HARROW SCHOOL.

(With an Engraving, taken expressly for the Boy's FRIEND.)

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ABOUT three hundred years ago the benevolent JOHN LYON founded the now famous School at HARROW, mainly to educate the poor of the parish. "There is evidence," says Staunton, "that for many years before the foundation of the School this estimable man appropriated twenty marks (£6 13s. 4d.) a year to the education of young children." died in 1592, and was buried in the nave of the church. The inscription states that he had "founded a free grammar school in the parish to have continuance for ever." In the year 1813 several gentlemen who had been educated at the School, subscribed sufficient funds to erect a mural monument to the memory of JOHN LYON.

The founder established a code of laws for the government of the School, and regulated the salaries to be paid to the "School Master" and to the "Usher." The former was to receive a stipend of £26 13s. 4d., "with £3 6s. 8d. annually for firing." The salary of the latter was to be £13 6s. 8d., with £3 6s. 8d. for firing. He also provided for the distribution of £20 annually among the poorest householders of the parish, and a further sum of £20 towards maintaining four poor scholars at the University; they were to be chosen from children of his own kin, and afterwards such as are "most meet for towardness, poverty, and painfulness.' Amongst other rules for the government of the School, he directs that the scholars shall be "restricted to driving a top, tossing a hand-ball, running, shooting, and no other," and that no girls shall be taught in the School.

For fifty years Harrow School remained in comparative obscurity. But it soon attracted many pupils from the "upper ten thousand," and has continued to flourish under the able guidance of learned and distinguished Head Masters, until it has attained the highest position attained by any of the Public Schools of England, Eton alone excepted.

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While sauntering amidst its classic shades, and indulging in reminiscences of "learned Harrow," the mind recurs to those noble Harrovians who have rendered the School famous by the illustrious course they have pursued as statesmen, senators, poets, &c., and the signal services they have rendered to their country, reflecting honour on themselves and on the noble Institution from which they proceeded; and while standing near to Byron's tomb," as an old tomb in the churchyard is commonly called, we are reminded of the gifted but erratic author of "Childe Harold," and in what touching terms he wrote about the burial of his daughter in 1822: "There is a spot," says he, "in the churchyard, near the footpath, on the brow of the hill looking towards Windsor, and a tomb under a large tree, where I used to sit for hours and hours when a boy. This was my favourite spot." There the dust of his daughter rests until the morn of the resurrection.

In the long list of learned Head Masters who have guided the fortunes of Harrow, no name is more distinguished than that of BUTLER. For nearly a quarter of a century, the father of the present Head Master filled the important office. Dr. H. MONTAGUE BUTLER, who succeeded Dr. VAUGHAN in 1860, was born in 1833, and is one of the youngest Head Masters in any of the Public Schools. At no time has Harrow been in a more prosperous condition than at the present period. Under the late Dr. Butler the number of boys never exceeded 300. The number at present is about 500. Dr. Butler's course at College was a very brilliant one. He was Senior Classic in 1855, and elected Fellow in the same year. The Doctor is, we believe, the brother of the Head Master of Haileybury College. It has never happened that two such important institutions have been presided over by two brothers so young as the brothers Butler!

We present our readers with a PORTRAIT of Dr. BUTLER, also an Engraving of the OLD SCHOOL. There are several other interesting buildings connected with this noble establishment for which we are unable to find room at present.

KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON.

A VERY gratifying meeting was held in the above College on the 17th of May, for the purpose of distributing more than THREE HUNDRED PRIZES and Certificates of Honour to the Students of the EVENING CLASSES, which have made extraordinary progress since their establishment in the year 1855, their number now being more than 600. This has been their average for the last three or four years.

The Bishop of ELY distributed the Prizes, supported by Dr. JELF, the Principal, the Rev. Professor PLUMPTRE, by several distinguished characters, and a large number of the Students and their friends. The classes have been taken advantage of by a large number of young men in Government offices, banks, and others, who wish to devote their leisure hours to self-culture, Instances have been frequent of their having been enabled to rise to eminent positions in society, having especially distinguished themselves in the Indian Civil Service Examinations for important public positions.

The Prizes to the five students who had gained the highest aggregate number of marks in all the subjects respectively brought up for examination this year, were awarded to—

The Prize given by Mr. J. W. Cunningham to the rest of the Associates of the current year who, at the examinations in the fifteen classes which the rules required him to attend, had gained the highest number of marks, was taken by Mr. G. A. Marshall. Students elected Associates of the College at the close of their academical course, were—

Mr. T. L. Mears,

The

A very remarkable and interesting feature in the proceedings was the fact of Prizes being taken in Latin, Greek, Mechanics, Logic, and a Certificate of Merit in Physiology by a blind gentleman, named Daniel Conolly, who was in each case loudly applauded as he was led upon the platform. Another notable circumstance, and one in which the assembly appeared to evince the liveliest interest, was that the first Prize in the third division of Mathematics was taken by a private in the Royal Engineers, named William Parsons; and the Right Rev. Prelate, who presided, in responding to a vote of thanks, referred to this circumstance, remarking that it must be a great honour in being associated with so many honourable men, and that it must do the College equal honour to have a member of that highly honourable service connected with it.

The whole proceedings were of a most interesting character, and appeared to afford the greatest gratification to the respectable audience who witnessed the presentation of the Prizes.

MERCHANT TAYLORS' ATHLETIC SPORTS.

(BY AN EYE-WITNESS.)

Оn, the pleasures of Athletic Sports, and the endurance required, on such a day as the first of May, to compete in the Mile Races, the Hurdle Races, the Long Jump, and other Sports, for which handsome Prizes were offered, and for which the boys of MERCHANT TAYLORS' SCHOOL contended right manfully, notwithstanding it was one of the most unfavourable days for the Sports that can be imagined! It was anything but an orthodox