The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-09 00:00:00

ENTERTAINMENT AT THE MANSION HOU

In pursuance of the intention of the Right Hop,. he
Lord Mayor to give a series of entertainments at e
Mansion-house, for the purpose of aiding the efforts of
her Majesty's Government in the promotion of a more
general and practical knowledge of science and art
among all trisses, a conference of the mayors of the
different towns in the United Kingdom was yesterday
held at the Mansion-house, the Lord Mayor (Mr. Alder-
man Challis, M.P.) presiding on the occasion. Among
those present at the conference were the Lord Provost
of Edinburgh, the Lord Mayors of Dublin and York,
and the Mayors and Provosts of Glasgow, Birmingham,
Manchester, Liverpool, Hull, Halifax, Bradford, BelfaSt,
Wakefield, Blackburn, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Durham,
Wolverhampton, Bristol, Exeter, Bath, Norwich, Lei-
cester Nottingham, Derby, Limerick, Leeds, Coventry,
Macclesfield, Chester, Stafford, Gloucester, Salisbury,
Truro, Southampton, Bolton, Brighton, Sunderland,
Paisley, Cork, Waterford, Dudley, Cambridge, Wor-
cester, and others.

The LORD MAYOR having called the attention of the
meeting to the principles enunciated, and cordially con-
curred in, at the dinner of the previous evening, with
respect to the necessity of diffusing and extending more
widely a knowledge of art and science throughout all
classes in the country, stated that the object of the con-
ference was to consider the best means of giving prac-
tical effect to the opinions then expressed, and that the
Board of Trade had directed Dr. Lyon Playfair and Mr.
H. Cole, the secretaries of the new department of science
and art, to attend for the purpose of affording explana-
tions of the course adopted by the Board of Trade with
respect to affording assistance to provincial schools.
His lordship having expressed himself warmly in favour
of extended education in science and art, concluded his
address by calling upon Dr. Lyon Playfair and Mr. H.
Cole to address the conference.

Mr. H. COLE in compliance with the request of his
lordship, explained the objects of the recent minute of
the Board of Trade with respect to the means by which
it was proposed to render assistance to provincial schools
of art. Mr. Cole pointed out the causes of failure
in those schools of design which had been estab-
lished under the previous system, which he attributed
in a great degree to the fact that the schools were not
made self-supporting in their character. The principle
upon which the new regulations were founded was that
of leaving the management of local institutions to the
authorities on the spot, confining the direct support of
the Government mainly to affording facilities and aid in
obtaining suitable and accomplished teachers, and the
necessary apparatus and instruments of the most ap-
proved description. Several towns had already availed
themselves of the facilities afforded, and he was happy
to be in a position to state that in Waterford, Chester,
Hereford, and several other towns, the schools recently
established were in a most satisfactory condition.
Dr. LYON PLAYFAIR, as secretary of the department
of science, stated that precisely similar principles to
those enunciated by Mr. Cole had been adopted by the
Government with respect to the extension of practical
science. The great majority of the mechanics' institutes
throughout the country were at present in a languishing
condition—a circumstance which was mainly traceable
to the want of elementary instruction in science, and the
necessarily desultory character of the information pro.
vided by lectures or other means at those institutions.
Under improved management, he thought that the exist-
ing Institutions might be made exceedingly valuable,
while their comparative want of success up to the
present time afforded no sufficient ground for supposing
that their future success might not be greatly and widely
increased.

Some discussion as to the best mode of giving effect
to the views of her Majesty's Government then ensued,
in which the Mayor of Liverpool, the Lord Provost of
Edinburgh, the Provost of Glasgow, the mayors of
Hull, Newcastle, Leicester, Chester, Southampton,
York, Norwich, and Belfast took part. Several of the
municipal representatives gave very satisfactory ac-
counts of the state of scientific and artistic education in
the respective boroughs and towns which they repre-
sented, and while some saw considerable difficulties in
the practical development of the plans of the Govern-
ment, one and all fully concurred in the announcement
contained in the speech from the Throne at the com-
mencement of the present session, "That the advance-
ment of the fine arts and of practical science will be
readily recognised by you as worthy the attention of a
great and enlightened nation ;" the most perfect unani-
mity of feeling prevailed on the part of all present as to
the desirableness of assisting, by all means in their
power, in the increased diffusion of a knowledge of prac-
tical science and art.

On the motion of the Lard Mayor of YORK, seconded
by the Mayor of NORWICH, thanks of the conference
were most cordially tendered to the Lord Mayor for the
courtesy and hospitality which he had displayed.
The conference then broke up.

THE CONVERSAZIONE.—On the evening of yesterday
the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress received an unusually
large and brilliant assembly, comprising many of the
most distinguished persons whose names are associated
with art, science, and education. The Egyptian-hall,
ball-room, and spacious saloons were filled with a choice
collection of paintings, statues, casts, diagrams, recently
invented machinery, and educational books and appara-
tus. The company, a fair proportion of whom were
ladies, began to arrive at nine o'clock, and kept up in
rapid succession until ;midnight. Refreshments were
abundantly supplied in the course of the evening, and
an elegant supper provided at midnight in the Long
Parlour. The guests did not separate till an early hour
this morning.