ficently built his own and gives it to the parish. He hates the King's Mews, because the soldiers who quelled the riots in Sir F. Burdett's mobs were quartered there. He hates Waterloo place and bridge, because they are called after what the people, as this matchless falsifier says, now entitle the field of blood and mud. Nobility and clergy he hates of course beyond expression, but he hates whigs most of all. But it were long and odious to tell all that this being hates. A whig gentleman left his sons at a certain great school of the present day because he found that the learned master thought all existing institutions wrong, and must therefore be an invaluable instructor. This being in the form of man goes farther, for he hates every institution, every thing, every man in the world, and hates with a malignity and fury quite awful to witness. Is it possible that there are many such spirits as this in England? If so, may God have mercy on us all! For from such men we have nothing to expect but the most savage and cruel butchery whenever they can give way to their horrible passions. Such exhibitions of diabolical hatred cannot be witnessed, let it be avowed honestly without fear. The nature of man is such, and the circumstances in which we live are such, that if the power of evil can thus boldly manifest itself, there is no knowing what force it may attain. One thing however, we may all know, that from such a spirit there is no hope. The only hope where such a spirit exists, must be in the determination, by God's help, to meet it boldly, put it down, and trample it in the dust.

FACTORIES.

Ir is only just to desire all persons to read the evidence on the factory question, and especially that collected in the cotton district by Mr. Tuffnell. It will be remembered, that in this Magazine it was said there was little hope for the poor children, because it was clear enough that their parents voluntarily sold them for their tasks, and it was asked why there was never a turn out for a short time. Mr. Tuffnell asked this very question, but never got a satisfactory answer. It appears also but too clearly that the former regulations as to the age of admission is constantly defeated by parents telling falsehoods about their children's age in order to have them set to work. And it appears too, but too clearly, that with very many, the object was not to abridge their children's labour, but to raise wages, i. e. to get the same for themselves for ten hours as they before got for twelve, as it was supposed that adults could not work if children's labour was stopped. All this is very melancholy. The first evidence too taken by Mr. Tuffnell for the short time is a most awful one. It is given by a man named Charles Aberdeen. Have you any objection to take an oath?" "I would rather not. I have no objection to kiss the dirty book. Truth is what I swear by, and wherever I meet her I embrace her." "Do you believe in a God.', “Can you tell me what God is ?” "God is incomprehensible." "I am a moral character. When I was in London I lived in Mr. Carlisle's shop, Fleet-street. I acted in the capacity of servant to Mr. Carlisle and the Rev. Robert Taylor." From other persons it appeared that this amiable gentleman was dismised from factories for disseminating Carlisle's doctrines in them. Are these the evidences to whom we are to look for any good to the children? This will never do.

The evidence is certainly contradictory. But it ought to be observed, that in the cotton factories the work is done by the piece, and that the children are hired, not by the owner of the factory, but by the workmen themselves, to assist in their piece-work, and that the labour itself is light.

It ought to be noticed too, that there appears considerable improvement in the moral discipline of factories, that many clergy and other respectable witnesses prove this, and prove too that the Sunday schools are most fully attended

by very large numbers of the factory children, who are orderly, docile, and make great improvement.

Truth must be told. All this however could never reconcile the writer to the factory system, nor do away the main objections which on a former occasion he made to it. But it shews that the evils of it may be mitigated; it shews that the children's case, as far as it is an evil one, is as he said without remedy, while their parents are determined, even by perjury, to get them to work too early and too long, in spite of every bill, and in spite of the masters who try to abide by the law.

Mr. Tuffnell has given very great and praiseworthy attention to the subject. His questions are those of an acute and intelligent observer, and do him very great credit. The writer cannot agree in his views that factories as bringing a large mass under moral controul are a good. It is true that with an active and benevolent master much may be done. But if his son is an absentee or not careful about his people, this good becomes at once a horrid evil.

BISHOPS' LEASES.

A NORTHERN Bishop has recently commenced the system found so eminently successful in Ireland in conciliating the good-will of all denominations of Christians towards the church establishment-running his life against his lessees. Most of the bishop's lands in this county are held by lease during the continuance of three lives, renewable on understood terms at the dropping of each life. This has been the tenure of such property time out of mind; the leases have always been renewed, and much capital has been expended in the improvement of the lands, on the faith that the leases would always continue to be renewed.-Carlisle Journal.

This is inserted in the Patriot. What delicate compliments these radical and dissenting journals pay to their masters. Lord Althorp especially stated, that the system of running the bishop's life against the lease was hardly ever known in Ireland, and on its rarity he founded his measure. But to attack the church, these candid and excellent persons disregard the character and assertions of these leaders as much as they do facts.

