The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-01-31 00:00:00

EDUCATION FOR THE BRITISH COLONIES.

LETTER 111.

TO. THE EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL STNADA.RD.

promised in this article to enter upon the in-
quiry as to whether the West India Islands were affluent
enough to bear the expenses of a system of education for
themselves. But, before entering upon the subject, it is
but right to observe that they have not in them a rich
and affluent middle class, such as we have in England, to
fall back upon for support for their schools in times of de-
pression of trade. At such times they have to send to
England for pecuniary assistance. I could enumerate a
long list of schools in the island of Jamaica which have
been largely helped by grants from societies in England,
but value for your space, and the time of your readers,
makes me refrain from doing so. Yet I will have to use
figures to substantiate what say. They are necessary,
at times, to render perfect a proposition ; but believing
that, for party purposes, a most licentious use has been
made of them, I will only use such as are absolutely ne-
cessary. Skilful partizans have made them tell many
tales to advance the cause of themselves and friends ; as
many changes have been rung upon the same statistics as
skilful players can do upon the same set of bells. Well,
but, it may be said again, " facts are stubborn things,"
and statistics are a bundle of them ; but this very fact of
their being presented in bundles makes simple-minded
persons fear them the more. The bundles have been so
skilfully managed that common people have been bewil-
dered by them, just as we read of certain traders who have
deceived the natives of the South Sea Islands, by present-
ing to them in traffic barrels of European wares in which
the highly-prized articles appeared on the top, but under-
neath was sand, or some other worthless thing ; so sta-
tistics, favouring the cause of certain parties, have been
made into groups, and so deceived the public. But the
present question is too grave to admit of such conduct in
its advocates ; and its comprehensiveness renders it diffi-
cult for them to do so were they inclined. It is a ques-
tion in which is involved all that a Christian holds dear
upon earth, and one in the carrying out of which he hopes
to gain for himself a place in heaven. It is too important
to admit of levity, or trickery being employed in its ad-
vocacy. A plain statement of the truth is all that is
needed. This done, the question must make its own way.
The friends of education in the West Indies have, under
many gloomy circumstances, exerted themselves most laud-
ably for spreading instruction among the negroes. They
have acted upon the injunction of the Royal Preacher,
who says, "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the even-
ing withhold not thine hand, for thou knowest not whe-
ther shall prosper either this or that, or whether they
shall be both alike good." The unexampled depression of
trade, for the last few years, in the island of Jamaica, and
which has affected 1111 classes in the community, has had a
most injurious efibct upon the schools. I state this simply
as a fact couuected with the subject. Whether the link

