The Press. — London, England, 1853-06-11 00:00:00

PEON JUNE 11, 1853. Thou hear'st from tongue to tongue the greeting borne Where thy tint laurel wreath was won and worn Here—in an old and welbremembered scene, Here —where thy verse bath rung, thy voice hath been. (Word, that sent thee forth, meals in pride Once her dear son, and now her guard and guide ; Strong in thy love, and steadfast tn thy stren length Hope hath chased Alemory,—she smiles at gth Only in other times, if need there be To tell her love for im. her faith in thee. Be this the sign :—t h hat when she sorrowed mo st, o urn in g at once her bulwark and her boast, To solace best a sad and anxious grief, And best to honour England's buried Chief, She chose no meaner name, no lower line, To grace his seat and guard her Fame, than thine. This, and indeed we may fairly say most of the poems, were above the average of such productions. The talent displayed in the Latin and Oreek Odes, though remarked in scholarly circles, cannot be ex hibited here, where we may add that our limited space prevents us from giving similar instances of successful passages even from the spirited ode by Mr. Alex ander. After the conclusion of the ceremonial the noble Chancellor, attended as before, returned to the Vice- Chancellor's residence in Worcester College. In the afternoon a grand horticultural show and pro menade took place in t he beautiful gardens of Worcester College, bordering the Isis. It was at tended by the Earl and Countess of Derby, and by all the nobility and gentry at present in Oxford, and went off, favoured by beautiful weather, as brit. liantly as could be desired. At four o'clock the Chancellor held a public levee in the library of the Taylor Institution, where many of the dignitaries of the University and the resident Masters of arts had the honour of a personal introduction to their Chan- cellor. The day was further marked by the banquet in Wor- the c ester College, where Lord Derby, together with all new-made Doctors of the morning, and all the doctors of the following day, were entertained by Dr. Cotton, the principal of the college, in his capacity of Vice- Chancellor. The red-gowned dignitaries, who had formed part of the vast Sheldonian tableau a few hours before, now appeared in an apartment of cabi net dimensions, and could be inspected at leisure, with their honours and coming honours fresh upon them. As for the dinner itself, it was a magnificent speci men of Oxford hospitality, being in the true English style of turtle and venison, and plenty thereof. Wor cester College is a modern building, and the hall does not present that mediaeval aspect which is so striking in most of the other establishments, and which brings out the modern visitors in such strange relief ; but, nevertheless, the massive plate and the goodly assemblage of academic costumes produced a spec tacle that may be fairly called imposing. The pre sence of the Persian Ambassador, who wore the huge conical cap of his coun tr y , and whose appearance in the theatre had excited some attention in the morn ing, contributed something toward the diversity of the scene, and might recal the days when the Nepaulese Princes were such important figures in all the assem blies of London. It was thought that Lord Derby might possibly make a speech pregnant with political allusion, but all expectations of the sort were doomed to disap pointment. What his lordship did say we give at such length as our space permits. The Earl of Mum, hi rising to return thanks, was re" ceived with a burst of loud and protracted cheering. After acknowledging his sense of the high honour that hail been that day conferred upon him—a sense which was rendered deeper by the recollection of his illustrious predecessor, and for which he could find no words to give due e xpression, the noble earl proceeded'—lii, had the honour of being appointed Chancellor of a University whose early history was lost in the obscurity of fable ; but which, from the earliest periods to which it could be traced, had been in porpetttal connection with the dearest, th e higheen est, an rough d the holiest interests of this, great empire ; ad bth out the bulwark of her laws, her liberties, and her religion ; the faithful adherent to the Crown, the monificent patron of literature. and the truitful mother of science and of talent. (Chrerx.) It would be imprudent in him to magnify his own °thee by landing the University whose name itself was above all the eulogy he could pass upon it. Time would fail him. indeed, were he to seek to enumerate the long list of woithies who in the camp, in the field, in the senate, at the bar. in the pulpit, on the bench, had reflected inter minable honour through countless generations upon the University that first taught and 'natured their youthful intellects. Their respected Vice-Chancellor had enume rated amongst his other claims the being descended from an ancient line of ancestors, who, in their time, had done tome service to the state. " sed genus et pmavos et quo non fecimus ipsl Vix es nostra voco." (Cheers.) And if there were any distinction conferred by tie , claim.' or the merits of our ancestors, it only enhani el the obli gation which rested on those who succeeded th m not to disgrace nor dishonour their name, but to eek to render themselves worthy of the origin from whip h th , y s prang. (ClicerA.) Ile hail hiul ancestors who, fur theii boy ilty to the throne and their fidelity to the country, hail di: I in the field of battle, and haider still, had died ut on the scaf fold. (Hear, bear.) , Though he could not prttead to emu THE PRESS. late their high claims, yet this he hoped he might say, that, if loyalty to the Crown or faithfulness to hts country called upon him, he would not disgrace their name by re• fusing to purchase the safety of the one or the other by the eacrifice of his heart's beat blood. t Lim.? and era hot, naafi(' ehe,•ring.) Looking to the motives which might have in thienced the University in making their selection of a chancellor, there was one which, though indeed it was of a negative character, was nevertheless not unimportant — that his nomination would 1w the symbol of peace in the University ; that he was not believed to be attached warmly to either of those extremes in our venerated Church by which she had been divided, and by which division, un happily, she had been weakened; and that those who might be at variance with regard to other candidates might be content to fall back upon one who, they did him the credit of believing, was a stucerely-attached member of the Church of England, though not peculiarly an to e ither of the extreme parties which unhappily existed. And whilst he thought this was the motive which might have weighed with them, it was Otte that to him was of no little value ; for of