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with the payment of annuities amounting to 596,000/.), and 500,000/. in lieu of private endowments. The Church is governed by a General Synod — bishops, clergy, and laity having the right to vote separately. There are also 23 diocesan synods. There were in Ireland, at the census of 1891, 444,974 Presby- terians, 55,500 Methodists, 17,017 Independents, 5,111 Baptists, 3,032 Quakers, 1,798 Jews.

Instruction. The following table proves progress in the diluision of elementary education, by indicating the percentage of persons in England and Wales who signed by mark in the marriage register during each year specified : —

Year 1843 Males Females | Year Males Females 32-7 49-0 1893 5-0 5-7 1863 23-8 33 1 1894 4-6 5-4 1873 18-8 25-4 ; 1895 4-0 4-8 1883 12-6 15 "5 1 1896 3-7 4-3

In London the proportion of men who signed with marks in 1896 was 2 "5 percent., and of women 3 '2. Over most of the South-eastern, South Mid- land, Eastern, South-western, ^Vest Midland and North ]\Iidland counties the proportion of males who signed with marks was greater than females. In the Northern counties and in Wales the preponderance is much in favour of the males. The most illiterate counties for men in 1896 were Monmoutlishire 7-1, North Wales 6-4, Cambridge 6-3, Suffolk 6-3, Cornwall 6-1, Herefordshire 5-9 ; and for women, Monmouth 7-8, South Wales 7*5, North Wales 7*0, Staffordshire 6 '1, Durham 6 0, Lancashire 5 '9 per cent. In Scotland the propor- tion in 1896 was 2 '26 per cent, of men and 3-78 of women. In 1857 the proportion was 12-11 per cent, males to 24-66 females. In 1896 in Kinross and Berwick all the males and all the females signed their names. Tn Kincardine all the males and 99-56 per cent, of the females, in Orkney all the males and 99-27 per cent, of the females, in Peebles all the males and 96-88 per cent, of the females signed their names. The counties where the proportion signing by mark was greatest were Inverness 11-42 per cent, of males and 17 58 of females, and Sutherland 10' 96 per cent, of males and 1233 of females. In Ireland the proportion unable to sign the marriage register in 1897 was 15-1 men and 13*2 women. In 1874 the proportion was 30 1 men and 36-4 women. The proportions in 1897 varied in the various provinces from 13 "0 per cent, of the men and 107 per cent, of the women in Leinster to 21 5 per cent, of the men and 16 5 per cent, of the women in Connaught. The highest education is provided for in Great Britain and Ireland by a number of universities and detached colleges. With the exception of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Owens College, the Scotch Universities, and Tiinity and Queen's Colleges, Ireland, most of the other institutions have been founded within the last ten j-ears. The following table gives the statistics iji most cases for the last term of 1898 : — D