Vruniurts.

.Mr. Cobden has inaugurated the reopening of-a Mechanics' Institute at Barnsley with a capital speech on education. -The event was celebrated on Wednesday. Mr. Cobden occupied the chair; and -Mr. Wilderspai, the founder of Infant Schools, was present. After commenting on the condition of the Institute, and giving some good advice, Mr. Cobden launched forth on the general question of educa- tion. Mechanics' Institutes are not intended as a system of education, but as a supplement to such a system ; and since their establishment, education is wanted more than ever. "I know that this is a vexed question •, it has been made a party question. But, gentlemen, I have never regarded it as a party question. I do not care whether instruotion COMAS voluntarily, or t from an organized state education. I want education." He does not want statistics to prove the numbers that attend schools ; his senses tell him that the people are not -being educated. "I was talking only -vesterdcY , with a taiagistrate of Manehester, and be told me that he way-attend- ! lug- at the swearing-in of the Militia in one of the largest Plano- ! facturing towns in the kingdom, and that not one-half of the men

-third mes or ages. . . . .

ill name e other day Own P n,,naantadraIlwIas talkiind over with.lim the subject of education, as it was vex" aB I was coming here to this meetuig. He said to me, I attended a Co- roner's inquest-one day last week, and out of thirteen jurymen, five signed

their names and eight made their marks: I cannot shut my eyes to what is

gOing' on around ; and from these and similar filets I fitly we are not an edu- cateff people : but I say it is our duty, our safety depends upon it as a na-

tion, to see that the people are educated ; and I know of .no place -snore

fitting to.discuss this subject than -such a meeting as this,—for I take it for ranted that you all feel an interest in edwation, and the deficiency of

juvenile instruction, by your being-met here to promote adult eduoation. I

have no hesitation in repeating what I have said over and ever. again that

in point of school learning most English are less instructed than any Protestant people in the world. I •state that deliberately. I remember

quite well, at the time of the Hungarian immigration to this country, just after the revelation, that a very distinguished minister and religious teacher,

an Hungarian, was talking to me on the subject Of education in England. I told him thata large portion of our people could neither read nor write. He-could not believe it ; .sad he said tame, 'Well, if that ia true, how do you maintain your constitutional institutions and your political liberties ? It is evident that your institutions are far ahead of the people, and that your self-government is a mere habit with you.' 'Well, to a large extent it is a habit, and we will cling to it and preserve that habit. But we want it put upon a safer foundation than it is at present ; we want it as the result of an enlightened appreciation—something that the people will be proud of as an intellectual thing, and not as a mere habit."

