do, that Scotch educational reformers will have their hands greatly strengthened by the noble Report of the English Commissioners, and believing that the Scotch Commissioners would have given us a Report of somewhat wider scope and range if they had not known that the whole subject of secondary education was being concurrently considered in England, I have abandoned my original purpose, and shall confine myself to a very few remarks on matters with regard to which I should like to elicit the opinion of the learned Lord opposite (the Lord Advocate). I turn, then, to the recommendations of the Commissioners, printed at the end of their Report, and to these I shall confine myself. They occupy little more than one widely printed octavo page. The first two of these, relating to superannuation allow ances and grants for building, do not call for any special remark; for everyone will, I think, agree in the policy recommended, at least everyone who knows that the total endowment of all Burgh Schools under the partial or exclusive management of Town Councils does not exceed £3,000 a year, while the fees amount to £42,000. Then comes the 3rd

"In consideration of the aid thus contributed, all Burgh Schools and the buildings and offices of such schools should be examined every year by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools, who should report both as regards the efficiency of the teaching and the state of the buildings and offices. The Inspectors should have like access to Burgh Schools for these purposes, as is possessed in relation to elementary schools."

'Would it in your opinion be an advantage or otherwise if the Burgh Schools were examined annually, and reported on by independent examiners? To this question we have received 105 answers from teachers in all the important schools in Scotland. Of these answers, 84, or 80 per cent, are in the affirmative, 11 are in the nega tive, and 10 are doubtful-that is to say, 80 per Schools consider that it would be of advantage to their schools if they were examined annually, and reported on by independent examiners. Nothing can be more satisfactory than this result, and there is no feature connected with the inquiry which reflects greater credit upon the teachers throughout Scotland than this desire which they have expressed to exhibit the true condition of their schools, and to secure the benefit of independent examination. It is of a piece with the perfect courtesy with which they received us when we visited the schools, and with the liberal manner in which they gave us every assistance in arriving at an estimate of the work done in the schools. It will be remarked that there is no mention of any recompense or return in exchange for the liberty of examination. They say simply and definitely it will be of advantage to the schools if they be examined."

cent of the best teachers in the Public Middle Class

Then we come to recommendation No. 4, relating to tenure, which I pass by for the present. The 5th recommendation is as follows:

"In cases where, from the want of a Burgh School, the Parochial School discharges the functions of a Secondary School, we recommend that special grants should be made to the master by the Treasury in order to encourage the study of the higher subjects."

Now, I think one may safely say that, without some such arrangement as this, it will be found impossible to devise a system of education which will satisfy the people of Scotland. The Commissioners most properly point out that the theory of our school system, as originally conceived by Knox and others, was to supply every member of the community with the means of obtaining for his children not only the elements of education, but such instruction as would fit him to pass to the Burgh School, and thence to the University, or directly to the University from the Parish School. They observe at page 10 of their Report

Now, this recommendation seems to me the most important of all, because, although our Burgh and Middle Class Schools are most terribly in want of money, they are even more in want of guidance guidance from persons who, being thoroughly familiar with all that is being done in those countries where secondary education has been brought to its highest pitch, can aid and co-operate with those whose experience has been, from the nature of things, confined to a narrower field. It is infinitely to the credit of the "The connection between the Parochial and masters of Scotch Burgh and Middle Class Burgh Schools and the University is therefore one Schools that they should have thoroughly essential element in our scheme of national edurecognized this. Here is the passage from cation. The only way in which this element can be preserved is by insisting that the teachers in the Report of the Assistant Commissioners every Burgh or Secondary School, and many of which the Commissioners incorporate in the Parochial Schools, should be capable of intheir Report with regard to this subject-structing their pupils, not only in the subjects

"In the notes of Particulars of Inquiry,' which we were instructed to distribute among the teachers in the different schools, the question bearing on this subject is in these words

common to all Primary Schools, but in the elements of Latin, mathematics, and Greek. To be satisfied with any standard of competency inferior to this would be to lower the character of education which has hitherto prevailed in this country,

to deprive meritorious poverty of the means of gratifying a legitimate ambition, and to destroy the link which has hitherto united our schools

with our Universities, and which, according to universal consent, has proved of the utmost value to the people of this country."

in parts of Scotland where the Burgh and Middle Class School accommodation is insufficient, district schools, to which all boys might go when they had passed through the elementary school, if they could afford it; and to which boys who could not afford it from their own resources might go by the help of small exhibitions, gained by competitive examination at the elementary schools. These district schools should give a thoroughly good education to boys up to sixteen or seventeen, and should have both a classical side and a modern side, so as to prepare at once for the Universities or for active life. Without these the grants for advanced teaching to elementary schoolmasters would not be enough

I do not think that our educational system in Scotland will be put on a satisfactory footing until the highest authority in matters of education-that is to say, this House-thoroughly accepts the sentiments conveyed in this extract. Of course the first thing to be looked to is that every child in the country shall have an opportunity of receiving the very elements of education-shall be put in a position, that is to say, to be a real human being, as distinguished from a featherless biped. That end would be to a great extent ac- although, as I have said, very valuable. complished if we passed the Bill which the Commissioners suggested last year. If we passed that Bill, or a Bill pretty like it, for there are numbers of details connected with this subject which, for all I care, may be settled in any one of half-a-dozen ways, if only something substantial is done for widening the area of education and undenominationalizing it. If that, I say, were done, the next thing to be attended to is this excellent recommendation of the Commissioners about favouring by public grants the teaching of the higher branches. These grants to the elementary schools should be liberal. We are quite in favour of the thoroughness of the Revised Code, and its payments by results properly estimated. We do not want schoolmasters to slight the lower part of their work, under the plea that they are attending to the higher part of it; but then we say a good man can perfectly attend to both, and we will not have the narrowness of the Revised Code forced upon us. We are not at this time of day going to put the ship about, and go off in a direction opposite to that in which we have been sailing for three centuries. Now we come to the 6th recommendation, with which I entirely disagree, and which is as follows:

"Excepting in these particulars, we do not recommend that further grants of public money should be made on account of Burgh Schools in Scotland, nor any other alteration in their management or superintendence."

