Star.
London, England, 1818-03-06 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

A Petition from certain Inhabitants of the County of Kent,
praying for the repeal of the additional Leather Tax, was
presented, read, and ordered to lie on the Table.
Similar Petitioes were presented from the Tanners of Water-
ford and tke I.eather-ilgalers of Wrexham, and disposed of In
the same manner.

On the motion of Mr. ABERCROMBIE there was ordered
to be laid b.•fore the House a return of the amount of the Pre-
sentments applied for at the Spring Assizes in 1819, by the
Grand Juries of the various districts in Ireland.
On the motion of Sir JOHN NEWPORT, there was ordered
to be laid before the House an account of the number of days in
each month, on which business was transacted by the Commis-
sioners appointed to inquire into the fees taken in the Courts of
Justice i.s Scotland and Ireland.

The Scotch Aquavits License Bill was brought in, read a
first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.
_ _ _

On the motion of Xr. CCRWEN, there was ordered to be
laid before the House a return of the Coals imported into Ire-
land, during the years 1816 and 1817, distinguishing the ports
to which and from which the same were brought.
The Agricultural Horse Duty Bill was read a first time, and
ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.

The Madder Duty Hill was committed.—Report to-morrow.
There was laid before the House a return of the names of all
pi:Owns detained under the Act for Suspending the Habeas Cor-
pus, with the dates when they were respectively arrested and
discharged.
The West-ludia Indemnity Bill was committed.—Report
tO4IIOITOW.

Mr. DAVENPORT presented a Petition from the Clergy,
Gentry, Freeholders, and others of Cheshire, praying for the
repeal of the Salt Duties.—Read, ordered to lie on the table, and
to be printed.

EDUCATION.

Mr. BROUGHAM rose to move the renewal of a
Committee, first appointed two Sessions ago, to in-
quire into the Education of the Lower Orders in the
Metropolis. The object of the Committee was, by
means of inquiry, to find out the- best remedy that
could be applied to the evils arising from the want
of a proper education among the lower classes of
society. In the pursuit of its inquiry the Committee
had last year been accidentally interrupted by his
illness, and during the last Session no addition was
made to what had been .done during the Session be-
fore the last. From what had been already done,
the conclusion.was, first, that it would be expedient
t.:2:erplv to Parliament for pecuniary assistance to-
t the erection of schools ; and thar any sum
which might be voted for this purpose should not be
in the shape of a permanent yearly income, to be
placed under the superintendence of Government, or
of any- society Of persons. The great -obstacle was
.he want of school-houses, and of hotises for School-
masters. In order to have such erected: the gross
sum of money voted by Parliament should be vested'
in proper persons empowered to make advances from.
it to the various quarttrs *here such Ituildi%gS Ought
to be erected ; these advances to be made„by way of
loan, in cases where there was a prospect of repay-
ment, or by way of grant, where there was no such
prospect. From the evidence taken before the Com--
mittee it appeared, that a very moderate sum would
be sufficieat for that purpose ; and that the extent of
the benefit to be expected was not be in
to the sum advanced. Asa proof of this, on
case
of the sister kingdom might be referred to. Since

the Union, Parliament had granted at
than 40,0001. for the support of chartered
Ireland. How far this annual -
ficially employed was arirerent qtr
lately some occasion to inquire into tha
schools, and from what he had ascerta
believed that the more the tram,.
more apparent would it be, that t::e
-proportion to the money employed. lise
annual Parliamentary grant ....Itch Lel
• —Frrsii.;elsesteved schools had fund.
of 6;000/. 0r20,9001. a-year, so that
airainual sutra es‘stearly 10,01.101.
would be surprized •to hear it, the t,
children educated by them was c:-.1.7
hundred at the utmost. He took thi
a Report made to the Irish Ht...ase c.
fore the Union ; but the celebrated
had made careful inquiry into the
the total number of pefsons educ:.ted
at less than one-third of the
mentioned. Now, to shew rn.„
the benefit produced by a fund app
purposes of eduCation depended ca
of it, he need only contrast the r.
Chartered Schools with what was dot
Man School Society, an Institution
London. With an annual fund of
last-mentioned Societyestahlished 24-0'
the Irish Chartered School Society,
revenue of 60,C30/. supported only
former educated 27,009 children ;
their immense funds, 0n1y9,500.
the opinion of Mr. Howard respectit
Schools, he thought it but fair to
lieved they were much improved sine
time. He hoped that whatever Part
induced to do in consequence of the
question, would be done with a spar
the sum -advanced ; that they would '
lance to the application of the sum
be attentive to provide every possible
vent abuse in the application of it. 01
proportion of the sum advanced, he
would be a burden upon the public ; I
nothing more was wanted thin tin
small sum. At present, througheue
very large sums were raised by pri,
or produced by the endowments of it
establishment and support of schoe
stances these funds were greatly Tnic
cases of such misapplicatier. did not
scope of this Committee. It we.,-.ld
desirable that Ceammis4oners should
i *arls us qoartert to inquire upon the
plication of the fusids 'of the-vat-tow
phis kind:' Since the appoititmerit c'
two-years ago, hardly a week had
he:huh-tor re‘eieed some corr.rwarjc:
• an account of abuse in the mana
funds. It was very creditable to
such vast funds had been at varicras
charitable uses. It appeared from is
. Gilbert, that the annual reve:-.....e of
settled, was not less than t..vo cr f.•
sand pounds. Before he conclujed
it was necessary for him to state.
• come in evidence before the Corntrit
it appeared that there had been r
management' of a particular chart!'
But although it was not named,
informed by the Hon. Member for
respectable Clergyman had applies
that he conceived himself to be the
as abusing the funds in question.
time mentioning circumstances wl:iei
account which had been given eras'
tion or totally' unfounded, except th
had been a misapplication of the tut
dation. He therefore thought it hi
licly to notice the circumstance, as
man had taken the case to himself, at
vinced that the management td
that Rev. Gentleman was most ct
praise worthy. He then moved—.
Committee be appointed to inquire
of the lower orders in the metropoil
Mr. F. ROBINSON did not rise
tion, but merely to state, that he w
quainted with the Clergyman allude
nourable and Learned Gentleman,
the truth of what was said by the
tleman respecting his excellent cow
mentioned.

Mr. PEEL said, that if the IL
Gentleman had looked into the Report
the House in 1805, he would have fr
the state of the Irish Chartered &
ved since the time of Mr. Howard,
Learned Gentleman over-rated the
venue of these Schools, which did
exceed 50,000/. per annum. In tl
the Irish Chartered School Seciet:
nian School Society, it was to be cd
the Chartered Schools the children
educated, but clothed and maintai
the Hibernian School Society they
catcd. The proportion of children I
Chartered Schools could not be thcl
it was considered, that the mainten
with the utmost frugality, could nt
less sum than 141. a year.
Mr, W. SMITH thought there Ne:
abuse in the management of endowm,
cation of the poor, which had net '
namely, that the value of these fu
increased, that they could not be t
education of the objects within
foundation.
Mr' ABERCROMBIE thought
was appointed, it ought to be autl
into Charities generally. He *did
I:amass the Committee now moved
lasing the objects of its inquiry•. Ei
vinced that this general inquiry shoe
he gave notice that if no other Men
he would think it his duty to do so.
Theanotion was then agreed tc,
tee appoii,ted.

' PETITIONS RESPECTIvG
Mr: PHILLIPS, before entering
of which. he had given notice for
the several Petitions presented t
Manchester, and by various intiirl
the employment of Spies, be entcre,
read,—Tl:c %%Lie cute!