That the want of increased -intelligence meets us at every turn, he gave an apt illustration. "Take, for instance, -sanitary reforms. Why do our people, calm, of them, live in filthy.places which are continually generating aiaease? You may say, ‘It is our poverty.' But then, our poverty often comes from ignorance and our vices ; for our vices are often the consequence of our ignorance. Besides that, is it not notorious that the great mass of the people are not well aware what the sanitary. laws are ? They do not know that ventilation is necessary for life—that poisons are the result of no sca- vengers in the streets and no sewerage. They do not know that from these things proceed cholera and other diseases. If it were impressed upon them that these consequences followed these causes, people would take care to in- habit better houses ; which they might be able to do if they were more careful of their means. I say that the habits of the people are associated in every way with the amount of intelligence they possess.' As another illustration, he made some comments on the prevailing strikes. "There is Preston—not a chimney but is cold and cheerless." " Whydoes that arise ? I have no hesitation in saying, it springs from ignorance. Not an ignorance to be charged to one party= the dispute; it is an ignorance on both sides which leads to such results. Do you suppose that when the world becomes more intelligent you will have such scenes as that—of whole com- munities stopping their labour for a month or two, and causing such misery and desolation as may not be extinguished for five or six years to come ? No; when men come-to understand the principles on which the rights of wages and du rights of property depend, they will not settle their matters in such a bungling way as that, which brings so much misery upon all parties con- cerned You do not find when people go to. market with their cattle, with their potatoes, or anything else, that the dealers in potatoes, for instance, strike against the buyers ; that the sellers stand by with folded arms whilst all the potatoes Tot, and perhaps resolve that they will starve rather than submit to the terms of the buyers. No ; it is the Juggling in the market that tranquilly decides what the market value is from day to day ; and thus the thing is settled without those shocks and collisions, and waste of property, which we now see, arising from what I consider the most unfortunate, and, speaking of it as a -sign of intelligence, the most discreditable thing passing in our time. Now, understand, lam not saying a word as to the right of either side in this question. I believe that both parties think themselves right ; nay, both parties are right in trying„to- get the best terms they can, the one for their labour, the -other for their capital. All I -say is, that if there were more intelligence upon these questions, upon that law which 41e- tides invariably and inexorably the relative nature of labour as well as any- thing else, these matters would be settled without that hideous suffering which I deplore to see accompanying these strikes and struggles in our manufacturing districts." This brought him back to the necessity of schools ; and he imparted a piece of information on the state of education in America. " When I came through Manchester the other day, I found many of the most influential of the manufacturing capitalists talking very carefully upon a report which had reached them from a gentleman who was selected by the"Government to go out to America; to report upon the Great Exhibition in New York. That gentleman was one of the most eminent mechanicians and machine- makers in Manchester; employing a very large number of workpeople, re- nowned for the quality of his productions,—a man known in the scientific world, and appreciated by men of science, from the Astronomer Royal down- wards. No report from him to the Government has yet been published, and therefore what he has to say specifically on each topic cannot be known until ithas been so made and published to the country. But it has oozed out in Manchester, amongst his neighbours, that he has found in America a degree of intelligence amongst the manufacturing operatives, a state of things in the mechanical arts, which has convinced him that if we are to hold our own, if we are not to fall back in the rear of the race of nations, we must educate our people, to put them upon a level with 'the more educated arti- sans of the United-States. We shall all have the opportunity of judging when that report isdelivered; but sufficient has already oozed out amongst his neighbours to excite a great interest, and I might almost say some alarm."

Mr. Cobden does not see why America should be better educated than England; especially as the latter is an old country with a concentrated po- pulation, while the -former is a new one with a wilderness to cultivate, pn-

maival forests to level, and every road, bridge, and church to erect. There must be some neglect on the side of the old country. " If the people would resolve to do it, I would not even now despair of this country in a ge- neration or two surpassing all the world in education." But "we must not be like the Chinese with their junks, refusing to build ships according to the European model. If we find. there is a better system existing at the other side of the Atlantic, we must not be too coacelted to adopt it, provided it has

shown by its results that it is better than our own. If we find the Americans

beating us in spinning-jennies, or in the sailing of vessels, west once go and see how they beat us. They sent a yacht here, and it beat us: we imme- diately, with all the humility of children, -set to work,. and, by adopting all

their improvements, and improving upon' them, beat them in return. So, if an American picks our locks, we want-to know how he does it ; and if we

know that he makes better locks,- and will sell them cheap, we buy them Without scruple. But it seems that in the question of education, though we have presented-to us a system which has worked well there, which has been Partially adopted in Scotland and with similar results, we have never adopt- ed it here. And what-so natural as that we should follow the same rule with 1.'egnrd tareducationasmie do with regardto machinery for spinning cotton, or in regard to the construction of ships ?" The Midland Association of Mechanics Institutions held their anni- versary meeting at Tamworth on Tuesday. Sense forty delegates at- tended. The Earl of Yarborough, President of the .past year, formally took the chair at the business meeting in the morning, and then resigned it to Sip:Robert Peel, the President eleeted for the ensuing twelvemonth. As the Association has been productive of little benefit beyond that at- tendant on the friendly gatherings of the delegates, there was much dis- cussion on the best means of attaining to some improvement. It was agreed, that every mechanics' institu'e, to be effective, should have a good library, teaching classes, and systematic, not independent, leeturea on science and art..

Sir Robert Peel had invited a goodly company to Drayton Manor ; comprising Lord Yarborough, Mr. Monckton Wanes, Mr. M. D. Hill, Mr. Adderley, Dr. Lyon Playfair, and Mr. Foster, Secretary of the So- ciety of Arts ; and these gentlemen attended the evening public meeting and made speeches. Sir Robert Peel spoke of the general value of the institutes to adults ; Mr. Monekton Milnes discoursed on the importance of reading-rooms; Mr. Adderley insisted on the necessity of schools for children in connexion with institutes ; Mr. Hill showed how important [schools are as preventives to juvenile crime ; Lord Yarborough declared that the homes of the working men must be made comfortable, in order that they may read at home ; and Dr. Playfair urged the necessity of systematic courses of lectures as compared with desultory and discordant lectures on all kinds of subjects of the day.

