The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-28 00:00:00

CONGRESS OF MECHANICS' INSTITUTIONS.

TAMWORTH, WEDNESDAY.
The annual congress of the Midland Association of
Mechanics' Institutions was held in this town yesterday.
In the morning, a meeting for business matters took
place at the Town-hall, attended by about fifty delegates
from Birmingham, Derby, Wolverhampton, Stafford,
Worksop, Grantham, Lutterworth, Lincoln, Leicester,
Chesterfield, Nottingham, and other places in the Mid-
land counties. The Earl of Yarborough presided at the
commencement of the proceedings, but was soon after-
wards succeeded by Sir Robert Peel, Bart., the Presi-
dent-elect for the ensuing year. Suggestions of a prac-
tical character were discussed, some of which it was
thought expedient to adopt in the conduct of the va-
rious institutions, with the view to increase their effi-
ciency and usefulness, and a very general concurrence
of opinion was expressed on the subject of the advan-
tages which had been found to result from this annual
congress.
In the afternoon the delegates visited Drayton Manor,
on Sir Robert Peel's invitation, the celebrated gallery,
containing portraits of his illustrielis father's distin-
guished contemporaries, being opened to public view.
A conversazione took place at the Town-hall in the
evening. Sir Robert Peel in the chair. Amongst the
company were the Earl of Yarborough, Sir H. Wilmot,
Mr. Adderley, M.P., Mr. M. Milnes, M.P., Mr. Bass,
M.P., Dr. Lyon Playfair, Mr. M. 1). Hill, Q.C., Re-
corder of Birmingham, Mr. W. S. Dugdale, of Merivale-
hall, Mr. C. H. Bracebridge, of Atherstonc-hall, the
Mayors of Birmingham, Tamworth, &c.
Sir ROBERT PEEL first addressed the company. Un-
like a conference which had recently been held elsewhere,
they had assembled to devise the best means of promot-
ing the cultivation of the peaceful arts and sciences by
the working classes in the country. This assembly had
neither for its object the crumpling up of Russia, nor
the protection of the Ottoman empire ; the far nobler
object they had in view was to stir up a spirit worthy of
the working classes of this great country in respect of
that which most materially affected their interest, their
happiness, and their general welfare. What this asso-
ciation had, too, especially in view, was to give to the
industrial branch of the community at as cheap a rate
as possible literature of the highest class. If that were
done, he believed the class they were anxious to assist
would avail themselves of the opportunity afforded to
them of improving themselves. All the scientific re-
searches of the age were directed to economising of la-
bour : the reaping machine, one of the greatest novel-
ties in that particular, was proof of that ; to the same
object was directed the labours of M'Cormick, Garratt,
and Bell. When witnessing, the other (lay, the splen-
did evolutions of the mighty fleet at Shithead, and con-
templating the gigantic Duke of Wellington " walking
the waters like a thin:;- of life," he could not help feeling,
if even that was a thine: of war, it was also an emblem
of s-ientific knowledge and artistic skill. With our
knowledge, and looking at what had been done in this
country, there was no reason why we should be behind-
hand in anything capable of being mastered by re-
scnrcli and study. Yet we were : that could not be
denied. The fact was solely attributable to the defec-
tive education of the people. Now, the chief object of
:mechanics' institutions was to benefit the adult popula-
tion whosa :,ro,,;ress in the acquirement of knowledge had
been impeded by the want of primary instruction. It
was true that the number of schools had greatly increased
since 1850, but still in Manchester, the first provincial
city in the kingdom, the absence of education amongst
the people was still very great. He for one had the
fullest confidence in Lord John Russell in reference to
this matter, believing, as he did, that he, of all the
statesmen of this country, was most capable of dealing
with this all-important question. (Hear.) And if Go-
vernment did its duty, and took care of the education of
the children, society must do its duty a,lso, and take
care of the adult population. Once do this, and those
unhappy disputes betweed the empl, yer aid employed
would very soon cease. Only the other day, when
0,000 men were out on strike in the neighbourhood of
Stockport, he heard that in a few days the actual loss in
wages to labourers and profits amounted to no less than
150,000/. ; lost, absolutely lost, as much as if it had
been a loan to the Emperor of Russia. (Laughter.)
The same thing was going on at Preston, where he
would like to go and explain to the men the folly of
their proceedings, and endeavour to convince them that
their arbitrary measures—their combinations and strikes
—must result in injury to themselves, because, after all,
the price of labour must be regulated by the supply and
demand—wages being, in fact, entirely dependent on
and regulated by the standard of trade, its buoyancy
and depression. In this our age, great progress had un-
doubtedly been made • there was, lie believed, a dis-
'pesition pervading a,ll men's minds to appreciate the
blessings of peace ; it was our duty to make ourselves
worthy the enjoyment of those blessings ; and we could
not do so more than by endeavouring to improve the
moral and social condition of the working classes.
(Cheers.)
Mr. M. MILNES spoke to the sentiment—"The ad-
vantages which have resulted from the establishment of
reading-rooms." It was by the study of books alone
that the working man could expect to fairly maintain
his ground in any comparison or competition with the
educated workmen of other countries. He deplored as
much as any man the schisms between the employer and
the employed, to which the chairman had referred ;
let but the working man bet an insight into the science
of political economy, and lie had no fears for the result.
(Cheers.)

