The Sun.
London, England, 1832-11-02 00:00:00

MANCITESTFR, Om. SO.

Last evt niag, upwards of 300 persons, inhabitants of
this town and the neighbourhood, sat down to a dinner at
Hayward's Hotel, given to Joseph Hume, Esq., M.P.
for Middlesex, by the proprietors and projectors of a New
Nfecbanica' Hall of Science, intended to be erected, of
which Mr. Hume consented to become the patron. The
company consisted of some of the principal merchants, ma.
nufacturere, tradesmen, &c.

Mr. RICHARD POTTER, the candidate for the borough
of Wigan, took the chair, and on his right sat the Hon.
Member for Middlesex.

The CHAIRMAN introduced the business of the evening.

Mr. NAYLOR, one of the Vice•Presidente, who was in-
troduced to the Meeting by the chairman as a " highly
intelligible man," entered into a long detail of the origin
and history of the Mechanics' Institution in Csoper•street,
pointed out the errors in its constitution. and explained
the reasons which had induced the Members of the New
Institution to secede from the original establishment.
Mr. HUME, on his health being drunk, rose to acknow-
ledge the teast, and delivered a speech which occupied up-
wards of an hour and a half in the delivery. He assured
the company that it was not without great reluctance that
he consented to allow his name to stand as patron to
this institution, because be thought in this metropolis of
inanufactures there were many gentlemen who could render
it greater services than he could, residing as he did at a
distance of 200 miles ; and he had only yielded when it
was explained to him that the views of its promoters were
congenial to his own. He would yield to no man in gee!,
for an alteration in the system of education, and in the
first few years of his public life be had devoted much of
his spare time to the promotion of the Lancasterian schools,
believing that the people were the dupes of ignorance, and
that the system of Government was a system of misrule,
which nothing but ignorance would submit to. Since he
had written to the Society, explaining his views on general
education, he had ascertained beyond a doubt that there
ire funds in the country bequeathed for the purposes of
education amply sufficient to educate every child in the
kingdom on the very best principles, if they were pro-
perly applied; and therefore, although he had originally
contemplated a parish-rate for the purpose of establishing
schools, he now was satisfied that it might be done without
calling upon the people for one shilling of additional
taxes.—(Cheers.) It was his duty to call on Parliament
to place those funds in proper hands, and should he
have the honour to be returned in the Reformed Parliament
a system of national education he stood pledged to bring
forward. Daring the few short hours he had heen in
Manchester be bad ascertained that one-third of the chil-
dren are not properly educated, and by education he did
not mean merely reading and writing, but placing them
under mental control, and making them sensible of the
value of instruction, so that when they entered that field
in which they had to obtain a livelihood they might be
saved from the ordinary lures by which men are seduced
into the paths of dishonesty and vice.—(Hear, hear.) All
men, he maintained, were the creatures of habit; and
hitherto the system under which we have lived has been
exclusive in all its departments, exclusive in the Govern-
ment, exclusive in its corporations, and exclusive in its
church ; and under every such exc►usive system bad go-
vernment was sure to follow. Until these causes were
romoved it was only fighting against the winds and the
waves to attempt any improvement in the condition of the
people.—(Cheers.) As an instance of the abuses which
existed in the disposal of money bequeathed for the pur-
poses of education, he would notice the Manchester Gram-
mer School. That establishment had a revenue of 4,000/.
per annum, of which 1,069/. was paid in salaries to the
masters, and about 150/. went to defray other incidental
expenses. This money was left to teach the lower classes
—and he would ask, had it answered the purpose for which
it was intended ?—(Cries of " No, no.") Indeed it had
not, for only 150 boys were educated at an expense of
4,0001. a year. Could any thing be more monstrous
than this, when they considered that one- third of those
who are capable of education in this town remained unedu.
cated ?—(Cries of " Shame.") Look at the Lancaste-
rian School; there 1,000 children were educated at an
expense of 4001. per annum. Look at these facts; and if
he were to dilate for hours he could not furnish any more
convincing proof of the itnpolicy of having self-elected
Governors in such institutions. He firmly believed that
if they were angels of the purest mould it would be im-
possible for them, under such a system, to avoid becomieg
corrupt.—(Loud cheers.) He shuuld like to know
whether any of those gentlemen TN ffses could ley their
hands on their hearts and say that they had done their
duty ?—(Hear.) Ought there, he asked, to be one child
in Manchester uneducated while such funds were left for
the purpose ?—(Loud cheers.) In other places even
greater abuses than this existed; for instance, at St.
Bees, one family had profited to the amount of some
millions from the property bequeathed for education, and
he was assured that if those fends were properly applied
they would be sufficient to educate all the children in
Cumberland. Mr. Hume then proceeded to contrast
the system of education in England with that of
Scotland, France, and the United States, giving the
palm to the latter, and quoting from Parliamentary and
other documents the number of children educated in the
different countries. One of the reasons why education has
failed to produce its proper effect in this country was, be-
cause it was in the bands of the clergy ! In attempting
to establish Lancasterian schools, he had invariably found
that when the Dissenters to It the lead they were always
opposed by the clergy, and wherever the Diesentera of
themselves were not strong enough to support the school,
they could not establish it. With this fact before him,
he felt justified in saying that the people would do wrong
it they did not take the matter out of the hands of th;s
clergy. Mr. Hume then proceeded at great length to point
out the advantages which the country would derive front
the establishment of institutions like the present, where
labouring men could not only be instructed in the arts
and sciences, but in politics also. Toe study of theology
he would exclude, leaving that to the well endowed
teachers of Christianity; but politics and politic tl economy
were essential parts of the education of every man, and
their study ought to be encouraged. He concluded by an-
nouncing that the subscription list would be handed round
the room, for the purpose of receiving the names of those
who wishcd to become subscribers.

