396 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



The railroad statistics for 1877 were as fol- 

 lows: 



The following table, compiled from official 

 returns relating to the condition of the pri- 

 mary schools in Great Britain, gives a view of 

 the progress of education during the nine 

 years from 1869 to 1877 : 



ENGLAND AND WALES (INCLUDING ISLE OF MAN AND ROMAN 

 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN GBEAT BRITAIN). 



1869 



1870 



1871 



1872 



1878 



1874 



1875 



1876 



1877 



9,521 

 10,751 

 11,911 

 13,084 

 14,067 

 14,875 

 15,187 



1,838,416 

 1,960,641 

 2,092,984 

 2,397,745 

 2,683,467 

 2,952,479 

 8,229,112 

 3,483,789 

 8,653,418 



1,153,572 

 1,255,083 

 1,845,802 

 1,445,826 

 1,570,741 

 1,710,806 

 1,863,176 

 2,007,732 

 2,150,683 



SCOTLAND (INCLUSIVE OF ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS). 



1870. 

 1871. 

 1872. 

 1873. 

 1874. 

 1875. 

 1^76. 

 1377. 



1.745 

 1,968 



1,944 

 1,962 

 2.043 



. 2,587 

 2,890 

 2.912 

 2,931 



237,923 

 264,594 

 264,041 

 267,412 

 279.719 



407,002 

 462,985 

 fc35,949 



179.214 



19^443 

 201,393 

 206,099 

 212,989 

 274,583 

 812,386 

 332,545 

 860,413 



TOTAL FOB GEE AT BRITAIN. 



The annual Parliamentary grant to primary 

 schools in Great Britain, which amounted to 

 30,000 in 1840, rose to 180,743 in 1862, and 

 in 1863 was reduced to 121,386. In 1864 it 

 was 655,036; 1865, 636,306; 1866, 649,-- 

 006; 1867, 682,201; 1868, 680,429; 1869, 

 840,711; 1870, 914,721 ; 1871, 1,038,624; 

 1872, 1,268,350; 1873, 1,313,078; 1874, 

 1,424,878; 1875, 1,566,271 ; 1876, 1,881,- 

 728; 1877, 2,127,730; 1878, 2,149,000. In 

 the financial year ending March, 31, 1878, 

 the actual expenditure in England and Wales 

 from the Parliamentary grant for elementary 

 education amounted to 1,543,226; besides 

 which the sum of 1,138,270 was raised from 

 u school pence," 796,245 from voluntary con- 

 tributions, and 447,700 from rates made by 

 school boards. Thus, the total expenditure 



for elementary education in the year amounted 

 to 3,915,441. It was officially stated in Par- 

 liament at the passing of the educational grant 

 for 1878-'79, that the cost of elementary edu r 

 cation in the preceding year amounted to 1 

 13s. lid. per head in voluntary schools, and to 

 2 Is. d. per head in board schools. The 

 number of schools inspected in 1875 was 15,- 

 187, of which 10,472 were connected with the 

 Church of England, 1,976 Wesley an, British, 

 and other schools severed from the Church of 

 England, 659 Roman Catholic, and 2,082 under 

 the School Board. 



The finances, commerce, and movement of 

 shipping of the British colonies, in 1876, are 

 given in the table on the following page, ac- 

 cording to the u Statistical Abstract for the 

 Colonial and other Possessions of the United 

 Kingdom, in 1860-1876" (London, 1878). 



The attention of the British nation during 

 1878 was predominantly directed to the policy 

 and course of the Government in reference to 

 the Russo-Turkish and Afghan wars; partic- 

 ularly to the steps which the ministry took to 

 compel a modification of the treaty of San 

 Stefano, the agreement which the Government 

 entered into with Russia previous to the meet- 

 ing of the Congress of Berlin, the transfer of 

 Indian troops to Malta by Imperial order, the 

 agreement entered into with Turkey under 

 which the Government acquired the island of 

 Cyprus and undertook a protectorate over 

 Asiatic Turkey, and the sudden declaration of 

 war against Afghanistan; in all of which im- 

 portant proceedings the country was com- 

 mitted to weighty responsibilities and to ex- 

 penditures which might become enormous 

 prior to any consultation with Parliament. A 

 large proportton of the people, including nearly 

 all of the Liberal party and a part of the Con- 

 servatives, regarded the course of the Govern- 

 ment as involving violations of the Constitution 

 and threatening an indefinite expansion of the 

 Executive functions at the expense of the Par- 

 liamentary prerogative. All of the more im- 

 portant debates in Parliament, and discussions 

 before the public and in the press, involved 

 the consideration of questions connected with 

 these events and the issues bound up with 

 them. 



The rapid advance of the Russian armies 

 toward Constantinople and the Dardanelles in 

 the closing days of the war against Turkey was 

 viewed with concern by the Government. The 

 Ministry entertained an apprehension that the 

 advance might not be staid till Russia should 

 gain full possession of the Eastern capital and 

 its approaches, and then be in a position to 

 exhibit accomplished facts as a final and potent 

 answer to all objections to their occupation. 

 That the Government might be able to take 

 such measures as should be found necessary in 

 the anticipated emergency, an extra session of 

 Parliament was called to'meet on the 17th of 

 January, three weeks before the usual time of 

 its meeting. 



