The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-10-12 00:00:00

MR. L4NC4STER'S LECTURES.

On Wednesday eireiCiig ee'reiight. pursuant to
public advertisement, tie pinllatithrepic ills. Juseph
laminator delietied a Iti u e on his new as straw of
education, at the Theatre-Royal in Newciaele, to •
nusat.ruus mid enlightened audience. When tho
curtain was drawl, us,, a innutier of boy; selected
from those who burr for four mouths past teem, un.
der 4titio.i at the preparatory echo°, m the Vattern,
"ere discovered seated at tao desks, wt h their
sheel before them ; and who efterimards give the
andi ocular demnnstretion of the order
copliWohserved ii the scitouls on the Lancastrian
system. Mr. Lancaster soot, after mate his ap.
pearanee, when hr was received vista those marks
of congratulation so justly due to the advocate of
such a cause, and whit h were equally hot. mite
to the auditory who complimented hum. In teens
'anteing his lecture, he acknowledged the omit of
many of' those qualificutions expected to be 'net
with in a public speaker. Ile slated, tlim hoews•
the eon of a poor man, and that man a saldier ;
and. though I:e had a family of ten children, was
enabled, i•y the pension lie received Crew lits Ma.
jests, to educate his children with credit. Atter
noticing the bounty of the Royal Family with
which his labours were patronized. lie proceeded to
the businese of the evening, viz. " to explain the
manner in which unit man may govern and teach
luoo children with us much facility as 40, in half
the usual time, and all one-third of the mullion ex.
praise—the principle of order—tee method, whereby
unit book will serve fir 300 or 11)00 children—and
the manner in which 500 scholars unity seed at the
same instant of time." la elucidation of the first
part of his subject, Mr. L. observed, that the
system was purely • military one. He had noticed
for a long period, to what proficiency in discipline
• number of men could ;seedily be brought in the
army; and it forcibly struck his Mind, that if the
same were allupt.4 in a schrso:-room, the effects.
'would be precisely eimilar. The success of this
plan was now fully istahlished ; and surely no per.
son would argue, that because the eyween had
been hitherto exclusively used to train men for war,
that therefore it ought uut to be resorted to. in or-
der to enlighten the youthful mind. sod to fami-
liarise it to habits of peace and industry. The Lee.
turer then adverted to the disadvantages attending
the common mode of tuition, and forcilily contrast.
ed then, with the advantages connectel with dieser
plan. According to the old mode, the authority of
the master is merely personal. %Viten he absents him.
self he takes his authority with Min, and the cootie.
quence is, that the school i.istantly b comes a scams
of uproar and confusion. When the master returne,
he finds, according to the old proverb, that " Bed.
lam has broke loose," and generally begins to coo.
rect the evil by • " wholesale" whippiog. Ae•
cordingly to work he sits, and as the task is not
a very easy one, (i. inteularty if it be on a hot stem.
user's day) each successive victim comes in for it
double shave of the " good things," the m ester's
indignation always increareug in proportion to the
number of offending pupa ehe has to :lag. Not
so in the new plan, and for this ob, iiins reason—who
authority of the master is interwoven with the eye.
tem : among the boys are moment, sub-ntonitoes,
and a monitor-general, and these are as able, in the
absence of the master, to carry on the work of in.
struct;ori, as the captain; ite. of a regiment are
com;ietent to put the soldiers on parade through
the 'several military inanasorres, when the cow.
minder himself happens not to be present. Indeed,
to be eonviuced of the superiority of the new plan.
it is only necessary to visit the preparatory school in
this town, under the saperintendatice of Mt. Drury,
where boys in a few mouths have made such
progress in learning. as cannot but forcibly re.
commend the " British system of Educaticm" to
every unprejudiced mind. The Lecturer then no-
ticed the advantages that arise from the scholars be-
ing divided into classes, and the excellent effect
produced byvi judicious distribution of rewards and
punishments, by which a spirit of emulation was
strongly excited. and without which spirit, little
improvement could be made in the youthful mind.
The ri wards generally consist of a variety of little
useful articles ; those, however, who etnineetly dia.
bequest' themselves, are rewarded with medals. the
highest and most honourable of which hem a trate
ing Wieners of His Majesty. Mr. L. particularly no•
tired thimbles as being among the rewards, mid ob.
served, that the audience would hr ready to ask,
What have buys to ito with thimbles ? " I have seen
(said he) a troy 14 'reeler age make choice ofs thinks
ble, and when asked what he would do with it, he
frankly replied, • Make a present of it in nio.
then' And ought we not to cherish dispositame like
these, by ptitiiiie such articles within their choice,
that boys may thus shew their gratitacle to a fond
and indulgent mother, or their fraternal affection
towards • beloved sister?" The punishments are
likewise calculated to affect the mind rather then the
body, and are at complete variance with the cerise,.
real flagellation' so uniformly practised iii common
schools. For instance. • boy who acquires a harsh,
uncouth way of pronouncing his words (of which
Mr. L. gave a specimen) is sent round the school,
crying "1 Buy my matches I." One who is in the ha.
bit of going from his seat, is clapped in • place re.
sembling • hen-coop, and ycleped the " Strayed
chicken." A boy who appears insensible to the spi.
tit of emulation, and is what is visually termed a
dunce, is hung up in a large cage to the rce, of the
school-room, while the rest of the scholars parade
round hums displaying their honoring, &e. in exul-
tation. Any of the boys who may be addicted to
the dirty practice of sucking his own fingers. is on
the first offence placed in a conspicuous situation
in the school, with his fingers in his mouth, and •
label taxed. of " Suck-Anger baby ;" and should
two be gulty of such an offence, they arepaired off,
with their Anger* in each other's mouths ; and as
they have each a hostage, there is little fear of their
biting hard. The success of his first experiment
enabled Mr. Lancaster to feel the ground upon
which he stood, and convinced him of the efficaey
of the iprinciple, in directing the ductile mind of
youth into habits of virtue. industry, red know.
ledge. By pursuing the proiriple stead.' . he has
raised a monument to his memory mot, dnral,s
than marble or brass, by engrafting his isietruction•
into the minds of at least fifty thousai lido. co
The system of rewards and pi/retaliate-s in theist.
maim of his grand machine. He implants the seems
at atubnioo into the youthful mind, which is so di.

