The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-01 00:00:00

suggested for the im-
provement of 1846, various. plans were
of theereeducation given. • Thee
provem9t- of. the g
schoolmasters an
grea"°lnt 19.41 ts. n7lihworltmYtbisetre4nalissesr and wsianthdthtealveinetwS ofof
improving these,
efficient insteadgreat labour had been
ofinefficient assistants.estowedon
creating Instead
n
bof the monitors who formed part of the systems both of
Bell and Lancaster, there had been adopted a system of
pupil teachers, who had been found exceedingly well quad-.
lified for' -their duties. Of late years their number had
greatly increased. Where; in 1850, -there were 1,717
.
schools, with 4,600 pupil teachers, this number hadtin-
C 1852? c12',,2i n77115,111,0tand 5,607 apprentices ;
schools and 6,912 apprentices. It might be reckoned that.
2,066nd 671b871s4prentices ; 1853, 2;546,
these 6,912 pupil teachers represented 280,000 children
under this mode of instruction. The benefit to be derived
from pupil teachers was not confined merely to the im-
provement of the character of the schools and the quality of
instruction. The poorer classes had, in many instances,
derived very great benefit from their sons receiving an
income which he (Lord John Russell) believed was
generally about 181. a year for their merit and their
time. The parents had considered themselves raised by this
to a better position in the world, and had thought that
their children were making a progress in the world which
would be a credit to themselves. The vote upon this head
was of a considerable sum, the amount for the annual sti-
pends of pupil teachers, and gratuities to schoolmasters and
schoolmistresses, being this year 130,000/. It was not ne-
cessary to say much in respect to sums of money which were
to be granted under the heads which had formerly prevailed
in the estimates.- By a minute of last year a large propor-
tion of the coat of building a school might be contributed
in cases where the poverty of the district required it.
There was an increase of 5001. in the item for books and
maps: Another important item was that for training
schools. A few years ago there was only one training
school at Battersea, and that was a very incomplete esta-
blishment. Lately both the Church of England and other
denominations had exerted themselves for the establish-
meat of these institutions, in which young men and women
were educated to be schoolmasters and schoolmistresses at
an average expense of 401. per head per annum. These
schools were 29 in number, and their annual expenditure
might biereckoned at 60,0001., of which there was contri-
buted from the Government funds nearly 20,0001., or about
one-third. He had a few words to say about-the establish-
meat at Kneller-hall, where it had originally been intended
to establish a training-school; and. at the same, time a Mo-
del-school fok convicts. There had been various difficulties
in the-way of establishing that model school ; but commu-
nicating the other day with his noble friend the Secretary
Of State for the Home Department, he had learned that it
was his opinion that it was 'desirable that a penal school
should be established, and that it should be attached
in some way to Kneller-hall, in order that those who
were being educated there as schoolmasters might have'
the advantages which ouch an establishment would
offer. Plans for this establishment had not been adopted,
and no vote for the purpose would now be proposed. He
had only further to state that, as the Government did
not propose in the present year to alter in any way the
system which had been approved by the house, he would
not enter at all into the questions that had been matter of
controversy ;in former years. He should hope that before
any very long time elapsed there would be
greater concur-
rence of opinion than now prevailed with respect to the
important subject of education. For although it was
shown by the census of echication which had lately appeared,
as far as statistical tables went, that there had been very
great progress made in the quantity of education given in
the country, and that whilst in the year 1818 there was but
one in seventeen cf the population receiving instruction—
the proportion-had now increased to one in eight, or one in
HOUSE COF COMMON the
eight or nine ; yet our general knowledge and experience of
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock. particular localities, and especially of those districts which
were most populous, only too clearly proved that a less fa-
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
vourable state of things existed in many places than the
The Lords' amendments to the Hertford and Welwyn statistical returns, giving general averages, would lead them
Junction Railway Bill, and the Stockton and Darlington to infer. (Hear, hear.) Whether they took the case of
Railway Bill, were considered and agreed to. London, or any of the large and - populous towns through-
The following bills were read a third time and passed : out the country, or whether, again, they took the rural
Royal Conical Flour Mill Company ; Tees Conservancy ; parishes, they would find that there were a very great
Ambergate, Nottingham and Boston, and Eastern Junction number of young children who were not receiving instruc-
Railway ; Eastern. Counties Railway (Purchase of Rail,'
ways, &c.) ; Westminster Terminus Railway. tion, and also a great number of persons who had grown
up to be.adults without possessing the commonest elements
• • SUPPLY—COMMITTEE. of education. This could only be regarded as a very un-
On the order of _the day for going into committee of satisfactory state of this question. The evil was one which
en.pply,
was no doubt diminished by the amount of voluntary con-
Sir J. PAKINGTON asked „why the grant of 6001.
