\ 
1810.] 
become considerable, that means will be 
afforded of giving rewards and premiums to 
teachers of distinguished merit and ability 5 to 
which ushers, as chiefly holding the labour- 
ing oar, will most likely succeed, What an 
€xpansive field is here before us! If encou- 
ragement be given to good teachers, we may 
reasonably hope that they will exert them- 
selves to obtain the rewards, which will be 
both honourable and profitable; for the 
enlightened committee of this society, who 
know how to estimate the feelings as well as 
the wants of theirbrethren, will, no doubt, 
Suggest various ways to gratify the objects of 
their attention, and spur them on to laudable 
industry and emulgtion. ‘Thus the country 
may expect, by degrees,.that an improved 
set of teachers wiil arise ; and from improved 
teachers we shall find better scholars: the 
mind will be opened and meliorated, and 
sound principles incalcated. But the more 
immediate purpose of this institution ts to 
relieve and protect the aged, the helpless, 
and the unfortunate: and it is not a little 
remarkable, that ‘ while almost every other 
profession is provided with asylums, either 
by institutions of national munificence, or by 
endowments of private bounty, schoolmasters 
alone have yet made no appeal to the gene- 
sosity of the public,’ although no class of 
men have a stronger claim on public grati- 
tude; nor is there any occupation that has a 
more rapid tendency to exhaust the powers, 
both of body and mind, than the labours of a 
school whem conscientiously discharged. As 
humble instruments have been, not unfre- 
quently, the means, in the hands of Provi- 
dence, to work great ends, so I have already 
had much satisfaction in seeing very liberal 
encouragement given to this institution, 
merely on my stating its object and plan; 
and the approbation which has been thus 
manifested by many wise, good, and exalted 
persons, gives me confident hopes that the 
society will in time be greatly patronized, and 
produce extensive benefit to the country.” 
At the general half-yearly meeting of 
the society for the support and encourage- 
ment of Sunday Schools in England, 
Wales, Ireland, and the adjacent islands, 
held on the 11th of April, the committee 
reported, that within the last half year 
seventy-eight schools had been added to 
those which were previously upon the 
society’s list. Since the commencement 
of this institution, the society has distri- 
buted 285,672 spelling-books, 62,166 
testaments, and 7714 bibles, to 3348 
schools, containing upwards of 270,000 
scholars ; in addition to which the sum 
of 4176/ has been given for the payment 
of such teachers as could not be procured 
without pecuniary reward. Among the 
details which mark the progress of the 
society, the committee particularly ade 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
475 
verted to the result of their proceedings 
in the islands, and in, Ireland. In the 
Isle of Man alone, fourteen schools, com- 
prehending a total of 1030 scholars, are 
now established ; and at Dublin a Sunday 
School society has recently been formed 
with the promise of speedy and exten- 
sive operation 
FRANCE, 
M. Parmentier has published some 
reflections on the hypnum crispum, a spe= 
cies of moss, proposed, on account of the. 
dearness of wool, asa substitute for stuf- 
fing mattresses and furniture. The moss, 
which is of a moderate length, and has a 
somewhat fragrant smell, grows upon 
trees, particularly beech, is gathered in 
August and September, and when beaten 
like flocks, does not retain moisture or 
form into lumps like them. It is little 
liable to decay, and it is only necessary. 
to dry it in the shade to preserve its fras 
grance. Neither sweat nor urine pro- 
duces any fermentation in this moss, as it 
does in wool; but lest moisture should 
cause it to germinate, it may be steeped 
in lime-water, which destroys its power 
of vegetation. It is said to be free from 
the property of imbibing and commu- 
Nicating contagion, which animal sube 
stances possess. 
M. Gauss, a correspondent of the 
National Institute, has this year obtained 
the prize-medal, founded by the cele- 
brated Lalande, for the author of the 
best astronomical memoir. 
According to a calculation by M. Co- 
QUEBERT Montsret, the French em- 
pire at present contains the following 
population: inhabitants who speak the 
French language, 28,126,000; the Ger- 
man, 2,705,000 ; the Flemish, 2,277,000; 
the Breton, 967,000; the Basque, 108,000 : 
forming a total of 38,262,000. 
The Ionian Academy, instituted at 
Corfu, the ancient Corcyra, has an- 
nounced, that, after the example of ane 
cient Greece,-it will every four years 
decree various Olympic prizes for the 
promotion of the arts and sciences. At 
these Olympic festivals, the prize will be 
adjudged to him who, during the precede 
ing four years, has written the best 
work in the modern Greek language, 
and produced the best modern Greek 
translation from a foreign language, par- 
ticularly the French. ‘The olive wreath 
with which the victor is to be publicly 
crowned, will be hung up in the aca- 
demy, with an inscription recording his 
name, work, and country. ‘Phe first 
distribution of prizes is fixed for the 15th 
: of 
