The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 16, DA IL

2118 NAVY.

The whole of the powder, shell, shot, and guns
have now been removed from the Chesapeake, 51,
screw frigate, Capt. Maguire, from the East Indies
and China, the remainder of the shot, guns, and
stores having been landed at the Ordnance-wharf,
Chatham, yesterday, from the transport Marl-
borough. The Chesapeake will be put out of com-
mission and paid off to-morrow.
Admiralty orders were yesterday received at Chat-
ham Dockyard directing that those shipwright ap-
prentices in their fifth year, who have 'fade satisfac-
tory progress in the knowledge of Weir trade, as
well as in their acquirements at the dockyard school
are to be allowed to attend on two evenings in each
week, at the dockyard, for the purpose of being
taught navaldrawing. The instruction is to be given
by the principal draughtsman in the mould loft, or
some other equally competent officer, who will be
paid for the additional duty. The instructor is to be
held responsible for the regular attendance of the
students and the. maintenance of discipline. Engi-
neer lads, whose conduct has been good, may, upon
recommendation, have the privilege of being em-
ployed three or four months in the factory drawing
office. The engineer lads employed at the steam
factory, Keyham, may attend the Government
School of Design, at Devonport, the payment of the
fees being made by the Admiralty.
As No. 1 dock in this yard cannot at present and
for some time to come be used for the accommoda-
tion of a vessel, as it is undergoing enlargement by
the Government contractors, Messrs. Foord and Co.,
by being considerably lengthened at the entrance,
it is intended to use the space occupied by the
dock in the building of the Achilles, and with that
object the dock is being floored over at the level of
the ground, and this floor will be used for laying
out or temporarily fitting together the vast sections
of the new iron armour-plated ship, so that any
alterations found necessary may be made before the
materials are finally lowered into the dock for use.
The Thames, War Department transport, landed
at Chatham yesterday a number of cast-iron guns
and stores for the various ships fitting at that port.
After which she shipped a number of guns for Wool-
wich.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty ; Lieut. E. Rice, to the Hero ; C. R.
Harris, midshipman, to the Sanspareil ; John T. U.
Bremner, surgeon superintendent to the Lord Dal-
housie, convict ship ; L. J. Monteith, surgeon to the
Aboukir ; W. Filcher, chief engineer to the Asia,
for the Vulture, promoted; J. Langlands, engineer
in the Fisgard, as supernumerary, confirmed; F. J.
Taplin, engineer in the Indus, as supernumerary,
confirmed; C. F. Jordan, engineer in the Cumber-
land for the Bullfrog, confirmed; H. R. Garr, en.
gineer in the Indus as supernumerary, confirmed ;
A. Lawton, acting first-class assist.-engineer to the
Indus, for Trinculo ; J. Plowright, acting second-
class assist.-engineer, Meggera ; J. Templeton,
acting second-class assist,-engineer, to the Fisgard,
as supernumerary ; and F. D. B. Smith, clerk, to
the Conqueror.

or officer conducting the practice should before a
shot is fired, clearly and thoroughly explain to the
squad at practice, and to each individual employed
in preparing the fuses, that this short boring of the
fuse is adopted with a view to enable the result to,
be recorded, and, at the same time, point out to
them the difference of shell practice at resisting
objects and that which is intended to scatter and
destroy troops. The artilleryman, when instructed,
should be prepared to bore his fuse as ordered, and
if due care is taken by instructors and officers in
command to make non-commissioned officers and
men understand what they are doing, and the rea-
son why it is done, no erroneous impressions need
result from the measures taken. The artilleryman
should, however, be made to understand that for
actual service it is always desirable to adjust the
fuses of common shells so that they may act on
the object aimed at—where fixed and offering
resistance—first, as shot, and then on bursting, as
mines. In the reports of practice for the present
year great care is to be taken to distinguish
the old from the new pattern diaphragm, and
these again, from the improved shrapnel' shells.
Duplicate reports are occasionally received, notwith-
standing the order directing the discontinuance of
the custom. These lead to confusion in ascertaining
the number of rounds fired. In order that an uniform
mode of recording the result of the practice with
Armstrong guns may be adopted it is directed that
whenever it is practicable a target be provided
for every two guns practising at the same time;
the ranges of the shot will be measured on a line
passing through the centre of the target, and through
the centre of the interval between the guns ; the
deflection right or left of atis line will be measured
in feet. The terms "under" and " over" will apply
to the distance in yards that the shot, have fallen

"short of" or "beyond" the target. Should there
be a butt beyond the target, by which the shot are
stopped, the term "over" is to be used to denote
the height of the trajectory of the shot above the
edge of the target. In the case of the range admit-
ting of the target being placed 100 yards in front of
the butt, a note to that effect in the report .must
show this circumstance, and " over" would then
have its ordinary meaning of. the distance, on the
plane, beyond the target.
Col. Harness, C. 8., director of the Royal Engi-
neer establishment, Chatham, has received orders to
select a number of the best mechanics and artificers
from the companies at head quarters, to proceed to
Halifax, Nova Scotia, to join the 7th company,
which is considerably below its required strength.
The sth company of -Royal Engineers, which is
ordered to rejoin head-quarters, Brompton Barracks,
from Woolwich, is to be held in readiness to em-
bark for foreign service, and for that purpose will
be raised to 100 men of all ranks.