sures of the imperial Parliament which have brought
about this change were wise or not, is a question into
which lam not going to enter. I may belong to those
who think they were very unwise, and for many reasons.
One thing in which I have great pleasure in stating is,
that, since the abolition of slavery in them, education has
continued steadily to advance. Learning, like all other
good things which belong to the soul, flourishes never
amid wickedness, cruelty, and wrong. Morals and reli-
gion are taught most effectually when their precepts are
reduced to practice, and their precepts in the mouths of
the slaveowners fell like dead letters upon the ears of the
poor negroes in the West Indies. That pure, deep-seated
religion of the heart, which imparts a child-like sincerity
to the really Christian man, may be sought for in vain
amid slavery in Cuba or South Carolina. No, it will not
be found in those places, for its possessors believe that
God has made of one flesh all nations of the earth, and
that they who love righteousness, and practice holiness,
will be accepted by Him as His people. The planters and
their agents might attend Church, and perform the out-
ward acts of worship, but they could not have that love
and charity without which no one can be acceptable to
God ; they belonged to that class who honour Him with
their lips while their hearts are far from Him. No won-
der, then, that education did not prosper among them,
and that it has done so since., I differ with many as to
the destiny in store for the negro race. With proper
culture, training, and favourable circumstances, I believe
they will manifest a force of intellect and grandeur of
soul of which they have been thought destitute. Our
duty towards them is to seize every opportunity of pro-
moting education among them—of casting our bread upon
the waters, and waiting God's appointed time for seeing
it again. If we do so, our labour will not be in vain, but
will be abundantly rewarded.
With the foregoing remarks, I beg now to call your
attention to the funds expended in the island of Trinidad,
for the purposes of education and religion. It is one of
the largest, most beautiful, and fertile of the islands be-
longing to the British crown in the West, and merits a
distinct notice in this place. Its capital, Port of Spain,
is one of the first towns in the West Indies ; the streets
are wide and long, being shaded with trees, laid out in
long lines, from the sea to the land, thus catching every
breeze that blows, and forming a delightful shaded prome-
nade for the natives. The buildings have an imposing ap-
pearance., being built of a massive- cut stone.
In 184.9 so large a sum as £9,40 6s. 81 was given for
the purposes of religious instruction. Of this sum the
clergy of the English Church got £4,773 6s. Bd. • the
Romish Priests got £4,630. The Romanist Bishop of the
island gets 1,000;£ the curate of Port of Spain £300;
four assistant curates get £l3O each, which makes £520 :
the rest of the- sum goes among the curates for the dif-
ferent parishes into which the island is divided. In the
same year (1849), the sum of £1,562 10s. was given to
the schools ; e*ht Romanist schools got £328; schools
connected with the Church of England £1,234. The
revenue, for the' following years, was as follows :-1844,
£76,395 ; 1815, 078150 ; 1846, £86,422 ; 1847, £81,121.
The police and gaol establishments cost £1;3)878: £lOO
is also given to an immigration agent, who resides at
Sierra Leone, in Africa. These sums, paid annually,
show that Trinidad is a wealthy island, and fit to educate
itself. The very large sum paid every year forthe main-
tenance of the police and prisons show that the• morals of
the people are not so good as they should or crime
would not be so prevalent.
Jamaica, with a population of more than 400;000, and
a revenue of £392,038 7ss 11d., claims next our attention.
The-authorities of this island had it in contemplation to
consolidate the funds of several charitable endowments,
and to erect in the centre of the island a school and col-
lege, after the manner of Eton and Winchester. It was
alsontated that the working classes should have central
groups of schools, in districts of about 25 square miles
each. In these schools, negro dames were to have charge
of theddldren, until they were seven years of age - the
children• from about twenty cottages would form a school ;
they were to be a kind of infant schools. In another class
of schools'they would be from, seven till fourteen years of
age; and in connection with their instruction they would
receive• from one hour to six, instruction in industrial
training. By the act of the Isand Legislature, of the 10th
Vic., chap. 47, £2,000 was given for the purposes of edu-
cation annually ; 160 schools were to be assisted by £2O
each; which, on an average;. amounts to £3,200; 100
elementary schools each to have £lO-1,000 ; sundry
minor grants for books and dormitories, and expenses-of
the board, MOO : total, £6,000.! The board mentioned
here consists- of a council, which includes the governor,
bishop, vice- chancellor, president of council, and 31r.
Jordan. They gave or voted. £7OO for the purpose- of
erecting a normal school, such as I have been advocating,
for the purpose. of giving instruction in the art* of teach-
ing to twenty youths. The bishop made arrangements
with the rest of the board for getting a master from St.
Mark's College, Chelsea, and a Mr. Findlay was made
choice of Premises were taken• at Villa Pen for the in-
stitution, with forty acres of land in connection with it.
Pens in Jamaica mean something different to what they
do in Scotland or Australia ; in those places they mean
level sheep-walks ; but in the islands of the West—" the
poor man's best country," as it has been called, by those
who know it well, they mean farms on the sides of the
mountains. A popular poet, in a famous poem, has struck
out the delineation of an English hill by saying it was
" green and of, gentle declivity," but such a description
would fail to characterise those of Jamaica, for the tints
are most variegated, and their• declivity anything but
gentle. As 1. have said before, in a former article, the
Legislature have done most for the promotion of religion;
their exertions in favour of it have been very great indeed.
The diocesan and the archdeaconry are provided from the
Treasury of the United Kingdom, which affords. the
bishop an annual income of £2,100, as supplementary
emoluments for hiring the oeftasional services of unbeui-
ficed curates. The island itself sustains the expense of an
endowed rectory for each of the twenty-two narislies_in
bz..au. auunion to this, there are upwards of ritty
island curacies, for each of which a stipend of £l9O alear
is provided. These sums, in addition to what the dissent-
ing ministers-get, show that,_ in this respect, Jamaica has
done well.

