the mental condition of the working classes was not only first adopted, but every religious denomination cordially and zealously united to support and promote it. For some time the scheme was amicably pursued; but, unfortunately for the happiness and the credit of the town, a different feeling actuated a few individuals, whose views were limited to the attainment of their own selfish purposes. Hence their unremitting intrigues to generate and keep alive a spirit of party, and also to obtain the power of directing the public institutions of the town, that they might mould them in accordance with their own secular and sordid interests. The men whose consequence depended upon the dark reign of ignorance, and the influence of prejudices and bigotry upon the multitude, were alarmed at the progress of knowledge, and therefore employed every artifice to retard its advance, and throw obstacles in the way of those who were the ardent and active friends of improvement. But, happily, the means which were employed to check and prevent the spread of information, ultimately conduced to accelerate its increase. The measures and the spirit here alluded to, occasioned the Dissenters to establish Sunday-schools of their own in 1787, and their management has always been an object of peculiar interest and attention. Perhaps no other place has carried this plan of education to greater per

fection, or more widely experienced and diffused its beneficial influence.

The original object of these institutions was confined to teaching the art of reading only, which the pupils having acquired, were dismissed. But, in 1789, some young men, whose ardour in the pursuit of knowledge was as conspicuous as their zeal for the improvement of others was disinterested, conceived the idea of extending the plan of Mr. Raikes by taking under their care the youths when they were dismissed from the Sunday-schools; and this enlargement of the scheme has been productive of incalculable advantages. They designated themselves The Sunday Society; their purpose was to teach writing, arithmetic, and also to communicate such other information as would not only contribute to form the moral character of the boys, but be useful to them in their several future occupations, as well as to keep them in the paths of rectitude. Hence geography, book-keeping, and drawing, were afterwards added, as well as moral instruction. Moreover, some of those who engaged in this attempt had cultivated a taste for natural philosophy, and belonged to a small society,* established a few

* Several of the members of this small society became conspicuous characters in succeeding years: one of them is now a distinguished Royal Academician, and also one of the

years before, for their mutual improvement in useful knowledge; and as some of them were skilful and ingenious as workmen, they constructed a variety of apparatus for experiments to illustrate the principles of mechanics, hydrostatics, electricity, pneumatics, and astronomy. This philosophical society also possessed a well-selected, though not a large, library, consisting principally of works on scientific subjects; and they permitted the reading of their books by others unconnected with them, upon the payment of a small subscription. Some of its members likewise occasionally gave lectures on the above subjects to the young men and others connected with the manufactories in the town, thus gratuitously communicatiug scientific information, and probably creating a taste for it in a larger circle. Hence

Council of the Royal Academy; and at a time when they were attending to Hartley's Theory of the Mind, their president was the present highly respectable, acute, and intelligent Principal of Hazelwood School. Another member of this society, Mr. Thomas Clark, was also one of the persons who early engaged in instructing the working classes, and he was accustomed to give familiar lectures, at his own house, on Mechanics and other branches of Natural Philosophy, to a number of artizans, and, among others, several of the workmen belonging to the Eagle foundry. This was in 1794 and 1795; and one of his humourous acquaintance designated this assemblage as "the cast-iron philosophers."

the disposition to such pursuits was widely spreading in the town; for the various individuals belonged to different manufactories, and they were ardent and active in promoting the success of such schemes.

As those who originated the plan of giving farther instruction to the boys when they had been taught to read in the Sunday-schools, had witnessed the machinations which had heretofore been employed to check the current of intellectual improvement in the town, they deemed it discreet to provide the means of accomplishing their purposes from their own resources, and thus to prevent any improper interference to thwart their views of being useful. They first engaged a large and commodious public room for the business of their school; but, as its occupation was chiefly on a Sunday, in order to increase their pecuniary means, the idea was suggested of applying the use of their room to the purposes of a debating society, in which some useful and interesting question should be discussed once a week, and strangers admitted at sixpence each. This point was also attained: some of the first questions were on subjects connected with education; and as the discussions attracted great attention, they not only increased the spirit of liberal inquiry in the town, but also produced an ardent desire of information in many of those who attended

them. Indeed, from the ability, zeal, and energy exercised in these undertakings, the success of them far exceeded the most sanguine anticipations of their projectors.

Thus happily proceeded these beneficent efforts to promote the improvement of the artizans of Birmingham, till the unfortunate riots of 1791 *

* The dishonour attaching to the origin of these proceedings ought not to be attributed to the regular and constant inhabitants of Birmingham, but rather to those who were its occasional residents, in order to enjoy the advantages of its preferments. The respectable laymen belonging to the town in general cherished better feelings, and disclaimed, and justly so, the opprobrious imputation. But the light of information having dissipated that darkness which formerly obscured the minds of the working classes, they now entertain more correct views of their duty, and probably, therefore, such events will never occur again to tarnish the fame of this celebrated town.

Perhaps no other individual saw more of these unhappy transactions than the writer of these pages. He was an indignant witness of the destruction of Dr. Priestley's library, manuscripts, and apparatus-the means of those great discoveries which have interwoven his name with the existence of science, and reflected so much honour on his character. He reverts to these events with melancholy concern, and earnestly wishes that either they had not occurred, or that the foul blot could be effaced from the records of his native town, and erased from the annals of his country. But from the effects which the increase of knowledge and the encouragement given to the arts have an evident tendency to