I think, Sir, that the Commissioners have left out two most important suggestions, which they ought to have included in their recommendations, and which are strongly urged by their Assistant Commissioners at page 146 of their Report. The first of these is, that there should be established

I do not want very many of these schools to begin with-four or six in the whole country, perhaps, to act as models; but then they should be first-rate of their kind, as good, say, as the Zurich secondary schools. and that means, as hon. Gentlemen who have seen these remarkable institutions will know, something very good indeed. With regard to the exhibitions, I think it would be quite fair if the Committee of Council were only to meet local benevolence half way. The creation of small exhibitions-bursaries we call them -to support young men at the University, has long been a favourite object of Scotch benevolence. We have quite enough of these for all purposes-nay, some might say, too many; for they are constantly given away by mere favour; and not as the result of competitive examination. If the Committee of Council were to lead the way, it would soon find people ready to follow it on this road. The 7th and last recommendation relates to the great educational foundations, known in Scotland as Hospitals, which possess about £50,000 a year; but about them I shall say nothing, preferring to wait, in the hope that public opinion, and the opinion of those connected with these institutions, will be gradually led to see means for rendering them more generally useful than they now are, by the educational discussions which are sure to occupy a very large share of public attention from 1869 onward. Before sitting down, I have only to add that I have read with great pleasure the inte resting and remarkable Report of Messrs. Harvey and Sellar. Some controversy is going on in various parts of Scotland as to the accuracy or inaccuracy of various parts of it. That of course is inevitable, and

amount was 37s. and in Prussia 41s.- Hospitals. Certainly while the funds for namely, 218. from the State and 20s. from the support of education in Scotland were the municipality. These facts showed that in general very limited, as far as the hos Scotland was entitled to some credit for pitals connected with Edinburgh were conturning such narrow resources to the best cerned there was a superfluity, or, in other possible account. The efficiency of the words, there was upwards of £40,000 a Scotch schools materially depended on the year derived from foundations, which were inasters, and on the liberal education many called in Scotland "mortifications," comof them had received at the Universities. mencing at the time of George Heriot, the To obtain that education they underwent, goldsmith, in the reign of James I. of he might almost say, privations; and the England. Now, that was a matter which benefits of it were not confined to them- was really of very great interest to the selves, but were shared by all with whom inhabitants of Edinburgh. The considethey were brought into contact. Care ration was always forced upon them that ought, therefore, to be taken not to dete- this £40,000 a year was not probably riorate but rather to improve their posi-employed in the most beneficial manner. tion. With regard to the recommenda- The children were lodged in hospitals, tions contained in the Reports, he could where they acquired habits, not of luxury, not at the present time give any pledge but of comfort not altogether consistent on the part of the Government, but could with the position in life which they might only indicate what steps ought, in his in-afterwards hold, and it was a question dividual opinion, to be taken. It had been whether that almost monastic life was the urged that there should be a retiring pro- best fitted for preparing young people for vision out of the public funds for teachers the world. The funds for those foundain the secondary schools, who, from old tions had increased very much owing to age or other circumstances, became dis improvement in the property; but the will abled. To that proposition he was inclined of the testators must to a great extent be to accede. But with reference to the build- respected, and it was only where the funds ings, he thought that a more doubtful had been increased very much that they question. It was a matter for those in- could be applied to any new purposes. The terested in the locality to attend to the funds of George Heriot's hospital had been buildings, whether in the way of erecting applied to the extent of £3,000 or £4,000 new buildings or maintaining old. There to the support, not of in-door but out-door was a great deal to be said for annual in-pupils, and a great deal of good had been spection. He thought, moreover, that if done in that way. The whole question any concessions were made on the part of was one which deserved the attention of the Government to maintain maintain secondary the public, and would probably come beeducation it was but right that there should be some Government supervision, in order to insure that the schools were properly conducted. He was glad to see that nearly 80 per cent of those interested in secondary education were desirous that there should be Government inspection. Then as to supplementary schools in those districts where the population was very sparse, that was a question which deserved serious consideration, but with respect to which he would rather not express a definite opinion at present. With respect to the creation of exhibitions he would be happy to see them conferred upon deserving pupils in the important schools. But from his experience of official life he knew there was a body called the Treasury, which exercised a strict supervision over these matters, and it would be improper for him to express any further opinion on the subject. The only other matter to which he would refer related to the

fore that House. In all other respects Scotland was badly off for educational funds. The people of Scotland contributed largely towards the support of the public Exchequer, while they did not derive very great benefit from the expenditure of the public money. If, therefore, the Treasury should see their way to making concessions in the manner suggested by the hon. Gentleman and recommended by the Commissioners, he would be happy to do any thing in his power towards that end. He could not, however, express himself very definitely on a subject upon which he had not had an opportunity of consulting Her Majesty's Government.

COLONEL SYKES said, the salaries of the schoolmasters in Aberdeenshire were exceedingly low, ranging generally from £40 to £70 a year, even with the fortyfive teachers who participated in the Milne bequest; and in November, 1866, in forty parishes where the teachers did not parti