The House of Commons was chiefly occupied last night in
hearing ex- planations of two important measures,—one on National Education, in- troduced by Sir John Pakington ; the other on the management of the Metropolis by local authorities, by Sir Benjamin Hall.
Sir JOHN PAEneorosr moved for leave to bring in a bill for the better management and promotion of education in England and Wales. He in-
troduced the account of his own scheme with a speech that, in contrast- ing the low state of education at home with the better management of some foreign countries, showed that Sir John approached the subject with the largest view of the Legislature's duties, while his plan showed that he could adapt those duties to meet the practical necessities and difficulties of his country.
Sir John proposes that a permissive power should be given to ratepayers, within specified areas, to elect an Education Board, having power to pro- . vide schools and levy a rate to meet the expenses of education. Magistrates to be ex officio members of the Board, and all persons rated at 304 to the poor to be eligible. In every case where a certain amount is levied by rate, a fixed proportion shall be contributed from the public funds. He proposes that all the new sahoolsestablished by the Board shall befree schools. All exist- ing schools shall have the option of coming into union under the new act, on condition that they submit to inspection, and to the provisions of the bill with regard to religious teaching. That brought him to the most important paint of all—the religious teaching. He proposes that schools in connexion with every denomination recognized by the Committee of Council—be it Church, be it Baptist, or be it may thing else—shall be entitled to claim benefit from the stet on this condition—that no child shall be excluded from any school on account of his religious belief; that no Church schools shall receive benefit from the rate unless they consent to receive Dissenting children without forcing upon them their religious creed ; and that the Dissenting schools shall receive the Church scholars in their neighbourhood without imposing upon them their religious creed. With regard to new schools, he proposes that the religious teaching shall be in accordance with the opinions of the majority of the people of the district in which they were established ; with the proviso that any scholar whatever shall be admitted into these schools.
The bill was very well received by the House ; and Sir GEORGE GREY and Lord PALMERSTON, on the part of the Government, sanctioned the isitroduction of the bill, with the view of sending it before a Select Com- mittee. Mr. Mu...vER Guises; announced, that as the House has now before it Lord John Russell's plan and Sir John Pakingtou's, he should bring in a bill embodying the views of the Secularists.
Sir BENJAMIN FAT r moved for leave to bring in a bill for the better Local Management of the Metropolis. He proposes to take the Registrar- General's district as the area of the Metropolis; and to abolish all the existing Boards, and constitute one Commission for each Metropolitan dis- trict, of which there are thirty-s4, in all; the Commissioners to be elected by the ratepayers, and to have the control of the paving, lighting, sewage, Sec., and the powers of local Boards of Health with regard to nuisances. He proposes to place over these Commissions a Metropolitan Board of Works, composed of representatives chosen by the Local Boards ; the Chairman to be a paid officer, and selected from three persons, whose names shall be submitted to the Home Secretary. It is proposed to give powers for the drainage of the Metropolis to the Boards, and for that purpose to take land out of their districts ; also a power to levy general improvement rotes in the same way as the sewers rates. The Metropolitan Board would also have the power of making the great intercepting sewers, building streets, and making tho- roughfares. The City of London will be dealt with in a separate bill ; but he mentioned that it is proposed to take the coal-duties from the Corporation, and transfer them to the Metropolitan Board. Ur. FITZROY thought that a bill of this importance ought to have been proposed by the Government : he thought it a hasty and inconsiderate measure. Lord ERamerole also expressed strong objections. Mr. LA- MA:THERE sanctioned the principles of the bill. Lord PAnweesroar hinted that Mr. Fitzroy was annoyed because he had not been selected to bring in the measure. The bill had been framed in consultation with Govern- ment.—Leave given.
In the House of Lords, the Earl of ALBEMARLE moved for a return of the number of horses shipped to the seat of war by Government for military purposes, by steam or sailing transports ; the proportion of ton- nage, deaths, cost, he. His object was to show that the Government system, which allows two feet in the clear per horse, the animals being slung., is more costly in money and loss by death than the Hull system, Which allows three to four feet per horse, the animals lying down. Lord PANMERE admitted the superiority of steam-ships, but stated that the loss has only been in the ratio of three per cent. After a brief debate, in which the Duke of CAMBRIDGE and the Earl of LocAN took part, the motion was withdrawn.
• The Sebastopol inquiry was continued yesterday. By far the larger portion of the evidence consisted of minute details of hospital manage- ment, supplied by Mr. Macdonald. Mr. Green, the shipowner, briefly gave some information respecting transports. The most notable state- ment, however, was furnished by Mr. Mackay, of the firm of James Baines and Company of Liverpool. He said he bad mules tender to the Government to provision the troops anywhere in the Crimea for 38. 6d. per man per day. For that sum he would
have given the troops daily 1 pound of bread, 1 pound of cooked beef or pork, 1 pound of hot preserved potatoes (equal to 1 pound of raw potatoes), and a weekly allowance of 8 ounces of tea, 8 ounces of coffee, 1 pound of sugar, I pound of cheese, half a gill of pickles, 2 ounces of salt, ounee ofpepper, ounce of mustard. Re also agreed to furnish each man with a pint of ale and a half-gill of spirits daily—making a total of 564 tone of provisions per day for 30,000 men. To accomplish this, he would have employed only four steamers of 1200 tons burden. The fresh meat would be obtained from the countries on the coast of the Black Sea, and for that service another line of vessels would be necessary.
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