The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-14 00:00:00

NATIONAL ASSOCEITION FOP THE
P 1031040.-V OF SOCIAL SCIENCE.

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BRADFOnD,
TllO attendance to-day in St. Geore's Hall was
much the same as yesterday, -when Mr. M. Milnes
delivered an address on Punishment and Iteforma-
There were again to-day a number of excur-
sions to places in the neighbourhood. Yesterday
afternoon the attendance at the sections was gener-
ally speaking lar,;e, and great interest was mani•
fested in some of the papers and discussions.
The following is an outline of what took place in
the various departments

•
SURISP.RUDENI
President—Vice-Chancellor Sir W. P. Wood-
Some discussion took place on the recent reforms
in the Court of Chancery, arising out of a. paper
read the day before by Mr. Daniell, Q.C. •
Vice-Chancellor Sir W. P. Wool). read a paperon
Charitable Trusts. The object of the paper was,
first, to call attention to the present policy of the
law on this subject ; secondly, to the inconsistency
and incompleteness of that policy; and thirdly, to
the necessity for revisions. The law, he said, al-
lowed a testator to select the
.object of his charity
at his own discretion, instead of confining him to an
existing life or lives, and 20 years afterwards, as in
the case of other bequests. This led to absurd and
preposterous bequests, some of which the writer no-
ticed. One, for example, was that of a testator who
divided his estate into two portions, one to be given
to the 15 prettiest young women in the parish, and
who were most constant in their attendance at church,
and the other to the spinsters of 50 years of age
possessin,gthe same qualifications. (Laughter.) The
chief remedy he pointed out for preventing such
absurdities was to subject,contributiozs of a chari-
table nature to the control of the Charitable Com-
missioners, under certain conditions.
The discussion on the paper was adjourned.
Mr. ILasTraios, the secretary, brought forward
the report of the committee on mercantile legisla-
tion, appointed at Liverpool. Several subjects had
occupied the attention of the committee, the most
important being the subject of bankruptcy. He re-
ferred to the bill on the subject approved by the
association, and introduced to Parliament by Lord
S. Russell. The committee found that though the
bill was approved by the chambers of commerce
and trade protection societies generally throughout
the country, it had not met with the same favour
with many eminent merchants in London. A con-
ference had been held with those gentlemen, when
Mr. Morley and others objected to the mode of ap-
pointing creditors' assignees in the bill, and sug-
gested that the appointment should be in the hands
of three creditors, called inspectors, to be named by
the whole body of creditors. It was also suggested
that the certificates of bankrupts should be indorsed
with some statement of their character and conduct
and the reason of their insolvency. A third sug-
gestion was, that a trader in difficulties might be
allowed to apply to a commissioner in chambers, on
being pressed by certain creditors, in order to pre-
vent the evil arising of preference to creditors.
These alterations had been adopted and introduced
into the bill, and thus the co-operation of the Lon-
don gentlemen had been secured. The subject of re-
gistration of partnerships, and also of the incorpo-
ration of chambers of commerce, had received the
attention of the committee, and. the appointment of
a committee was suggested to acquire information
on the subject of registering partnerships.
Mr. P. FRY brought before the section a paper
on the provisions of the Bankruptcy Bill which had
been introduced to Parliament -under the auspices
of the association, which had been drawn up by
himself and Mr. F. Bristoe,
Mr. W. S. GißsoN, a registrar of the Newcastle
Court of Bankruptcy, forwarded a paper on "Laws
affecting Debtors and Creditors, and the Amend-
ment of the Law of Bankruptcy," which was read,
in his absence, by Mr. Ryland. The paper sug-
gested the following &Aerations in the bankruptcy
law :—First, to subject all cases of insolvency to
judicial control, and to abolish voluntary deeds and
private arrangements ; secondly, to revise the laws
of bankruptcy and give greater facilities for the
punishment of fraud ; thirdly, to modify the classi-
fication of eertificate.s ; fourthly, to reduce the ex-
pense of bankruptcy proceedings, by charginc, the
salaries and compensations as annuities on thet"Con-
solidated Fund ; "fifthly, to pay official assignees
partly by salary and partly by fees; sixthly, to
alter the procedure of the court as far as regards
the publicity of business ; seventhly, to revive the
sub-division Court of Commission as a court of ap•
peal on questions of certificate ; and lastly, to in-
vest each commissioner with the power of a County
Court judge to enforce payment of debts.
Mr. RAYNER, of Huddersfield, supported Mr.
Fry's Bill.
Mr. M. Ross,of Manchester,urged the propriety
of a law to prevent bankrupts absconding to Scot-
land or Ireland, and thus escaping from their Eng-
lish creditors.
After some conversation the subject was adjourned.

