The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-26 00:00:00

EDUCATION.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL, in moving the order of the
day for receiving the report on the Educational grant,
Said hi Wished to explain a matter personal to himself,
and an Honourable Friend of mine in this House on a
former night. His Hon. Friend the Member for Car-
lisle stated the other evening, that on the 14th or 15th
of this month an application was made on the part of
the Catholic Bishop. to have an interview with me on
the subject of the educational plan, before its introduc-
tion into that House, but he declined to grant it.
—(Hear, hear.) Now he begged leave to state
that he should be very sorry to be supposed to have been
guilty of any want of courtesy towards the Catholic
bishop, and he therefore begged to state what really did
occur on the 9th. On that day, just after attending the
Cabinet Council, and as he was on the point
of going a few miles out of town to spend the
Sunday, carrying with him a large bundle of pamphlet
on education, he received the letter of' Bishop Griffiths
read by his Honourable Friend. Certainly he under-
stood that letter to allude' to the subject of the edu-
cation of the children of poor Catholics, but as he
had to bring forward the plan on the Monday following,
and there was no time for him to give the interview, or
to make any alteration in the minutes that had than
been agreed to. He wrote the reply which his
Honourable Friend read on Friday. Having stated
thus much with regard to a matter entirely of
personal nature, he begged leave to say, in moving the
order of the day for the reception of the report, that he
hoped it would be fully understood that there was no in-
tention whatever on the part of Government to
exclude Catholics from the benefit of this grant,
but fresh minutes would have to be pro-
posed upon that subject before the question could
be brought before the House in a formal manner.
This would make provision for all persons in holy
orders, not only regular clergymen by also Dissent-
ing clergymen. But he understood that in the Romish
Church there were persons in orders, although
they were not in holy orders, but who were engaged
in the business of education. It was readily
understood that these minutes did not contem-
plate any provision for them, but he quite
agreed that the Romish Church should not be excluded—
(Hear, hear). But whether there would be any imme-
diate opportunity to frame.minutes he could not say, but
every attention would be paid to the subject, and
minutes should be made, and a different measure would
be brought in to grant allowance for the purposes of
education to the members of the Romish Church.
Sir G. CLERK wished to know whether, in the con-
sideration of the subject, any regard had been had to
the position of the parochial schoolmasters of Scotland.
He wished, therefore, in the first place, to ask the Noble
Lord whether those schoolmasters were to participate di-
rectly in the present grant, and whether they were to be
entitled to receive pupil teachers into their schools;
secondly, whether their salary was to be increased; and,
thirdly, whether the parochial schoolmasters of Scotland
were to be entitled to any retiring allowance after a cer-
tain period of service.

LOrd J. RUSSELL said that as this subject had not
yet been subject to the consideration of the Committee
of the Privy Council, the answer that he might
give would only express his own opinions. The grant
now under the consideration of the house
did not contemplate giving any aid except' in cases of
voluntary effort, so that the parochial schoolmasters of
Scotland would not in any way participate in the present
grant, but their relief would better constitute a part of
a future measure.