We have to announce the death of Major J. W.
Pringle, which took place on Saturday last, in his
70th year. The deceased entered the army in 1809,
and served with the Royal Engineers in the Penin-
sula from 1810 to the end of the war in 1814. He
took part in the battles of Nive and Neville, where
he was wounded. He was present at the investment

of Bayonne. He served also during the campaign
of 1815, and was severely wounded at Waterloo. In
recognition of his services the deceased had received
the war medal with three clasps.

M. .DR LAMARTINE,

M. de Lamartine has addressediohartiettraolhai.t nthol the following
letter tosrdshe
Macon,t;
:eai
ttortl honwllie
assure
dtsfyoei
live
esieduct;eihrtbmeti
ne.
euojairoteoc,
matter
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ifgyirler
soyf8:1006b. heoodfoldretgdhi
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editor
oant stitutionnel. It is
worldcons
consequence
mi live'
datedtherefore,
thrreee‘
aeli,hstfat
sooe neii
rt.
etl
wa.prni cltrahe
tolerablyuss
ste
aes nt you,dwinh go
,tells me that I have lived too long. lam of his
opinion, but that is .not the question. These are
things which are said sometimes to oneself, but
which well-bred men, as Voltaire says, avoid saying
to one's face through politeness in a democracy,
hoWever puerile or honourable. That is the reason
why I protest, and even dead shall protest, against
my death. Life is a duty of honour to me; it is a
resolution on my part . . . .
have undertaken, and I am pursuing for
others more than myself, a great operation, very
dear, very long, and very painful, in order to de-
part honourably from this amiable life ; it is the
complete edition of my works in 40 volumes, pub.
lished by subscription. The success of this under-
taking is the security and the bread of those to
whom my property might not be sufficient. Per-
sons who might ba tempted to subscribe on the
faith of my longevity will say to themselves on
reading that I have caused uneasiness to my friends.
Let us not subscribe; let us not follow the im-
pulse of our generous hearts, for the author will
not have time to complete his work; he is, it is
said, going to die. What use is there to subscribe
for a dead or a dying man ?' You perceive that my
good health is a pledge. Take care of it for me.
" Well, even these people are mistaken. Living
or dead they should be faithfully served—they
would not even perceive my disappearance from the
the earth.. The 40 volumes are concluded, with the
exception of four volumes of my political memoirs,
and in case I should depart without noise, without
having finished the last sheet for the printer, my
heirs have the means of replacing these four volumes
by six volumes of my literary conversation, all com-
plete, all ready, all printed, and not compromised.
Grant me, then, Monsieur le Redacteur, a certificate
of perpetual life, which I ask of you. You will thus
have repaired the involuntary injury which the
false report of my pretended malady .may have
caused to my undertaking. Condemned to die very
quickly by M. Peyrat, condemned to live a very
long time by my creditors, I know not, in truth,
how to act in order to please both. Be so good as
to extricate me from my embarrassment, and declare
boldly that I am neither very well nor very ill, and
let nobody busy himself about me. I am compelled
to enjoy good health by nature and by my printers,
and I take advantage of it.—Accept, M. le Redac-
teur, the assurance of my full consiaeration and of
my thanks in anticipation.
"A. DE LAMARTINE."

THE NEW PRIVY COUNCIL MINUTE

ON EDUCATION.