The actual: revenues of the-other islands, subject to. this
country, Mr: Montgomery. Martyn, in his " History of the
Colonies," gives as follows ;,—" The estimated revenues are
sometimes.given at a very high sum; but the actunloften
falls far beneath the estimated one. Barbadoes, £17.000;
Antigua, between.£l6,ooo,and £17,000. The governor of
this island is also governor and commander-in-chief over
Montserret,permuda,St. IZtt's, Nevis, Anguilla, the :Virgin
Islands, and Dominica, and might not these small islands
be grouped,together for, educational purposes? St.. Kitt's
has a house of assembly, with a revenue of- £7,000.
Nevis sends a deputy to the house of assembly in St.
Kitt's.. Dominica has & council, horse of assembly, and a
revenue of £7,000. St. Lucia has £9,000 Montserret,
£3,000; the Bermudas, £10,000; the Bahamas, £19,000.
These-sums, got front imposts upon trade, licenses, and so
forth,ishow that these islands have the means of helping
themselves. Revenues change very much like commerce,
from:which they arederived, and since Mr.. Martyn gave
the-above, no doubt some of them have changed ; but it
must be in the way of increase, as Jamaica. and Trinidad
have, done.

To.show the condition of the labouring classes, I give
now the rate of wages paid in the principal islands; also in
the• Mauritius awl. Guiana:—
Mauritius 1014.2, Jamaica.. .. 154.. St. Lucia .. 15d.
Antigua.... 'Zd. Montserret 6d. —St Vincent 10d.
Dominica ..10d. Nevis.... .10d,. Tobago... . 11d.
Grenada . od. St. Kitt's .. Tortola.. ...74d.
Trinidad. ....25d. —B. Guiana 201. Barbadoes 71d.

Considering the many valuable fruits which grow wild,
and.the general cheapness of living, the wages in Trinidad,
Guiana, St, Lucia, and Jamaica, are quite as good as
labourers get in some parts of England, and if the poor in
this country have to contribute towards the schooling of
their children in the shape of weekly pence for school
wages, I don't see why the West Indians should not do
the same. I doubt not but that they are willing to do so.
Thus setting down 200,000 children as the number in.
Jamaica, if these were distributed over the island into
schools which would contain. 60 each, then there would be
about 3,333 schools. Now, considering the number of
schools in the island at present, and the number which
would be wanted to makeup the number just named, one
good normal school would be quite sufficient to keep up a
supply of teachers for the schools, as death, age, or• any
other thing might incapacitate or remove them. There
are also, I have no doubt, many youths that have just
completed their apprenticeships in this country who would
fill up the vacancies in. the schools, if the full number at
present existed and required masters. A fair start could
be had in the matter with proper qualified persons. The
exact cost of purchasing an estate for a normal school
would not be a great deal, as some of them have become
very cheap within the last two or three years, while many
have been abandoned altogether. One of the latter might
be had at a price which the greatest stickler for economy
could not demur to ; £2,000 would put up a building suit-
able, and one thousand would fit it up with the fixtures,
and set it a-going. The expense annually would not be a
great deal, as the students might be made to contribute
to their own support, as they do now at St. Marks, Bat-
tersea, and Westminster. A large model school in con-
nexion with the institution, in which the young men
would have an opportunity of learning practically the
business of tuition, would also bring in something for the
institution. The result would soon be felt in a reduced
expenditure for gaols and police. Trinidad might find that
five thousand pounds would do for those things instead
of thirteen as she has to give at present. It is a trite
thing to say now, that the schoolmaster is a cheaper and
more effectual public servant than the policeman and
gaoler. The subject has been so thoroughly sifted, that
hundreds will be found to agree with the declaration.
The salary I would propose to give to the heads of train-
ing schools for the West Indies would be £l5O per annum,
to begin with. The master of the model school I would
give £lOO. This is something more than they get at
home as an inducement for them to go out; without
something of the kind it is not likely that men would
leave home and fatherland for a strange one. At the
same time, the sum is not so large as to excite the cupidity
of the sordid—it is just sufficient to reward men for a
servitude of a few years of usefulness, and nothing more.
What subjects of instruction should be taught as best
suited to the negro mind, it would be premature at present
to inquire into. The negro mind has its peculiarities,
which should be attended to, so as to bring out its best
and strongest powers. This, competent educators would
soon accomplish. Local boards for the islands would be
a necessary thing at first, also inspectors. These two are
important wants, which should be supplied early. Ano-
ther thing would be a union of the boards for the smaller
islands,—one board would do for the Bermudas, or Somers
Isles, and one for the Bahamas. Nassau would be the
place for assembling the board for the latter islands. As
little communities at home benefit one another by asso-
ciating together, so the small West India Islands would
benefit one another by being joined together educationally.
One board for a group would throw a unity into the in-
struction ; thus a harmony of sentiment and thought
would be created in the rising population ; mutual attach-
ment and goodwill would be fostered among them, and
they could act together in concert for the good of one
another. This is a blessed state to live in. The psalmist
tells us that "It is like precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down unto the beard—even unto Aaron's beard,
and went down unto the skirts of his clothing." And
lest the description should not impress the mind enough
with the beauty of the state, he adds another simile by
way of climax, saying, that "It is like the dew of Hermon
which fell upon the hill of Sion,—that hill where the
Lord had promised his blessing awl life for evermore,"

