The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-07-21 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

Lord PALMERSTON, by command of her Majesty, laid
upon the table the treaty which had recently been con-
cluded between this country and the United States of
America respectine the Oregon boundary. He had bad
that day the gratification of exchanging ratifications with
the American Minister in London.

On the order of the day for the hours resolving itself
nto a committee of supply,
Mr. EWART moved the following resolutions :

" That it is expedient that an annual statement o❑ the
state and prospects of education be made to a responsible
Minister of the Crown on going into committee on the
education estimates.

"That it is expedient that the formation of additional
training schools for schoolmasters be encouraged.
" that it is expedient to encourage the formation, of
public libraries, freely open to the public, in large towns.
"That it is expedient that appointments to the subor-
dinate offices of government be made, as far as possible,
on the principle of open examination of the respective
qualifications of the candidates."
Mr. CHRISTIE seconded the resolutions.
Lord SANDON said he could not agree with the whole
of the recommendations of the hon. gentleman, but
thought the time was come when some general and com-
prehensive plan of education should be devised by the
government, it being evident that private contributions
and charitable donations would no longer carry out the
objects they had, all of them, in view. As all parties
were willing to give the government of Lord John Rus-
sell a fair trial, he thought that that noble lord was in a
position to carry out a liberal and extensive system of
public education.
Sir IL INGLIS hoped that in any plan of education
brought forward by the government religious instruction
would be combined with secular education.

Mr. WA.RBURTON was opposed to any religious interfe-
rence wi.h the general education of the people.
Mr. WILLIAMS regretted that pclitical rancour and re-
ligious animosity should have so long interfered with the
education of the people. Sir li,. Peel had promised the
house that a committee should be appointed to inquire
into the system of education throughout the country—that
promise had not been fulfilled : but he felt satisfied that
Lord J. Russell would give the subject his earliest consi-
deration.

Mr. Hume complained that the Dissenters were more
opposed to a national system of education than the mem-
bers of the Church of England. He quoted some statis-
tical tables for the purpcse of showing that education was
I,ss generally diffused in England than any part of Eu-
rope. If they only voted one-half the sum they annually
psid for the punishment of crime in this country for the
education of the people, they would soon find the benefi-
cial results in the improvement of the rising generation.
After some observations from Mr. H ORSM AN,
Lord J. RUSSELL said he agreed with Mr. Ewart, that
an annual statement ought to be made to parliament, not
only as to the mode in which parliamentary grants had
been expended for the purposes of education, but also as
to the beneficial effects which bad been produced. The
whole sub3ect was one td which be would give his best at-
tention, feeling that a scheme of public instruction at once
liberal and comprehensive was due to the country.
After a few observations from Mr. Borthwick,
Lord JOHN MANNERS expressed himself highly grati-
fied at the observations which had fallen from Lord John
Russell,

After some remarks from Dr. Bowring, Mr. Esteourt,
and Mr. Hindley, the resolutions of Mr. Ewart were ne-
gatived without a division, and the house resolved itself
into a committee of supply.