The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-03-04 00:00:00

THE WELSH CHARITY SCHOOLS.

These schools, which have been long operating most
usefully in this town, were aided on Tuesday evening by
the proceeds of a ball held in the Town-hall, under the
patronage of the Mayor, the Dowager Lady Erskine, and
Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., M.P. The attend-
ance was very numerous and fashionable ; amongst those
present being Sir Watkin W. Wynn, the Dowager Lady
Erskine and daughters ; his Worship the Mayor, with his
lady, son, and daughter ; the whole of the committee,
Mr. Forster, Mr. Alderman Parker, Mr. Littledale, Mr.
Councillor Lloyd, Mr. Sandbach, Mr. Councillor Gard-
ner, Mr. Alderman Procter, and Mr. Alderman Turner.
The affair was rendered more national and characteristic
than are balls usually, by the presence of several Welsh
harpers. The other musical performances devolved upon
Gribbin's quadrille band and the band of the 91st Regt.
The refreshments were elegantly served. The ball realised
nearly £5OO for the charity.

EXAMINATION OF THE PUPILS

Contingent on the ball, in order to secure the attend-
ance of Lady Erskine, Sir Watkin Wynn, and other dis-
tinguished personages, the annual examination of the
pupils in the schools, which has hitherto taken place on
the anniversary day of the patron saint of Wales, the Ist
of March, took place in the school-room, Russell-street,
on Wednesday. The company was tolerably numerous.
Sir W. Wynn presided, and there were present Lady
Erskine and the two Misses Erskine, Mrs. H. bandbach,
(Havodnos, Denbigshire), Mrs. Clough and the Misses
Clough, Miss Roose, Miss Jones, Miss H. Jones. Miss
Morehead, Mrs. Owen Williams, Miss Williams Thomas
Hughes, Esq., (high-sheriff of Denbighshire,) Owen Wil-
liams, Esq., 11. Sandbach, Esq., R. E. Griffiths, Esq.,
R. Griffiths, Esq., William Ellis Jones, Esq., Rev. Mr.
Hughes, Rev. Mr. Morgan, R. Raikes, Esq., William
Jones, John Casson, Esq., William Casson, Esq., H.
Arbuthnot, Esq., J. B. Lloyd, Esq., W. Wood, Esq., J.
C. Jones, Esq., Jonathan Roose, Esq., &c.
The proceedings throughout were most interesting.

The girls read portions from Scripture, and were then
questioned on them, and also in reference to the Church
Catechism, geography, &c., and their ready and appro-
priate answers drew forth the approbation of Lady Ers-
kine and the whole of the audience.

After the routine examination bad been gone through,
as a test of their general proficiency, the president asked
several questions, as they suggested themselves to his
mind, in the different branches of education in which the
pupils had just been examined.

The boys next went through a routine examination in
Scripture, history, geography, arithmetic, &c., and ac-
quitted themselves most admirably, and in a style re-
flecting the highest credit upon their teacher, Mr. Ed-
wards. _ _ _

Sir WATKIN WYNN expressed the high gratification
he felt at the proficiency evinced, and in order to test their
general information, Mr. SANDBACII proceeded to pro-
pound to them questions in different branches of educa-
tion, for which they had not been tutored on the occasion.
These had reference to arithmetic, history, geography,
&e. Sir Watkin playfully asked whether the pupils had
any idea where California was. " I have no doubt, Sir
Watkin," was the reply of the teacher, " any one of
them would take you there most readily." Intimation
of this was given, and a little intellectual-looking fellow
stepped forth, and steered his passage by the most direct
route in a style not to be surpassed by any captain con-
nected with the port of Liverpool. Another little fel-
low, at request, proceeded direct to Calcutta, with the
greatest facility.
A boy named Francis Watson then presented himself
arid, in a clear and distinct manner, delivered an address
prepared for the occasion, to the president and directors.
The number of children at present in the schools is
450, namely, 220 boys, 110 girls, and 120 infants.

MAYNOOTH COLLEGE.—In the eloquent speech of the
Rev. Chancellor Raikes, at the Amphitheatre, when
moving a vote of thanks to the Rev. Hugh M'Neile for
his admirable lecture on the Canon Law, he remarked
that we were supplying the funds for scattering hundreds
of priests throughout the kingdom, and this appears to be
the literal fact ; for we learn from a parliamentary report
that in December last there were no fewer than 500
students in attendance, and that " the new buildings in
the college comprise 215 rooms for students, with a li-
brary, seven lecture halls, a kitchen, refectory, &c.
These, however, remain unprovided with any furniture;
and we presume that if a Peelite Government comes into
power we shall have a proposal for another " grant" to
obtain the requisite fixtures.
HOW THE VERY Poort LlVE.—Acorrespondent.writing
to one of our contemporaries, details the following parti-
culars with regard to the condition and earnings of a
lucifer-matchbox-maker :—Amelia Wright, aged 28,
living at No. 3, Dance-street, Copperas-hill, was deserted
by her husband, four years ago, leaving her with one
child, now six years old. She supports herself and child,
without parochial aid, by making lucifer matchboxes. At
this employment she earns 71(.1. per day, for which sun►
she has to make three gross. When in full work she
makes eighteen gross per week, which amounts to 3s. 9d.
Of this sum, one shilling goes for rent ; she uses half a
cwt. of coal in cold weather, and a quarter of a cwt. when
warmer. Meat and vegetables she never tastes, except
when her sister (a very little better off) gives her a dinner
on the Sabbath. The child stands all day at the table,
pasting the labels on the boxes, at which she is very
handy. Their united labour gains but lid. The child
has not been, and cannot get, to school, nor the mother
to a place of worship. She says she never goes out of
doors, except once a week to the shop with their work.
She will not go to the 'Workhouse, as she would be there
separated from her child.

