Domestic Notices : — Emland. 659 



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appropriations of public lands for common schools, and for the establish- 

 ment of colleges. {Rev. of Cooper's Notions of the Americans., in IVestmins- 

 ter Rev. for Jan. 1829, p. 66.) 



Art. III. Domestic Notices. 

 ENGLAND. 



Preston Institution for tlie Diffusion of Knowledge. — On Thursday night 

 last, Mr. John Dewhurst, mason and slater, gave a historical lecture on 

 architecture, to the members of the above institution. The lecture was 

 well attended, and Mr. Dewhurst gave an elaborate account of the science, 

 from the earliest ages to its perfection by the Grecians and Romans, which 

 he exemplified by many well executed drawings from the most celebrated 

 buildings of the ancient architects. He lamented the decline of the science, 

 and concluded his lecture by exhorting his fellow-members, such as masons, 

 joiners, and smiths, to form themselves into classes, for the study of the 

 qualities of stone, the strength of iron, timber, &c., attributing the many 

 accidents from the fall of buildings to a want of this knowledge. He an- 

 nounced the subject of his next lecture to be, the state and progress of the 

 art from the invasion of the Romans to the present time. He then pre- 

 sented the whole of the drawings, together with a beautiful model of the 

 Choragic monument of Sysicrates, which is called by the modern Athenians 

 the " Lantern of Demosthenes," to the institution. The model was exe- 

 cuted by Mr. Ducket, sculptor, in this town. It is composed of three dis- 

 tinct parts: first, a quadrangular basement; secondly, a circular colon- 

 nade, of which the intercolumniations were entirely closed; and, thirdly, a 

 tkolus, or cupola, with an ornament upon the crown of the dome. For this 

 munificent gift of Mr. Dewhurst, the members expressed their gratitude by 

 a simultaneous clapping of hands. {Preston CJiro7iicle.) 



We have great pleasure in recording this attempt to diffuse architectural 

 taste and knowledge. No description of science, or of taste, is more in 

 want of a stimulus, especially in the country. It is remarkable that, not- 

 withstanding the great number of societies in England for objects of utility, 

 there should be so few for objects of taste. Scarcely one of the numerous 

 gardening societies pays any attention to the art, as one of design or taste.. 

 We should like to see a society established for the diffusion of architectural 

 knowledge, which a society might do by merely publishing periodically a 

 series of designs and details of all manner of ordinary buildings, at a price 

 which would come within the reach of every journeyman bricklayer and 

 carpenter. — Cond. 



State of the Poor in Colne. — The labouring population at Colne, we 

 hear, are at present suffering more severe distress than they suffered in 

 1825 and 1826. The wages for weaving are now something lower than 

 they ever were at that period, and provisions are nearly one third dearer^ 

 A survey of the poor was made last week, by personal visitation at their 

 houses, and the result is, that there are 1940 individuals (being nearly one 

 third of the population), whose average weekly income per head, inclusive 

 of parish relief, amounts only to U. SitZ., or 2d. a day; and that there are 

 1248 individuals, whose average weekly income per head does not exceed 

 \s. 9|o?., or od. a day ; thus there is nearly one half of the population who 

 have not on an average above 2^d. a day to live upon. Similar returns have 

 been obtained from the adjoining townships, with nearly the same results. 

 It is added, that preparations are making for forwarding to government a 



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