6 in Illinois and Iowa; and to one in 15 in Oregon. In the Slave States, the average was one in 10.

The per-centage of children of the school age attending at the public schools in the different States varies as follows: In Massachusetts, 74 per cent.; in New York. 70; Wisconsin, 65; Pennsylvania, 63; Ohio, 46; Maine, 45. The other States do not return

their per-centages.

The only statistics I have at hand in relation to the number of children and persons under education in England are those given in the Report of the Commission on Education in England and Wales in 1858. In this Report it is stated that there were in 1858, 2,585,462 scholars in week-day schools. Of these 1,675,158 were in public schools; 860,304 were in private adventure schools, or schools kept for the profit of private persons. Of the 1,675,158 scholars in public schools, 1,549,312 were in week-day schools supported by the various religious bodies; 43,748 were in ragged, philanthropic, Birkbeck, and factory schools; 47,748 in workhouse, reformatory, naval, and military schools; and about 35,000 in collegiate and the richer endowed schools. The religious bodies are therefore the chief supporters of education in this country. The number of scholars in Sunday schools in the same year was 2,411,554, and in evening schools 80,966.*

Cost of Education.-The cost of education is a point at which a very large proportion of the interest of the subject may be said to centre, but it is most difficult of elucidation. The cost to the pupils or their parents and guardians is one aspect of the case; the cost of maintaining the educational establishment, another. The latter is the only one with which I can deal, for the former is affected by the character of the school, its endowments, and other uncertain and arbitrary conditions.

Taking the income of the United States educational establishments in relation to the number of pupils, as shown by the seventh census, the cost of the public schools comes out at about 12s. per pupil per annum. The academies just over £4, and the colleges rather over £15. The average of the whole being about £1 per pupil.

In 1850 or 1851, the cost per pupil in six of the principal cities of the States was ascertained to be as follows: Boston, £3 4s. 3d.; New York, £2 4s. 3d.; Baltimore, £2 4s. 3d.; St. Louis, £1 19s. 7d. ; Philadelphia, £1 10s. 6d. ; Cincinnati, £1 6s. 6d. But the expenditure is very much greater in the town than in the country, the education being of a higher standard, and the teachers as a consequence much more costly.†

*"Journal of the Statistical Society," Vol. 24, p. 208.

+ Tremenheere's "Notes on Public Subjects in the United States and Canada, 1852," p. 57.

The superintendent of the recent United States census* made an endeavour to collect accurate information on this point, but confined his attention chiefly to the Colleges. He says:-"The efforts made to ascertain the necessary annual expense of each student have not been attended with very satisfactory results. Some colleges giving cost of board, tuition, rent, room, &c., others adding clothing and other items of personal expenditure, always a variable sum. The two highest estimates from the colleges for male students only, are Harvard University and Trinity College, Hartford, each about £50 sterling; and Rochester University, from £40 to £60." He continues— "It is not probable, however, that the actual expenditure in the two latter is much, if at all, greater than that of Colleges in cities generally. The estimates in the Eastern Colleges usually range from £26 to £40 sterling per annum; and of the Western, from £18 to £30."

In some of the more recent reports of the States, the following percentage of the annual average cost of education at the public schools came out Pennsylvania, 14s. 6d. ; New York, 16s. 8d.; Minnesota, £1 4s. 6d.; Massachusetts, £1 7s. 1d.; New Jersey, £1 14s. 2d.; and in Boston city the cost was £3 per head, per annum, in 1861.

I can find no recent returns of the exact proportion of children educated entirely free in the States. In 1840, it was stated to be rather less than one in five. I anticipate the proportion is very much larger now, as nearly all the common schools are entirely free; and in some cases, the Academies and Colleges too.†

As a rule, each grade of education above the common schools has to be paid for in whole or in part by the parents or guardians of the pupils. These higher schools are not generally supported by public taxation; but they have in many cases derived large revenues from private beneficence.

The annual cost of the present educational appliances to the respective States is of course affected and moderated by two circumstances first the standard of excellence set up, but more particularly by the amount of the school fund accumulated, or the extent of the income of any special grants. For instance, the actual annual expenditure for education in the State of New York, for the year ending the 1st of October, 1861, was £768,454, or about 16s. 8d. per head. But this State has an accumulated school fund of £525,000-producing an annual revenue of £25,000, and is entitled to the annual revenue of other funds producing £52,000, which takes off about £77,000 or 10 per cent. of the burden, and leaves the taxpayer to contribute the balance of the expenditure only. In some other States, the proportion of the proceeds of the school funds to the entire population is still greater.

