146] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



rious part of the investigation, 

 could yet be aiding and assisting 

 by their counsel and authority. 

 For if the commission were formed 

 of persons not known to the pub- 

 lic, it could not be expected that 

 their investigations would be suc- 

 cessful, or their report satisfac- 

 tory. He thought that it would 

 be the better mode of proceeding 

 to have the bill printed, and to 

 refer all farther proceedings till 

 after the holydays. 



Mr. Brougham willingly ac- 

 ceded to the proposal of printing 

 his bill, and deferring farther pro- 

 ceedings. 



Mr. Robinson and Mr, Peel, 

 thought that the school of Harrow 

 should also be excepted, as it 

 had been decided by the late 

 Master of the Rolls, that the 

 present administration of those 

 funds was unexceptionable. 



Air. Ahercromby said, that if 

 Harrow school ought to be ex- 

 cepted, every school that had 

 happened to have been in chancery 

 ought to have the same privilege. 

 He farther remarked, that another 

 class of persons recommended 

 by the noble lord for commis- 

 sioners were of great respecta- 

 bility, and of high rank. The 

 propriety of appointing an orna- 

 mental class of this description 

 he could not perceive. Let them 

 be men of character, talents, and 

 reputation ; but he could not con- 

 ceive the advantage of appoint- 

 ing men of high rank, nay he 

 believed it would be detrimental, 

 because such commissioners, if 

 not active in the inquiry, must 

 retard the purposes of the com- 

 mission. 



The House then resolved itself 

 hito the committee, ic which Mr. 



Robinson proposed the exemption 

 of Harrow from the operation of 

 the bill. The committee divided; 

 For the exemption of Harrow, 

 30; Against it, 53: Majority 23. 



The House being resumed, 

 Mr. Brougham moved that in- 

 structions should be given to the 

 committee to inquire into the 

 state of the education of the 

 poor in Scotland. 



On May 18th Mr. Brougham, 

 in moving the order of the day 

 for the House resolving itself into 

 a committee of the whole House 

 on the bill for the education of 

 the poor, said that he wished to 

 offer a few words on the subject. 

 In consequence of the discussion 

 which had already taken place, 

 the country had been excited, 

 and much information had been 

 communicated to the committee. 

 It seemed as if a new light had 

 broken out ; for from places 

 where no abuses were even sus- 

 pected to exist, most important 

 disclosures and communications 

 had been received. The committee 

 had received multitudes of letters ; 

 some from persons who were 

 named trustees of charities ; some 

 from persons who had a right to 

 claim under a charity, without 

 knowing of their right ; some 

 from persons who were in the 

 neighbourhood of property be- 

 lonsjing to charities, without 

 bemg aware of any abuse m their 

 neighbourhood. The committee 

 in the last ten days had been oc- 

 cupied in classing their returns ; 

 and in the course of this labour 

 they had discovered instances of 

 abuse more flagrant than any he 

 had hitherto stated to the House. 

 He had in his eye two or three of 

 the grossest cases that could be 



imagined 