tributions and voluntary efforts that had been made ; yet
a-year for the Bishop of New Zealand had been with- he feared it presented a state of things which could not
drawn from the estimates. If he had had the honour to
be wholly reached le voluntary exertions, unsupported by
y ear, hear.) At the same
induced him to withdraw that allowance in the manner
retain the seals of the Colonial Office,
nothing should have assistance from the State.
time, he must confess that unless there was a prospect of
a greater concurrence of opinion on the subject of educe-
and at the time' that it had been stopped. Without any
tion, and more especially on those religions points which
warnileg or notice the Bishop of New Zealand had received
adtishin a'private letter from the Colonial Office, intimat- created- warm differences, he thought it would be
ing the cessation of his salary. He (Sir J. Pakington) useless attempting to bring forward in that house any
thereupon instituted inquiries, and he - now held in his general plan of national education. If the Government .
hand a written communication from a friend of the Bishop were prematurely to introduce a proposal for establishing
such a-general system. of education, .and they failed. in
of New Zealand, stating that the salary had ale.ays been
paid through the Colonial Treasury, and though the vote carrying it, such a result would only be calculated to ex-
did not appear in the estimates of last year, the bishop re- asperate the differences to which he had alluded, and pro-
ceived it as usual; and he now wanted to know why the bably defer to a later period the adoption of any compre-
salary was stopped in 1853, and he wanted to know why hensive scheme on the
on of an plan of general eche-
subject. Therefore he would not
no.notice had been sent to the bishop of the intention to now enter into the discussi
withdraw his salary. cation, but simply content himself with saying that the
Sir G. GREY said this was a case which must be treated
on general rules. Reread a despatch from Governor Grey did not
Government were, he believed, now doing a considerable
amount of good, although he admitted that they
d voured
received three years ago, from the suggestions of which accomplish so much as could be desired. They
the ecclesiastical payments from this country to New Zea-
ff by contributing a
land were abolished. He regretted that the salary should to assist their
to o establish endeavoured
and
gave education,
be stopped, but it was unavoidable under the dream-
means
aura to reduce the amount of subscriptions they were
stances:
called upon to make, but to a far greater eatent , by - ,
The anbject then dropped. . ' . of the inspectors and the system of pupil-teachers, to im-
TREATY OF ADRIANOPLE. prove the quality of the education imparted. Without
On the motion of Mr. LAYA.RD en address was agreed
the aid afforded in this way by the Government• the cone
doctors of these schools would be • rant of the improve-
to for a copy of a despatch addressed by-the Earl of Aber- meets made in other places, and the general tonfrof ecluca-
deen to Lord Heytesbury, her MajtratFnbassador at tion would not be so high as in all the better free schools
St Petersburg, on the subject of the eA.drianople, he was happy to say it was. With these observations, he
MILITIA.
,DEPO'W u
.f-, would now propose the vote which was in the chairman's
Colonel GILPIN begged tea asks tialtegrethxy-at-War hands. (Hear, hear.)
what steps had been taken by her Majesty's Government Sir J. PAKINGTON had listened to the statement of
to secure militia depots from the payment of local taxation.
the noble lord with feelings of groat disappointment, and
Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT said that he had understood very much akin to those with which he had obser fed the
from the legal authorities that militia depots or stores whole course adopted by the present Government from its
should be on the same footing as barracks, and ,were, first formation on the interesting and important subject of
therefore, under the existing law, exempt from taxation. national education. At the outset of the administration
- Colonel DUNNE said that at Chatham several officers the noble lord had recognised that question as—what it
in barracks had been called upon to pay local rates. He really was—one of the *most pressing questions of the pre-
trusted the right hon. gentleman would direct his atten- sent day, and accordingly
ahe last session laid on the
tion to the relief of these officers.
table of that house a bill proposing some very important
THE MILITIA IN SCOTLAND.
