The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-12-20 00:00:00

BRITISH SCHOOL EX&IIINATION.

On Wednesday evening the mholars attending this
echoed were examined in the spacious othmtiroom
beloogieg to the Congregational Chapel. Previous to
that the boys were supplied with plenty of cake and Ws
In their school-room, whilst. public tea we. provided
for their west. mid friends in the building in which
the examination took place. Alter tea a somewhat
•emerous number of the friends and supporters of the
school were present at the exaninatiou, which wascon-
ducted by their sobool-toseter, Mr. Batchelor. The
Rev. J. B. Lewis wan celled upon to take the chair.
The Casindur said they bad been invited by the
! committee of the British Bo.' School to come there
! for the purpose of bearing something what 0 a children
! bad been doing in the school, and alao of listening to ID
saateinathoe which would be condected by the wheel-
mutat sad other friends present. SI they, no doubt,
were aware there was • thorough eserchine esainication
of the boys annually by the Government Inspador.
Awarding to the present system every child less sub-
mitted personally to that tent, and he believed a eery
large percentage of those eligible rillected credit upon
armeale. and credit upon their muter. Many per-
sons in the town were not aware of the good work which
ass being carried out by mesas of this whooL The
parents of &Wren sent to this school of course knew
how they we:ratting so, but many who had not
thildren at this would be Owned at having atone
to listen at er the ehildren were capable of doing.
When thie was made known he felt uttered that those
persons who had Pot hitherto supported the school
would do so, es it was conducted upon the best of all
prineiples—that of the Scripture. (Hear' hear.)
The boys were then ezamined in reading and spelling,
whieh, on the whole, was satisfactory.
Song—" Life's Pathway."
The examination in history was very good, sud showed
that the boys had thoroughly at heart, not only • know•
ledge of the part condition of the emintry, but were slso
null acepaninted with subjects of later data, end their !
mowers upon th• chief events in eoannotioo with the
Amerio•n war were really astonishing.
Song—" Hunting Boos."
Mr. DANON said the meeting had been invited that
night in order that their intersct might he excited on
behalf of the Weymouth Britith Hoye' School, an insti.
tation which well deserved their support, but which re-
cessed little. The British School suffered, he tess afraid,
from haying so stony friends. All the Dissenting eon-
(logations in the town were supposed to be interested
ID It; but it was with the uttuoet diMeulty ehe school
could be maintained. There was no aviety in the town
which was kept up with more trouble, and its history
for the past 30 years was. continued struggle for life.
23 years ago, when the present committee entered upon
its managencest, there was • Uluc, due to the
treasurer of £5O or £6o—(a voice, C7l3)—bat about two
years ago their late treasurer most generously pee up
hi. claim. The committee, however, like all honest
men, hoped there ass a good time coining when they
should be able to repay it. (Hear, hear.) But there
was • debt of E 25 now upon the school, which he dated
had arisen from having been compelled to have a more
commodious uhoolromit than the we in Sc. Nicholas'
street, for which they had to pay • rut of £9O per
mainnu. When the school was in Nicholas-stead
Government withdrew their usual grant, and would
not renew it natil a more commodimis room was
obtained. Since they had removed the Government
Inspector had approved of their present schoolroom, and
they would seats receive the Government grant.
Mr. Baniterr, the treasurer, reed his account, which
be said was made op to Chnstume, and from which it
appeared there was a Waxier due to him of
£24 lee. 9d., and that the amount required to be raised
anomaly to meet the expenses of the school was about
£7O. lie said that this school was of great importance
to Dissenters, and hoped those who had not yet sup-
ported it would WOMB forward and do so. Ile espreseed
• hops that in order to pion the school upon a more
satialsetory basin, Dissenters would give in their names
u annual subscribers.
Yr. Roues, in the course of his speech, remarked
that although this school was maintained principally by
Dissents., it was not, sectarian in its principles, but
the ehildren were taught those principles inculcated by
the Word of Ood. He alluded to the time when there
ems a debt of upon the school, and said if friends
were as much disposed ooc to help the institution as
they were then, the small debt upon the school would
soon be got rid of. If more sympathy was thrown into
It the committee would rise above anything like the
position in which they were now placed, and instead of
having to struggle sod cause for sonnet, they would have
to oommundate the program the school was making,
and give the ratifying aseursace that they were •
rosperoas and successful body. (Applause.)
Mr. Buddha expressed his gritilleatioa at hearing
Mr. Babies hay there was nothing sectarian in the
school, He valued his principled, but they were sunk
when in the school. (Hear hear.)
Mr. LUND'S •Iso addreeild the nesting, remarking
that the only thing which was not in the school as. the
Church Catechism. A lady bad suggested to his a
way for wiping of the debt, which was that the meet-
ing should be canvassed for promisee as to what extent
they would aupport the school. (Applause)
Mr. BAILING bogged to propose that the lady who
had suggested that scheme should carry it out.
The Treasurer was entrusted with this duty, and
several persons recorded their name., so that there is
probability of the debt being soon liquidated.
The Rev. it. ASHTON said that, much as they might
wish the school to be kept up without the Government
grant, he did not think they were in • position to do so.
He did not look upon this school so much az • Dis-
senter's school, for there was only one thing which was
not taught and that was the Church Catechism.

The C11•111114X remarked that the committee did not
wish for any boy to go to say Sunday School eacept
where their parents
Recitation: "The Newcastle Apothecary.'
The examination in geography and Scripture history
was most creditable, the answers bring given with cor-
rectness and precidon.
The result of the examination was most satisfactory,
and reflects the greatest oredit upon tutor and scholar,
and the mating, In order to mark their approval of Mr.
Batchelor's conduct, gave him a rote of onnlideece.

PORTL A ND. —lnteDeLf r. A very e a tints' re landslip
took piece here on asturdny,Plmilar in nun,' respect. to
the one which occurred about Iwo years ar. The slip
took place Dear the Yerne Battery, at the halt of the
Breakwater Hotel, and it is feared that the houses in
that beadily are somewhat nhaken by ik effects.
Fortenatcly no person was inland.