FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 145 



density of population and the comparative state of crime in their 

 several districts. 



The report of the Committee of the Manchester Statistical So- 

 ciety, on the state of Education in the borough of Liverpool, was 

 then read by T. Hey wood, Esq. This document, which was of con- 

 siderable length, went very minutely into every particular of the 

 several schools, the whole of which had been visited in person by 

 the agents of the society. The population of the new borough of 

 Liverpool is 230,000 : the number of children in the schools, includ- 

 ing 6,000 under the age of five years, is 33,183 ; being 15,500 more 

 than the number stated in the returns made to government. The 

 report gave evidence of considerable labour, and was drawn up with 

 great ability. In speaking of the inefficiency of the lower class of 

 schools, several anecdotes, as related by the agents, were given, 

 tending to show the utter ignorance and total incompetency of their 

 conductors : one of the masters being asked if he taught morals, re- 

 plied, " That belongs more to girls' schools ;" and a female being 

 pressed to count the number of her scholars, which she was unable 

 to do, excused herself by saying, " Oh, no, — David counted the 

 children of Israel, and what a pretty mess he made of it I" The re- 

 port concluded by recommending the establishment of a Board of 

 Public Education, as the first step in the performance of an import- 

 ant obligation on the part of a benevolent and an enlightened go- 

 vernment. 



Mr. B. Fripp read a paper on the statistics of popular education. 

 As this paper was not complete in all its details, we shall revert to 

 it on a future occasion. 



The population of Bristol and its suburbs (now incorporated in 

 the new borough) according to the census of 1831, was 104,378, 

 which number, at the usual rate of increase, 1 J per cent, per an- 

 num, must have become about 112,438 at the present time. The 

 number of children attending schools, according to the returns ob- 

 tamed, is 14,717- In allusion to the subjects proposed to be taught 

 in the schools, Mr. F. says, it must be seen how very inadequate the 

 existing modes of instruction must be to give the young any sub- 

 stantial knowledge, or to invigorate and train their faculties for 

 self-improvement, as well as for the ordinary duties of life. The 

 bare acquisition of the power to read, will, in most instances, excite 

 a desire for further knowledge ; but, unless this desire is properly 

 directed during the period of their schooling, there is little chance 

 that their mental energy, in after life, will be exercised either to their 

 own improvement or to the benefit of society. * * * * 



Educate the people to a sense of their own high destiny, as rational 

 and accountable beings, and to a conviction of the intimate connec- 

 tion between duty and happiness, and, though we shall never cease 

 to hold in admiration the virtues of a Howard, a Clarkson, and an 

 Allen, we shall find more imitators of their bright example, though 

 it may be in much narrower spheres, and a spirit of philanthropy 

 will be more diffused through all classes. 



vol. v. — NO. XVII. T 