VOLUNTARY SYSTEM.

EARLY on the 24th we set off for Lisburne. Though I had been almost totally exhausted with my yesterday's work, yet they insisted on my preaching at Lisburne, at eleven, as it was their quarterly meeting. In vain I urged and expostulated. They said-" surely you came out to preach, and why should you not preach at every opportunity?" "I must have rest." "Surely, you can rest after preaching.' I replied, “I must preach to-morrow at Lurgan, and shall have little time to rest." "Oh! the more you preach the more strength you will get." "I came out for the sake of health and rest." "Oh! rest when you return home.' "I cannot rest at home, as I have got more work there than I can manage." Then," said they, you shall get rest in

the grave."

"

I give this specimen of the inconsiderateness and unfeelingness of many religious people, who care little how soon their ministers are worn out, because they find their excessive labours comfortable to their own minds. And should the preacher die through his extraordinary exertion, they have this consolation, "God can soon raise up another." Though not convinced by this reasoning, I still preached to a very crowded congregation.*

*From an Account of the Religious and Literary Life of Dr. Adam Clark. By a Member of his Family. (vol. ii. p. 270.)

REPORT.

NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE EDUCATION OF THE POOR IN THE PRINCIPLES OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH.

THE usual summary of pecuniary grants voted during the current year shews, that the demands upon the Committee have been so numerous as to exhaust the disposable resources remaining with the Treasurer at the last audit. And, were it not for the fresh supply of funds which is now to be announced, a suspension, for a time at least, must have occurred in many of the schemes for building school-rooms in various parts of the kingdom. The sum of 59397. 148. has been granted during the past year towards the erection of school-rooms in 109 places, one-half of which contain a population of above a thousand souls. On the whole, 157 new school-rooms are erecting, capable of accommodating 14,600 children; by means of which many schools already subsisting will be more suitably accommodated, and an addition made to the total number of poor children receiving education, to the amount of 10,600.

The fresh supply of funds, to which the Committee allude, arises out of the collections recently made under the authority of a King's Letter. In the autumn of last year, the Committee were induced to represent to his Majesty the exhausted state of their finances, and the great injury which would be experienced by the public if the grants of the National Society should be suspended. In answer to their petition, His Majesty was pleased to order a general collection to be made in all parishes throughout England and Wales on behalf of this important object;-and, although the amount of the collection is not so far arranged as to be laid before the public together with this report, it is gratifying to be able to announce that the collections already received amount to 22,3621. 38. 2d. Should the total amount to be derived from the King's Letter fall, as there is reason to apprehend, somewhat below the receipts obtained from a similar collection about ten years since, the causes of such diminution seem sufficiently obvious. For, in addition to the state of the times, and the general reduction which has consequently taken place in the resources of existing charities, it should be noticed that in 1823 about 1860 places had national schools, whereas this number has subsequently risen to 3150; and every additional school which is established creates a claim upon the resident gentry, which tends to diminish the remittance made from the neighbourhood to the funds of the parent institution.

DOCUMENTS.

ON NATIONAL AND OTHER SCHOOLS FOR POOR CHILDREN.

MR. EDITOR,-Having lately had an opportunity of inspecting several large schools, both in connexion with the church and under the direction of dissenters, I take the liberty of sending you an abstract of some of the practices I found in operation. For my own use, I have analysed the state and circumstances of each school; but I thought the publication of some notices, made without reference to any particular school, might be useful to some of your clerical readers, either by way of adoption or correction in those institutions in which they take an interest. Some of the practices they may find beneficial, and some are deserving of reprehension. I have classed them under different heads, though they by no means give a full view of the subjects to which they relate. I have confined my observations chiefly to general ar

rangements and regulations, and have not entered into details of teaching. Neither have I ventured to make any remarks on the state in which I found the schools, or on the characters and qualifications of the masters. The selection of the conductor of a public free school requires much care and judgment. The supposed possession of a single qualification has, in too many instances, superseded the requisition of others, which, by the circumstances of the times, have become of the utmost importance. It may not be regarded as liberal to say much more on this point; but from the political sentiments of several masters, both in church and in dissenting schools, I regard it as a duty to presume, at any rate, to request the attention of the managers of the former to the opinions of those to whom they commit the formation of the characters of the younger members of their flocks. Had I not witnessed the inconveniences and evils of radical and infidel* masters, I should not have ventured thus to allude to such an unpleasant subject.

I. PAYMENTS.

1. (1) Some schools, especially the Unitarian, the Roman Catholics, and endowed charity schools, are entirely free; (2) in others, if two brothers or sisters are in the infant school, and pay there, nothing is paid for those who attend the upper school.