At the opening of the Birmingham Sessions last week, Mr. Recorder Hill delivered a charge to the Grand Jury, which has attracted much at- tention, but which our space will not allow us even to epitomize with adequate effect—it will probably be printed in a separate form. IIis theme was prison discipline, based in a great measure on the disclosures made by the recent gaol inquiry. Mr. Hill expressed disappointment at the abandonment of Captain Afaconochie's system in that new gaol wherein he had hoped to see the commencement of a new mra in the treat- ment of criminals. He hoped to see a return to that system. Under it the convict endured sufficient pain, but pain was not the sole agent : the convict had to work his own way out of his own adversity before he could be successfully reformed. Mr. Hill recommended selected volunteer assistants in the work of reformation ; and urged that productive employ- ment should supersede the crank and the tread-wheel. A resort to force is rare in a well-conducted gaol, and is a proof of something rotten in its management. In illustration of his views, Mr. Hill referred to the juve- nile establishment at Saltley under the guidance of Mr. Ellis. Towards the close of his charge, Mr. Hill alluded to the recent introduction of the ticket-of-leave system: he earnestly wished it success, but he could net contemplate it without anxiety.

"The easy injustice of inflicting the home-bred criminal on our Colonial fellow countrymen, has hitherto enabled us to evade, at least to a consider- able degree, the consequences of emptying our prisons of criminals, who, not having been made better by their punishment, only awaited their op- portunity, to recommence a course of violence and of the corruption of others. Such opportunities are, I much fear, about to be multiplied ten- fold. Putting, then, the criminal himself—his capacity for happiness and for misery, his hopes here and hereafter—entirely out of sight, ought we not, in mere selfishness,. to strain every nerve to accomplish the work of reformation while the prisoner is yet under our guidance ? Will you still, after centuries of experience, put a blind confidence in the effect of deterrents ? Have we not seen them pushed to an extreme which has disgusted the whole world ; and yet do we not find, by the admission of those engaged in this hideous infliction, that, even when carried to the last ex- tremes, they effected no good object? They failed even while the prisoner was still under the power which inflicted them; and if prison offences could not be prevented by a severity from which there was no escape, and for which he would suffer almost on the instant of his offending, is it not abso- lute fatuity to expect that the memory of that severity would operate upon his mind after his discharge, and when the certain punishment following in- stantly upon his offending would no longer impend over him ? "

The Court of the Chancery of the Duchy of Lancaster has been re- cently revived. Mr. James, the Vice-Chancellor, held a sitting for the first time at Manchester on Tuesday, at the Law Society's rooms in that city. Formerly the sittings were held at Preston only, but under the new regulation they were held at Liverpool ; and now, at the suggestion and request of the officers of the Manchester Law Association, they will be held in Manchester ; so that there will be three courts open to the public, in place of one as before.

General Buckley has found a rival at Salisbury on "Liberal and inde- pendent principles," in the person of Captain Julius Roberts, a well- known engineer.

The Royal 'Buckinghamshire Militia were dismissed at High Wy- combe, on Wednesday, in the presence of Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Du Pod, and Mr. Cavendish, the °aunty Members. Lord Carrington is Colonel of the regiment. In making a farewell speech to the men after their evo- lutions, Colonel Bushe, the superintendent of the recruiting department of the Army, complimented them, not only on their good conduct in quarters, obedience to the laws, and subordination to their officers, but on their excellence as soldiers. "I candidly confess," he said, "that I am astonished at what I have this day seen. I was not prepared for a military display of such undeniable excellence, after only fourteen days' training in the field." A new Temperance League has been inaugurated at Manchester, under the title of the United Kingdom Alliance. It takes a leaf out of the book of the Yankee Teetotallers, and aims "to suppress, by legislative enact- ment, all traffic in spirituous liquors and intoxicating drinks." The chief persons present at the inaugural meeting, on Wednesday, were Sir Walter Trevelyan, Mr. James Silk Buckingham, Dr. F. Lees, and Dr. Jabez Burns.

