The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-30 00:00:00

LAMBETH WORKHOUSE.

An inquiry has just terminated at Lambeth Workhouse,
of which it would be useful to know more. Dr. Mark-
ham has, it appears, been engaged for four days in con-
ducting an investigation into the alleged misconduct
of the matter and taskmaster of the workhouse;
and the decision he arrived at has been com-
municated to the guardians by the Poor-law Board.
A refractory pauper girl had been placed in solitary con-
finement in Lambeth Workhouse by order of the master;
had been seized with fits, and when supposed to be dying
had made certain depositions out of which Dr. Markham's
inquiry rose. That the taskmaster had dragged her on
her knees, and by the hair of her head, before the work-
house master, and that lie had violently knocked her head
against the wad's of the refractory ward when in a faint-
ing condition, were among the allegations made, ani
which the Poor-law Board, acting on the advice of Dr.
Markman, pronounced unproved. The official letter
adds, however, that the master was justified in punishing
by confinement, but condemns the use of dark cells as im-
proper. It further appears that the Board, in reference to
Jane Short, the superintendent of the imbecile ward, express
au opinion that she was guilty of neglect in not sending
for the resident medical officer as soon as Garnharn was
seized with the fit, and they request that this opinion may
be communicated to her, and that she may be cautioned
against administering any medicine in future except under
the special direction of the medical officer. After
again referring to the officers against whom the charges
had been made, the Board reiterate their opinion as to
the credibility of Pascal], the taskmaster, and observe that
as they had "come to the conclusion that the principal
charge against him has not in their opinion been esta-
blished, it is not necessary on this occasion to take the
extreme step of requiring his resignation ; but they re-
quest that the guardians will convey to the taskmaster.
their opinion of his conduct, and that they will not only
caution him on that subject, but will also warn him that
any harsh or violent treatment of the paupers under his
charge, or other serious misconduct in future, will lead to
his immediate dismissal." rPublic protest was made at the
time of Mr. Catch's appointment to Lambeth on the
ground of his past career ; and the Poor-law Board was
gravely censured for pandering to what was held to be the
guardians' hankering after a man known to be a severe
disciplinarian.

Mr.. Gladstone has returned to Hawarden
Castle.

Lord Stanley has written to Principal Barclay to
accept the Lord Rectorship of tho University of Glasgow.

Compressed bay from Bombay is now being landed
at Liverpool. The quality und condition are excellent.

Sir Richard Mayne has withdrawn his order against
tho dogs of the m(•tropolis.

Her Majesty has been pleased to appoint Mr.
John Scott, who formerly served in Labuan and Natal, to
the Governorship of British Guiana.

The Very Rev. Dean Goodwin, of Ely, his
refused to preach the Latin sermon at the opening of
Convocation.

MR. TENNYSON.—AIfred Tennyson, it is- cur-
rently reported, is about to transfer the publication of
his works from Moxon, of Dover-street, to Mr. Strahan,
of Ludgate-hill, London. Should this be the case, it will
be found that the latter gentleman, in Good Words for
January, has angled to some purpose.—Eclinbz(rgh Daily
Review.

CABINET COUNCIL.—The first Cabinet Council
since the commencement of the general election was held
on Saturday. The whole of the Ministers were present
with the exception of Sir Stafford Northcute, who, since
his re-election for North Devon, has been working
vigorously in the eastern and southern divisions of that
county on behalf of the Conservative candidates.

We hope one minor result of this election will
be to expose the position of the Saturday Review. No paper
has more bitterly attacked the Conservative party at this
great crisis, or more vigorously supported its opponents.
Mr. Hope is registort d, we understand, as its solo proprietor.
Ho is a man of immense fortune, and could perfectly well
bear a lcss, if the expulsion of his present editor and staff
were to cause it, which we do not believe. He has refused
to do so. His whole weight has, therefore, been thrown
into the cause of the Radicals ! And yet ho is M. P. for Con-
servative Cambridge !—English Churchman.

CONFLICTING DUTIES.—A correspondent writes :
" Our rector," naming a Manchester clergyman, "was so
busy electioneering yesterday afternoon, that he left a
corpse in church from four o'clock till seven. .While
the bereaved friends were mourning, he was rejoicing
at the expense of their lacerated feelings." This
last sentence is obscure. We can only explain
t by supl:osing that the "bereaved friends " were
not on the rector's side in politics. In that case his
conduct was certainly adding "insult to injury."—lllan-
chester Paper.

A DISPUTED CLAM—The Siècle has the follow-
ing :—" Here is an unexpected claim! All the bin-
g,ruphies state that Rossini was born at Pesaro on the
29th February, 1792; and often has the author of
Guillaume Tell ' and of the Darhii,re ' been called the
Swan of Pesaro. A letter we receive from the Syndic of
Lug. , province of Ravenna, claims for that small town
the :honour of having given hi: th to the maestro. The
nralicipal council, in its sitting of the 20th November,
al,poioted a committee to collect and publish the positive
acts and documents which prove that Lugo is the birth-
place )f Rossini. The council at the same time resolved
by ac lamation that a message of condolence should be
addressed to the widow of the great composer; that a
statue to him should be erected on one of the principal
pla,:es of the town ; and that the paternal house should
be purchased by the commune and preserved as a
pre, ;ions monument to the glory of Lugo. What will
Pe ;aro say ?