• .
iretesi es to animate the boy to the paths of honour
oodsoood windup Wheal a misdemeanour hap-
'pans in the school, the vonishnient is degradation,
and in that cue the right of a petticoat to a boy,
who previously considered himself a muu,. has be-
come, m the plan of Lancaster.* more dread-
ful infliction than the severest coo pineal chastise-
ment that can be itilaginedi4er i-sier were tempt-
ed to smile at the whiniiica . his punishments,
we could nut help adtuirepolhe excellence of the
principles they were calculated to produce ; and we
are persuaded, that the inure generally they are.
practised, when neceasity requires them, their very
whitaiiicality will the more insure their ancre.s. A
variety of those ponislimeuts he elucidated to the
audience by the exhibition of drawings, comment.
in;: upon their consequences and effects with much
perapictisty and guo.l-lininour. After that part of
his subject was finished, he made some pertinent
reflections on those advocate, of ignorance and.ioi 0.
leranee, who assert, that it is dangerous to commie-

nicate Ru.ii led.e .4 to those slim were C.Ouilleft to
the drudgery of daily Inhaler." The infamy of those
• who propagated such doctrine., lie exposed in the
mod animated fauriug.i; nod ee cannot "trip mat-
ing that those priests who have dared to 'widish
such scandalous doctrines, sire at disgrace to the sa-
cred posts they fill, sod unworthy the character of
Itritiiih subjects !
Mr. L. then proceeded to give thesiudience a
lively and interestiug d.:scription of the several in-
tervieWs he had with His Majesty and the Royal
Family ou the subject, and the munificent support
he received from them for the t xtetimon of ehr sys-
tem.—" Were I not to bring torwartl His Majesty
on this occasion," said MG L. " from whom 1 have
received so much, nod by whom I inn melded to ex-
tend thesysteta from one end of the kingdom to the -
other, [should be unworthy of standing before you,
man adirereateof the poor, this night." The Lecturer
then congratulated the audiemee on the spirit which
had been manifested in the cause in this place, and
expressed his conviction, from the proficiency which
the boys in the preparatory school Lad already
• Wide, of the altinsete emcees* of th 4 institution. He
then took occasion to recommend • school, on a si-
milar plan, foe Girls. He observed, that it was unly
making a sort of half jubilee without this; and as
Tinley of the girls would probably become servants.
Alm to their families, it would be as much to their
interest as lb. it honour to pay that attention to the
caste. sex which they had manifested to the other.
Its osocioded by oinking so offer of 2W. out of the
torteipts of the evening towards the institution of a
Jubilee Selma for Girli—thanked the audience for
their iedulgeoce. nod retired amidst the repeated
plaudits of the eoinpany.
Ilse proceeds of the house amounted to til. 8.-.

