The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-06 00:00:00

BENEVOLENCES.

On the recommendation of the Coal, Corn, and
Finance Committee, and on the motion of Mr. S.
YOUNG, jun., its chairman, £lOO was granted to the
London Society for Teaching the Blind to Read;
£52 10s. to the Guardian Society ; and £lO5 to the
City Dispensary.
The Court adjourned.

THE .REFUSAL OF THE CREW OF A
VESSEL TO PROCEED TO AMERICA.

PLYMOUTH, THURSDAY.
The appeal of the crew of the Columbia came on
before the borough magistrates here to-day. On
the bench—G. Mennie, Esq. (chairman), I. Skardon,
Esq., and Capt. Tracey, R.N. The affair appeared
to excite considerable interest, a large number of
those interested in maritime pursuits being present.
On the case being called, about a dozen of the
crew stepped forward.
(to the seamen)—You must
Magistrate's Clerk
elect who is going to present this case to the bench.
A seaman named Robert Brown stepped forward
and said himself and shipmates had come into the
court to know whether they were bound to go to sea
in the vessel when they had every reason to believe
that it was intended she should run the blockade,
they at the same time not having shipped for
any
such.
Captain Tracey-1s this a subterfuge now to get
rid of the voyage ?

Brown—No.
Cr
your captain know you
area Comingagedta
Brown—We have leave ; in fact we are dis-
charged, T
here Tracey—Does
but we want to be sent home to Scotland,
c
where we belong.

Their worships decided that they could not hear
the case unless the captain was present. The men
could have a summons to enforce his appearance if
they thought proper. They said that was English
law, and refused to hear anything further at present.
The men then retired.
The Columbia lies along Millbay Pier in the Great
Western Docks. Amongst her cargo she has a large
quantity of shell, powder, guns, and other war ma-
terial. It is said that she was refused a clearance in
London for her destination, but procured one at
Hamburgh. Immediately after her leaving Ham-
burgh, the crew having discovered her real charac-
ter, the majority struck work, and left the officers
and the rest of the crew to bring her here. They
are now discharged, and inquiries are being made
by her officers for stokers and seamen who are wil-
ling to risk the venture, to fill their places.
The Columbia is very neatly moulded, and well
fitted up and found. She is brig rigged and pierced j
with eight ports, but has deck houses, and bears
altogether more the aspect of being fitted for speed
than fighting. It is said that a report of her sailing
at
has been forwarded from the American consul
Hamburg to the Federal authorities.

_
Private and Landlord, to his Sergeant and Tenant
(aside). "Look here, Mr. Slangbam) if you come down
upon me so sharp at drill, I'll, --blowed if I don't raise
your rent in"--.Poncl,