Thousands of the " looked-out " hands at Preston assembled at their usual meeting on Monday morning. It was announced that there was a sum of 1750/ to be distributed among the weavers-4s. per head for the week. The chairman said that the amount of subscriptions would go on increasing weekly. Mr. Braham, of Gorton Hall, near Manchester, was permitted to propose a resolution recommending the Mayor to call a meeting of masters and men with a view to an amicable adjustment of the dispute. It was carried unanimously. But previously another re- solve had been come to, that the" ten per cent" must be conceded to the workers, or they would "never resume labour." At a meeting of the weavers on Wednesday, the chairman announced that "a gentleman of London" had sent a check for 5001. for the opera- tives. It was also asserted that "the Archbishop of Dublin" had written letter expressing "his approval of the conduct of the unemployed opera- tives of the town." On Tuesday, at a spinners' meeting, it was announced that 7a. would be paid each worker for the week—probably 8s. next week.

At the end of last week there were symptoms of the factory hands of Wigan giving way in the strike for higher wages. Some six or seven thousand people, with their dependents, were enduring the pangs of want from the closing of the mills, and another thousand had been thrown idle by a "lock-out" at three mills in Hindley, not far from the town. The colliers also showed a disposition to come to terms with the owners.

The great body of the "thin-coal" miners of Staffordshire have re- sumed their work ; but there is still an "uneasy feeling" among them.

The seamen and shipwrights of Sunderland are quarrelling amongst themselves. The seamen declare that the shipwrights shall not move ships in the river and docks, to or from the ship-yards ; or if they do, no shipwright shall be allowed to go to sea as carpenter unless he join the seamen's union. The two parties had a conference, but with- out result, the seamen repelling the partial concessions offered. Subse- quently the wrighta met, and condemned the behaviour of the seamen, or at least their office-bearers. It was hinted that the carpenters would be justified in expelling certain sailors employed in the yards.

There are two ministers attached to the Church of St. Michael, Liverpool : one, the Reverend Mr. Morrell, is called a Puseyite; the other, the Reverend Mr. Carpenter, is an Evangelical preacher. On Sunday last, Mr. Morrell had no sooner given out the text of his sermon, than a large body of the congregation left the church. In the afternoon, the Reverend Mr. Pughe- a minister introduced by Mr. Morrall—was similarly deserted. In the even- ing, however, Mr. Carpenter preached, and the congregation, a full one, re- mained.

Elizabeth Sayon, an old lady, widow of a Frenchman, has been murdered at Guernsey. The house was plundered ; Mrs. Sayen was found dead on the tioor ; there was a wound on the head, and the corpse was partially charred, as if the assassin had attempted to dispose of the body by burning it. Sus- picion has fallen on several persons.

Idontarosi, a Spanish sailor, has killed Richard Crispin, and wounded John Crimp, English seamen, at Liverpool. It is said that he attacked the two men, who were strangers to him, while they were talking in the street. He ran off; but was subsequently arrested.

Mr. Hamlin, a solicitor of Red Hill, near Bristol, has been robbed by two highwaymen. Mr. Hamlin is an invalid ; as he was driving home from Bristol in the evening, accompanied by a clerk, a man on horseback rode up, presented a pistol at Mr. Hamlin's head, and demanded his money ; while a second mounted robber galloped close to the back of the phaeton. The soli- citor, having no means of resistance, was obliged to surrender his cash: the highwaymen then rode quickly into Bristol.

William Hickman, collector to Messrs. Joule and Co., brewers at Salford, has been sent to prison for embezzling nearly 10001. His salary and com- mission were 250/. a year, and his wife has an income of 1701.; but as he was a "betting man," and unlucky, of course 4201. a year was insufficient to make both ends meet.

In June 1852, James St. Albin Quinn, a freight-collector to Messrs. Train and Co. of Liverpool, decamped with 1300/. belonging to his employers. He went to Melbourne, became a merchant, and made money. But he had been traced ; a warrant was sent to Australia; he has just been brought to Liver- pool, and the Magistrates have committed him for trial.

