The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-09 00:00:00

NATIONAL EDUCATION.

A DEPUTATION of the Metropolitan Church of
England Schoolmasters Association on Saturday
waited on the Right Hon. W. Cowper, Vice-President
of the Committee of Council on Education, at the
Privy Council office, for the purpose of presenting a
memoria: to the Committee complaining of certain
regulations established by the minutes of the Com.
mittee of Council, and which very materially affected
the interests of the schoolmasters of England.

The memorial set forth five distinct matters of
grievance:—First, that the amount, 4s. a week, payable
to male pupil teachers was insufficient, and the mode
of payment inconvenient, in consequence of which
the supply of suitable candidates as pupil teachers
in the metropolis and large towns was rendered
inadequate to the demand. Secondly, that the sums
paid to schoolmasters and schoolmistresses for the
special instruction of pupil teachers (Is. a lesson )
were not proportionate to the time and labour devoted
thereto. Thirdly, that a regulation had been laid
down by the Committee of Council, which precluded
the payment of all sums due to the schoolmasters on
leaving their schools, by way of augmentations and
gratuities, for a less term than one year. Fourthly,
that the schoolmasters were not allowed to employ
remuneratively their time out of school hours.
And fifthly, that the distribution of the capitation
grant, since its extension to all the national schools
throughout England and Wales, was not yet decided.
Mr. CoweE ft replied to these several points seriatim.
First, with rezard to the pupils' stipend, that was, no
doubt, a very serious matter, and required and should
have very serious attention. With regard to making
advances to the pupil teachers, he would consider
the point, but he was not prepared to express an
opinion upon it at present. As to increasing the
payment of the schoolmasters, it was difficu't to
estimate at what amount the gratuity ought to he
fixed. With reference to the other portions of the
memorial, the right hen. gentleman candidly
tt l.t the deputation that he could not at all
acquiesce in their statement, that it was unjust to
require the schoolmasters to devote all their remit-
neratile time to the duties of their schools. He did
not thick it would be right for the State to exact
less than the whole of their remunerative time ; nor
did he think that the schoolmasters should be
allowed to engage in any other occupation or employ-
ment.

Mr. SIMPSON begged to observe that if the State
would recognise the schoolmasters as servants of the
State, and would pay them in proportion to other
servants of the State, they would be perfectly

MAY 9, 1857.

satisfied ; but their lordships of the Committee on
Education refused to recognise the schoolmasters as
servants of the State.
Mr. Coweuß again assured the deputation that all
the matters they had brought before hint should
receive the most attentive and deliberate consider-
ation.

lortip any 6olonial ]attlligentr.

FRANCE.
THE NEUFCHATEL QUESTION.

The Aloniteur of Monday administered the follow-
ing sharp rebuke to the Berne papers for the pre-
mature publication of what they stated to be the
terms of the treaty agreed to by Switzerland and
rrussia:—

The Berne newspapers have just published what pro
fesses to be a statement of the articles of the treaty and
protocol intended for the settlement of the Neufchatel
question. This publication, which can only be the result
of a most unjustifiable indiscretion, is moreover at variance
in many respects with the trite text of the documents to
which it relates ; and it should be borne in mind that the
text itself had not as yet been definitively decided upon.
This abuse of confidence in the case of a negotiation not
as yet concluded is the more to be regretted as it may
possibly compromise its success.
Colonel Denzler, commanding the Republican
troops, and a member of the Grand Council of Neuf-
chatel, has published a letter addressed by him to
the Cantonal Governmen', blaming the acceptance
of the treaty without consulting the Grand Council.
The colonel expresses a hope that the people and
Grand Council of Neufchatel will declare themselves
against the treaty, to which he considers the status
quo preferable.
The Bund of Berne publishes the text of the first
instructions given to Dr. Kern. They simply show
that they have since been modified by the acceptance
of the draught of the treaty drawn up by the repre-
sentatives of the powers at the Penis Conference.
The instructions are dated the 21st of January last.
Dr. Kern has returned to Paris.
The Grand Duke Constantine of Russia has met
with a most distinguished reception in Paris. His
Imperial Highness was entertained on Wednesday
afternoon with a grand review of 50,000 troops in the
Champ de Mars; and in the evening the Corpo-
ration of Paris gave a brilliant fete at the Hotel de
Ville, at which his Imperial Highness was present.
Prince Napoleon left Paris on Thursday for Berlin.
His Imperial Highness was accompanied by General
tle Salles, Lieut.-Colonel Bertrand, Commandants
Ferri Pisani, and Captain Weidner. The Prince is
said to be charged with a mission from the Emperor
to the King of Prussia.
_

