The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-18 00:00:00

orn PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

A correspondent calls attention to tne superiority
of a French Lycee over an English public-school. He
points out three deficiencies in the latter. The first
is the absence of properly trained teachers. We need
a school, he considers, for " teaching our teachers how
to teach." He thinks another evil is the growing passion
for athletic exercises and games, which is threaten-
ing to turn the rising generation of Englishmen into
a nation of muscular dunces. Thirdly, he contends
that if we would save young England from mental
degeneracy, we should decrease the number of holy-
days. At the French Imperial College, ho says, the
boys have holydays in August and September, but
none either at Christmas or Easter.
mere are new rumours of legal changes. It is generally
reported that Lord Romilly will be transferred to the
Court of Appeal, and that his present position will be
provided for without appointing any successor. There is
great dissatisfaction, not only among lawyers, but also
among suitors at the non-appointment of a successor to
the late Sir George Hayes. The cause list is very heavy,
and it seems impossible that all the work can be gotthrough
this term which ought to be completed. Already one
Judge, Justice Lush, has broken down from overwork. Why
then this delay ? It is poor economy to save £5,000 a year and
keep suitors out of justice. There is also a good deal of
grumbling at the state of business in the Divorce Court,
and the report is that there will be a second judge ap-
pointed. But as Lord Penzance sits by no means every
day, there does not seem any necessity for incurring that
expense. Mr. Justice Wiles will have completed his
fifteenth year of office this year, and be entitled to a
pension, so that it is generally supposed he will
retire. Yet he is quite a young man for a lawyer,
only 56. Sir Frederick Pollock, the ex-Chief Baron, is
as active and as devoted to photography as ever, though
in his 87th year. The widow of Lord Justice Selwyn has
just given birth to a posthumous child.
Another legal item is, that the late Overend and Gurney
trial has led to a serious dispute between the prosecutor
and certain lawyers whose assistance he had. The story
goes that a certain young barrister, who was called only
about a year ago, offered his services to Dr. Thom, gratui-
tously, provided his father, a country attorney, were em-
ployed as agent, with the understanding that the son
should receive nothing, and the father only out of pocket
expenses, and that the names of the two appeared
publicly. Dr. Thom, forgetting that what costs nothing
is worth nothing, accepted the offer, and the father
instructed Dr. Kencaly and Mr. Macrae Moir
to proceed. At the last moment demands were made upon
Dr. Thom by the gratis lawyers which he refused to grant.
Thereupon they attempted to withdraw the briefs from
the counsel whom they had instructed, but, counsel refus-
ing under the circumsrances to give them up, the gratis
lawyers brought an action against Mr. Moir to recover
possession of the papers. The judge dismissed the case, saying
that he would gladly have given Mr. Moir his costs if he
had asked for them. Dr. Thom has now presented a peti-
tion to the benchers of the Middle Temple setting forth
the proceedings of the young counsel, and it is probable
that these learned functionaries may have something to
say on the matter which will not be pleasant to hear.
The appointment of Mr. Fraser to the Bishopric of Man-
chester has given satisfaction to all but extreme Low
Churchmen. It will be quite a new thing for the dio-
cese to have a hard-working bishop capable of treating
his clergy otherwise than as schoolboys. Mr. Fraser owes
his appointment in great measure to the strong recom-
mendation of the Bishop of Winchester. The name of that
prelate leads me to say that it is true that Dr. Temple
asked him to assist at the consecration on December 21,
and that Bishop Wilberforce refused twice; although the
Echo, misreading the statement in the John Bull
of to-day says that the Bishop has denied it. It
was but natural that the present Bishop of Exeter should
wish to be consecrated by the prelate who ordained him,
and I suppose it was not unnatural that under the circum-
stances, the Bishop of Winchester declined. Mr. Gladstone
has promised to appoint a Welsh-speaking Bishop to St.
Asaph, but it will not be an easy task to find one. The
Bishop of Exeter will not take part, as was at first
stated, in the consecration of Dr. Mackarness. The
Bishops of London, Ely, Rochester, and Lichfield have
been selected, but it is uncertain if the last-mentioned
prelate will be well enough to assist.

"Great expectations "is the phrase which best repre-
sents the feeling with respect to the approaching budget.
It is well that it does so, for great irritation is
the prevailing feeling with respect to the last Budget.
The Army Estimates will probably shew a reduction of
10,000 men, which is in itself equivalent to a saving of a
million sterling, and it will probably be found that there
has been a large reduction in the cost of stores. It is be-
lieved also that the office of Paymaster-General will be
abolished. The reductions in the Naval Estimates are
likely to be even larger than those in the Army
Estimates,
The Lecture Sesssion of the Royal United Service Insti-
tution will be more than usually interesting this year.
Captain Robert Scott, the inventor of the new gun
carriage, lectures on naval'armaments; Captain Bracken-
bury (Professor of Military History at Woolwich) on the
last campaign in Hanover; Captain Cowper Coles on
turret ships ; and Captain Moncrieff on the application of
his system to naval ordnance.
_

The Sunday lectures on scientific subjects are becoming
quite an institution. Dr. Carpenter lectures to-morrow
and on the following Sunday, at St. George's Hall,
Langham-place, on " The Deep Sea : its physical condition
and its animal life." Mr, J. B. Atkinson gives two lectures
on Raphael and Michael Angelo; Mr. Horne (author of
" Orion "), on Miracle Plays; Mr. Capes, on the Fine Arts
in their relation to natural beauty and moral and intel-
lectual perfection. Other lectures will-follow by Professor
Huxley, Mr. Norman Lockyer, Professor Campbell (of
Oxford), the Rev. Allen Graham (of Oxford), and the Hon.
Auberon Herbert, who lately resigned his fellowship
because he no longer believes in the Thirty-nine Articles.
Professor Tyndall gives the opening lecture of the season
at the Royal Institution on Friday. _
Sir John Bowring is expecting to receive shortly a very
distinguished visitor—Baboo lieshub Chunder Sen, the
apostle of the Brahmins.
Mr. R. A. Holmes, of the British Museum, has
been appointed her Majesty's Librarian at Windsor.
Mr. Forster, Vice-President of the Council on
Education, will address his constituents at Bradford on
Monday next.

Tae First Lord of the Admiralty arrived at his
official residence at Whitehall last evening from paying a
visit to his constituents in Yorkshire.

The Choir hears that Mr. Benedict has finished a
new oratorio, and that it will most probably be produced
at one of the music meetings of this year.

It is expected that, by next cold season, first-class
fares between Bombay and the southern ports of Europe will
be reduced to £4O.

A petition for the restoration to liberty of Dr.
horthouso (Bell's Life) states has been forwarded to the
Home Secretary, signed by the mayor, magistrat( a; and
naclublira 9! #lO Gownil.9.o3oAQZ, LitiodAshire.3