Star.
London, England, 1820-06-29 00:00:00

there were .
of the whole

children more's,—
embraced. At Ole
for educating no
1-35th of the population, leaving
in point of the means of edeemp.
Middlesex itself—a county thliklbold a pre-mini-lent
'station over all the Christian in the scantiness
of its means of education. The limited meads in
France were not to be attributed to its Rulers, bet
cause, to do them juitice, as soon as the deficienct
was exposed before them, they zealously applied
themselves to remedy it. And -here he begged td
impress od the House the ahimst miraculous effects-
which the..exertions ofprivate individuals, under the
sanctions and by the-Assistance of Government, may
work in propagating the means of-education. In two'
' years, not less than 7120 schools were planted in
France, or means of education for 2,(X)0,000 of the
population--(Hear, laear).—lf France. went on in the
same proportion in future, in ten years there would
not be an uneducated perion in trat country. With
respect to Switzerland, he had received his informa-
tion from the most respectable authorities, particul
larly from his honoured and valued friend M. DU-
mont, known to several Members in that House. In
the Pays de Vaud, the best educated part of Swit-
zerland, not one individual in_ 60, even comprising

the old men, was found without a knowledge a
reading, writing, and cyphering. Holland had
four thousand one hundred and fifty-four schools, or
the means of educating 1-10th of its population.—
Having stated this much without respect to the ave-
rage means of education, he should next take a re-
view of the number and particulars of the means of
education in England. Taking then 600,000 as the
number of persons whom the means of education
embraces and adding thereto 50,000 as the number
having the means of private tuition; and reckoning
100,000 as the number sent to Sunday schools, there
would be in all 750,000 children, who had means of
education. With respect to Sunday schools, he
thought it right to observe, that, from ;licit nature,
they were greatly deficient in the means of educating
children ; above all, they were deficient in that most
important particular, that of putting the children in
that state of discipline, which, by being kept con-
stantly under the eye of the master, they would ex-
perience. Besides, before the House took the num-
ber which he had just stated for the Sunday schools
as conclusive, it should be remembered, that many of
the scholars who went to thestschools, might also
belong to day schools, and might therefore be in-
cluded in the number which, was embraced in ano-.
ther part of the calculation. However, assuming the
total which he had just stated to be correct, there
would still remain 2,000,000 of the. population, or
every fifth person, unprovided with the mein: of
education. It followed, then, that Switzerland was'
`twelve times better educated than we, the good peo-
ple of England, were, and still. better educated than
the people of France were This latter deficiency,
he was happy to say, would be remedied in ten years.
The last view which he should .take .of this subject
was founded on the number of districts and divisions
within them which had, and the number which had
not schools. Out of 12,000.0 f these districts, there
were 6,500 which had not a vestige of the means of
education of any-description, or even within access
to their inhabitants. Every parish in Scotland had
a school. or schools, whether endowed or Otherwise.
He would add a few gbservalions more as to the
.particular state of education. The variety in which
that great necessary of civilized life was enjoyed by
the people of England, well demanded the consider-
ation of the House. The average of the means of
education, as to the whole of England, extended only
-I
to One fourteenth of the population. For Middlesex
alone, the average went only to one twenty-fourth.
Excluding the dame and Sunday schools, the average
of all England was reduced to one twenty-first part'
of the population. Excluding the sameestablishments
for Middlesex, the average would be reduced to one
forty•siith of its population. Again, excluding the
county of Middlesex altogether from the calculation
(for with its singular disproportion of means of edu-
cation to its population, it very considerably broke
the general proportion f England), it would leave
means of education for one-eighteenth part of the
whole population ; so that the means of education in
Middlesex, compared with that of all England, was
as a forty-sixth part to an eighteenth part—a fright-
ful consideration ! Lancashire had the means gene-

rally-of educating one twenty-fourth of its popula-
tion; and, omitting the Sunday and dame schools, it
had the means of educating one twenty-eighth part.
The Northern Counties, .he was happy to say, stood
higher in the means of education than any other part
of England. The average means of education which
Cumberland, Durham, Westmoreland, and Northum-
berland enjoyed, extended, as in-Scotland, to one-
tenth of the population. Westmoreland, he was hap
to to state, stood highest in the proportion, being equal]
nearly to the Pays de Vaud in its means of educa-
tion. The similarity of the two countries' in this re-
spect might be accounted for by the circumstances
of their being mountainous, and therefore of a na-
ture which did not admit the growth of some of the
greatest obstacles to education. The county of
Cumberland had means for one-tenth; that of Dur-
ham, between one-ninth and one-tenth ; and Nor-
thumberland one-tenth. He begged leave to dis-
claim. any disrespect to the counties which he should
next name. Iu the six Midland Counties, where the
occupations were nearly the Same, such as lace
making' straw-splitting, &c. and which proved a
great source of corruption, a large deduction must
be made for dame schools. Omitting them, the ave-
rage means of education would -be for one twenty-
fourth part. In the three Eastern Counties, the pro-
portion was one twenty-first part. In. Someiset and
Wiltshire, one twenty-fourth. He had adopted the
notion, that where the means of education formed it
higher proportion to the population, there the p
portion of
_poor to the population was always less.
There were, however, several circumstances which
ought to enter into the consideration of this theory, such
as vicinity to the coast, being a manufacturing. po.
pulation, &c. But, snaking ample allowance for the
effects of all these circumstances, he believed it
would be found that the state of the different come.,
ties.would fully bear out !the theory. In the foul.
Northern COundesohe proportion of the pour to the
population was ow-nineteenth—the proportion of
,all England being one-eleventh. With respect to