former times. He also stated, from personal knowledge,
that the Germans look upon our strikes as the ulcer of
our manufacturing system, which will enable them to
obtain our commerce by expelling capital from the
cotton-trade. As a remedy, he recommended good
feeling between the employers and the work-people, the
example of which ought to be set by the employers.
"The workmen," he said, "who are inaccessible to
reasoning on abstract truths, and even slow to be taught
by experience, may be more open to kindly sympathies.
They may be able to see when their masters strive to
raise them in intelligence and comfort, and to provide
rewards for fidelity, skill, and capacity. They are
sooner to be won by the heart than by the head.
A master who ceases to think that his workmen are a
part of his machinery, and is impressed with the
conviction that they are beings for whose destiny, morally
and socially, he must give account when the secrets of
all hearts are laid open, will have solved the mystery of
trades' unions." Dr. Lyon Playfair also delivered an
address, inculcating and illustrating the necessity for a
knowledge of "common things." The school thus
founded offers the youth of the district, between the
ages of seven and fifteen, a sound course of instruction,
at fifteen shillings a quarter; and additional instruction
in the higher branches of science, such as algebra,
surveying, mining, and chemistry, at an additional
charge of ten shillings a quarter, or two shillings for
each additional subject taught.

A public meeting was held on the 11th inst. in the
Town-hall, Ormskirk, for the purpose of Establishing a
Public Library in that town. The chair was occupied
by Lord Stanley. There was a large attendance of
gentlemen from the surrounding district, as well as of
the inhabitants of the town. Lord Stanley, in opening
the proceedings referred to the success of the free
public libraries established in Liverpool, Manchester,
Salford, and elsewhere. As to the selection of books he
advised them to exclude all works of theological
controversy, and all works bordering on party politics. He
recommended that, in the first instance, it should be a
lending library only, and at a future time a reading-room
might be added, if adequate support were forthcoming.
They would require at least £400 for the purchase of
1500 or 2000 volumes, selected from the best standard
libraries of the country, to begin with, and yearly
subscriptions to the amount of £40 at least, and the library
should be open without restriction to all who choose to
apply. If sufficient funds were not voluntarily
subscribed, they should have a low rate of subscription, not
exceeding 4s. or 5s. a year. This plan had been successfully
adopted in Prescot. He concluded by announcing
that £320, or four fifths of the amount required in the
first instance had been subscribed. The list of
contributors was then read. It included the names of Lord
Stanley £100, Sir G. J. Hesketh £25, Rev. J. A.
Kershaw, £25; Mr. W. Brown, M.P., £20, &c., the total
amount subscribed being £822.

An interesting meeting was held at Manchester on the
12th inst., on the occasion of Dr. Bowring's Departure for
China. The members of the Chamber of Commerce
and Commercial Association, with many of the leading
merchants and manufacturers were present. Dr.
Bowring delivered an address containing important
information respecting our commercial relations with China.
When he first reached China many ships came there
from this country, which were an opprobrium to the
name of England. Such was the character of craft from
this country, that when, two years ago, the Americans
introduced their magnificent clippers, they could obtain
no more than two guineas, whilst the Americans
obtained seven guinea freights to load tea for England.
At that time the gentlemen present knew what were the
apprehensions of merchants as to the results of free
trade, if it were allowed to touch its last stronghold of
monopoly—the shipping interest. It was introduced
into shipping, however, and, as all were aware, there was
no interest which had been so benefited. And when
he left China the ships built in England under this
system were some of the finest that ever glided over the
great waters, and the freights which they were able to
command were equal to the average of those given to
the finest clippers of America. Some alarm had been
expressed, he was told, that if we opened the tea trade
more fully, there would be an insufficient supply; but he
could assure them that there was no fear of that. The
quantity used here was but as a drop in a bucket to
what the Chinese themselves used, and to what was
necessarily therefore produced. Tea was drunk in
China by three hundred to four hundred millions of
people as many as three or four times a day; and there
was not a cottage at which you could call where it could
not be supplied. They did not use it as we did; they
did not fire up black tea to the blackness of ours, and
they did not paint their green tea to the extent we
required, but it was nevertheless an article of universal
request. He had no fear but what China would be able
to supply any amount of tea we might ever require; and
as to silks, he would only call attention to the progress
in exportation which was already taking place in that
article. Its value was more fully recognised, he
believed, every day, and strange to say, this country had
almost a monopoly of its importation. When he was in
France the other day this was mentioned to him, and he
believed the reason was the singular trait in the French
character which so soon discouraged them. He had
been asked how it was there was not a single French
merchant at Canton? They had sent orders to Shanghai
for silk, but those orders had not been preceded by the
arrangements which the English merchants had made
to secure a supply. He was of opinion, however, that
they would have French merchants there ere long, and
thought we could hardly expect to retain the whole
trade of that important branch of Chinese exports. He
admitted that great mists and doubts and darkness over-
hung the future of the Chinese empire, but at the same
time believed that our own relations with that country
would yet assume a more important and beneficial
character.

The statistics on the subject of Religious Worship in
England and Wales, obtained during the census of
1851, have now been published. The following are
a few of the general results. The religious accommodation
provided by all denominations in England and
Wales, amounts to 10,212,563 sittings, which, estimating
that provision is necessary for 58 per cent. of the
population (or 10,398,013), leaves only a nominal deficiency
of 185,450. But in consequence of unequal distribution,
there is a redundancy in some districts and a
great deficiency in others. Thus, while in rural
districts there is provision for 66·5 per cent. of the
population, in urban parishes the provision is only 46·0 per
cent. of the population. In the metropolis, Birmingham,
Liverpool, Manchester, and all rapidly increasing
districts, the deficiency is the most marked. But
applying to the whole country a correction for unequal
distribution, it would appear that there is provision
only for the spiritual wants of 8,753,279 persons, or
48·8 per cent. Consequently, there are 1,644,734
inhabitants of England who, if all who might attend
religious services were willing, would not be able on
account of insufficient room to join in public worship.
This deficiency prevails almost exclusively in large
towns. To furnish accommodation for these absentees,
additional sittings must be provided equal to about 3000
churches and chapels. But, on the other hand, it is
gratifying to find that the rate of church accommodation
has increased faster than the population. Thus,
from 1831 to 1841, the increase was respectively 2·25
and 14·5; from 1841 to 1851, 19·4 to 12·6. The last
half-century has added no less than 19,387 places of
worship, and 5,041,440 sittings to the accommodation
existing in 1801. Of this large number the Established
Church has provided 2529 churches at an estimated cost
of £9,087,000. None of these places of worship, except
those connected with the Church of England, have been
aided by State assistance, and that denomination only
to the extent of £1,663,429.

Some interesting tables have issued from the Health
Office, Comparing the Loss of Life by War and by
Pestilence. It appears that in twenty-two years of war
there were, 19,796 killed and 79,709 wounded; giving
an annual average of 899 killed and 3623 wounded. In
1848—'49, there were no fewer than 72,180 persons
killed by cholera and diarrhœa in England and Wales,
and 144,360 attacked; 34,397 of the killed were