A MENAGERIE ON FIRE.

An American contemporary gives tne particulars of a
fire which occurred at Philadelphia in a saw and planing
mill, almost contiguous to a building in which were lions,
tigers, monkeys, and other animals, in cages or boxes con-
structed for temporary use. When the fire was discovered
Mr. Forepaugh, the proprietor, commenced tumbling the
cages or boxes from the building into the street, while
those outside removed them from the vicinity of the fire.
While thus engaged a Bengal and a Brazilian tiger made
their escape. The former made his way to Mr. Bryan's
stables, in the vicinity, the crowd in the street giving
way with great promptness, where be was secured.
The Brazilian tiger ran along Jefferson-street until
he reached the house of Dr. Gebler, near Twenty-second-
street. Here several ladies were standing at the door,
but the tiger passed by them, and through the hall into
the kitchen, where he remained until recaptured by one
of Mr. Forepaugh's men. The box containing the lion was
so much damaged that it was with great difficulty that
the animal could be kept until another box was obtained
and the lion secured. A large white Florida wolf got
out of the box, and made his way through the crowd
without attracting much attention, and about nine o'clock
in the evening he was met by a gentleman who took the
wolf for a dog, and the wolf no doubt took the gentleman
for one of those connected with the menagerie, for, as the
gentleman opened his front door, the wolf entered the
nouse ; but as soon as he came under the gaslight in the
hall his character and standing in the animal creation
was known. The gentleman, not feeling disposed to use
force to remove the intruder, opened the parlour door, and
the wolf passed in ; the door was closed, and the animal
was allowed to pass the night upon the soft Brussels, being
afterwards delivered over to his owner.

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

ON EDUCATION.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Ward Hunt),
following the precedent laid down by so many eminent
men, has been giving forth his views upon education for
the middle classes. He distributed a few days back at
Northampton the prizes gained by the local competitors
in the Oxford and Cambridge Examinations. He laid
down that men who had become eminent had in nearly
every case shewn promise of it iu youth. No doubt there
were instances of men who had been idle and dissolute in
their youth, but who had seen the error of their ways, and
had given up idle and dissolute habits ; but it
would generally be seen that these who had been
distinguished for virtue and intellectual ability had almost
invariably given promise of it in their youth. Therefore
such an occasion, when the youth of a district had been
submitted to examination, was one of great interest to all
who .had a regard for the future welfare of this country.
It might not, perhaps, be known to some of them how
these local examinations first arose. 'Some years since
there was a feeling in the country that the universities
were not doing all they might for the education of the
people. Much had already been done, but he hoped
some plan would be devised by which the benefits
of the universities would still more largely be diffused.
It was in consequence of the feeling he had alluded to that
the local examinations were established. Thinking men
who had given their minds to a consideration of the
question came to the conclusion that some benefits
could be gained if competent men were sent out tc
test the systems of instruction pursued in different locali-
ties, and to stimulate the youth of this country in the paths
of learning and of knowledge. About ten years since the
universities established the system of local examinations,
and so far as it bad yet gone it had been eminently suc-
cessful. The hopes that had been entertained were
not disappointed, for not only had the youth of the country
been stimulated to greater exertions in the pursuit of
knowledge, but the teachers had been benefited as well as
their scholars. Without saying, therefore, that the uni-
versities had done all they might or ought to have done
for the education of the people—for, as large seminaries of
learning supported by vast endowments they might have
done more it must, he thought, be admitted that great
efforts had been made towards extending their usefulness.
There was a trite saying that intellectual knowledge was
not all that was to be desired. Moral character went
for something, and a more fatal mistake could not
be made than to suppose that intellectual capacity
could compensate for the want of moral character. It was
generally seen that boys who were the most successful in
obtaining prizes for intellectual acquirements were also
most distinguished for good conduct and character. Such,
at least, was his own experience, and be was speaking
In the presence of many who had the training of those
young minds, whose experience, he thought, would con-
firm his own. There were some young men present who
had attained honours, and to them he would say
earnestly " Don't be satisfied with what you have done."
Some persons when they bad gained certain honours,
or attained a certain distinction, thought there was
no more to be done, and that they might retire on
their laurels. No greater mistake could possibly be made.
A prize or a distinction in life ought not to be considered
a goal, but rather as a milestone, to mark the progress
which had been made in the path to knowledge. Some
persons talked of finishing their education. It might be
so far as related to their being subject to the control of a
tutor or a teacher, but it should ever be remembered that
in reality education went on throughout life. No ono
should suppose when they entered a profession their edu-
cation was at an end, for they bad but learnt the best
way of acquiring knowledge and of disciplining their own
minds. If they had gained that, they had obtained that
which would enable them to make the best use of their
time in after life.