Colonel BLAIR wished to ask the noble lord the Scare- changes in the system of education adopted in this coun-
tarp of State for the Home Department whether it was the try. That measure had, however, been abandoned, and
intention not been reintroduced this - session. On the con-
intention of the Government to Introduce into Parliament trary, the noblelord refrained from proposing any legisla-
a Scotch Militia Bill, and also whether it was their inten-tion whatever on this great subject, which attracted so
tion to embody the militia during the autumn, as such a much public attention ; but after maintaining studied
course would, with regard to the Scotch harvest, occasion silence upon it till the end of the session, he now came
much inconvenience? • ' down to the house; and, in laying down these estimates
Lord PALMERSTON replied that a bill was now,being on the table, merely told the house that Government re-
prepared and would be introduced into Parliament to adapt garded the quality of the education as of more consequence
the Scotch militia to the improved system which prevailed than the increase of its quantity, and stated that the re-
in England. When that bill passed steps would be ligious difficulties of the question were so great that he
taken to enrol the men; but whether or not. they would despaired of obtaining the assent of Parliament to any
be called out for training during the autumn would depend measure for establishing a more extended system.
entirely upon considerations connected with the conve- Lord J. RUSSELL exillained that he did not entertain
nience of the several counties. It could not be the wish of feelings of despair on the subject.
the Government to interfere with the rural pursuits and
occupations in Scotland. Sir J. PAKINGTON did not wish to misrepresent the
THE POLICE BILL. noble lord; but if he desired to meet the views of. the
Ifr.-11A.SSEY begged to ask the noble lord the 'Bone country on this great question, and if his professions with
Secretary whether it was his intention to proceed with the regard to it were sincere, as no doubt they were, why did
Police Bill ? he not bring his measure of last session to a second reading,
Lord PALMERSTON said that when the order for the and afford the house an opportunity of expressing an opinion
second reading of this bill, was read, it was his intention on the subject? He believed that in many parts of the
to move to discharge it, in order that he Might withdraw country the proportion of the population receiving instruc.
this bill. At the same time it was his intention to ask tion was much less than one in eight or one in nine, and
leave to bring in another bill, the provisions of which would even if they had actualle attained such a result as those
be confined to the county police. (Hear.) He believed that figures would indicate, it would afford no reason why the
the objections which had been rained to his original bill by G
bona in
or the Parliament should relax in its exer-
many boroughs were_not well founded. His opinion was a 1 the cause of education. In the United States of
receivingteducation was as high as one in six. He
-that such boroughs would practically become the resort of America
tion6ll the free states) the proportion of the popula-
offenders from the counties. He had already had repro- mightio remind
e thohhoue that a bill on the subject of educe-
sentations from the inhabitants of several boroughs, stating
that they did not agree with the opinions expressed by Manchester scheme—was brought in by an
pledge
eeshisemd
soonli.ttohe
hon. friend of his •
their town councils, but that, of course, was a matter which attention of the house. J.
Hake iwhogtuletul'icittsupdled"
the councils and the inhabitants must settle between them-
selves. If the inhabitants found that their council did not the details of that bill; but he believed, in its main principles
avail itself of the means which the present law afforded of and substance, it might hive been adopted with advantage
uniting with the county, they had only to select other by the Government as the groundwork of a system of oda-
councillors who would better attend to the interests of the cation for the country at large: Yet the noble lord had re-
fused to assist or hold out any encouragement to its pro-
borough • and if the evil was such as he apprehended it meters, who, he must say, had taken up and persevered
would be, he had no doubt that they would have recourse with the scheme in a spirit that did them great honour.
to the remedy offered by the present law.
He was sorry, therefore, to see the noble lord take such a
HOUSE OF LORDS. !
THE ACCOMMODATION FOR MEMBERS IN THE desponding view of this great, subject, and he believed that
• • if the Government addressed themselves to its Considera-
Lord DUDLEY STUART wished to take this opPortu- tion in a bolder spirit, they would be met in a spirit of
„ .., ~ .
of calling the attenelon- or the house to the accommoda• fairness anti moderation by the house that would afford
tion, or rather the want of accommodation, for members some hope that the stain would be wiped away from this
of that house in • what Ile believed was to be described in aountry caused by the existence of so much ignorance
, , 7'`4- ' • -tt
parliamentary Porasech6gY /48 another place." (Hear. among our dense town and country population. If, the
awnodu_a lang,h ) He was sere that many hon. members i Government allowed another session of Parliament to pass
Id be disposed to Leree with him as to the incooveni-. in the same inactivity and indifference upon this question,
once which was felt byhon- members when they were pre- he believed they would be guilty in -a greater degree of the
sent to h
occasion, ea: what passed—(a laugh)—there, as, upon a recent same practical neglect which had hitherto marked their
‘Yllen as were given upon a subject-of conduct with reference to it. (Hear.)