Oa Thursday night, Mr. Lancaster delivered
another lecture at-the theatre in North Shield.; but
from the 'herbs's, of the notice, and many of the
gentlemen of the place being at Alawick gessions,
it was not so crowded a house as at Newcastle.
The bores were 011etl, however, by a moat respec-
table audience; ilid from the great interest which
the lecture excited, arl&d to the novel exhibition
of the Laneesteriao scholars from this town, which
produced a sensation of drlight as instantaneous as
elweerivity, the whole plan received the most un-
atintobation. Mr. Linskill and his family
.t. ',Wind's many Gentlemen and Laiies
•t "!•.• ennee of-education among
~) . . ..0 1.10.110 b. t (Ildred we
• • • .t-e!; NI,. I,t, •-.. .
T...?

,1:', ti,4. new Now.,

w):, Ttletel•tare lr4S *tie-
v•••.'y tAff-rrict 'wiring...to that rti Nvw-
c • 1.,. aa,t. the ..rylpa,n7s of Ow boy, w.“
cOn•Meribly raid from 'het la..ettat.tl $,.
west +.B the top•ertion mtdr on the autliunre by
the tritium, shot people Mr lied to the green-room
immediately after the eortsindrojAt—the boys wee
caressed with eothosiastic affection, and at Gentle-
men, of the newest If.t.seylll/11, itellernorly gave 91.
to diotrjhate ortionset them, which was done swat
day by thew matter. io presence orthe whole school.
On the Isqya getting into the rich to leave Sht-Ids,
th-y gate three ehrev- ; and on arriving at New-
castle. thev lunched In military order into the
how+ at St. Aan's 80-, where Mr. Lancaster re-
sided. to hid hit. farewell,. This being unknown to
Mr. Lancy.ter, he wits struck with a delightful
surprise at the attachment or the boys. Before
they left him, a glass of wine was gweit to retch
of them, and on marching back to the coach to
proceed home, 'they formed a ring in front of St.
Anq's Row. mid gave three cheers for Mr. Lancas-
ter. • health and happiness.

On Friday Mr. Lancaster proceeded to Alnwiek,
by invitation of Ralph Anne. Esq. In the eveiiiiig•
he delivered a lecture to a respectable company,
committee of whom lied been previously formal
to establiob a school according to Mr. Lancaster's
plan. Next yawning Mr. L. was invited to Aln-
wick Castle, by hi. Grace the Duke of Northum-
berland, by whom he was received with that noble
condescension and affeibility for which his Grace is
distiogni.hed. The Duke's heart, which is ever
open to the *ants of the pour, was never more be-
nevolently eipantleil -thou on this occasion. His
Grace said, be bad some time been aosious to see
Mr. Lancaster' and was glad that he had now the
opportunity of forwarding bis plib• for the educa-
tion of the poet its Alnwick. The Duke expressed
himself a warm friend to the liberal principles upon
• which the Newcastle Lencastenan school was
four led, and felt indignant at the insidious at-
- tempt that had been made to bias his mind against
it,. netablishment.-.." Ni. pen. nor language,' says
Mr. Lancaster in a letter from Alnwick to one of
his Meads in Newcastle, " can express the heart-
felt satitfaction this intern view has produced. how
'gloriosa.' it is to see the nobles of the land, like the
King himself, become the patrons of education,
end friends If the poor. A school will be esta-
blished here worthy Ose House of Perry, the virtues
and sentimmda of whose Duke are more noble than
his Dukedom:*
_ _ _

°oil% to fhe difficulty of procariog a conVeyance
from Alowiek. Mr. Lsneaster did not reach Ber-
wick till six o'clock on Saturday ereitiag. At seven
he proceeded to the Town-Hall, *here lie delivered
a keture, salajch was received with loud ricelstrat-
time'. When .the liberkl and munificent conduct
of the Duke of Northumberland was stated, the
Halt reboun.lesl with the moot grateful applause*.
The people of Berwick hate so high on opinion

of Mr. Laticatter's system, Bart not only a new
school is to be established upon his plats, but the
serious cherity schools in tht town are to be new-
modelled, and consolidated into one,,upon the same
principle. The Mayor and prim:mil iiihslritants of
Bernick paid Mr. • Lancaster the utmost attention,
and u vote of thanks was passed to the Chief Ma-
gistrate, fur his urbanity and politeness iu granting
the Town Hell lot the meeting. .

