An important meeting in favour of the Government plan of
Education was held yesterbay, at the London Tavern; the Lord Mayor presiding. On the platform were the Bishop of London, the Bishop of Llandaft, Sir Edward Buxton, Lieu- tenant-Colonel Sykes, and other gentlemen of influence. Dr. Bloomfield made a very effective speech. He excited a good deal of dissatisfaction by the prece- dence which his manner assumed for the Church: he avowed that the Church did anticipate advantages from the plan; but it would be secured to them by offer tag more than the Dissenters do—more effective schools. On the whole, however, his speech seems to have had a considerable influence with the meeting. There was an incursion of dissentients, who were loud and troublesome, but they seem to have been quite a minority.
Amongst those bodies that have pronounced in favour of the Government mea- sure, are the Town-Council of Manchester and the inhabitants of Poplar; both of whom had meetings yesterday. The Conference of dissident Delegates was resumed yesterday. The chief point in the proceedings is a resolution denouncing the disingenuousness of Government, as exhibited in the explanation given by Lord John Russell on Thursday evening, relative to the Roman Catholics and the Wesleyans. A very numerous meeting was held last night at Gloucester, at which an amendment against the Government scheme was carried by a large majority. The Free Church Synod of Glasgow and Ayr, and the Free Presbytery of Ar- broath, have decided by considerable majorities to petition against the Govern- ment Education measure. The Synod of Glasgow and Ayr is the largest provin- cial court of the Free Church; Dr. Candlish sits in it, and he voted with the majority.
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