as in olden times "moorish, rotten ground, impassable
but for cawswaies purposely made to that intent"—" a
fenne or moore, made maine and hard ground by divers
sluices." In the second division of his report, Mr. Simon
offers suggestions under the head of drainage, water-
supply, offensive and injurious trades, burial-grounds,
and the habitations and social condition of the poor.
With respect to drainage, Mr. Simon, upon the authority
of Stow, supported by professional observation of the
nature of the prevalent diseases in those localities, thinks
it highly probable that some of the sanitary defects of
Cripplegate and Bishopsgate "depend less on defective
house-drainage than on a still marshy undrained condition
of the ground itself; and that these defects,
including the liability to cholera, would be removed by
an efficient application of subsoil drainage." He therefore
recommends the adoption of measures to relieve
the parts where the subsoil drainage is imperfect, and
for protecting the house-foundations, and sewers, and
subsoil adjacent to the river, from being soaked or
flooded by the tide. He considers how far the offensive
exhalations from sewers, which are not and cannot be
entirely prevented by the best sorts of stench-traps, can
be nullified by chemical means: he believes chemical
means are not available to abolish the annoyance, but
that the observance of some good cardinal principles
would greatly abate it. The third and last division of
his report gives a connected series of suggestions for
embodiment in the act of parliament under which the
commission has its powers.

The War Office has adopted a measure calculated to
encourage Intelligence and good Conduct in Private
Soldiers, by affording them the means of obtaining
situations as clerks in the several military offices on
foreign stations. A circular has been issued to the
generals or other officers in command, containing the
following instructions:—"That, on the occurrence of a
vacancy among the clerks in the several military offices
within your command, you will apply to the
commanding-officer of any regiment on the station, to
recommend to you a steady and intelligent soldier
capable of filling the same. After a period of probation
not exceeding three months, this soldier, if confirmed as
fit for the situation, shall be removed from his regiment
and be attested for general service, in order that while
holding his office he shall continue to be a soldier in the
army, and liable, if removed from his appointment for
irregularity or incapacity, to be ordered to military duty
with any regiment then on the station. Any man so
confirmed in his appointment will have the rank and
pay of serjeant, with clothing, rations, lodging, and
fuel, and light, or with money allowances in lieu
thereof; and will have the chance of rising in some of
the offices, by succession, to the senior clerkship, in
which event he will be entitled to the rank, pay, and
allowances of serjeant-major. The service, as clerk, of
any soldier confirmed in the appointment, will be
allowed to reckon towards pension as non-commissioned
officer."

The seventh anniversary meeting of the Union Mews
Ragged School was held on the 21st at the Hanover
Square Rooms, Lord Dudley Stuart in the chair. The
report for the last year gave an interesting account of
the progress of the school. The following are some of
its chief points:—The income of the school had enabled
the committee to liquidate the debt owing to the late
treasurer, and also to effect much good in the school by
engaging a more competent master for the week-day
classes, and in establishing a shoemaker's class in addition
to a tailoring class; and they hoped that an increased
subscription would soon permit them to commence a
day school and an infant school, for which there was not
at present sufficient funds. The attendance on Sundays
for the past year had been, for the six summer months,
81; for the six winter months, 145; average for the
year, 113; namely, 70 boys and 43 girls. The decreased
number was probably owing to the stricter discipline
which was now kept, and which prevented idlers from
entering only for the purpose of annoying the others
and having what they called "a lark." The number of
children whose names had been placed on the books
after an attendance of three Sundays was 370. Of these
110 could read in various degrees of proficiency; 146
could read imperfectly, and 114 could not read at all;
while many knew not how to spell their own names.
The total number that had passed through the school
was 636, out of which there were 169 who had only
attended once during the year. The average attendance
for the week evenings had been 33 boys and
37 girls; total, 70. The rule was more strictly enforced,
which gave value to the weekly evening instruction, by
making admission to the school dependent upon good
behaviour on Sundays. The children so admitted were
those really desirous of learning; and, consequently,
were not disturbed by the misconduct of others, who
came with very different intentions when all comers
were promiscuously admitted. Here the report
contained details tending to disprove the supposition that
parents able to avail themselves of other sources of
education, and to pay the charge of it, availed
themselves of the ragged schools. Many instances had
occurred of girls having obtained situations from the
school. There were on the books the names of ten girls
between the ages of seven and ten years who, when
admitted, could not hold a needle, and were now able to
work very neatly. The library, though scanty, was
valued by the scholars, and donations of books would be
thankfully received. The number of Bibles sold to the
children during the last year was 23; of prayer books, 5;
and of hymn books, 7; besides a great number of small
publications at a halfpenny each. The committee of
the Ragged School Union, although the government
still refused to encourage emigration among the attendants
at these schools, had raised a special fund to aid
the different schools in effecting so desirable an object.
Still the funds were inadequate for so important an
object. The report here gave an account of the
successful progress of a boy belonging to this school,
who had been enabled to emigrate, and who was the
fourth scholar who had been sent out from the school.

Mr. W. Locke, the honorary secretary of the Ragged
School Union, entered into many details respecting the
progress of the system, describing the founding of
schools in different parts of the country, and the
advantages which had been derived from them to the
district; as in Aberdeen, Dublin, and other places. There
were now from 90 to 100 ragged schools in existence,
and about 150 paid teachers. London alone had about
1000 voluntary teachers, and, not only that, but a large
number of highly influential persons actively employed
themselves on behalf of these schools. He related
instances of some who had received education in them,
and had emigrated, and were now earning 4s. 6d. per
day wages; and when he pictured the state of comparative
prosperity to which these poor creatures had been
raised through the means and agency of ragged schools,
he exhorted the meeting to remember that those
unfortunate children had been the very scum and refuse of
society, picked, as it were, out of the gutters and
kennels. The schools, he said, were all generally
flourishing, and nothing was wanted but increased funds.
The following gentlemen were appointed the committee
for the year:—Messrs. Barnard, C. Compton, Dart,
Godsell, Luke J. Hansard, Harvey, Hepburn, D. D.
Hepham, Lowe, Murray, C. W. Priestly, Short; Mr.
J. G. Priestly being the secretary.

The Cultivation of Cotton in India was the principal
subject which engaged the attention of the annual
meeting of the Manchester Commercial Association on
the 21st. Two gentlemen, Mr. Mackay and Mr. Lees,
the one sent out by the Manchester Chamber of
Commerce and the other by the above association, are now
in India, actively employed in the necessary inquiries
and experiments. Mr. Lees, who has taken up his
position on the south-eastern coast of the Peninsula;
has made detailed reports respecting the fitness of the
climate, the amount of taxation and other burdens on
cultivation, the cost of carriage, the willingness of the
natives to engage in a new species of cultivation, and
the prospects of profit; and, from the information
gathered from these reports, there was reason to believe
(in the words of Mr. Aspinall, the chairman of the
meeting) "that from the district of Tutecorin, within
50 or 60 miles of Cape Comorin, up to Madras, there
was absolutely a cotton California."

The National Public School Association, recently