The National Society for promoting the EI
tion of the Poor upon Christian Princjoles held ito
51st annual general meeting yesterday in Willis's
Rooms, when the Archbishop of York presided.
Amongst those present we noticed the Biebop of
London, the Bishop of St. Asaph, the Bishop or
Lichfield, the Bishop of St David's, the Earl of
Shrewsbury, Archdeacon St. Clair, the Rev. Canori
Harvey, Sir S. K. Slauttleworth, Mr. Hubbard,
M.P., Mr. Walter, M.P., the Rev. R. Burgess, &c.
The committee in their report remarked on the
success which had attended the special efforts which
marked the 50th anniversary of the society, the
result of which had been an addition to its income
for the year, and also a more general appreciation
of the services which it had rendered to Chul'cle
education. They had aided the work of school
building according to the scale of grants in force
last year, the- number of casts being 156—ari in-
crease en that vo:f'd. The proportion of cascs
lit
which no assista nco c,'as received from the Com-
mittee of Council on Eduction was larger than
iu
the preceding year. Since !Ile last audit the
treasurer had been authorised to Pay £4,541
on account of 175 schoolroonls, calculated
to accommodate 19,451 children, and 80
teachers' residences, which had bees? com-
pleted. The total number of schools nc;ited
to the society, without including those in union
only with diocesan boards, was now 11,900,
of which 184 had been added during the
past year. The committee were glad to find that
for the present the pecuniary arrangements be-
tween the Committee of Council and the training
schools was not to be disturbed. The committee:
had continued during the past year to vote to such
of the diocesan boards as had co-operated with the
society a sum of money to meet a like sum set Apart
by the board, the joint fund being distributed by
the board towards providing schools with books,
materials, and apparatus. They had also enter-
tained applications for assistance of the same kind
from managers of schools in those dioceses in which
the boards of education had not co-operated with
the society. They had not, however, been able lo
meet all the applications submitted to them. The
usual steady increase of business in the depository
had been maintained, the sales during the past year
having amounted to upwards of £26,000, being
nearly £2,000 in advance of those of the preceding
year. Specimens of the society's publications, and
of models of articles of school furniture most com-
monly in use, were now exhibited in the educational
department of the International Exhibition. The
local depots continued for the most part to maintain
their efficiency ; and during the past year grants
had been made for establishing depots at Halifax
and Warrington. As regarded the Welsh educa-
tion fund, the committee regretted the reduction
in the contributions—which had amounted only
yearly, on an average of the last three years, to
£1,200, and they regretted it the more as there
had been recently manifested on the part of the
State a disposition to limit the grants hitherto
made for the support of training schools. The
reports of the diocesan boards showed that a
keen interest was felt throughout the country
as to the operation of the revised code, and most of
the boards had memorialised the Committee of Coun-
cil against the proposed changes. Diocesan inspec-
tion had been well maintained wherever it had been
set on foot, and there was a steady and increasing
demand for the forms of inspection furnished by the
society. Last year grants had been voted in aid of
the erection of two additional training schools,
which, when completed, would make the number of
diocesan institutions 20-9 for masters, and 11 for
mistresses, exclusive of 3 belonging to the society,
2 in Wales, and 4 others connected with the Church
of England. Those institutions accommodated last
year 979 male, and 860 female pupils. Referring
to the Committee of Council on Education the com-
mittee regretted they had been compelled during
the past 3 ear to remonstrate with the Lord Presi-
dent on several cases in England where a grant in
aid of building a church school had been refused,
because the chance of union with the society, which
would be inconsistent with the "Conscience Clause,"
was proposed to be inserted in the trust deed—the
cases being those of country parishes in which two
schools could scarcely be maintained, and in which
a certain portion of the population was returned as
not belonging to the Church of England. It seemed
just that a grant should, in such cases, be voted pro-
portionate to the number of children in the parish
whose parents desired they should be brought Ill) in
the religious tenets of the Church of England. Tho
committee thus alluded to the revised code :
" The code, however, after three modifications,
has now been acquiesced in by the House of Commons.
It is matter of satisfaction that the Order of Council
of August 10, 1840, settling the terms on which
inspectors for Church of England schools are to be
nominated and dismissed, and also the instructions
to those inspectors relative to the examination of
Church schools in religious teaching, all reference
to which was omitted in the revised code in its
original shape, are now distinctly recognised as in•
force. The committee are persuaded that the clergy'
and other managers of Church schools will feel the
importance of this recognition. As to other poin
the
ts
of this revised code, the committee share
in
objections expressed by some of those members of
the House of Commons who gave an unwilling
assent to its adoption by the house. In particular
they would advert to the large falling•off which
they believe will ensue in the number of pupil-
teachers, and to the consequent difficulties which
must ensue to the training schools, which have been
built at great cost both to individuals and to the
public, and which have been raised to their present
condition by the encouragement and the grants of
the Privy Council. The committee expect that
further and important alterations will be found
necessary in the revised code, and they trust that
these will be of such a character as to maintain that
system of religious education, which they are con-
vinced is indispensable to the well-being of the
country."
Mr. Hubbard, ALP the Rev. Edward Monro, of
Leeds, Mr. Walter, M.:P., the Rev. R. Gregory, of
Lambeth, and the Rev. Canon Miller, subsequently
addressed the meeting, in moving and seconding
resolutions expressive of the objects of the society,
and especially pointing out the neccs6ity of watch-
ing the future progress of the revised code. A vote
of thanks to the right rev. chairman terminated the
iroceedings.