European
moda.i 3n ontiPvztanee. There were galleries for the aceome Mr. MIALL thought that the educational question had
members, and a space before the bar where it hitherto been brought under the consideration of the house
was understood that they ini
accommodation OA take their places, bit this in ta most inconvenient form, and, that while all the other
was BO
which he referred he wall mited that on the occasion to a estimates were presented in such a shape as to ensure their
been in going into a theatre ranch hustled as ho had ever proper examination and acceptance by the house, the edu-
There were certainly admit Ina a crowd in the street. cational vote, which of all others was the most interesting
who were not members of that hgroeuast many
more persons and important, was brought forward under circumstances
(Hear, hear.) At the same time that' than who were so*
that rendered its passing a matter of mere accident. Ho
sustaining this inconvenience, the iiae- members were hoped that that system would be continued no longer, and
understood to be appropriated to foreigners"'len., which were trusted that the presence in that house of the noble lord
were empty. Now, as the peersworn of distinction, the President of the Council might he taken as a guarantee
gallery to which the Speaker admitted) fordadmitted to the that a more satisfacto mode of dealing with this
Unction in that' house, he th t • gnere of die' t.
oug it was but eeie. thques ion would beadopted for the future. The esti-
,
same accommodation should be afforded to hon.at. the mates for educational purposes last year amounted to
rn e_
in the "other place" to which he had ref ed. erc."anr3 260,0001., whilst that for the present year had been in-
rate, he should hope that if a representation wasA t --Y
a, creased to no less than 333,8734 ; and he could not but
either by the Speaker or by his right hon. friend therufi egret that the noble lord had not seen the propriety
Commissioner of Works (Sir Win. Molesworth) in thet of explaining clearly to the house the necessity that
proper quarter, some measures might he adopted which had arisen to call for so vast an augmentation in this
would remedy what was considered a great evil, and one v'pte• He (Mr. Miall) hoped that the popularity and
which interfered with members in doing what • abstr •
of the use of education, would
almost be considered a part of their parliamentary du.ties.
might notmerits
totdazzle the es of hon. members as to prevent their
(Hear, hear.) watching • eyes
a. with jealousy the application .of these steadily
Lord R. GROSVENOR Concurred with .
the noble increasin f th •control i
g luids, and taking care that their and
lord in his • •
description of the want of accommodation in a managemera weee not co 'tted to despotic and irreson-
place which he was able by a stretch of his imagination to Bible hands. The --
--mull'
t Lo d of the ,
recognise; and said that, on the occasion referred
to, he scribed-
hash
d
Sir Robert Peel some years ago,e the had listened. to the explanation of a distinguished states- h educational 'flee of the Privy Council, to
• man upon his knees. At the same time he felt that any whom functione
committee
confided, as a body clothed
treaty which was made upon this subject ought to be'one h
statesman and uncontrolled power ; and the latter
otreciprocity,and.he could not but feel that the accommo- . great
those wuoinan especial) had thrown ridicule on the idea
dation provided in. that :house for noble personagel was, cil to be responsibleeunposed the Coueruittee of the Privy Coun-
' haying regard. to the greater attraction which the proceed- deVised fora. to Parliament when the measures they '
' logs of that house were supposed to possess, still more cuted withoutrrtt
ing on education were &Noland and limited than than was the accommodation for hon. members in o consent of Pali' ' jet (M JII•• ll)
considered that there was much lament. e r. la
re-
another place.
presentation of the matter, force and truth in this SUPPLY--THE EDUCATIONAL ESTIMATES.. unconstitutional character' and could not brit object to the
-• -The house having resolved itself into a committee of which education in this count the
State machinery .by
n.y wa3 , _,
supply, .
same time, he wished it to bedist. u °n"acted- At. the
Lord JOHN RUSSELL Presented the estimates for edu- casting the slightest imputation upon 9 understood as not
cational purposes. In doing so he proposed to address a tegrity of those who adininietered igen tehti) honour and in- 1
short explanation to the house, but as the principle and the i His strictures were applicable to the educational grants.
heads of the expenditure were unchanged, he should not thought they were expounding a systemsYs em itself.