Mr. Laucaster, after visiiing Edinburgh and
Glasgow. intends, on his return. to deliver a lec-
ture in Carlisle, some time iu the ensuing week.

INVEICAV;S CIRCUIT.

We have already stated the case of Alexander
(Allan, son of Chdrles Gillen, or Gillian, lElxnlrtr
in Longbridr, late servant to John Thomson, far-
mer, at Steyuie, in the parish of Speymouth, who
was found guilty of the crime of rape and murder,
committed upon the person of Elspet Lamb, daugh-
ter of John Lamb, in Nether Newton, is the said
pal
. . - .

The following is an imperfect sketch of the very
impressive speech delivered by the Lotto Jusrics
Ct. Etta on this (recision, by which eery individual
in Court was deeply sliected, except the unhappy
wretch who was so feelingly adinumsherl.
" Alexander Gillian—You were indicted and ac-
cused, at the instance of His Majesty's Advocate,
for having forcibly committed a rape on the person
of El zibell Lamb, a child of little more that, 10
yeins of ag-e; and fur hiving afterwards murderer;
her, -by breaking her skull to pieces! Of these
crimes you have been foood guilty by the unani-
mous voice of a jury, on the most satisfactory and
evullitice, not only uncontrovelted bt
proor, bat croili.iued in the clearest Manner by
your own judicial declaratincs. Of your guilt, thus
established by the verdict of an ioteli•gent jury,
there unfortunately C.lll remain no dred.d ; and
guilt such as youri bus seldom appeared in evidence
brine ally Court of Justice. Either of the crimes
of which you were aims. d would have been imply
sufficient to have brought you into yoar present
wreethed prediestnern—either would have been
anfficient to have weighed down the soul of ally
bulletin being to tile tartest pit of perdition.;
but both combined, exhibit a picture of depra•
vity which human alit ore has seldom displayed !
Under such c;,eunistailees est accumulated end
aggravated guilt, I look upon any punishment
which you eau receive in this woad, as mercy. Did
you flatter yourself that, if you escaped detecttoti
here, you could have bird at hken your place.
among the industries'', in the peaceful oretrpations
of men ? If so, you greatly deceived yourself.—
The mangled corpse of this innocent would have
uocensiugly haunted you. Her departed spirit
would have drums aside your curtain at midnight,
and horror ani despair would have driven you to
take vengeance epon yourself to escape the stings of
an agontsed•conscience. In pronouncing the sen-
tence of the law, therefore, upon you, I consider it
to be mercy. Prepare, then, for the impendiug fate
that awaits yeu, and from which rep-stance, uucere
and unreserved repentance, can alune shelter you.
—.Of your crimes Mid your sufferings, death will
alike relieve yon here; and perhaps. through the M-
AIM': goodness of God, the sates of tuercy may yet
be opened to you hereafter. Wtiether you are ono-
sessral of an a. Osr of rellbcoo.. or so a hat persuasion
you belong, I k..- , on. ; hot from your having at-
. , • • ',wen, I presume you belong to
e!.e.. •::,', :w,amoog the ministers whereof

