factory law was violated to any serious extent either in
its letter or its spirit. In the present system protection
was afforded to the young and female workers. The
bill now proposed would occasion a legislative
interference with adult labour, which he considered a vicious
principle, and could not adopt it, even so far as to consent
to the introduction of the measure.—Mr COBBETT
having briefly replied, a division took place, when the
motion for leave to bring in the bill was negatived by
109 votes to 101.

On Friday, March 16, Sir J. PAKINGTON moved for
leave to bring in a bill for the encouragement and
promotion of Education in England and Wales. His
bill was to be altogether permissive, and in no way to
interfere with the educational establishments of any
description already in existence. To carry out the
scheme he proposed to create districts, which in towns
were to correspond with the municipal boundaries, and
in the country with the areas of the poor-law unions.
In every district, where a majority of the inhabitants
chose to avail themselves of the measure, it would enable
them to elect a board of education, by which schools
could be built, and rates, limited to a certain maximum,
levied for their construction and maintenance. These
schools he designed to make perfectly and invariably
free to all classes of scholars, and to place them under
the supervision of the committee of council, with the
view of obtaining grants in aid for their support from
the consolidated fund. Declaring, finally, his conviction,
that religious instruction should in no case be
separated from secular teaching, the right hon. baronet
described the precautions by which he hoped to reconcile
the religious element in the schools to be established
under his bill with the conscientious scruples of the
members of different sects.—Mr HADFIELD strongly
objected to the levy of a compulsory vote for educational
purposes. He contended that the voluntary principle
had already done much, and could be made abundantly
sufficient to provide instruction for the whole population
of the country.—Lord STANLEY expressed his cordial
approbation of the proposed measure. The voluntary
principle had been found wanting, and was now
practically abandoned.—Sir G. GREY, on behalf of the
government, gave a ready consent to the introduction
of the bill, but felt little sanguine of its success. He
admitted the great want of education, but feared that,
unless attendance were rendered compulsory, indifference
and pecuniary considerations would keep a large
part of the juvenile population away from the schools.—
Lord R. CECIL thought the statements respecting the
deficiency of education much exaggerated, and objected
to the manner in which the subject of religion was
disposed of in the bill.—Mr W. FOX admitted that the
bill was brought forward in a liberal spirit. Approving
of the proposal to render instruction in the proposed
schools perfectly free, he argued in favour of the secular
system.—Mr. M. GIBSON remarked, that upon the
question of districts rating, and the gratuitous supply of the
means of education, all parties were now agreed. There
remained the perplexing dispute about the religious
element, which he contended could be settled only by
rendering the education to be given altogether secular.
On the part of the advocates of the secular system he
declared that a bill founded on these principles would
be very shortly offered to the legislature.—Mr ADDERLEY
deprecated the rivalry of contending bills, urging
the importance of immediate action. He commented
upon various details presented in Sir J. Pakington's
measure, expressing a general approval of its provisions.
—Lord PALMERSTON rejoiced in the hope that the
important subject of education might at last be
effectually provided for. Recognising all the difficulties of
the religious part of the question, he expressed his trust
that a solution might be found for them by means of a
general relaxation in those extreme prejudices which
had hitherto occasioned so much perplexity.—Leave
was then given to bring in the bill.

Sir B. HALL obtained leave to bring in a bill for the
better Local Management of the Metropolis. The
bill was read a first time, and the second reading fixed
for 16th April.

On Monday, March 19, the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER, after moving that the house should go into
committee on Newspaper Stamps, stated that the bill
which he designed to found upon the resolutions already
laid before the house was identical in principle with the
measure previously introduced by Mr. Gladstone. He
proposed to abolish the necessity of stamping newspapers.
All the liabilities and restrictions under which newspapers
lay in consequence of the stamp-duty were to be
repealed, and either the whole or a portion of the
impression of every journal to be allowed to appear on
unstamped sheets. At the same time, any publication,
whether containing news or not, so long as it was
issued at intervals of not less than 31 days, was to pass
freely through the Post-office, if printed upon sheets
stamped, as at present, and under the same conditions
of amount of duty, superficial inches, and sureties for
the solvency and responsibility of their proprietors, as
was now practised towards existing newspapers. He
concluded by moving resolutions to the above effect.—
Mr. GLADSTONE wished to have greater privileges
granted for circulation through the Post-office to the
literary periodicals other than newspapers. He
contended also, that some copyright protection should be
afforded with respect to the original matter contained in
the public journals.—Sir F. BARING objected to the
sacrifice of revenue which the bill would occasion.—Mr.
M. GIBSON insisted upon the expediency of enlarging
to the utmost possible limits the privileges of the press.
—After some remarks from Mr. M'GREGOR and Mr.
WARNER.—Mr. BENTINCK apprehended that the
abolition of the stamp would deluge the country with trashy
publications.—Mr. BRIGHT remarked upon the enormous
expenditure which the house had sanctioned on account
of the war, and called upon it not to grudge £200,000
for the extension of the best means of instruction among
the public.—Some observations having been made by Mr.
Packe, Sir H. Willoughby, and Mr. J. G. Phillimore,—
The resolutions were agreed to, and the house resumed.

On the motion for going into a committee of supply,
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY commented on the amount of the
Unfunded Debt, objecting to the permanent practice of
issuing Exchequer Bills without authority of Parliament.
This led to a long and desultory financial conversation.

Mr. STAFFORD called attention to the Medical
Arrangements for the Sick and Wounded Soldiers in
the East. Upon many points he considered that the
existing provisions and arrangements of the hospitals at
Scutari and Smyrna were in great measure inadequate;
and he urged several queries touching the future intentions
of the government with regard to those establishments.
—Mr. F. PEEL replied upon all the points
presented by Mr. Stafford, describing the condition of
the camp-hospitals, the establishments at Balaklava,
Scutari, and Smyrna, as well as that of the transports
employed in conveying the invalid soldiers. The
number of the sick, though diminished lately, still
remained very high, but their state and treatment had
undergone much amelioration from the arrangements
recently made by order of the government for that
purpose.—Lord PALMERSTON added that three
gentlemen of high qualifications for the task, namely, Dr.
Sutherland, Dr. Gavin, and Mr. Rawlinson, had lately
been sent to the East for the special purpose of
inspecting and suggesting improvements in the hospitals,
armed also with powers to carry out their suggestions
without delay.

The house then went into a committee of supply, and
a vote of £1,638,000 for the Expenses of the Post-
Office was agreed to, after considerable discussion upon
the Irish branch of the postal service.

On Tuesday, March 20th, Mr. ROEBUCK referred to
some Discontent among the Inhabitants of Newfoundland,
on account of the delay in the introduction of the
promised representative institutions in that colony.—
Lord PALMERSTON assured the house that faith would
be kept with the colonists as to the establishment of
a representative government in Newfoundland.

Mr. LOWE having remarked upon the critical condition
of the Colony of Victoria at the date of the last
despatches,—Sir G. GREY observed that the disturbances
which had occurred among the gold diggers had been
promptly suppressed. The constitution prepared for
the colony would, he added, be shortly presented for
consideration to parliament.