The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-17 00:00:00

THE REMOVAL OF WESTMINSTER SCHOOL.

Yesterday a meeting of Old Westminstera was
held in the Jerusalem Chamber, Westminster Abbey, to
take intooensidemti?n matter,, of rms. importance con-

netted with the welfare of Westminster Schocil. The meet-
ing was very numerously attended. Lord Ebury advocated
the retention of the school on its present site, but proposed
that it should be recast into a middle-class day school, and
thus meet a great educational want. Lord Charles Russell,
as one of those who still retained his connexion with the
school by sending his children there, was convinced that
the most desirable course to be pursued was to remove the
school Lord Llanover opposed Lord Ebury's proposition ;
he sawno reason why the old school, if re-
moved to a suitable distance from the metropolis,
should not revive, retain its old connexion with
the nobility and gentry of England, and vie with any
public school The Dean of Christ Church thought, con-
sidering the bad position of many of our public schools—
Eton notoriously unhealthy, Winchester in a swamp, Har-
row and Rugby without water—that it would be possible to
find a position which should combine every advantage for
the new St. Peter's College of Westminster when trans.
planted to fresh soil ; but of one thing be was convinced,
that if an angel from Heaven were to come down and under-
take the charge of Westminster School, he would find
it impossible to revive it on its present site. The Master of
Trinity said that if the school, as Lord Ebury seemed to
contemplate, were made a mere middle-class day-school,
the connexion existing between it and Trinity would be
materially weakened ; nor could it be expected that
under such a system many additions would be made to
those glorious names of poets, judges, and statesmen, who,
having been educated at Westminster, had been transferred
to Trinity and enrolled in the archives of that college. The
Dean of Westminster declared it to he his decided movie-
tion that it was desirable to remove it before the old West-
minster connexion was entirely snapped. The Duke of
Richmond,whosew before him in Sir James Graham hie fag
of bygone days, called on the Head Muster to state
his opinion. The Rev. C. B. Soot; Head Master of West-
minster, said that though the school had not fallen off much
of late years, still it languished. and seemed gradually to
decline. There were great diffieulties attending the moral
supervision of boys in the metropolis, great risk in pursuing
the favourite sport of Westminster; young and old, the
water, and, and above all things, want of Apace even for
educational purposes. After entering into some statistical
details to prove his point, Mr. Scott proceeded to may that
he thought, for various lemons, Lord Ebury's proposition
was not feasible, but he was very sanguine of the success
that would attend removal if the scheme were properly
and influentially carried out. The Bishop of St. Asaph then
moved a resolution to the effect that the meeting thought
it desirable, if it were possible, to remove the school.
Sir David Dundee end Sir James Graham pleaded for delay.
Lord Broughton followed still more decidedly against the
motion. Sir Walter James declared that he was decidedly
opposed to Lord Ebury's scheme, and said that ho thought
if the school were removed it might reasonably be expected
to revive. The Duke of Rklunouil then moved an amend-
ment to the effect that the meeting should stand adjourned
to Wednesday, the 13th of June, the Bishop of St. Asaph
withdrew his motion, and the amendment was unanimously
canied. On the day named it is expected that every
information to enable the meeting to arrive at a clear ex-
preioion of their opinion will be laid before the Old Wait-
'Masters who take part in it.

THE LADr AND THE VOLUNTEER MOVENEKT.—
The following letter, containing a practical suggestion se
regards the drill and efficiency of volunteer corpv, has been
addressed by Eat' Grosvenor, the commandant of the
Westminster Volunteer Corps, to a contemporary :—" May
I ask your kind insertion of a line on a subject of some
importance to the tradesmen of the west-end NMI to the
metropolitan volunteers? In this matter the !Adios have
it in their power to contribute very materially to the
efficiency of our volunteers—and how' By not shopping
after 2 p.m. on Saturday. Should they consent to
, yield to such a demand on their convenience and
good nature the tradesmen would be able to close
their shops at that hour, the men would obtain a half-
holiday, which many would be only too glad to devote to
the solitary exercises happily so much in hellion, to their
peat moral and physical bet. In the city business is
over by about 20 clock, and I amconlideut that if it were only
more generally known in our quarter what real practiml
advantage would accrue from a little personal sacrifice and
consideration on the part of the ladies in their Saturday's
shopping arrangements, they would be most willing to assist
in this halfdcoliday volunteer movement. Probably an aeice
chitin° of bolim might be started for this object, and a com-
mittee formed for acting upon this suggestion, if, as I think,
it is not altogether worthless..