The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-05 00:00:00

THE 1L SYSTEM.

The following letter was sent to us for inser-
tion in our last, and, although partly prepared in type, we were
obliged to omit it, from an extraordinary pressure of advertise-
ment mate w. We detest quackery in Otto shapes, whatever
garb it may assume ; and, if we thought that this letter had
been girt up for the occasion by Mr. HAMILTON, Or at his in-
stance, by any other person, we should instantly reject it AS a
surreptitious and unworthy mode of imposing upon the public.
This letter, however, we have reason to believe, is not of this
class, but the unbiassed opinion of an impartial individual upon
a new, bold, and novel system of education, for the first time
introduced to the notice of the public by a perfect stranger. The
system, we think, is calculated to facilitate the general acquisi-
tion of the French language, and we have little doubt that,
shortly, this fact will be made apparent. We shall only say, at
present, that any L individual who oes,•by any means, lessen the
labour of disseminating useful knowledge, is a benefactor to
mankind. This is what Mr. Hamilton has-undertaken to do,
and we wish him success.
" TO TILE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL couarrn.
" Srn—Being in some degree interested in education, this
evening I went to Mr. Hamilton's Lecture, and was, as most
of the company were likewise, highly gratified. Mr. Hamil-
ton's system is now before the public, and will, doubtless, re-
ceive that attention it deserves. It is utterly opposed to the
reigning manner of teachin, and, therefore, is likely to meet
with much opposition. Units superiority over all the plans I
know, and lam acquainted with those of l'erry, Lancaster,
and Bell, I will give you a striking fact. Being myself, in a
slight degree, skilled in French, I thought it unfair to draw any
conclusions from my own personal experience; and I called,
immediately after the Lecture, on a friend who knew nothing
of the language in question, and conimensed the lesson in
the way prescribed by Mr. Hamilton. In a few minutes I
perfectly succeeded in teaching the portion of St. John's
Gospel treated of in the lecture, and had the pleasure of hearing
my pupil read and construe the French as readily as I could
myself.

" The system of Mr. Hamilton is applicable to the ma-
thematics, ge9graphy, and all other oralinstruction, as well
as to the languages ; and, 1 must add, it interferes materially
with that of Dr. Bell, and contradicts some of his favourite
positions, but, wherever it does so, it manifestly has the ad.
_

" fir. Bell sets out with one grand principle, mutual tuition,
or instruction by means of the scholars themselves. This is
what he lays claim to as his invention, and, so far, -it is gene.
rally conceeded to him, the benevolent Dr. Briggs, of this town,.
when mayor at Kendal, having introduced this peculiarity into
the Blue School of that place, sonic time before Mr. Lancaster
did the same thing in his school at London. Whatever there
is more in Dr. Bell's system, and there is much and excel-
lent, he arranges under the head of general laws ; and whether
these be more or less different to those the Doctor approves,
still there is no new invention, but merely a variety of appli-
cation.

"So far Mr. Hamilton does not come in contact. But Dr.
Bell lays clown as a law, and places no slight stress upon •it,
that, it is not what is done for a boy, but what he does for
himself that is of any benefit to him." This Mr. Hamilton
controverts in toto, and says, every thing ought to be repeatedly
told the pupil, till he is perfectly master of the subject in hand.
--Here 51r. Hamilton is decidedly right; and, if some of our
best scholars were to teach in this way, their pupils at the Uni-
versity must, in the nature of things, stand far before others
taught in the usual way; for this reason, because the know-
ledge is much sooner communicated, and, I think, equally well
retained.
" Mr. Hamilton's method, it will be perceived, throws the
onus from the pupil on the tutor; therefore, teachers will, pro-
bably, oppose it. But parents ought to look to the benefit of
their children, and not to the comfort or ease of their school-
master.
If Mr. Hamilton's system is grafted into Dr. Bell's,
which It very easily may, it will be a great improvement, and
much more work may be accomplished, and much better, than
is now the case. Mr. Hamilton will, I think, perform all he
engages in his advertisements if he does not go beyond it.
" T
That these observations may have their due weight, I wish
it to be understood, I know nothing more of Mr. Hamilton
than what I saw at the lecture. I never spoke to him, and it is
not likely I ever shall. He seems a man ofgreat modesty, and
of uncommon
quietly, and
yet
urbanity o and gentleness, or lie would not so
completely, have reproved.that individual
s
who pretended to know so much of French pronunciation. As
this person is by no means incog.iiitns, I will only remind him,
that lie came into the room free of expense • and that, in the
beginning of the lecture, Mr. Hamilton disclaimed every thing
like superiority of information. It was the manner, not .the
matter, which he took in hand. However, as it happened, Mr.
Hamilton was unquestionably right.