. _ .
rut ,t r• (yenned. Si well as
idloril yeti every assistance.
take rare! et-m.6;M« yours, eves. by lidinite
are oat -.•a.ilt to given; n.tti nothing but the
moat mil. ig..eil e mine repentant e, can open
the least glonple of hope, that the remission of
your unparallelled Inns can be obtained. Even
then, it must be the merits and atonement* of our
Redeemer ahnte that can save your soul from the
just punishment which the 'mortally of your cunt
so loudly demands. Yon have already had all in-
stance that the wakeful rod penetrating eye of the
Almighty looked (limo upon your crime, and that
he miraculously altandoped you to yourself, so as
to make the device. which you had resorted toto-
coeceal your guilt, the very means of their com-
plete discovery. It was no small aggravation of
your offences, that you weld, reeking with the blood
of the inuocent chotJ, whom you had violated and
murdered, to the temple of the Lord, impiously
to mix with his people, while offering up their
prayers to the Most Iligh! Ills wonderful inter-
position instamly directed that act of impiety to
the discovery of your guilt ; for it was your per-
' tutlied mid restless behaviour in the house of
Gott which led to the suspicion of your having been
the perpetrator of the murder. It affords' a me-
inorehle instance that the eye of God never
and that he Wilms about detection by the eircum•
stances which were intended to shield front discovery.
You thought thit, by going to churelt, assuming
the solemn appearance, and imitating the conduct
of the people of God, you would have been able to
conceal your guilt ; but that cominaild over your-
self, which you trusted in. deserted you. You had
not Cult composure which a causcience at ease be-
°tows. Your restlessness and anxiety marked you
ut to observation ; and the home of God, to which
you hail impiously fled to cover your wickedness,
became the means of bringing your guilt to the light
of day. Such is the nature of your crimes, and such
the enormity of your guilt. I have not thus dwelt
upon them to insult you : far be it from me to tri-
umph over thb misfortunes or misery or a fellow-
creature. I know too well i lit.' frailty to which I.
in common with the rest of mankind. am incident,
to offer you any insult. I only dwell upon them
to awaken you, on the threshold of eternity, to a
seine of the enormity of crimes nut heard of in the
moods of mankind. I therefore entreat you to op.
ply diligently to the ministers of our holy religion,
to whatever sect you belong ; in all you will find
able and religious pastors to instruct you how to
obtain forgiveness of God. I repeat • that this can-
not be easily obtained ; spend not one idle or frivo-
lous moment if you improve the shntt period you
have to live, yon may yet hope for forgiveness
through the merits of our blessed Saviour. It only
remains for me to state the punohnient which you
are to outlergo.—The law has declared. that the
saunas of rape and murder shall be pnuished with
death ; sod for that of murder, which is the highest
thatcan be ccnotitted, bemuse the injury is irretrie.

volde, and the cotistquences never can be undone,
the law her Itereoltled certsiti aiddltional stigmas.
It Inns decreed , that Ihe es guilty of it
shall be bereft of privilei;ca common to all other.,;
that he shall he deprived of burial, and 'hut his
body shall not he permitted to deneciiil to its mo-
ther earth, like those of Cliristimis. It is therefore
ordered to be delivered to eurivtons, to lad public ly
dissected sad .inoteminteil. And in any other Otter,
that might perhaps have been the piiiiislenent in
your case; but as there lawn school fir medic:Me here
where you tint IA publicly itilatoalized, and av ttre
etiorntity of your cc Ones cry for the severest punish-
ment, I hard reeolved. by virtue of vie powers com-
mitted to me by the laws of the realm, to make you
a more lusting mill rneinora'ale example of the
fate which :twins the commission of suell
There is ;mother circitut,tinice which was its v.
ith
me in determining on the nature of the
The particular situ entail of that part of the couotry
where this c 'war committed ,e hot too well cal-
culated to Metre the perpetration of criitr•s, by the
means it affords of coace‘iliurtit. ire M%it-111,Ive It
vast woods, its uninhabited moor., amt thee onitiek
which reigns over it, are but too writ. tall.tllll,l
for that pierpogr. HIM, therefore, atis.taos that the
s.ilitary omals tend extelisiir wiltle of -tl.is part of
the cwontry Illgy he totvenwil by eve' y prism) of
both sexes nt even in tat! hours of
night, with confidence Witt 1,01 ity-•••••`,11,1 it is my
duty to make them .1. .4 fo.ite hr Greets mf ili,s pope
lois. cot. l i.e.', di it setter
your execiiiion, you he Iciitg in cote^ts, unlit
the fowl: of the air 10'.0k the flesh MI your holly,
anal your boles bled( it and whiten in the abide of
heaven, thereby to allhial a cons: :tot vturoi,.; of
the fatal conseipie. cc. which alieicbt inevitably at-•
trod the Hiding. nee of the hop-
nu that the e3olifipie may operate iti the pre-
vr ntion of criities, and her the. more rt.:o3llton
safety of the prople.—l have only to pronooner
theleentetiee of the Law, which is—'Mat you he
cailtiid back to the prison of lisvernest und El-
gin, there to retrial:), fed on bread and water,
until Wednesday the 14th day of November next;
end on that dart° be tukeit forth front prison,
sod on such convenient rut of the moor, near to
the place where the clime woe commitfrd, as shall
be•fixed upon by the- Sheriff of Elginshire, to be
hanged by the neck until You are dead, and there-
after to be hung In chains—and this tor atol
inay nod Almit;lity have mercy on your soul."
Gillen, who is a good-li•okilig you.tg mat, chant
19 years of age, !tope:it-eel totallr ius.ensible to his
'amnion.; and even when the woeful sentence was
pronounced upon hien, in a mime,- that would have
melted the heart of Huy ocher brine, Ilia
eon vtenenct betrays d out the eli,;titest symptom or
feeling or remorse.