such are tempted to pay for the mending their clothes with articles entrusted to their care. No girl until he has made a shirt is permitted to learn to write. It considerably promotes their industry to teach them, 1st, knitting, 2dly, plain work, and lastly, writing. As they almost without exception esteem those acquirements in the reverse order, no girl is allowed to write on any day on which she has not been in school at half past nine o'clock in summer, or ten o'clock in winter. The profit arising on all the work done in the school is applied to the support of the institution. The profit arising from the work is variable. This is easly accounted for, as in some years there is a much greater proportion of useful hands than in others. After deducting all expences which necessarily attend the work, such as threads, worsted, needles, thimbles, scissars, and small premiums to the children for remarkable expedition; in the least profitable year the net profit has been 10/. 16s. and in the most profitable 25/. This profit is applied to the purchase of hats, shawls, caps, ribands, woollen clokes, tapes and threads for making up the school-clothing; to the purchase of articles considered as school-clothing, when the sum granted for clothing happens to be deficient after the year's allowance is disposed of; occasional presents to the mistresses for extraordinary diligence, and other incidental expences too trifling to go through the regular form of application to the treasurer. There is a necessary disbursement out of every 18. received for work, of 7. or 81. for thread, worsted, needles, &c. Five years ago a guinea was given by the committee of finance to purchase materials for work for the children; since that time they were not called on; and there is a balance remaining in hands of above 201. arising from this profit. This account is only closed up to the 1st of January last. Girls and boys are taught arithmetic, but not until they have made a considerable progress in the other branches of their education. The boys in general make the greatest proficiency in arithmetic, Each morning when the schools are opened, a short form of prayer, adapted to the occasion, is read by the resident master and mistress, and another before the schools are closed in the afternoon. Spinning has not hitherto been a branch of education in this institution, on two accounts: ift, The building is not adapted to it, the boys Occupying the ground-floor, lest they should injure the chapel which is on the upper; and spinning could not be conveniently taught on an upper floor, as the noise occasioned by the wheels would make it impracticable to give any instructions relative to other business in the same, or even in an adjoining room. 2dly, When the particular situation of any of the girls requires a knowledge of spinning, the governors have procured them admission into some one of the spinning-schools in the city. It is however intended to try whether spinning can be conveniently taught in this school; and preparations have been made for that purpose. To an objection made, that the children of this institution are not instructed in any particular E branch of manufacture by which they might be enabled hereafter to procure a support, It is answered, 1st, That the receiving the principles of religion and morality, and the elements of education, must afford adequate employment to the infant mind, which is best adapted to such instruction; and that the age of 14 years is sufficiently early to commence an apprenticeship in any branch of manufacture: and if entered in this school at the age of 7 or 8 years, at the age of 14 years they are prepared to go into the world with ideas becoming christians and useful members of society. 2dly, That from the situation of the institution near a great city, the governors are convinced that it must prove more advantageous to fit the children for apprenticeships in different trades and services; and that therefore a comparatively general information must be more useful than a perfect knowledge of any particular branch of manufacture, from the exercise of which an inconsiderable number only would derive advantage. Without arraigning any part of the scheme of this excel. lent charity, a scheme regulated in some respects by local circumstances, it may be proper to observe that in general in such institutions it may be advantageous to teach the simple processes of spinning fax or wool: both should be considered as part of the domestic economy with which poor women should be acquainted, especially in the country. If great domestic savings arise from knowing how to make clothes from the web, do not similar advantages arise from knowing how to make the thread of which the web is made? and when women spin for sale, their profits, though low, are less precarious and dependent than those from plain work. It is a matter of more difficulty, but of greater importance, to fix on useful modes of teaching the boys at charity schools productive industry. It seems to be deserving of notice, that, during the time of the late rebellion, in the month of June 1798, an exact enquiry was made at the habitations of the parents of the children at that time on the roll-books of this school, and it was ascertained that of the parents of above 250 children, only one person was miffing, and on that account liable to a suspicion of being concerned in the rebellion. Possibly the education here. bestowed on the children may have had indirectly some influence in disposing their parents to a perseverance in sober industry, and attaching them to the higher orders of society. No. V. An Account of the Derryloran Sunday-School. THE HE Derryloran Sunday-school was instituted by Lady Lifford and Mrs Stewart, in December 1789. There are usually from 180 to 200 scholars; and since the commencement 693 have been admitted into the school; the age of admis sion from 7 years old and upwards. The children are not dismissed till they are of an age and sufficiently instructed to receive the sacrament. There are three masters and three mistresses,. who are each paid a shilling a Sunday for teaching 30 children; besides which a few of the elder and most forward scholars assist in teaching the younger ones. *This account and the following one were communicated at the particular request of a member of the coin nittee. The ladies who visit, each of them superintend the scholars belonging to one master or mistress, instruct and catechize them in rotation, giving their chief attention to those who can read, and nly occasionally examining the others, in order to judge of their progress, of which they keep a written account. The children are taught at the school-house from half past nine o'clock in the morning till half past eleven, and in the church from the time morning-service is over, till half past three in the afternoon. They are instructed in reading, and the principles of the christian religion. Each teacher is furnished with a chequered class-paper, containing a list of their scholars, in which they mark down every Sunday the presence or absence of each child. The books used are, Child's 1st book, Salisbury Spelling-book, Psalter, Testament, Watts's Hymns, Sermons for Children, Broken Catechism, Sunday-Scholars Manual, and Sellon's Abridgement of the Scriptures It is intended. to substitute in the place of some of these, Mrs. Trimmer's Charity-school Spelling-book and Abridgement of the Scriptures, with the addi tion of her Teacher's Assistant and ScriptureCatechist. Her Abridgement of the Scriptures is preferred to Sellon's, because it is in scripturelanguage; his, though excellent for those who are already well acquainted with the Scriptures, is too abstracted and general for children; and for want of that minute detail of circumstances which is necessary to engage the attention and interest the feelings, his narratives make no impression on their minds. One of the visitors has lately found great advantage to the children from the use of Mrs. Trimmer's Scripture-History with Prints. One set for each teacher would be but a trifling |