" June 2L, 1824."
--(Liverpool Courier, June SO. )

i am, very truly, yours,
" PRECEPTOR."

DUELS.

A duel was fought on Saturday morning at
Stoke, Bucks, between two gentlemen of the
names of FOTHIRGILL and MURRAY, in conse-
quence of a dispute respecting an opera lady.
The first fire was altogether a miss, but in the
second Mr. FOTHERGILL was badly wounded in
the left arm, so that it is feared amputation will
be necessary.
On Tuesday morning, at half-past twelve, a
duel was fought in a field behind the village of
Terre, between Mr. BEEnY and
,Mr.
both Lieutenants in the English army ; thelormer
had for seconds Captain \V--t and Mr. B—s ;
the latter had Captain I3—T and two French
Gentlemen. They took their ground at the dis-
tance of fifteen paces, and on the first fire BEERY
was mortally wounded, the hall passing through
his body and traversing the stomach. The un-
fortunate Gentleman died in the evening at half-
past nine o'clock.—(Galignam's Ales:et:ger.)

NEWPORT (Isle of Wight), July I.—The
daughter of 111 r. Billie; of Knighton farm, on Friday morn.
ing, after taking her breakfast, very deliberately put on her
bonnet and shawl, and _proceeded to Whiteclifr, at Sundown, a
distance of two or three miles, and then placed her bonnet and
shawl on the beach, and threw herself into the sea. A love
aftitir is supposed to have been the reason of her committing
the rash act.

MARQUIS D LAFATETTE.—Extract of a letter
from Havre, June 29 ,t.—" The Marquie de Lafayette has at
length decided on once more visiting North America prior to
his final exit from this globe. He has engaged that beautiful
fine ship the Cadmus, Captain Allyor (late Whitlock) to land
him arNew York, with his son who accompanies him, with a
very limited suite. They sail from hence on the 10th of nest
month. ,This information comes from Captain Allyor, who
only arrived from Paris last evening, than whom a lucre gen,
tleutanly man could not be selected for so important a charge.
The igsrquis refused the offer of a frigate or Bite of battle-ship
to ba scant for him, chiefly on account of the esPesle it ,"Itla
be to the Am bl erican overnment.—( South:m.4lton Cliroutek.)