EDUCATION.
President, Mr. C. B. Adderley, M.P.
A paper on " Some bearings • that existing cir-
cumstances, and particularly the period of time
available for education respectively in different
classes, ought to have on our educational aims."
Among oV_er suggestions the writer proposed cer-
tain alterations in the length of time required for
a University education, in order to indit:e the mid-
dle classes mere largely to avail themselves of the
advantages offered by the Universities.
The Rev. 11. LATITAM read a paper " On the esta-
blishment in Cambridge of a school of Practical
Science." Tie urged, that Cambridge possessed
peculiar facilities for the establishment of such a
school. There should be professors to give instruc-
tion in chemistry, mineralogy, civil engineering,
practical surveying, &c. ; that suitable workshops,
mechanical and philosophical instramcnts, 8.:c.,
should be provided, and that the students who
passed a successful examination should be o:Estill-
guished with the degree of A.P.S., Associate in
Practical Science.

PUP MC HEAT."'"

In this department Mr. J. S. 11.1:u31Acii. read a
paper on " The relation between density of Popu-
lation and the mortality from Consumption." Con•
sumption increased with the density of population.
In suburban situations there was less mortality
than in the crowded town districts ; and the large
town districts showed a larger death-rate from con-
sumption than thinly populated districts. The in-
creased mortality arose from impure. air—dwellings
and workshops being generally overcrowded. The
remedial measures he -proposed were better venti-
lated houses, public parka, B.:e. If these measures
were adopted tubercular disease, which caused th 9
loss of 100,000 lives annually in England, would in
a great measure be removed.
In section B, Miss JEssIE PAIIK ES read a paper
on the market for educated female labour. An-
other by Miss Jessie Bonehtfrette, on the industrial
employment of women, was read by Mr. Wilson.
The two ladies lamented the present condition of
educated women in regard to employment, and
urged the claims of governesses, &c., on society.

BRADFORD MECHANIC,' INSTITUTE.

Last night a meeting took place in St. George's-
hall, in connection with the Mechanics' Institute
of I.3radford, Lord Brougham in the chair, when the
prizes given by that institution and by the schoPl
of arts were awarded to the sumessful members.
The hall was crowded in every part, a very large.
portion of the audience consisting of the workinc
classes and their families. It was arranged also
that at this meeting the prizes offered by Mr. John
Cassell, the publisher, for the best written papers
by working men, or the wives and daughters of
working men, upon the subjects of Social Science,
should he given to the successful competitors.

The Seci:etary of the Bradford Mechanics' Insti-
tute having given sore 9 account of its origin and
pre;ress,

.ord BRoUGIIAM, after expressing the gratification
which hesofe4teiant a'addressing so large a meeting, in-
cluding proportion of the working classes,
said he had'ne conceptionc, before his arrival in Brad-
ford of the Houl-
standate of its Mechanics' Insti-
tution. It appearediqost
in point of success. I n every among the very first
one
its formation there had anbeen particular since
increase—in mem-
bers, in books, in attendance
foron the library, and in
the character of the
demand. , 1 books which there was a
hear.) Butthat
delighted him the .)
Inca who tookwas
0 an interest in the institution, the
working men
thirds of the 11 ccteil,with it -amounting to two-
, wholecircumstance, fnoier,bers. This was a satisfac-
toryit was always feared that'
mechanics' institutions,
working classc:s,
wousl,dthough estAbli-died for the
other classes than to thenir°7o more beneficial t)
turned out to be the ease: and this hail :,renci-Iliv
the working men of Bradford WOll and rightly had
ins; that this institution was ford(' in consider-
. their highest
t rests, and he hoped they would in-
Vier than they had yet gone, g,°
~,ad step fur-
appoint
committeus to canvass their follow-workm -
• • '• ;,, • ; •
to join tile ...st.tution. (Cheers.) In. so doing
they would be able to tell them that this was one
of the best modes elevating them in the scale oi-
societv. It was by these means that many greet
men had risen from the humblest beginnings. What
did they think of Watt? (Cheers.) He was a
working mechanic, who, before he died, lived to see
the whole face of the world altered by his prodi-
qious inventions of various kinds, particularly his
improvement of the steam engiue—(chcers)—
bzsides realising an immense fortune. Roy could
also tell their fellow working men that everything