The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-20 00:00:00

no doubt, but it does seem al first sight very
hard.

The truth, however, peeps on; after all, that a
very numerous section of the great 'Manchester
family declares that the union of the secularists
and religionists in levying a rate will be the corn- ,
mencement of everlasting family quarrels. There
is a numerous section of voluntaries in this good
city of ootton spinners. The whole community
has raised itself to its present wealth and import-
ance so exclusively by voluntary effort, not only
without Government aid, but almost in spite of
Government mismanagement, that Manchester
may well be forgiven for having firm faith in
religious as well as in commercial voluntaryism.
Be the cause what it may, Mr. HADFIELD speaks
for thousands who support schools by their own
efforts, and who would never forgive their neigh.
bours for emptying the voluntary schools by rates
laid upon the voluntaries who maintained them.
Like the House generally, we honour Sir JOHN
PAHINGTON'S courage in re-opening the subject
which last year's vote was thought to have ex-
ploded from the present Parliament. We believe
his motives also to be as upright and patriotic
as any statesman's can be, but the House will
hear no more of education crotchets at pre-
sent. Better times may come, educationists out
out of doors may talk themselves into a better
agreement, but for the present Education Bills
are a mere formality. The utmost that can be
hoped for is to bring the votes of the irresponsible
Education Committee of Privy Council more
directly under the control of the House. The
amount is swelling, and likely to swell so rapidly,
and so large a part of the tax is spent on those
wily tam .v.l6v well affora to educate thowwel,c.,
that it is time the Committee were relieved from
the power of voting away hundreds of thousands
without the precise objects of the vote having
undergone full discussion iu the House.
We must own that the gap seems as wide as
heretofore between the object to be attained and
the means proposed. Sir JOHN says that
two clergymen depose that 31,000 chil-
dren in Manchester are neither at school
nor at work ; therefore, says Sir Jorrs,
do two things :---lay rates for existing schools,
and forbid religious teaching, or rather teaching
religion, except at certain hours. The means and
the end appear to us almost wholly unconnected.
School accommodation abounds already. No child
is compelled, in many of the schools at least, to
receive the religious doctrinal instruction, yet
these 31,000 children do not come to school.
• Why should we think they will come to schools
supported on the system of rates and separate in-
struction ? Are the causes which hinder them from
coming now those which this bill would remove ?
It certainly is not the expense which deters the
majority of parents from sending their children ;
and certainly none of them would understand the
difference between aid by local rate, and by Go-
vernment grants. Of the two, it appears that
local rates would be most irritating.
Neither do we think religion has anything to
do with the absence of so many children from
school. Parents, however irreligious, generally
like their children to be brought up religiously.
If they care for the education at all, they do not
keep them back from religious scruples. It is in-
difference, sheer indifference and gross sensuality
on the part of parents, and natural idleness on
the part of children, that keeps the latter at play
when they ought to be at school. We confess
ourselves at a loss to think of any plans short of
compulsion or bribery which would induce thought-
less or selfish parents to send their children to
school who now leave them in the streets. Unless
we are prepared, therefore, to pay or to compel,
we must trust to the gradually improving habits
of the lower classes for the further spread of edu-
cation among them.

HER MAJESTY'S TROOP-SHIP MEG. RA.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

was much surprised when I read in The
Sun the account of the statement made by Sir 0.
Wood in the House of Commons last night respect-
ing her Majesty's troop-ship Megaera. Sir Charles
states "the water came in, but in so smalr a quan-
tity that, with an ordinary bucket, she might have
taken a voyage round the world." The following
is an extract from a letter of an officer who had the
misfortune to be one of the party ordered to pro-
ceed to join the head-quarters of his regiment in
her Majesty's ship Megaera:—" We left Portsmouth
at 10 a.m. on Sunday, and on the evening of that
day the sea was running rather high, and the
wind increased until the evening of Monday, the
9th inst., when her Majesty's ship Megaera started
two rivets in the bows, and the water came in so
fast that the steam pump would scarcely keep the
water under in the fire compartment, and when-
ever the pump stopped the water increased about
two or three feet in 10 minutes ; therefore, at 3
o'clock yesterday afternoon, we went about, and re-
turned to Plymouth. The troops and crew have
been transferred to her Majesty's hulk Vigo. It
was lucky that we bad bad weather as soon as we
did, so that we were enabled to find out our defects,
for I firmly believe, had we been 200 miles further
on our voyage, we should have gone down." If
Sir C. Wood can keep a leak of this description
under, with an ordinary bucket, I hope that the
First Lord of the Admiralty intends to supply all
her Majesty's troopships with buckets of this
description.—l remain, sir, your obedient servant,
D. H. M.

ROYAL VISIT TO THE ADEL PHI
THE 9 T.RE.

Last evening her Majesty and Prince Albert, accom-
panied by the Princess Royal, the Princess of liohenlohe
Langenburg, and the Princess Feodore, honoured the
Adelphi Theatre with their presence last evening. The
Royal smite consisted of Lady Churchill, Lord Camoys,
Major-General the Hon. C. Grey, and Lieut.-Colonel
Ponsonby. The pieces selected by her Majesty for re-
presentation were "Barney the Baron," " A Night at
Notting-hill," "The Customs of the CJuntry," and the
pantomime, "Mother Shipton." The Royal party
seemed greatly pleased with the acting of Mr. and Mrs.
Barney Williams, and Mr. Wright also came in for his
share of the distinguished applause. Previously to her
Majesty and Prince Albert quitting the theatre, Mr.
Webster received the gratifying intelligence that her
Majesty had been highly pleased with the evening's
entertainment. The theatre, as usual, was very full
previous to the rising of the curtain, but on its becoming
known that royalty was present, not a spot, from which
a glimpse of the stage could be obtained, was unoccupied.

LIFEBOATS FOR THE COAST. —The National Lifea
boat Institution for the Preservation of Life from Ship-
wreck has decided to place lifeboats on every point on
the coast where it can be shown, first, that one is wanted
in consequence of the frequency of wrecks in the locality;
secondly, that an efficient crew can be found to man the
boat ; thirdly, that some local contributions will be
raised to assist to pay for the erection of a boat-house,
and the permanent maintenance of the lifeboat station.
The cost of a lifeboat establishment, including boat,
transporting carriage,
3001. been
and 4001. The first,anadndmboosahouse, t
important is
between
step
secured by this institution, viz., a safe and powerful
lifeboat. The next step now is to build a sufficient num-
ber of such boats, place them where required, and pro-
vide for their supervision and maintenance. In the
accomplishment of a work of such benevolence and
national importance, the National Lifeboat Institution
need have no misgivings as to funds being forthcoming.
THE TELEGRAPH IN CANADA.—The Montreal Tele-
graph Company employs 326 persons, and has 2,783
miles of telegraph line in actual operation, and 148 more
in course of erection. Its main line is 1,100 miles in
length, and it has an independent line of 660 miles, ex-
tending from Quebec to Buffalo- It throws out lateral
lines to the extent of 1,019 miles, and has now four
miles of submarine telegraph. In 1856, 500,000 mes-
sages were sent over its wires. In the month of Octe-
ber the average daily messages sent through the Mon-
treal amounted to 750. The capital it has raised is
70,0001. currency. Its stock stands at 15 per cent.
premium. It has paid, beside bonuses, a dividend of 10
per cent.
t per annum while constantly engaged in the
venetruotion of new Conejo NON,