The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-15 00:00:00

ItHE NAVAL SQUADRON AT CORK

The accounts from Cork this morning announce
that the ships of war the Wellington, the Con-
(perm gun-boat, and the Admiralty yacht Osborn,
returned to Queenstown on Tuesday, after having
cruised westward to Bantry-bay. Their Lordships
left their yacht to visit Killarney, and returned by
the mid-day train on Wednesday. A number of
the officials of Cork and Queenstown were to be en-
tertained that evening by their Lordships at the
Queen's Hotel.

THE REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

SCIENCE AND ART.

The country is now- beginning to reap some of the first-
fruits of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Previous to that
period instruction in science and art had ebbed to an
unusually low point. In 7.840 the Society of Arts was
reduced to such straits that ;t became doubtful whether
it would long continue in existence. About this period,.
however, Prince Albert began to aka active interest in
its affairs and in the advancement of ,science, and from
him and this body originated the Great Exhibition.
which far surpassed the most sanguine expectations of
its promoters, not .only having been se;f-paying, but
leaving a large surplus to be devoted to the advance of
science. By the impetus thus given, the Department of
Science and Art was formed, under the direction of Dr.
Lyon Playfair, and, considering the short time that
it has been in existence, the results must appear
to every one, who takes an interest in the subject, as
very encouraging. The third report of the working of
this department gives full details of what has been done
and what is in progress, and so various are the subjects
on which it is engaged, and so quietly are the affairs of
this department managed, that a large portion of the
public are in ignorance that such extensive scientific
pursuits and series of instructions are being carried on.
It may he well, therefore, to throw a light upon the
question, so that those who are striving after knowledge
may know where to look for it.
First of all, then, under the direction of Sir R. Mur- '
chison, Professor Ramsay, and Professor J. B. Jukes;, a
complete geological survey of Great Britain and Ireland
is being carried on. During the year in England and
Ireland 2,700 square miles of field work have been met,
cuted. Portions of these surveys relate to the coalfields
of the central counties, and include 127 miles of horizon-
tal sections, illustrating not only the known miner: tl
wealth, but also the probable depth at which the coat-
bearing strata may be reached beneath the broad bands;
of red rocks which rest upon them. These surveys are
printed in coloured maps, and their importance will be
at once apparent to all. With reference to mines, it has
been found advisable to institute a Mining Record Office,
for the purpose of obtaining information of the state
and productiveness of all the mines in the kingdom.
The inspector has published as the result of his inquiries
important statistical returns regarding the produce of
tin, copper, lead, and silver for 1853 and 1854, and of
iron, coal, and other minerals for the same period. From
these returns it appears that the annual drain on our
coal fields is about sixty-four millions of tone, a quantity
much larger than was formerly believed to be the case.
This is a very important fact, and will tend to lead to
inquiries for new sources of supply. In connection with
this department is the Metropolitan School of Science as
applied to mining and the arts. This school gives syste-
matic instruction during the day to matriculated stu-
dents, and short eourses of lectures in the evening to the
working classes. The subjects treated on are chemistry,
physics, metallurgy, mining, mineralogy, geology, natu-
ral history, and applied mechanics. The average num-
ber of students during the year had been 86. This
shows a considerable increase, and is, moreover, very
gratifying, inasmuch as a considerable portion of the
student! in previous years consisted of officers both in
her Majesty's and the East India Company's service,
who have been unable, in consequence of the war, to
continue their attendance. An evening course of
lectures, intended chiefl' for schoolmasters, but
open to others, has been given during the past
year, and attended by 64 persons, of whom 17 were
schoolmasters. The museum. in Jermyn-street has been
opened to the public for five days in the week, and the
number of visitors during the year was 13,000.
But of all the various offshoots of the department,
those which are regarded with the deepest interest are
the Training School of Art, and the Female Art School.
The training school was founded for the teaching of mas-
ters to take charge of different provincial schools in the
course of formation. It was felt that it would be im-
possible to find teachers qualified for the duties, without
first making them real masters of their subjects. Of
these 36 have obtained certificates for the first group of
subjects, 7 for the second group, and 12 for the sixth.
The subjects for which the students are examined in the
different groups comprise elementary drawingand colour.
ing, painting, with examination in styles of art.
Figures drawn and painted, modelling ornaments, and
examination for technical knowledge in matters con-
nected with art. There are now added for the in-
struction of the training masters, classes for porcelain
' painting, wood engraving, lithography, textile orna-
ment, practical construction, and mechanical draw-
ing, which shall enable the masters to acquire that
knowledge which may render their services immediately
available to the manufacturers of the town in which
they are placed. It will be seen, therefore, that the
course of instruction pursued is one sufficiently arduoss,
and the examination calculated to adequately test the
qualifications of the candidates.
The necessity for schools of this kind has been long
felt, as our manufacturers have hitherto been unable to
compete with our neighbours the French in elegance
and originality of design, owing to there being no proper
course of instruction provided. To show how much has
been done already since the training schools have been
opened, it will suffice to state that 33 parochial schools
are now taught drawing by the masters trained in the
central school, and that 1,730 pupils have received
instruction through their agency. The progress in
drawing of the pupils of these parochial schools is
highly satisfactory, as evinced by the examinations,
144 prizes having been awarded to them. The
total number of children taught drawing in public
schools through the agency of masters of Art Schools,
amounted to 18,988, being an increase of 80 per cent.
above the return of that year. Thus much as to the
training schools. The report further makes some re-
marks as to the purchases made for the museum from
the Bernal collection, and refutes the statements made
at the time, that the curators of the British Museum and
that of Ornamental Art bid against one another at that
remarkable sale. Dr. Lyon Playfair states the sale of
the Bernal collection having excited much interest, it
was felt that the competition might induce larger prices
to be given for the articles comprised in it than their
intrinsic value warranted. Accordingly the whole col-
lection was examined by the art superintendent and the
curator of the Museum, and the articles which it was de-
sirable to secure having been selected, the maximesin
values were fixed beforehand, and except in a very few
instances, no larger price was allowed to be given for
them during the progress of the sale. The British Museum
being a purchaser as well as the Museum of Ornamental
Art, a perfect understanding was established between
the two museums, and the same agent was commis-
sioned to bid for both institutions, so that in no case was
the price raised by a common desire of two public bodies
to possess the same article. These arrangements led to a
fortunate result, for while the average price of the 720
lots purchased for Marlborough House amounted to
11/. 75., the average price of the entire number of lots
(4,294) were as much as 141. lls. Thus there is a direct
denial of the report which at the time obtained such
general credence.