The sudden progress in commercial affairs could not be accomplished without some inconveniences and evils following in its course. The overcrowding of towns brought a condition of social life which took all the powers of the local authorities to grapple with. Some of the sleepy old towns with ill-lighted and worse-paved streets, with their old tumble-down dwellings and their utter want of anything like sanitary arrangements, were ill adapted to receive suddenly large additions to their population. Then, again, the time-honoured grammar schools and the few sparsely endowed free schools were all inadequate to meet the educational requirements. Very early in the century a few schools were started on Dr. Bell's system, and subsequently what were called national schools became common in large towns, and to supplement them the Sunday-schools (which were first started about the year 1782) were giving an elementary education to many who did not or could not give regular attendance on the week-day. Another great evil rising out of the increase in manufactories was that men, women, and especially children, all worked too many hours a day, which, had not a wise Legislature stepped in to arrest, would soon have told dreadfully on the physical, moral, and mental condition of the labouring classes. With the necessary improvements of the sanitary condition of our towns came the introduction of the use of gas for illuminating purposes, and our streets became safe by night as well as by day.