MISCELLENEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 55, 15 August 1877, Page 3

MISCELLENEOUS NEWS.

, { It is a enrfoiu thing to fiad a Wrecfe duo, not 'to tl.e' S hi P \tnkm«i « rock, but to a rock striking the ship, yet this is what neetol lo have happened in the case of the iron screw-steamer Knight lemplar,. which, off the Gulf of iunis, ieems to have been struck by a rouk from a submarine volcano, while in one thousand fathoms of water, at a distance of ten miles from the nearest group of rocks. The-jshojok was accompanied by a rumb» lirig s nt)ise!and by a seething of tho sea iatoi^Wto;foam all round tho ship, and though ? the ship was not stopped in her course, she soon began to fill and had to be> steered to the island of Galita, where the captain had to run her on shore in a shallpw place, which he accomplished within four hours of the sub-marine shock. When examined by divers, and subsequently in dock at Malta, it appeared that at a distance of about fifteen "feet from the stem of the vessel eotnenine or ten feet had been torn out of her by something which crossed- her course at right'angles, and the ship had also been struck in a similar way on the after-part from the same direction, and a good part of her-keel twisted. Mr William Coppin, <SX-surveyor to the Board of Trade, who gives us this account at length in The Times, is evidently quite satisfied that a rock driven through the sea by a submarine, volcano had struck and wrecked tile ship. We take the following fMito the report ofXßlr "Boweh's speech on* introducing the Education Bill 'that appeared in last 'night's Post I— Tho hon member next drew attention to one of the most important elements in the proposed system of national education in place of denominational, remarking at the outset ; fchat very grave difficulties has arisen in consequence of the well known difference of opinion on the subject. He instanced the feeling which had existed in England when the clergy in a great measure had the education of the people in their own hands. Times, however, had^ greatly changed since then, and in this colony things had varied too: they bad not a State' Church, and therefore in inaugurating a system of national education,, it was not to bo expected that they ahbuid" make it other than of a secular character. Although religious education, foowpfer; was to be altogether excluded froiri th© : schools of the colony a book which he might flay nineteen-twentietha of the colony had a reverence for — he meant the Bible— and it was proposed in jfcho Bill that the schools should be -opened, every morning by the reading of me Lord's Prayer, although no child was .required to' be present either before or iU fixed time of the reading, aDd .the, absence would be overlooked. The ihon member here quoted from Professor JCuxley, in reference to the Bible, and exjpressed a ! Ijppe that bon members would pause before, they attempted io substitute ,fpr -it' mandlih, text books of modern .maxims the words of whjch would go in .ato ne eqr. .and out tjt the other— nn [observation Which was met witha round ,of applause—the first of tho se^ion. We take.the following from.la.ut night's •Post :•— La,st night, in the. Hbuse of iße.pto3entatiyes, Mr Curtis gave notice of several amendments in thQj£<foo'fttiion<3illr' !and the v insertion of the following new .clause.:?—- '• Whenever any .twenty-^re or more househpldens in aay education district shall sigaify in writing to the Education Board oi ; s;uch distinct their desire to *be constituted into a separate body for educational purposes, it shall be the duty 'of the' Board to convene a meeting of such \ 'householders for,the election of a school i .committee in the manner provided in Part $lt of this Act, and it shall be lawful ,for the Board to grant to Bueh committee \ ,aid in books, school apparatus and money as the Board shall deem expedient oratj the ..option of -the .committee such aid aaay j ibe granted in money only, snelti6iv«of the | ,vabie of such .books and school apparatus ns would otherwise be supplied by the Board.: Provided always that every such ,«ommi>tee shall provide a schoolhouse or .achoplho.ifises to the satisfaction of the Bpa,rd, and _Bhall appoint and pay the .teacher, or. teachers of such school or .schools, .QVfff,* sttch teacher having obtain^d%cer|«£cate;of '.competency as ptor ,Tidß'd ; -i3p4|oii.op^;pfilus';:a.cli. Provided .also^cl(i?t®il> books used in- any snch school shall be approved by the Board, .and: that in every regpejct wherein no special exception is tanse in this section every sdcH school shall be appro#e;d. by Board, and tha,t in every respect .whorein no special exception is made in this section every such school shall be a public school under this Act, and subject to the provisions which this Act makes for the conduct, management, and inspection of public schools ; and ithafc every such school shall be open to all children between the ages of five and fifteen years .withont fee or payment of any kind." .