The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

FRIDAY.

The house met at five o'clock.
THE PARLIAMENT CLOCK.—Lord EGLINTOUN called atten-
tion to the dial of the clock tower of the new houses of parlia-
ment, and asked if all the dials were to be marked with such
hieroglyphics as the one put up, as in that case the public
would not be much the wiser as to the time of day. lie hoped
the figures would be .made modern and intelligible, instead of
being mediaeval, and much the reverse. He had also heard
that the tower had been built without providing the means of
raising the clock and bells. The public, therefore, were likely
to have a dial that could not be read, a clock that would not
go, and bells that could not be rung.—Earl GRANVILLE, in
reply, read a letter from Sir Charles Barry, in which he says :
—" The clearness of the numerals is of little importance, if
their position is clearly defined within some definite form that
will duly correspond with the point of the hour hand. The
clearness of the division of the minutes is really of the only
great importance; and you will see, therefore, that au unusual
prominence is given to the minute hand for that purpose.
UNCONSECRATED CEMETERIES.—Lord BROUGHAM pre-
sented a petition from Carlisle on the subject of burials in
burial grounds not consecrated.—The Bishop of EXETER
denied that Dissenters had any cause for complaint if the
bishop had refused to consecrate the ground till it should be
bput in a fit , according to the laws of , to
e consecrated, or if a place of sepulture was set apthe art Church for those
who were not members of the Church.
MINISTER OF. EDUCATION.
Earl GRANVILLE moved the second reading of the Vice-
President of the Committee of Council of Education Bill.
The Earl of DERBY thought that the time had arrived when
there should be a separate department established especially
charged with the education of the country. Probably the mode
proposed by his noble friend of carrying out the proposition
was the best that could be adopted ;. that was to say, the
appointment of a subordinate minister in the other house, or
in their lordships' house, if the president of the Council hap-
pened to be in the House of Commons, to represent the depart-
ment, on the same principle as the Board of Trade was repre-
sented. But if the time had arrived for charging a responsible
minister with the duties of instruction, was it not also time to
supersede the
privy council altogether in this matter, and to
Take the minister really and in fact responsible for the educa-
tion of the people ? The president of the Council had various
other duties to perform ; and he was not sure, although heavy
duties no doubt devolved upon the prime minister, that that
high functionary might not very effectually and very satisfac-
torily discharge the duties which fell upon the president of the
Council, provided that the matter of education was withdrawn

[FEBRUARY 19, 1856.

from the Council. He had a strong feeling that the institution_
of a minister of instruction at the present moment Rs,
desirable; that the subject should be altogether separated frew
the privy council ; and that the duties of the president of th°,
Council might be attached to those of the minister now call°
the first lord of the treasury, who might be relieved from the
nominal duties connected with the treasury. This, however, A
would open a very large question, into which be was Ileuni
present prepared to enter. He had no objection to the 137.
the second reading of which had just been proposed, 10:0f
standing that its object was to render the departmen:',.le
education a substantial office, presided over by a respell'
minister; and he said upon this, as upon most other questions,
that a single responsible minister was much more effigy
than a board, however respectable and able the members Con-
stituting that board might be.
Lord MONTEIGLE questioned the efficiency of the Beard of
Education, as the business supposed to be managed by the el
lie
officio members was really conducted by subordinates. a
rejoiced that in this case an approach had been made to
better system. The time had arrived for making the resl)°,•
sibility of the education of' the people more direct, and °°",'".
necting it more closely with parliament.
town
The Earl of ELLENBOR OUGR thought the work now thr°_,
on the Council of Education was quite enough for one ler,
and would be done by one man better than by a board. 13
the duties ought to be separated from political interests. 1111,
ought not to be entrusted to a man of extreme opinions, eithef,
in politics or religion, or on the subject of education itself. .11
he held extreme opinions in religion and politics, he would 11,e
secure the co-operation of the gentry and clergy of Y`
country ; and, if his opinions were extreme on eduenti°n
he would be inclined to sacrifice the labour of the children °,.
the working classes, indispensable to their families, to the °i
ject of making a literary peasantry.
Earl GREY agreed with the Earl of Ellenborough that
great fault had been committed by.the Council of Educe%
in requiring too high a standard of literary knowledge in
schoolmasters and schoolmistresses, to the detriment of qult
fications of a more practical and useful kind. He aPP0:1;
the duties of the board being transferred to one individ
but for some years they had very inconsiderately increased ~t°
number of parliamentary offices ; many new offices had Der,
created, while the old ones had been retained, though P"
duties were attached to them. In this respect the wholes
system required revision.
Lord BROIIGITAM expressed his satisfaction with the teLie
sure, and rejoiced that there was at last a prospect of ha"'
a real department of education in this country.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE and Earl GRANVILLE defendd
the principle of making the office of vice-president one idely
tified with the ministry. _ _

The bill was then reid a second time. •
The House of Commons Offices Bill was read a second tiale•
. The Metropolitan Police Bill was read a second time, after
short discussion, Lord CAMPBELL suggesting the insertion of
clause taking from the Secretary of State the power of rera°'
ving police magistrates at pleasure.
Lord PANMITEE laid on the table two letters, addressed t 4,,
him by the Earl of Cardigan and Lord Lucan, in reference to
e
the report of the Government Commission of Inquiry in tI2
Crimea, and moved that they be printed.
The house adjourned at twenty minutes past seven.

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