Such was the estimation in which David held the state of
unity and harmony among brethren, and such should be
our estimate also. By causing them to act together educa-
tionally by means of a board, formed upon just principles,
they would be strengthened in many ways ; commercially
and politically they would be stronger, and treated more
respectfully by other countries. All the world have pro-
tected themselves againd our colonies because they belong
to us ; but we have not protected them against the world,
in our legislation, for the last few years. No; we have
ignored their claims upon us, and given the hand of fel-
lowship to the ungodly stranger ; avarice for cheap sugar
has made us inconsistent. But were the colonies bound
together in the way I have named, instead of building up
little hostile tariffs against one another, they would form
a union for mutual good. Many of them- (the islands) are
little tropical gardens of great beauty.
If education is to be made effective in the colonies, the
office of the teacher must be held in proper esteem ; they
must be paid a sufficiency to keep them above the fear of
want, or the necessity of engaging in manual occupations.
In Germany, France, and other countries on the continent,
about the end of the last century, they had to devote their
leisure to occupations to eke out a living. Indeed, in our
country it was much the same. The shoemaker, miner, or
invalided soldier was generally the person performing the
office of schoolmaster. But this system has been strongly
condemned in Ecclesiasticus by him who profoundly un-
derstood human nature. Such men, he tells us, would
not be devoting their minds to the occupation of teacher,
but to other things. Speaking of a teacher, who devotes
part of his time to agricultural pursuits, he asks, " How
can he think of instruction who holds the plough, who
goads forward the lazy oz, and who can speak only of
cattle ? All his thoughts are absorbed in the labours of
husbandry, and by the cares of providing fodder for his
cows."

Many things of importance, connected with this part of
the subject, crowd upon my mind ; but I must pass
them by at this time. Hoping (D.V.) to call your atten-
tion to another part of the subject in your next week's
paper, I am your obedient servant,
Rathbone-street, Liverpool, JAMES LISTEE.
January 26, 1854.

ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCR.

DIOCESE OF CHESTER.

PaErannana-rs.—The Rev. Henry Whitehead has been
licensed to the Stipendiary Curacy of Newton-in-Maker-
field, in the county of Lancaster, on the nomination of the
Rev. J. Whitley, the Rector.—The Rev. Francis Henry
Caldwell has been licensed to the Stipendiary Curacy of
the parish church of Wigan, Lancashire, on the nomina-
tion of the Rev. H. Jr Gunning, the Rector.—The Rev.
Lockhart William Jeffray has been presented-to the Rec-
tory of Aldford, in the• county of Chester, vacant by the
death of the-Rev. F. Brandt, by the Marquis of Westmin-
ster, the Patron—value £330 with a house.
SURROC-ATE.—The Worshipful the Chancellor of the
Diocese has appointed the Rev. Francis Henry Coldwell
one of his surrogates•for granting marriage licences and
letters of administration, and proving wills, &c.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1