' Mr. ADDERLEY, M.P., spoke "on the advantages of
early education as preparatory to the enjoyment of the
advantages of Mechanics' and similar institutions."
Professor PLAYFAIR next addressed the assembly n
advocacy of systematic instruction, instead of desultory
lectures in mechanics' institutions. It roust now (he
said) be admitted that the intentions of the founders of
mechanics' institutions had not been fully realised.
Most of the bad tastes which characterised the adult
population might be traced to the deficiency and bad-
ness of primary instruction. In secondary education
there was the same deficiency ; the habits of observa-
tion had been also perverted by the child's primary edu-
cation ; still a man who attempted to touch our time-
honoured schools and forms was looked upon as a demo-
crat, and at most of our great schools in this country
all experience was ignored save that up to the thirteenth
other places,
century. .At Liverpool, Edinburgh, and I
wherever this difficulty had been grappled with,
.atilcl.o
better system established, it had been always
with
itheire
best success ; in fact, it had been
was no want Of taste amongst the pelonpleveil
foral.); it was
course of scientific lectures when a taste for
fie
man-
created. Dr. Playfiiir proceeded to point j
mechanics'
t regular
institu-
tions hi which it is proposed to assist moles
and
by enabling them to obtain diagrauenueiskii;
the corn-
et a small cost to illustrate particular sciences apparatus
should at last be clone in refereneue
this except Eng.
petition of industry had made it essentialt,,tthhti,sttosommaettt,l:ris7
almost all civilised nation had
educated
de force, and
unlessta url itnhteelul.e.oeitkwearus
übfeirngugsluahusdti substituted
were
soon suffer. It was
our commercial prosperity
on his trade without
quite true that a man carrymiglilVeoi u.,i_
e,
knowing anything of its
that if lie did know anythin.gu
such a state of ignorance
ciisolsomr:riunhe
better ; PrinofiVienablliet i\%t-owualds
istbul,ewbeedi
ttlfgloisar.tmteh'e`ytodigdonoent Ipossess the dignity of reason-
mechanics' institutions.
The Earl of YA R,Ry° Gli spoke in reference to the
Mr. Fosrr.e,
secretary
in the course of his speech he
ad vantages of union
addressed the meeting ; amongstui
the Society of Arts, next
mentioned that after encountering various difficulties,
publishers had c.‘nsented to supply books
for mechanics.
some seventy insttutions at discounts averaging 40 per

cent.
MriC. kr: BRACEBRIDGE spoke in reference to foreign
. Itory schools, and the system of primary educa-
-I;rof°nroni the continent. He narrated several interesting „lows illustrative of the defective state of primary
this country, and of the difficulties which
(t3andneele-;roninotienrs of education. had to contend with in the
way of inducing parents to scud their children to school.
These facts (he said) came under his own observation
preferred day,
was t and
he syste abundantly proved how greatly to be
education practised in some
staAtefste(rmathfeeweonotbinseernvta.
tions from the Mayors of Bir-
mingham and Derby.
The Earl of 'YARBOROUGH mos to
Sir Robert peel,
which the hon. ved a vote of thank
baronet suitbly ack-
now
ten o ledgeckd,. and the proceedings terminated shoratly after
'clo

ci)
at
ii:nt
eauii MALIANan p
Dunbar
s ie y
,E MIGRATION'. The ship Agincourt,
of 660 tons, belonging to Messrs.
and, Sons, of Limehouse, sailed from
Southampton, on Tuesday, for Geelong, with a full
complement of emigrants and a general cargo. She
anchored at the Motherbank'night,
the same and on
Wednesday morning, the wind being foul for putting to
sea by way of the Needles, commenced beating out into
the Channel past the east end of the Isle of Wight.
While off St. Helen's she missad stays twice, and shortly
afterwards touched the elbow of the Horsebank at Spit-
head, knocking off her false keel by the force of the
strike. As the ship commenced making water, the corn
rnander put back to Southampton Docks, where the Agin-
court has arrived, and where the cargo is being discharged
previous to the ship being placed in the dry dock for
repairs. The emigrants, 248 in number, will be removed
from the vessel to the Government depot while the ne-
cessary repairs are effected, or until another ship can be
provided for their conveyance to Australia. The Agin-
court was dispatched hence by Mr. George Drysdale,
On Wednesday Messrs. Dawson dispatched the fine ship
Tudor, Captain Quilhampton, 1,064 tons, for Melbourne,
with 380 emigrants, embarked from the Government
depot, equal to 340 statute adults, of which 137 were
single women.

... • '
wall of an out-house, h• gin across some flu Ingo,
three feet and a half higl , • i nothing on but a Guern-
j Hey shirt, steek, and tro ers. Comp bon
called the
assistance of two friendi who were passing, and g 014 it,
4
4
f : nda,lit, who made use of the mast disi;ir4titfiling, 4 xii
; down. There were upwards of B4_ poople,,aofpao, „,
owing to the noise defendant mad ei.--ao wjj-60-tiv•-4,
the custody of 255--B, he struck,-4110-,-a44*Oir 'Z•I",-,
voured repeatedly on his way te,-,Ttlio*.AiiiiO4.4o. ' 41"
complainant, and 255 was obli,ged-t,eS.prif:til:l4'44ttre- 0
,-ici
more help, owing to his resistanee.%, ,- 5,1,.; ----141.4/421
Two or three witnesses deposed tii-fiflclirredeiefivii±V
fastened to the railings, hanging across in-A, helidess-C.i.
dition, one of his feet having got fixed in his encTeay. ,
to climb over them. His coat, rattle, truncheon, and
lantern were found about the adjoining premises. When
asked what he did there, he said he was after a thief.
Defendant's only answer to the charge was that he
was intoxicated.
The prisoner was remanded.