The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-10 00:00:00

THE HOME SECRETARY AND
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.

Colonel Inglis, the Government Inspector of Indus-
trial Schools, has written, by direction of the Home
Secretary, to the managers of reformatory and indus-
trial schools, impressing upon them the imperative
obligation which lies on them to exercise personal vigi-
lant supervision in order to secure that The inmates
should in all respects be properly and humanely
treated, and that, while discipline should be enforced,
kindness should be the rule of the school. He
adds :

"It is especially important that the managers
should by actual inspection satisfy themselves as to
the quality and quantity of the food, clothing,
and bedding, should ascertain that full effect is given
to the provision for industrial training and general
education, and should see that the punishments are
kept withiii reasonable and legal bounds, and faith-
fully recorded in a book kept for the purpose.
Sir William Harcom t is of opinion that the
managing committee should meet at least once
a month, and should in every case keep
minutes of their proceedings. They should appoint
visitors, one of whom' at least, should visit the school
weekly and report to the general committee. He
wishes the inspector to be at once furnished with a
return of the names of the committee of your school,
as well as with a copy of the existing rules as to the
meetings of such committee; also with the number of
such meetings since the Ist orJanuary, 1881, and the
number of members present at each. He also wishes
that for the future a similar return should be sent
into my office with the quarterly returns.''

A document, of which the following is a copy,
signed by Colonel Inglis, is enclosed with the fore-
going letter :

" I am directed by Secretary Sir William Vernon
Harcourt to request the managers of reformatories
and industrial schools to direct their attention to the
necessity of enforcing a strict record of all offences
and punishments in the book which is kept for the
purpose, including the minor punishments inflicted by
the head teacher. It is also his wish that, on the first
of each month, a copy should be made of the entries
in the punishment book during the pi eceding month,
on a form to be prepared for the pur, ose ; and such
record shall on the first of each month be placed in a
conspicuous position on the wall of the schoolroom,
and not removed until after the annual visit of the
inspector. A copy of these records to be forwarded
to this office with the quarterly accounts."

THE LOSS OF THE KONING DER
, NEDERLANDEN.
The directors of the Nederlands Steamship Company
have received a letter from Captain Bruyns, the com-
mander of the late steamship Koning der Nederladen
dated Suez, November 18, giving a report of his
perilous voyage in the ship's boat after the steamer
had foundered until he reached the Chagos Islands.

It appears that, like the first officer's, ..the captain's
boat was separated from the others ma the third day,
owing to the strong wind and heavy rains, which pre-
vented the burning of signal lamps or compass light.
On the following morning, October 9, the weather
cleared up somewhat, when Captain Bruyns saw
starboard boat No. 3 in the distance, and corning up
with it he arranged with its commander (Mr.
Hoogeboom, the third officer) to try and keep
together as much as possible. At night, however,
they again lost sight of each other, and after that
time Captain Bruyns saw no more of any of the
boats. On October 12 he was in lat. 3 15 S., and
on the 13th in lat 433 S. and a north-westerly wind
beginning to make itself felt he concluded to shape
his course towards Peros Banhos, where he arrived on
the 18th, at four p.m., and anchored behind Diamond
Island. This island was uninhabited, but he found a
house, containing a couple of bamboo couches. His
intention was to visit the other islands, but at sunrise
a coasting trader was seen, which was reached by
rowing at eleven a.m. The Creole crew received them
most kindty, and provided them with fish and rice.
With their assistance a landing was effected at four
p.m. on the Ile du Coin, whose administrator, Mr. E.
L. Nicolin, sent a giz with six people to land the
ladies. This gentleman was most kind and obliging
to all.

On the Saturday following their arrival a schooner
was sighted at two and a half miles distant, and a
boat was sent off to speak with her. The boat returned
with letters from Mr. A. de la Roche, captain of the
schooner Cupidon, and Mr. Henry G. Ducroy,
Inspector of the Salomon Islands, who happened to be
on board. They promised to return soon to take the
shipwrecked people off, and, assisted by fair weather,
they were all embarked on Sunday, the 23rd of
October. On the Monday following they were landed
on the largest of the Salomon Islands, where they were
very hospitably received by the administrator, Mr.
Theodore Larcher.

On the Ist of November all the shipwrecked persons
were joyfully surprised en hearing a steam-whistle and
a gunshot, and soon afterwards the Nederlands Com-
pany's steamship 21Iadura came in sight. The embar-
cation was not accomplished without difficulties, but
the next day they were all safely on board, and began
to recover somewhat from the privations they had
experienced.
Captain Bruyns says that the health of the occu-
pants of the boat has conttinued satisfactory, all things
considered. The second officer, Mr. Zeelt, was suf-
fering from inflammation of the eyes ever since
leaving Batavia, and Mr. Logeman, one of the pas-
sengers, was ailing at the time he started on his
homeward voyage. Neither of these patients had re-
covered on reaching Suez, which is not surprising, but
the directors of the company are not aware that
so far any serious illness has been caused by the acci-
dent.