The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-23 00:00:00

EDUCATION IN MIDDLE-CLASS SCHOOLS.

A highly important meeting was held in the
She'dottiest Theatre. at Oxford, yesterday afternoon, for
the purpose of promoting the establishment of cheap public
schools for the lower middle classes. Thu Vice-Ohanoallor

occupied the chair, and 11111011 g those present were the
Bishops of Oxford, Rochester, and Chichester, the Right
Honourable Mr. Gladstone, Sic. The Vice• Chancellor
opened the proceedings in an eloquent speech, in
which he explained that the object of the meeting
was to procure the Reaction and support of the University
for a class of schools which had been established by Mr.
Woodward in Sussex, sod which was the beginning of a
great movement throughout the kingdom for the establish.
merit of public boarding schools, for the sons of the upper
class of tradesmen, farmers, clerks, kg" at payments from
2131. to 301. a year, and to support a scheme for the erection
of premises to accommodate 1,000 boys, sem of small
shopkeepers and others of what might be termed the lower
middle elan at Shoreham. The masters of such schools to
be:clergymen, graduates, and trained schoolmasters. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the first resolution,which
was as follows :—"Considering the growth of intelli-
gence among the lower classes, owing to the impulse given
of late yeses to education, the establishment of public)
boarding schools for the education of the lower and middle
dimes, which may be cheap and self-supporting, is of great
national importance." After some preliminary remarks,
eulogistic of the scheme of Mr. Woodward, ea established
and in action at Ilurstpierpoint and Shoreham, the right
hon gentleman proceeded to address hituseU to the general
question of eduoation among the middle Glance and the
advantage of public schools. The Bishop of Oiliest seconded
the resolution 311 an able speech, ►nd it was carried
unanimously. Other resolutions, pledging the meeting
to support the scheme for the establishment of the schools,
were also moved ant carried.

We read in the /flustrated Tiescs:—" The aggre-
gate amount of drawback allowed to the papermakers and
stationers on their stock in hand on Oct. 1, the day on which
the objectionable paper duty came to an end, will
of course not be generally known until a return is
presented to parliament; but that it will be some-
thing considerable may be gathered from the fact
th►t one firm of wholesale stationers the largest,
however, in London, and indeed in the world—Messrs.
Spalding and Bodge, of Drury-lane, will have to receive
no leas a sum than 16,6891. 12s. Si., The task of weighing
their stock of paper was &laborious one. The entire series of
vault' beneath St. Martin's Hill were engaged by the firm
for the purpose, and here the excisemen, assisted by a staff
of porters, were occupied for upwards of a fortnight.
During this period 101,520 reams of piper were weighed,
the total weight amounting, I hear, to 201.16,36.51 b."
Among the last topics in the scientific branches
of the service, we (Army and Navy Owette) hear that the
great 300-pounder mumle-loader of Sir William Armstrong
is nearly completed at Elawick, and will soon be on its way
down to the proof-butts of the Royal ArsenaL A 100-
pounder, with the highly-important alteration of having •
solid breech-piece, and with the vent forced through the
metal of the gun, is also likely to be the subject of trial at
no very distant date.

"Already," says the Army awl Navy Guyette,
"rumour, and we believe not altogether without founda-
tion, is busy with the programme of military displays
which are to take plaoe before the august personages who
are expected to visit the Great International Exhibition of
1862. It is under contemplation then to remove the
brigade at Shonicliff, including its general and his staff, to
Aldershott ; end regiments at Dover, Portsmouth, Ply-
mouth, and other places, will also contribute their quotas
towanhi swelling the array it is intended to place before
ear illustrious guests. An immense force of cavalry and
artillery will also assemble at the principal camp, and go
order canvas there."

The meetings of scientific societies for the ensuing
week are : —Monday, Actuaries, 7.—" Mortality Experience
of Scottish Amicable Life Society," Mr. Specs. Royal
Academy, B.—" Anatomy," Mr. Partridge. Geographical,
8..—" Australian Explorations, Probable Fate of Leich-
hardt." Tuesday, Engineers, B.—" Meesunog Die-
taocee by Telescope," Mr. Bray ; " Lock Ken
Viaduct, Port Patrick Rail.," Mr. Blyth. Zoological,
9.—" Mantchourian Crane, Society's Gardens," Mr.
Bartlett; " Laird Shelia" 1)r. L. Pfeiffer. Wedoes-
day, Society of Arts, B.—" Comparison of '5l with '61,"
Mr. B. Jerrold ; Society of Literature, 81 ; Arcireological
Association, 81 ; " Discoveries on the Site of the Friars,
Ludlow " Discoveries, Wroxeter," Mr. Wright ; " Ex-
cavations, }Utley Abbey," Rev. 11. Kell ; " Romeo Anti-
quities, Devon," Mr. Spiv Coming. Thursday, Philolo-
gical, 8 ; Antiquaries, 81. Saturday,. Royal, 4.—ADni-

MS. CORD= AND THE CARLISLE ELECTION.—
At a meeting of Mr. Putter's supporters at Carlisle, on
nupday, Mr. J. D. Carr stated that two or three weeks
ago he remised a letter from Mr. Cobden, in which the
hoe gentleman expressed his very great desire for the
return of Mr. Potter. (Applause.) He knew that Mr.
Cobden was held in the highest estimation in Carlisle by,
he might se , all classes of men—tories, and liberals, and
all Don (Hear, beer.) Knowing that his desire
was so strong for the return of Mr. Potter, he (Mr. Carr)
considered that, in a. great sense, by returning that gentle-
man they would return Mr. Cobden along with him.
(Applause.) He might also state that Mr. Cobden 's health
was far from strong, and it was quite possible that he
would have to go to the Continent before lie could be able
to attend to his parliamentary duties ; and his anxiety,
before leaving this country, was to leave behind him men
competent to carry oat those measures for which he had
been intensely labouring during so many years, and at such
a great ascribes to his health ; and he (Mr. Carr) believed
thaw was no individual in this country that Mr. Cobden WAS
more anxious to have in the House of Commons than Mr.
Potter.