2. The rates of payment vary from a halfpenny for each family, weekly, to 24d. for each child, weekly; payable, generally, whether the child attend or not.

(1) One halfpenny for each family, however numerous. This is commonly in poor Roman Catholic schools.

(2) One penny a week is the usual payment in national schools for general instruction.

(3) One penny halfpenny is charged in some schools for writing, and 2d. or 2d. for writing and cyphering.

(4) A halfpenny or penny, weekly, is added to the common payment, when the scholar belongs to the first class.

3. (1) Children pay for their books entirely; or (2) at a lower price, the deficiency being supplied out of the school funds.

4. (1) They pay half the price of the copy books; or (2) they contribute 2d. towards each; or (3) they find all the paper for both copy and cyphering books.

5. They pay d., or 1d., monthly, for the use of the library, soiling books, &c.; the methodists pay d., weekly, for the use of the library.

6. Almost all the masters of dissenting schools are paid by a fixed salary, as many of our national schools also are; but in a great number of the latter the mixed plan is now adopted; viz., paying the master a smaller fixed sum, and allowing him to receive the whole of the pence, collected from the children, or a portion, according to the funds, and the number of scholars; thus—

(1) In many large schools,,, 3, or of the pence is given to the

master.

(2) I found in a school of 182 children, that the master had the pence of all above 140,-the latter amount of pence he accounted for to the school; in a school of 197, all above 135; in a girls' school of 115, all above 72; another of 130, all above 80; 109, all above one-third.

In one school, not indeed connected with the church of England, when the teacher was asking a boy to spell a word, the master gave into his hands, in my presence, a book out of which the teacher was directed to select some words to spelland what was the book? It was, "Tom Paine's Rights of Man." To such characters do professedly pious men deliver up the education of the children of the

poor.

7. The pence in some schools are thus divided: ten shillings are weekly paid to the funds; of the remainder to the master or mistress and to their assistants.

8. In some schools, which were free, the adoption of the charge of 1d., weekly, is represented as having caused a great decrease of scholars. OBS. As the subscriptions to national schools will probably diminish every year, it is most desirable that the plan of making the children contribute to defray the expenses of their education should be generally adopted. This would provide a permanent, if not a competent fund. The price might be so laid on as not to make the payment detrimental to the usefulness of schools. Of the 52 schools I examined, in 1 the children paid d. for each family; in 27, 1d. weekly, for each child; in 10, 14d., and 2d. for writing and cyphering; 14 were free. In schools which have been hitherto free, it perhaps might not be advisable to enforce the payment throughout the whole school at once, but to begin with those who write or cypher; and so make it general by degrees. For want of some arrangement like this, the introduction of the measure has been accompanied by much inconvenience and unpopularity.

The allotting of an uncertain portion of the pence, as a part of the master's remuneration, has been productive of advantage. The money is more carefully collected; the children attend better; and the master is, in some measure, rewarded according to his exertions.

II. REWARDS.

1. (1) In some schools no rewards are given; (2) in others money is given; (3) in others, money and books; (4) in others, clothes, with or without money or books; (5) silver medals, &c.

2. (1) Teachers and assistants only; (2) other children also rewarded; (3) teachers receive half the money-reward in pocket, and half is placed in a fund book, and afterwards laid out in clothing, &c.

3. Prize books; from (1) Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; (2) Kildare-Street Society; Entertaining Library; Houlston tracts, &c. &c. Given to (1) those who are not in want of clothes; or (2) those who leave school with a good character; (3) deserving scholars.

4. Clothes-Shirts, caps, frocks, shoes, &c.-by various regulations at various periods.

5. Tickets, which vary in value and mode of distribution.

(1) Five tickets worth d.

(2) Twelve tickets worth one ticket of merit; and 12 tickets of merit worth 1d.

(3) Their value is commonly laid out in books; and not paid in

money.

(4) They are given for working well, for cleanliness, for regular attendance, as well as for attention to lessons, good memory, &c. &c.

(5) Sometimes they are used as fines and rewards; particularly in girls' schools. (1) Thirty tickets are given to cach girl weekly, subject to forfeits; (2) for every six not forfeited at the week's end a ticket of merit is given; (3) she who has the greatest number of merit tickets at the end of the half year, obtains the highest prize.

6. Money-1. given in hand or pocket.

(1.) To teachers, from d. to 5d., weekly.

(2.) Half of what is allotted to them.

(3.) A halfpenny, &c., to other boys who may have distinguished themselves.

2. Put in Fund Book.

VOL. IV.

4 D