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lature might adopt in consequence of those Inquiries, with a view to provide a speedy and cheaper remedy for the evil than the ordinary tribunals of the Country afford,-yet The Committee could not avoid hoping, that the mere report and publication of the existing Abuses would have a material effect in leading the parties concerned, to correct them, and that even the apprehension of the Inquiry about to be instituted, might in the mean time produce a similar effect :—

As the Universities, Public Schools, and Charities, with Special Visitors, are exempted from the jurisdiction of The Commissioners, The Committee had been occupied in examining several of those Institutions,— and the result of their inquiries unquestionably showed, that considerable unauthorized deviations had been made, in certain great Schools, from the original plans of The Founders,-that those deviations had been dictated more by a regard to the interests of the Fellows than of the Scholars, who were the main object of the Foundations and of the Founders' bounty,-and that although in some respects they had proved beneficial upon the whole to the Insitutions, yet that they had been, by gradual encroachments in former times, carried too far. While, therefore, The Committee readily acquitted the present Fellows of all blame in that respect, they entertained a confident expectation that they would seize the opportunity afforded by the inquiry, of doing themselves honour by correcting the Abuses which had crept in, as far as the real interests of the Establishments might appear to require it. If,

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too, there should exist similar errors in THE UNIVERSITIES, which had not been examined, The Committee willingly flattered themselves that steps would be taken to correct them, by the wisdom and integrity of the highly respectable persons, to whose hands the concerns of those great Bodies are committed ;

The Committee were fully persuaded, that many great neglects and abuses existed in Charities which have SPECIAL VISITORS,—indeed it so happened, that the worst instance which they had met with, belonged to that class, and that no Visitatorial power was exercised, until a few months before, although the malversations had existed for many years. To this subject they, therefore, begged leave to request the speedy attention of Parliament ;

It further appeared to The Committee, that as The Commission about to be issued would be confined to the investigation of Abuses, and as the information, in the Parochial Returns, was not sufficiently detailed respecting the State of Education generally, a Commission should also be issued, either under an Act of Parliament, or by means of an Address to the Crown, for the purpose of supplying this defect ;

In the course of their Inquiries, The Committee had incidentally observed that Charitable Funds, connected with Education, were not alone liable to great Abuses. Equal negligence and malversation appeared to have prevailed in all other Charities,—and although The Committee had no authority, by their instruction, to investigate the matter, and to report upon it, yet they

should deem themselves wanting in their duty, if they did not give this notice of so important a subject, accidentally forced upon their attention."

Several of these observations had reference to a Bill which had been brought into Parliament, on the 8th of April 1818, for appointing a Commission to inquire into the Abuses in Charities connected with the Education of the Poor, in England and Wales, the Debates on which Bill are highly interesting, and fully explain the views which were entertained by the principal Promoters of this great National investigation.

And, on the 13th of the same month, Mr. BROUGHAM, in moving the second reading of the Bill, wished to explain the course which he deemed it advisable, should be pursued in this business. It had been his intention to propose, that the Inquiry of The Commissioners should extend to all Charities whatever,—but he was now of opinion, that it would be most advisable to confine, for the present, the

? Second Report of The Select Committee, in 1818.

Inquiries of The Commissioners to Charities for purposes of Education, with an understanding that additional powers would be given next Session to extend the Inquiry to all other Charities. There would be ample employment for The Commissioners for a considerable time in the Metropolis, and twenty or thirty miles in it's neighbourhood, and this would give time for finding out the sort of persons who could most efficaciously execute the provisions. of the Act. When, therefore, it would be necessary to appoint additional Commissioners next Session, it would be more easy to find proper persons for that purpose. Another purpose would be gained by the delay,—it would serve as a warning to those great Bodies by whom Charitable Funds were at present abused. From what had happened already, he was confident this time would not be lost.

The Bill was then read a second time. On the 8th of May, 1818, the order of the day for going into a Committee on

The Parliamentary Debates, vol. xxxvii. p. 1297.

this Bill, being read,-Mr. BROUGHAM rose to perform the duty cast upon him by The Education Committee, of describing to The House the progress of it's inquiries, -and after adverting to the apparently slow progress they had made in the investigation, he confessed, that to him this delay appeared salutary. It had afforded ample time, for the serious and repeated consideration which the vast importance of the subject prescribed to those, who would legislate upon it,—and an opportunity had likewise been given, of obtaining the most valuable information from

various sources.

He regarded the subject in two distinct points of view,-first, attending to the situation of the people in Cities, and Towns of considerable size,—and, secondly, to the circumstances of the people in small towns or villages, and in districts wholly agricultural, where hardly even a village exists.

Being aware how dry and uninteresting this subject was to many persons present,

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