It now appears that four more persons perished in the Dalhousie than was at first reported, —a young gentleman from Calcutta, who was returning thither ; Mr. Thomas, surgeon of the ship ; a midshipman ; and an assistant sail- maker. Joseph Reed, the sole survivor, has sufficiently recovered to converse freely. He cannot suggest any explanation of the cause of the wreck. With respect to some of the unfortunate passengers he gives this narrative. "The passengers who were dragged through the galley-window were Mr. and Mrs. Underwood and two children ; and the young lady who was taken out of the water and had come out of one of the poop-cabins was Mr.Underwood's eldest daughter, who was about nineteen years of age. Just before a fearful sea had swept off Mr. and Mrs. Underwood and the two children, he observed them embrace each other and in earnest prayer, evidently quite conscious and resigned to their fate. Captain Butterworth was holding on near him, when Miss Underwood, in her night-dress, was washed out of the poop ; and he ex- claimed, pointing to the unfortunate girl, 'For God's sake, look here !' She was floating away when Reed caught her up under the arms, and with the . aid of Burley he got her out. He should never forget the look she gave him. He had cut a piece of rope to secure himself to a spar, fthe spare mainyard,) but, seeing there was no chance for the girl, he said, You had better let me lash you to this ; it is your only chance, and you may be picked up : if you perish, there is some hope of your body being found.' She looked up im- ploringly at him, and said, 'Yes, do.' He immediately lashed her to the -spar, and when it was sent adrift from him, she ejaculated to Reed, 'May God bless you, and spare you to get ashore!' (Reed was moved to tears while reciting this scene.) Ile observed the spar going to windward full ten mi- nutes after the ship had foundered. There were also clinging to it Captain Butterworth, Mr. Fitch, second mate, James Burley, (the young assistant sailmaker,) a youth named Simpson, (son of Mrs. Simpson, cabin-passenger,) and three or four Lascars. From the heavy sea which was sweeping over the spar, he thought it very improbable that any of them could live many hours." The corpse of Mrs. Butterworth has been picked up three miles from the shore at Hastings. She had intended to proceed as far as Plymouth with her husband ; and she took two children with her, but one had been landed at Deal.

The master, mate, and four seamen, of the schooner William, of Exeter, the vessel which Reed alleges made no effort to succour the perishing peo- ple, have published a declaration denying this. They say that they did what they could ; but in a rough sea, with the waves breaking over them, they were drifted away from the wreck towards a lee-shore, and were event- ually compelled, "with anything but enviable feelings," to continue their course down the Channel. They did not call out to Reed, "Swim to us!" nor could he have heard them.

An inquest was held on Saturday, at Golden Green, on six of the hop- pickers drowned in the Medway. It was doubtful how many persons were drowned; probably upwards of thirty. Hartlake Bridge belongs to the Medway Navigation Company ; it is of wood ; and it now appears that the structure lain a shamefully decayed state. The waggon in which were some forty hop-pickers—men, women, and children—was drawn by two horses. In consequence of the flooded state of the roads, the two drivers had got on the horses' backs ; when nearly over the bridge, the shaft-horse stumbled against a piece of iron in the floor of the bridge, the waggon swerved on one side, a hind-wheel struck the rotten rail, which gave way, and the waggon fell into the river, which was rolling rapidly along. The drivers did what they could to aid the drowning creatures ; and though it was a dark even- ing, eleven were saved. The survivors who gave evidence at the inquest exonerated the drivers from blame. The first part of the disaster seems to have been purely an accident—the stumble of a horse ; the dreadful result that followed must be laid to the charge of an insufficient, rotten bridge. It appears that the bad state of the bridge had been known to several persons in the neighbourhood ; but some gentlemen connected with the Medway Company declared that no representation to that effect had been made to the Company, or the defect would have been remedied. This was the verdict-- "That the deceased were accidentally drowned ; and the Jury are of opin- ion that the accident arose entirely from the defective state of the road and the wooden bridge, and the dangerous state of its construction, although the defect ought to have been before remedied : and they recommend that it be forthwith replaced by a substantial construction of brick or stone."

A labourer at Harptree, on the Mendip Hills, has died a death of great agony. He got intoxicated, went into a field, put his lighted pipe into his pocket, and fell into a drunken sleep. He was discovered with his clothes on fire, and his body dreadfully burnt. In this state he lingered for some days.

Sergeant Hooper, of the Marines, a private, and two watermen, have perished in Plymouth Sound, by the upsetting of a sailing-boat while pro- ceeding at night to the ship La Hogue. The sergeant had arrested the pri- vate for being absent without leave.