Baron Gros has been appointed to proceed on an
extraordinary mission to China. His Excellency has
been received by the Emperor at two lengthened
private audiences.
The Constitutionnel gives some details as to the
precise object of Baron Gros' mission :
This diplomatist will have to demand from the Chinese
Gcvernment reparation for wrongs peculiar to France
atone. Among others is the murder of M. Chappedelaine,
the :missionary who was last year put to death under the
most atrocious circumstances. lie is also to demand a
fresh treaty of cotnncerce. The French squadron is so
composed as to be able to ascend the rivers, and thus act
so strongly on the Chinese Government as to compel it to
satisfy the demands made.

The Moniteur observes, in announcing this appoint-
ment :

Lord Elgin has received from the Government of her
Britannic Majesty an analogous mission, with the same
title, and the two plenipotentiaries will lend each other
mutual assistance in the negotiations which are confided
to them, and the success of which would, without any
doubt, open a new field to Christian civilisation and the
commerce of all nations. M. le Baron Gros will almost
immediately embark on board the frigate Audacieuse. He
will be accompinied by M. Duchesne de Bellecourt,
secretary of the first class, M. the Vicomte de Contades,
secretary of the third class, M. the Marquis de Moges, and
141. the Comte de LatoutsMattbourg, attaches to this
extraordinary mission.

Lord Elgin embarked for Malta on the Ist, from
Marseilles.

The reorganisation of the Bank of France will be
restricted to a modification, said to be simply an
increase of 4,200,000/., wrich, instead of being lent
directly to the Government, is to bo employed
generally " in the service of commerce, industry, and
public credit." It is still affirmed, however, that the
Bank will open a credit of 2,000,0001., or 2,400,0001.,
in favour of the Treasury, upon three months' bills.
The preliminaries for the marriage of Prince
Napoleon with a Princess of Germany, it is confi-
dently stated, are considerably advanced.

AUSTRIA AND SARDINIA.
The continued reported reconciliation between the
Courts of Turin and Vienna, is denied by Le Nord.
" Nothing (observes that journal) has occurred which
indicates in any way a modification of the existing

THE PRESS.

situation." The Marquis Cantono has been nomi-
nated to the vacant po-t at Munich.
The Military Gazette of Piedmont says :

We Are assured th it the camp which, according to a
previous announcement, was to have been formed at Aless•
andria in the month of April, will not be established ; but
it appears to be certain that the troops belonging to the
garrisons of Turin, Genoa, Alessandria, Novara, and Ver-
celli will be assembled for some field manwuvres.

The discussion on the bill for a naval establish-
ment at LA Spezzia was still continued in the
Chamber of Deputies at 'Turin, on the Ist. Advert-
ing to some observations made by a former speaker,
General de la Marmora said :
Anstria is much farther from Mantua and Verona than
we are from La Spezzia. With batteries established on
the island of Palmuria, at Castellano, Santa Maria, and
Pezzinn, all emitting their fires, it will he easy to defend
the gulf against any fleet whatever. LA Spezzia is the
place whither the American fleet of the Metlitei ranean
proceed to repair damages, and French and English ves•
sels often do the same. Some have said that a fleet is a
superfluity for us. Is the Crimean war already forgotten ?
Without a national fleet we should have cut but a sorry
figure. We shall not want a prrisoit at La Spezzia; the
marine guard will sitlfic.e, and in time of war Genoa is
only at five hours' distance. Austria is constructing an
arsenal at rola ; if we want to have a good fleet, let us
transfer it to La Spezzia.
The Austrian Government has given some large
orders in France for machinery for the eleven steam-
ships of war in construction at Trieste, Venice, and
Pola. Of these one is a ship of the line, three fri-
gates, and two corvettes.