14 ' Fagging, and the Great Schools. [Jan. 
“The Course Keeper, who does not appear to have been very well 
versed in the usages of the school, decided that the boy ought to go on 
hall, and the prefect therefore resolved, not only to enfore this new rule, 
but to punish the contumely of this unlucky boy by giving him a public 
chastisement: to this however the junior did not feel inclined to submit, 
and a second prefect laid hold of him that he might not evade the beat- 
ing destined for him—a simultaneous movement then took place amongst 
the juniors, who pinioned the two preefects, released the boy who was 
being beaten, and gave them to understand that the intended chastise- 
ment should not be inflicted. 
“The prefects instantly laid a complaint before the head master, who 
expelled the boy who refused to go on hall, and five others, who had 
appeared most active in preventing the prefect from punishing him. 
Amongst the number was my brother ; and as I considered the punish- 
ment of expulsion for this offence extremely severe, I endeavoured, 
though without success, to procure his reinstatement in the school; at 
the same time I of course pleaded the cause of all those who were ex- 
pelled, for it was manifestly impossible to make a distinction in favour 
of any one of them, more particularly of my brother, who was the first 
to lay hands upon the senior prefect.” 
The nature of the case, divested of Winchester technicality, is, that 
two big boys, for an offence which they had no right to punish, set about 
beating a junior boy, who had acted on an impression of right ; and that 
other boys seeing what they thought an act of injustice, and what every 
one must have seen to be an act of cruelty, going forward, interposed, to | 
save one boy from being maltreated by two. For this crime six were 
‘ expelled, that is, subjected to a punishment, which is one of the severest 
in its consequences that can be inflicted by any authority whatever ; 
a punishment which scarcely any crime of mature life can deserve, and, 
which extending through all portions of life, is devised for extreme seve- 
rity. Expulsion from one of the great public schools is virtual expul- 
sion from all ; for into none of them can the individual be received. It 
is expulsion from the Universities, for into none of them can he be re- 
ceived. It is expulsion from the Church, for into that he cannot be 
received. In many instances it prevents his being received as a member 
of the Law ; it has operated against his even obtaining a military or 
. naval commission ; and, on the whole, it leaves this stigmatized being 
scarcely any pursuit, except, perhaps, the stage. And all this is to be 
inflicted on. a boy of ten years old, in consequence of defending himself 
from being violently attacked by two boys of fifteen. 
Sir Alexander Malet’s letter to the head master, is a mild and gentle- 
man-like appeal to his common sense, for the restoration of the boys, in 
- whatever manner Dr. Williams might conceive least likely to incur even 
the appearance of infringing on the discipline of the school. To this 
Dr. Williams returned an answer, which we allow to speak for itself, and 
which will establish the character of that person in a remarkably singular 
point of view. 
«Sir: “* Winchester, October 13, 1828. 
“ J have had the honour to receive your letter of this day’s date ; and I beg 
you to be assured that I have paid the most serious attention to its contents. 
That you should think the sentence of expulsion pronounced against your 
brother unnecessarily severe, I cannot but regret, and the more so, as the same 
considerations of duty, which first led me to inflict the punishment, forbid me 
now to recal it. The authority of the Prefects is, as you well know, essential 
