt with in a half-and-half way ; and the time has come when Par liament has a right to see a minister in this house respon sible for the expenditure of this money, and liable to be called upon for explanation at any moment. There is no other country which does not recognise the importance of a Minister of Public Instruction—Francis, the cantons of Switzerland, America. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, with these precedents abroad I will proceed to establish the necessity for such an officer at home. (Hear.) The first point I will take is one of paramount importance—l mean the providing of efficient masters. (Hear.) The Commit tee of the Privy Council have not discharged their duty on that point with either wisdom or success. (Hear.) I hold in my hand the opinions of several inspectors of education, all complaining of the want of better provision for masters. The fact is, our masters are so overtrained that when the time comes for their educational duties they are far above them, and consequently they take to.other pursuits. Mr. Kennedy informs me in a letter that many of them betake themselves to holy orders; and therefore I think there is strong ground for inquiry by this house on that point amongst others. I believe it will be found that not above two-thirds of those trained for masters actually take to that occupation. So that we aro devoting grants of the public money to the bringing up of parties much to their own advantage, but not at all to the advantage of the pub lie. (Hear, hear, and a laugh.) Therefore I say the pub lic money is misapplied, and in, more ways than one, for the grants are made rather to wealthier districts than to the poorer which require them. The minute under which the grant is made requires that two-thirds of the sum shall be made up by the locality ; therefore, I believe, the poorer districts got nothing at all. Now,. sir, I will proceed to show this by contrasting four of the poorer parishes with four of the wealthier of this metropolis. The parish of Clerkenwell, with a population of 71,763 souls, gets 81. 17s. 4d. for books ; the parish of St. Giles, with 37,033 inhabitants, gets 31. 13s. 41. ; the parish of Shoreditch, with 25,000 souls, receives nothing . ; and the parish of Shadwell, with 11,710 souls, gets nothing. Now, the wealthier parishes are these—St. Martin's, Lei cester-square, with 8,503 souls, gets 4651. ; St. Barnebas, with 3,0a0 inhabitants, 400/. ; Ken.ish-town, with 5,000 inhabitants, 8161. and Kensington, with 30,003 souls, 2,1971. So that 11'4,500 persons receive 12/. OS. 80., whilst 16,000 persons get no less than 3,9081. I ask is that the policy which ought to influence this house in voting money? Yet that is the result of the minute under which the com mittee of the Privy Council is now acting. This, I say, would be iinneediately corrected if we had a proper minister for the department, and one who would be responsible for t n h o e w e , x s p ir e , n ; i r i o ti c r e r e e d o t f the ocal i m a o t n te ey n t i i ' o e n te t cl o by t the h s t i ho a s te o u f s e e will in this country, which I regret to say is very little under stood. It may be said, " The question ought to be left where it is, we aro getting on very well." Sir, I regret to say I shall be able to show that we are getting on quito scandal ously; and I shall place some facts before the house of a startling character, making, at the same time, no state ment without due authority. When the noble lord the member for the Cites of London brought forward the subject of education in 1853 he fell, and not unnaturally, into the error Of takir ' e far too flattering a view of the state of the question. But the noble lord, whilst adverting to the improvements that had taken place, never at all touched upon the deficiencies of our system. (Hear.) The statistics of the periods 1818,1833, and 1851. were very well known. It was ascertained that in 1818 there was only 1 in 17 of the inhabitants of this country at school; in 1833 there was 1 in 11 ; and in 1851 the proportion had increased to lin 8 of the population. Now this appears to be a great advance and improvement. (Hear.) But if you analyse the figures, and keep before you the dates, you will find that the advance between 1533 and 1851 is by no means of equal ratio with that occurring between 1818 and 1833. My own belief is that in many important districts of this country our condition in the period from 1833 to 1851 was worse than in the period from 1818 to 1833. York and Liverpool may be mentioned ; for in 1833 in Liverpool 1 in 7 and a fraction were at school, whilst in 1831 there was only 1 in,B and a fraction at school in the same town. (Hoar.) I will now proceed to call attention to the quality of the education, and inquire if those who go to schoolare properly taught. On this head four views of the question, present themselves before m e; fi r st, th e n um b er of thes e' who are without education; secondly: the quality 6f the education which they receive ; thirdly, our comparative state with regard to the rest of the world ; and, fourthly, the deplorable results of the neglect of this question. Mr. Horace Mann, in his able report on the census of 1851, sets down the population of tnis kingelone at what I shall take to be 18,000,003. The number of children between 3 and 15 years he estimates at nearly 5,000,000. I find that of these only 2,141,000 children wore at school. Therefore-there remained nearly 3,000,000 of children without education. Mr. Horace Mann made a deduction of 1,000,003 fo r chil dren at work. Now I demur to thit3eltAuatibrileeifig made at all; for I say that in any country where education is conducted on a sound basis children should not be allowed to work until they were educated. (Hear.) But I find by the statistics of the census that only 600,000 children are employed. The report of Mr. Horace Mann showed that of the children between the ages of 5 and 12 years, there should be 3,000,000 at school, and yet we find only two thirds of that number in reality receiving education. I now come to inquire why these children are not at school. A common ideaprevails that they aro at work. I believe that to be a mistake. (Hear.) In Manchester there wore 69,500 ' children between the ages of 3 and 14, of whom only 32,000 were at school, 7,000 at work, and 30,000 neither at school nor at work. The general result was, as to the whole coun try, that 41 per cent. were sent to school, 12 per cent. were at work, and 46 per cent. were neither at school nor at Y 1 work. Therefore, the children being et work cou ld not be I the eeeee ef in fpartl v „ . ' I(1 I great I 1 ,Ic , 011.1 tilt; afertled in the schools. And let it be recoliected that the evil Rceu mulated evs2ry genciation—that the parents, who them selves were uneducated, were prone to disregard it, and V T ' a 0 .I°llo t ° s jig Of Ar ft* ill Priv; o t,