INTERESTING LECTURE.—On Tuesday evening, Dr.
Fisher, of Great George-street, delivered a lecture on
astronomy, in the Church of England Schools, Cornwal-
lis-street, for the benefit of the schools. The audience
was very numerous, many being compelled to stand in
the passages between the seats. All appeared much gra-
tified with the instructive lecture delivered by Dr. Fisher,
and the beautiful representations which, with the help of
his valuable diagrams, were given of the heavenly bodies.
Saturn with his rings and seven moons (or rather eight,
another, as the lecturer informed his auditors, having been
lately discovered by Wm. Lassell, Esq., of Liverpool),
Jupiter and his satellites, and Venus in all her phases,
were particularly admired. But what was peculiarly inte-
resting was Dr. Fisher's account of the newly-discovered
planet Neptune. He first gave a clear and succinct ac-
count of the calculations and reasonings of LeVerrier and
Adams, leading them to conjecture the existence of a
planet in a particular locality in the immensity of space,
and then announced the singular fact of the discovery at
Berlin of the actual existence of a new planet in that very
region of the heavens in which the calculations of science
led these two eminent men to look for it. After the close
of the lecture several splendid views of remarkable places
in different parts of the world were exhibited, and several
chromatropes of great brilliancy and variety of colour, to
the great entertainment of the young. The public are
certainly much indebted to Dr. Fisher for his benevolence
in aiding, gratuitously, so many of the religious institu
tions of Liverpool, by giving lectures on their behalf.
RAPID PASSAGE.—The screw-steamer Arno, of which
we gave a description some short time back, has returned
to this port, after making a very fine voyage, giving a
further proof of the success of the screw as a propeller. It
will be recollected that the Arno sailed from this port
during the very severe weather about the middle of
January, against which she steamed gallantly, and arrived
at Gibraltar unscathed, whilst the Dumbarton Youth, and
several other vessels that sailed about the same time, had
to put back from stress of weather. Whilst in the Medi-
terranean the Arno made some extraordinary runs,
particulars of some of which we subjoin :—Passage from
Leghorn to Messina, 47 hours ; Palermo to Marseilles,
48 hours (the quickest on record); from Marseilles to
Liverpool, including detention of seven hours at Gibraltar
to coal, and land and receive cargo, 81 days. Her com-
mander has received the following gratifying testimonials
from passengers to the different ports on his route home:—

Gibraltar Bay, 22nd February, 1851.
We, the undersigned passengers from Marseilles toGibraltar
by the Arno screw-steamer, commander G. Haram, cannot
leave the vessel without previously testifying to the com-
modious arrangements of this elegant and fast going steamer
(which, after a tine run of 72 hours, has brought us into port),
as well as to the kindness and attention we have received at
the hands of her commander, to whom we take this opportunity
of expressing our thanks. On behalf of the passengers,

W. D. S. ALEXANDER.
We, the undersigned, were passengers on board the ship
Arno, on her first return trip from Gibraltar to Liverpool, and
have to speak in the highest praise of her as a pt.ssenger vessel.
Her state cabins are roomy, comfortable, and well ventilated ;
her table everything that could be wished, and the attendance
very good, and the passage was the shortest and most pleasant
one we ever made, _ It. A. LONGNIORE.

Arno, Liverpool, February 28, 1851. CT. §CIIIY
SANITARY STATE OF WAVERTREE.—We have received
a copy of the report furnished to the General Board of
Health, by Robert Rawlinson, Esq., engineer, on the
sanitary state of Wavertree. The recommendations made
by the learned gentleman may be briefly indicated in the
following paragraphs :—" Having duly conducted the in-
quiry intrusted to me by your honourable board, and
having considered the several peculiarities of the township
and the requirements of the ratepayers, I beg respectfully
to present the following recommendations for considera-
tion:-1. That Wavertree is a ' place' (a township) having
a known and defined boundary. 2. That there are local
Acts of Parliament in force, but the government of the
township is imperfectly carried on under the general acts
of the country ; that it is the wish of the landowners and
ratepayers, as named in their petition, that the powers of
the Public Health Act should be granted, that a local
board may be formed for the purposes contemplated and
provided for in that act. 3. That the sewerage, drainage,
and supply of water are at present imperfect. 4. That
the parish burial ground is situated at an inconvenient
distance, that it is unduly'overcrowded ; that there is no
township burial ground adequate to the requirements of
the place ; and that a new cemetery is much needed. 5.
That power is required to form new roads and streets, to
pave courts, to regulate slaughter-houses, to prevent over-
crowding in common lodging-houses, and to remove all
means of nuisance at short intervals. 6. That many cess-
pools have been formed, and that wells and pumps have
been sunk in the same porous subsoil, a state of things
most improper, and likely to be highly injurious if con-
tinued. That to remedy these evils, power to construct
house-drains is required, as also to obtain a full supply of
pure water, to the superseding of all local wells, pumps,
and house-cisterns. That the supply may be at constant
service, high pressure, abundant, pure, and cheap. 7.
That power to enclose land out of use is required, as also
to drain all stagnant water from open pits and ditches, to
remove all solid refuse at short intervals, and to cleanse
and regulate the township generally ; and that much
benefit will arise to the ratepayers if they are enabled to
construct the necessary works of outlet drainage jointly
with the adjoining townships.lllr. Rawlinson recom-
mends the extension of the Public Health Act (except
sect. 50) to Wavertree.