The meeting was subsequently addressed by Mr.
Mr. Manley, Mr. Prentice, Mr. George Hadfield, Mr.
Baxter, and other gentlemen, and the proceedings tenni.,
nsted soon after 12 o'clock. We understand that bris
shares were taken in the room, 600 having been previa
iiusly subscribed for.

The Ex-Duke of BRUNSWICK arrived at
Geneva a short time ago, and stayed there a very few days.
He lodged at the house of a person named LEMAN, wan
whom he contrived to run up a considerable score. He
has since disappeared, nobody knows whither be is gone,
le.tving his Secretary in what may be termed an awkward
scrape.

The family of the Marquis of BATH have been
couch afflicted during the last week by the death of Lord
GEORGE THYNNE (sixth surviving son of the Noble Mars
quis), who expired on board the Mountstuart Elphinstone
East Indianian, on the 19th of last month. Lord GEORQE
was appointed to an Ensigncv in the 40th Regiment of
Foot, on the 25th November last, and proceeded to 111111-
bl to join his corps, but, in consequence of the climate
seriously affecting his health, he was invalided, and ex-
pired on board the Mountstuart, on his passage home,
Lord GEORGE THYNNE was in his 24th year.

Mr. KEAN is engaged at Drury-lane, and
appears there on Monday, in the character of Shylock.
To make the " cast" as complete as possible, BRAHA➢L
will, much to his credit, make his first appearance ag
Lo,enzo in the play.

The records of nonsense and of mis-judge
rnent afford nothing so absurd and egregious as the caprice
which distinguishes actors and actresses in the choice and
refusal of pmts. That excellent actor MACREADY is said
to have refused a part because it contained neither bowl nor
dagger, which he said he held to be essential to him as
" first tragedian.' Had JOHN KEMBLE refused Pen-
rudduck on the same score, how much of his subsequent
fame must be have forgone!
PERLET, tile well-known French comic actor,
is now playing at the Hague, and performing, say the Paris
papers, greater prodigies than he has yet achieved, by
making the grave Dutchmen laugh. Even the Kiwi,
albeit not much of a gay turn, has been observed to
enjoy the humour of the artiste, and, forgetting his csres,
join in the laughter of his subjects at. him. PEaLET is
now about to change his band to the serious, and try how-
fir he can succeed in making the H.dlanders weep. He is
announced for a part in the Tart uffe.

It appear, by the accounts from Ava that
and
dajorr etußrUnatotisL bad beenngoon ,inccoompensetillueedoetoe
of
featvhe tha
t ca',
eoptithais
health. Mr. BLUNDELL was lelt to execute the functions
of Resident. It appears tl at the most perfect cordiality
existed between the English Authorities and the Burmese
Government, and that thke- latter had acknowledged the
mince of the money claimed under the recent treaty.
This amounts to four lace of rupees. The Burmese KING
was said to be is a dragons state of health.