with the object of benefiting their children) and God will not give the correction his blessing.

40. They shall not at any time give to their scholars any injurious epithet or insulting name.

41.

They shall also take the greatest care not to strike their scholars with hand, foot, or stick, nor to push them rudely.

42. "They shall take great care not to pull their ears, their hair, or their noses, nor to fling anything at them; these kinds of corrections ought not to be practised by the Frères, as they are very indecent and opposed to charity and Christian kindness.

43. "They shall not correct their scholars during prayers, or at the time of catechising, except when they cannot differ the correction.

66

They shall not use corporal punishment, except when every other means of correction has failed to pro duce the right effect.

58.The Frère director shall be inspector over all the schools in his town; and when more than one inspector is necessary for one house of Frères, the other inspector shall report to the Frère-director twice a week on the conduct of each Frère, on the condition of his class, and on the progress of his scholars.

Signé Jean Baptiste Herbet dit Frumence, vicaire général des Frères des écoles chrétiennes ;

Barthélemy Garnier, dit F. Barthélemy;

Jean Baptiste Dié, dit F. Emery;

Aflabel, dit F. P. Célestin.

Each commune, as I have before said, is required, either alone or in association with one or more neighbouring communes, to establish at least one primary school, to pay at least one master, and to furnish him with a comfortable house. If a commune cannot either alone or by association with others, provide sufficient schoolroom for its population, it applies for assistance, first to the council of the department, and if the council is not able to render the required aid, next to Government, which is always ready to assist local efforts in the development of national education.

The following table will give an idea of the condition of primary education in the different communes in 1843:

primary schools

Number of communes not yet provided with a primary school

.

Population of the communes not yet provided
with primary schools
Number of communes who require several

363

37,038

34,230,178

34,578

33,080,002

2,460

1,150,176

primary schools, and who possess only one Number of communes who are required by law to support one superior primary school Number of communes who ought to support

superior primary schools, and who do sup-
port them

23

290

222

Population of these communes

Number of communes who ought to support
several superior primary schools, and who
support only one
Number of communes who are not required by
law to support a superior primary school,
and who do support one

Total number of primary schools, elementary

and superior, for boys and girls, established
in France in 1843

Total number of primary schools in the 86
departments of France, visited in 1843 by
the 87 inspectors and 113 sub-inspectors

4,177,047

23

103

59,838

50,936

In addition to these schools for the youth there ought to be added 6,434 classes for the labourers, which are conducted by the primary school teachers in the evenings, after the day's work, or on the Sunday, and in which 95,064 adult labourers received instruction in 1843; and also a great number of infant schools which have been recently opened in the departments, and which are receiving great encouragement and attention from the Government,

Before I close this imperfect account of the great and admirable system of primary education in France, I ought to mention two other very wise and beneficent regulations. One is the formation of funds in each department for the relief of old and superannuated masters, and of the widows and children of masters who die in the exercise of their important functions. In each department each master is required to subscribe to it yearly one-twentieth part of the salary he receives from his commune, and the sum total which he subscribes,

together with the interest upon it, is returned to him. when he retires, or to his widow and children if he dies.

The other regulation to which I referred is the awarding of silver and bronze medals by Government to those masters who distinguish themselves in the management of their schools. This encourages and stimulates them to continued efforts by offering honourable marks of the approbation of their country to those who distinguish themselves, and by reminding them that the whole nation is interested in their success. The situation of the masters in France is honourable, though not sufficiently lucrative, but as Government has called attention to this latter defect, it will no doubt soon be remedied, and then France will possess a great army of well-trained, welleducated, and highly moral instructors, all occupying honourable posts; all proud of their profession, and all deeply interested in the success of the important work entrusted to them.

I have added, in the form of Appendices, to this Report, three very important papers on French education, to which I invite attention. The first is a circular letter addressed by M. Guizot, when Minister of Public Instruction, to the teachers of France; the second is the law which was passed by the Chambers in 1833, on the subject of primary education; and the third is an exposé of the motives which led to the adoption of the law of 1833 by M. Guizot. They were put into my hands by M. Salvandy, the present Minister of Public Instruction in France, who recommended them to my notice as well worthy perusal.

The statistics of this great and perfect system of

French education offer a strange contrast to our own miserable and inefficient efforts.

At the present moment France has 76 Normal schools for the education of schoolmasters, and 16 for the education of schoolmistresses, making in all 92 Normal schools; whilst in England there exist only five Normal schools for masters. To 52 of the French schools land is adjoined for the purpose of teaching agriculture or horticulture. The course of instruction lasts two years in 49 of these schools, and three years in the rest; whilst several of our schools turn out masters after one year's instruction!! Of the 76 schools for masters, 62 are large and excellent schools; the remaining 14 are but indifferent.

The force of inspectors consists of 87 chief inspectors, and 114 sub-inspectors; and I find that in the year 1843 these gentlemen visited 30,001 communes, and inspected 50,986 schools; whilst our mighty force of inspectors for England and Wales amounts to SEVEN, who have the power of visiting a number of schools amounting to not quite 2,000, and this in a country possessing the greatest manufacturing system in the world!!

I have added some very interesting tables of statistics collected from the last reports published by the French Government. They will exhibit, in a tabular form, the state of education in France in the year 1843:

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