* Mr. Josiah C. G. Kennedy, well-known in statistical circles in this country, for his ability and untiring industry.

"Journal of the Statistical Society," Vol. 17, p. 331.

The Educational Finance of the State of New York is almost startling in its magnitude, as the above figures will indicate, and the expenditure is increasing more rapidly than the population. I have before me the details of the entire expenditure of the Government of Great Britain, for educational purposes in 1856. It was £423,633, or a very little more than half that of this one State in the year1861.*

The following is a list of the principal States having separate funds specially accumulated for educational purposes: the amounts. increase almost yearly. In many cases the annual revenue is not. clearly given:

The value of the 87,302 school houses existing in 1850 alone must form a very large and important item. I have seen it estimated at something very considerable. The following is a very correct description of several that have fallen under my own observation.

The school houses in cities and large towns are very imposing buildings. They are often from four to five stories high. They accommodate from 700 to 900 pupils. The rooms are capacious and well ventilated, and every convenience provided for the comfort of the pupils. The basement story consists of play-room under cover, with a paved yard, both set apart for the physical exercise of the pupils. The furnace-room for heating, is on the same floor; the other four floors contain school-rooms and common hall for assembling the pupils on arrival, and at their departure. The buildings are generally of a most substantial character, and as new ones are needed, improvements are constantly occurring, all tending to the comfort and convenience of pupil and teacher.

Encyclopedia Britt. Art. "National Education."

As incidentally bearing upon the cost of education, comes the rate of payment to the teachers. I intend only to select examples relating to the public or common schools, but it is not impossible that some of the higher averages comprise the teachers in the schools of higher grade; it is only on such a supposition that I am enabled to reconcile the following results drawn from recent reports. All the payments are per month, and I give them in dollars and cents for greater exactness: Massachusetts, male teachers 47 dollars (of 4s. 2d.) 71 cents (each cent equal to one half-penny), female teachers dols. 19,95 cents; Connecticut, male, dols. 32, female, dols. 16,14 cents; Maine, male, dols. 28, female, dols. 13; New Hampshire, male, dols. 24,35 cents, female, dols. 14,12 cents; Pennsylvania, male, dols. 25,68 cents, female, dols. 19,71 cents; Delaware, average male and female, dols. 29,41 cents; Ohio, male, dols. 27,81 cents, female, dols. 16,5 cents; Michigan, male, dols. 26,6 cents, female, dols. 13,52 cents.; Indiana, male, dols. 22,60 cents, female, dols. 17,20 cents; Illinois, males, dols. 29.66 cents, female, 19,48 cents; Iowa, male, dols. 24,24 cents, female, 16,20 cents; Wisconsin, male, dols. 23, female dols. 14,62 cents; California, average male and female, dols. 62,35 cents.

It will be observed that in the Western States the pay is almost invariably larger than in the Eastern States. In California, there is an obvious reason why the payment is high. I have no exact means of testing these scales with those prevailing in this country,—but I have no doubt the advantage would be in favour of the States.

There is, however, one peculiarity, and, as I think, one drawback to be noted. The schools in the States are very rarely open more than half the year. I believe this arises in a great degree from the scarcity of labour, and the necessity therefore of having the assistance of the children in agricultural operations. I have found the following to be the average time of keeping schools in the recent Reports: New Jersey, 9 months; Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 8 months; New York and Delaware, 7 months; Vermont, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and California, 6 months; Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, 5 months; Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa, 4 months.

The employment of female teachers is very prevalent throughout the States, as our statistics will have shown; indeed the summer schools are to a very considerable extent conducted by females, and in well-appointed schools, such as those of Boston, the primary classes are almost wholly under the care of females. For the other schools, there are generally set apart for each story of the building a master, a sub-master, a head-assistant, with three or four female assistants. In Massachusetts, in 1858, the teachers consisted of 1,691 males, and 5,49% females. The average number of pupils allowed for each teacher is 56, and when this average is exceeded, females are employed to aid the masters.

The following Table will show the distribution of the educational establishments through the various States and territories in 1850,

and may also be useful for reference in relation to other parts of the Paper :

The following additional facts belong to this section:

There were in the United States, in 1860, 123 Colleges and Universities the oldest, Harvard, founded in 1636; the most modern, During the present century, very few years have

Chicago, in 1860.

Since 1850, two of these territories have been admitted as States; viz., Minnesota in 1857, Oregon in 1859; several new territories have since been organised, and one new State, Kansas, admitted in 1861.