itself
think it necessary to make many observations. The whole • and he wished to have some inquiry into n the educational
. initse!fi
aruonnt proposed to be voted WAS 26300". ; but as there ! results that had been prodticed. He had 1 k
oo ed over the
were balances from the two previous years, the sum pro- 1 reports of various inspectors that le I. b
atbeen laid upon th
posed to be expended b the 31st March of next year 1 table and had compared them one with an ther the
ainonuted in the whole to 341,873 Z• The principle upon ' could' not for a moment pretend that the o *
which. t ese reports were
these estimates had for many Years boon foundo was unfavotirable to the system, on the contrary, he thought
, not that of providinz ~ • Ily fur the edueation of the it might be fairly expected that these gentlemen people at 'are but ben". - would
be, . rather of assisting voluntary , give direct testimony hi favour of a system in which.
efforts made by individuals for that purpose. In I they felt they were directly interested ; but if they
adopting that 'plinciple, and providing only a finiall gleaned these reports, and went ever them with a
portion of funds for each school, the 'Government could jealous eye, they would be able to pick out passages
not pretend to dictate as to the edrication which should i' which throw more light incidentally on the subject of
be given, but was bound to that to the founders ; education, both in populous places and in rural
leave
.parishes,
of the schools. Tu 1839 it ! •they could gather •
tags wail likely to result was decided that greater advan- than
froth improving the quality of 1 which they contained. There were two or three results
edu •
cation rather than its quantity.
,up.'which he 'nferred,from the facts that were stated in these
that time increased . .
,up to ,
--- lu quantity, but ',without a corres- I reports. He inferred, first of all, that the system insist
apontlin.g increase in character, and the education given fail in this respect, that it had given money largely where -
n ttekiachools for the poor. was of a very low and insuffi- ! money was not wanting,- and it had not given money for
• 'l2 its:/,' By the PrDP3B4I 01'1839, and still more by the the promotion of education where money was wanting.

I MPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.)

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on th 3 woolsack
at five o'clock.
The Norfolk Railway Bill, the Mallow and Fermoy
Railway. Bill, the York-, Newcastle and Berwick (Con-
struction of Docks, etc.) Bill, the Bradford, Wakefield,
and Leeds Railway Bill, the Leeds, Bradford, and Hali-
fax Junction Railway Bill, and the Oxford., Worcester,
and Wolverhampton (Chipping Norton Branch) Bill, were
read a third time and passed.
SALARIES OF JUDICIAL FUNCTIONARIES.
Lord CAMPBELL inquired whether it was true, as he
was informed, that it was in the contemplation of the Go-
vernment to place the successors of the present Masters of
the Courts of Common Law, who were appointed under
act of Parliament, under which they received their salaries
during good behaviour, upon the vote of the House of
Commons ? He could hardly suppose anything more atro-
cious than making such high judicial functionaries depen-
dent upon an annual vote, instead of being secured in their
salary for their life-time.
Lord ST. LEONARDS put a similar question with re-
gard to the Masters in Chancery in Ireland.
The LORD CHANCELLOR, said the Consolidated
Fund Bill to which the noble and learned lord referred
made au exception in favour of the present masters in
Chancery, and also in favour of all who performed judicial
functions. It would be a question whether the masters in
Chancery came under the designation of judicial func-
tionaries.
Lord MONTEAGLE condemned the practice of making
the salaries of persons performing the duties of a judge
dependent on the annual estimates.
Lord BROUGHAM considered that all persons perform-
ing judicial functions should be independent of the Crown,
on the one hand, and the Commons and the people, on the
other.

The Earl of MALMESBUItY gave notice that on Mon-
day he would ask what the intentions of the Government
were with respect to the new department of war, and cer-
tain other public offices.

Lord BERNERS presented a petition from the rate-
payers of 74 metropolitan parishes, praying that the laws
of settlement and poor removals might be abolished, the
poor entitled to receive relief in the place of their residence,
irrespective of any question of settlement, and that all
rateable property might be made to bear its fair share of
the expense incurred by the relief and maintenance of the
poor.
DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES BILL.
On the motion that their lordships should go into com-
mittee on this bill, . _ _

Lord REDESDALE gave notice that, either upon the
report or on the third reading, he should move the omission
of all the clauses relating to divorces a vinculo.
A lengthened discussion took place before their lordships
went into committee, mainly upon the constitution of the
new court of divorce, the propriety of compensation being
paid out of the suitors' fund in the Court of Chancery, and
on the policy orrelaxing existing restrictions upon appli-
cation for dissolving marriage.
In committee all the clauses were agreed to, after one
division.
The Gaming Houses Bill passed through committee.
The Encumbered Estates (West Indies) Bill passed
through committee.
The Legislative Council (Canada) Bill was read the third
time and passed.
Adj out ned.