(From the Journal of Gas Lighting, Water Supply,
and Sanitary Improvement.)
The Minutes of the Committee of the Privy
Council on Education are exciting the sensation
and the opposition to be expected whenever a money
interest is touched. The Minutes propose a reform,
and no reform was ever effected without pinching
the pockets of those who have profited by the evils
to be excised. The fact that the proposed Minutes
will cut off the prospects of many pupil teachers,
and impair the present and future income of many
certificated schoolmasters, who have been cramming
themselves in order to pass the ordeals enacted by
the Minutes about to be superseded, cannot and
ought not to be evaded ; but the change is not a
whit the less needful, because it is hard on the army
of schoolmasters, The fact is that we have, for a
series of years, left the management of what we
will call Parliamentary education—for Parliament
pays for it—to the only people who were enthu-
siastic about it—the doctrinaires—the good people
of Sir Kaye Shuttleworth's school, who honestly
believed that it was a national duty to cram paupers
and little smock-frocked bumpkins with as much
literature and science as possible, without regard to
their ege or their future probable pursuits. These
enthusiasts did not look on the national system of
education as a means of making good ploughmen,
blacksmiths, soldiers or sailors, neat, obedient dairy-
maids, or handy servants; but of developing the brains
of occasional prodigies. They made a race of edu-
cation, in which the winners were applauded and
intoxicated with praise, and the losers neglected.
The whole tendency of the system was to induce
schoolmasters and mistresses to concentrate their
efforts on their cleverest pupils. The teacher's
payment, reputation, and promotion did not depend
on the general proficiency of the school, but on pro-
ducing a few bright particular stars, to remain in
the first class long past the age at which the hard-
handed class usually go into the world to get their
living. The result was, a crowd of little parrots,
learning phrases by rote, and thus astonishing
casual visitors ; but unable to read, much less to
write or cypher, in a useful manner. If any objec-
tion was raised to this system of forcing and
" starring," it was set down to an ignorant aristo-
cratic prejudice against the laboming classes; and
a list of illustrious men who, self-educated, had
risen from the ranks, was cited to show the pro-
priety of fishing in parish schools for a Watt or a
Stephenson. Some years ago, the intelligent
manager of a pauper school in the neighbourhood
of London, where the modern high educational
system was early applied, asked a well-known
baronet what he was going to do with the boys
who, under his influence, had been taught enough
elegant and useless knowledge to disdain the only
callings they were ever likely to have a chance of
following ? "Ah !" replied the worthy " idealist,"
" that is my greatest source of anxiety; but I shall
never be satisfied until I get the cleverest of the
poor-house scholars an opening as clerks in the Go-
vernment offices." When boys and girls whose voca-
tion it is to earn a living by hand labour of some
kind, can read easily, write fluently, and cypher
correctly, a legitimate means of advancement in life
has been bestowed upon them, as well as a source of
instruction and recreation in leisure hours if they
have a taste that way ; but, when they are retained
to an unusual age at school, and imbued with an
inordinate idea of the value of mere book know-
ledge, it constantly happens that they become dis-
contented with the only livelihood open to them,
without being fit for a white-handed employment.
In nine times out of ten, it will be found that these
village prodigies have been forced at the expense of
the rest of the school—a very natural result, as
gentlemen of moderate means who have a gardener,
with a taste for horticultural prizes, will acknow-
ledge—the care which ought to be bestowed on
fruits for dessert, and vegetables for the pot, is apt
to be coneentrated on a few choice specimens de-
signed for competition at flower or fruit shows. On
a subject about which. so much has been written, a
single practical illustration will be more effective
than a whole volume of abstract arguments. In a
village in a purely rural district, where we were
lately visiting the squire, are the pauper schools of
a very large union. These schools were, a few years
ago, conducted by a certificated schoolmaster and
schoolmistress ; of course, they were assisted by
Government funds, and inspected by a Government
inspector. The schoolmaster and schoolmistress,
anxious for the increase of salary, and certificates
leading to promotion which depended on the condi-
tion of their first classes, took the greatest pains first
to cram their best pupils, and next, to keep them
at school as long as possible. Wonderful was the
proficiency of these selected ones—not squires only,
but parsons, fresh from the Universities, were
astonished at the range of their acquirements and
the promptness of their replies. But, after a cer-
tain period, two facts became painfully evident—
first, that the mob of little stupid ones left school
with no useful education, and a great hatred for
everything in the shape of print ; and, next, that
the first classes made very bad and very discon-
tented servants, carters, ploughmen, and dairymaids.
When they left school, they were above their busi-
ness, and fit for nothing else. The farmers and
their wives, who paid the poor-rates, were naturally
discontented with the management. The poor-house
became unreasonably full of boys and girls whom
no farmer would hire, and of girls who returned
from service not unfrequently disgraced. The dis-
ease became so virulent, that a strong remedy was
required and applied. The certificated master and
mistress were replaced by two decent people, who
looked to spending their days, without promotion,
in the union schools; the Government grant was
surrended ; the official visits of the inspector of
schools were declined, although he was still invited
to come as a friend, and ask any questions he,
pleased. At the time of our visit in August 'mt
the new plan had been some time in operation,
and with perfect success. The children were well
and evenly taught useful things; they were made
good servants and labourers. The number for hire
in the poorhouse had been diminished from 100 to
less than 50 ; and the inspector, in a rcceut unotli-
) dal visit, had admitted that the elements of ulna.-