When thirteen years old, on the 18th August,
MC, J1:10041" TAYLOR was entered at Caius
College as a Sint. or Poor Scholar ; an Order
of Students who then were what the " Servitors"
still continue to be in some Colleges at Oxford,
and what the " lay brethren" are in the convents
of the Romish Church. This was an institution
which, however it may be now at variance with
the feelings and the manners of the world, was,
in its original, very far from deserving the re-
probation which has been cast on it, and owed,
Weed, its beginning to a zeal fur the education
of the poor, as well directed as it was humane
and Christian. In the tine of otiroarnriceta,sitioirgs,retahte,
interval between the domestics and the other
members of the family was by n
nor fenced with so harsh and impenetrable a
barrier as in the present days of luxury and ex-
cessive refinement. As the highest rank of sub•
jects was elevated then at a greater height than
they now are above • the most cousidetable pri-
vate gentry, so the latter constituted a more effi.
cient link in the great chain of society, and a far
easier gradation existed between the nobles and
that class of men from whom their own domes.
tics were taken. There was in those days no
supposed humiliation in offices which are now
accounted menial, but which the Peer then re-
ceived as a matter of course from 66 the gentle•
men of'his househeld ;" and which were paid to
the knight or gentleman by domestics chosen la
the families of his own most respectable tenants";
while in the bumbler ranks of middle life, it was
the uniform and recognized. duty of the wife to
wait on her husband, the child on its parents, the
youngest of the family on his elder brethren and
sisters. ERASMUS, in his Pietas Puerilis, has
made the young scholar to say, " Adornatil
parentibus mensa, recite cansecrationem, deirede
prandentibus ministro, donee jubeor el ipso pm-
dium turners." But while the subordination was
thus perfect and universal, this very universality
softened its rigours. The well-born and well-
educated retainers of a noble family were ad-
mitted by its head to that confidence and fami-
liarity which their rank and attuinmeuts justified.
The servants of the manor-house were usually
the humble friends of the master and mistress,
whose play-mates they bad been during child-
hood, and under whose protection they hoped to
grow old. We have been, most of us, impressed
with the tone of equality assumed by the valets
of the old French Comedy ; and the jovial fa-
miliarity of Pernuce, Amble, and Order, in
M4SSINGER'S " New Way to pay Old Debts," is
a well-known, and, probably, an accurate pot..
trait of that species of graduated intercourse
which once connected the Aristocracy, and the
Throne itself, with the humblest orders of so-
ciety, and in the abolition of which it may be
reasonably doubted w limber all parties are not
rather losers than gainers.
But it is evident that, as with such habits and
feelings, the mere fact of servitude did not in it-
self degrade, so there was nothing to prevent
well educated youths from attending their richer
neighbours in a menial capacity to Oxford and
Cambridge, while there was every possible me.
tive of wisdom and humanity to induce the
Founders and Governors of Colleges to admit
young men, thus situated, to a share in the in.
struction afforded by the place, and in the re-
wards which were held out to the genius or die
ligence of other scholars. It is easy to declaim
against the indecorum and illiberality of depress-
ing the poorer students into servants ; hut it
would be more candid and more consistent with
the truth to say that our ancestors elevated their
servants to the rank of students ; softening, as
much as possible, every invidious distinction,
and rendering the convenience of the wealthy
means of extending the benefits of education to
those whose poverty must otherwise have shut
them out from the springs of knowledge. And
the very distinction of dress which has been COM.
plained of—the very nature of those duties which
have been esteemed degrading—were of use in
preventing the intrusion of the higher classes
into situations intended only for the benefit of the
poor; while by separating these last from the
familiar society of the wealthier students, they
prevented that dangerous emulation of expellees
which has, in modern times, almost excluded them
from the University. The Institution is now
fading fast away ; and, even where it exists, Is
altered from its original character. But the dif-
ficulties are proportionably increased which op-
pose the rise of such men as Tityr.oit from the

lowest to the highest ranks of society ; and the
want of such a frugal and humble order Of stu-
dents is already felt by the Church of England, as
it eventually may be fell by the Nation at large.--
Taylor, 1824.)
( Dr. LI znEn's Ltje of JetentY

STANLEY, Esq. a vacancy has taken place in the
office of one of the Verderera of the New Forest,
• In consequence of the death of BANS SLOANTI
ecdon:
com-
menced by Sir CHARLES HULSE, Bart., M, p. of
tsoTAssuclicoepeEd
Breamore House, with every prospect of success.
We have not heard that Sir CHARLES has any
itslinairriii
opponent.
anrid:hen it
Hon.l 1.
l'E I C canvas
E i T c tt.
town from Greece. We are hippy to state that
whilst he makes no concealment of the difficulties
with which the Greeks
have to contend, I le con-
skiers it impossible for the Turks to meet with
success in the present campaign. Mr. STAN-
.
HOPh,s opinion on this point is of much value, 118
he has long , resided in Greece and has taken *
prominent part both in the
civil, and military de-
partment of tlie Government.—(Sunday Paper.)