all the objects which he looked upon as of the highest impudence at this moment—when the Chareh of England was surrounded by furs from without —he looked upon it as of the highest importance that she should not be weakened by dissensions from within. ( Load cheers.) lie had seen with grief and sorrow, and glad. indeed, should he be if he could see it no tttttttt men of equal piety, of equal eminence, of equal zeal, of equal ar dour in the cause of true religion, yet, by unhappy specu lative differences, led to look upon each other with far different feelings than those which ought to prevail, not only between brethren and Christians, but between Chris tians of the same conimunity, and the same ant ien he t l , vene rable, and holy Chur ch. t Applause.) When ooked hack from the present to the past, how should he venture to compare himself with that long list of worthier. who, in times long gone by, and down to our own days. had tilled the chair which he then unworthily occupied? Ilow could he but feel humiliated beyond the power of expression when he rem embered that he sat there, by their favour, in the seat which of old was held, am i no ongsr H t others, , by by Dudley Earl of Leic ester, by Sir Christopheatton Archbishop Laud; nay, in the d oya of the great usurpation, by that great and able usurper Cromwell, afterwards by Clarendon', and, coming down to later days, by Lord North, by the Duke of Portland, by the highly-honoured andname se iterated immune of Grenville, and , la st of all, by that which needed but to be pronounced to receive the universal panegyric of England, of Europe. and the world—their own inimitable, their own lamented Wellington ? I low could he hop.• to emulate the time of that great man who proved himself equal in every relation of life. and in every state, to every emergency, and who, as civilian, citizen, soldier, soil statesman, acid in every other postion, was alike ma dvalleol and without an equal. (Chee i s.) In one quality he might, perhaps, imitate him, and that was in the ale settee of all considenotion of self, aud in the deter mination to sacrifice everything, and to consider it no eacrifice, at the simple call of duty. ( Bear, hear.) The noble earl then adverted to the critical period in the history of the Univeraity at w hich they had arrived. At that moment they stood, in common with the siser tl city of Cambridge, aigned at the bar of public opinion. rm They were on trial before their country upon merits of their systent ; and he must be permitted to say, that they wen, put uptni that trial under Some disadvantages, and nut altogether upon equal terms. He would not say anything with regard to the co mmission which was issued for the the inions purpose of inquiring into the discipline and nemaget of the two Universities, although h e had strung op with regard to the legality of that cemmission. lint the doubts which he and others entertained upon that. subject had certainly led to this unfortmette t with regard both to Oxford and Cambridge, and e speci ally as regarded Oxford, the inquiry which haul taken place haul haul been of a partial and an insatlicient character. (Hear, hear.) Ile did not mean to impute blame to the commissioners when he used the word partial: but he meant to say that much evidence in favour of the University hail not been tendered, which would have been tenderest had there lawn less &mid as to the pro priety of the original commission. And yet, although he disapproved of the issue of that. commission, he would frankly MA honestly say before them all that he re joiced that that commission hail been lastest. ( Hear, hear.) He rejoiced more Especially that inquiry had been invited, and stimulated, and excited within the University itself. (('heers.) And whatever might he the opinions eutertained by the University with regard to the specitie recommen dations contained in that eommission, they were new impartially, deliberately, until i n dustriously examining the whole subject matter of the disci dice and the s tudies of the. University, e xamining the reeommen dations and the etatelownts of the co tttttt issionent, prepared to adopt that which in their honest and conscien tious judgment they believed to be fin the henetit of the University, ructions to meet public opinion by such changes as their own honest c onviction's might satisfy them would be b e neficial, and e qually prepared—c u d he could not blame them for lit ; for he was ready cordially to sup port them in doing it—to resist any alterations which might he pressed upon them, and which they did not themselves believe to be for the permanent interests of those who were committed to their charge. ( bond ch o res.) Ile knew not what course Parliament might pursue mum ible this s ubject ; but he ventured to hope that RS lilt' ea pose the inter feron:4.of Parliament might be limited to a permissive power to the Univeirsities, and too the colleges themselves, to in troduce such reforms as they might deem to be expedient, aided lov Parliament se far as to oho away with the metric dons which bound many of the colleges by their ancient and now impracticable statutes, and prevented them !mu' introducing the amendments which they t h e mig h ht think desirable. ( Hear , hear.) One thing more e trusted would not be desired by Parliament, or consented to by the University. He hoped that in all their reforms a nd amendments they would base their repairs aud On- 129 provements upon the old ancient foundationark 1 leer, hear) —that they would nut deport from the %peon of the University. Wont the corporate capacity of the University. and the colleges its separate member"; but, above all, that nothing would tieparata this University front its perma nent and invaluable connection in disciphue, government, and practice with the Established Church of this c o untry. Alluding then to the ancient studies pursued in the Uni versity, and which he wartuly panegynsed for their emits Ming tendencies antithe strength and vigour they implanted in the minds of the students, the Earl of herby admitted. nevertheless, that the proper function of the institution ended not there. The object was, not alone to educate anthers, poets, and stateimen. lint to send forth men anued at all points to meet the various discipline of the world, anti furnished with divine knowledge to supply the exigen• ties of their future careers. lit this view he rejoiced to sett the eatablishmeut of new schools mi. among lithos, re commended the formation of a new school of th e ological instruction. lie conteseed that in a university especially devoted to the service of the Church of England he should have rejoiced to see a separate school even fur the younger members of the University—a separate lockout of theology, in which those might study who intended to devote them selves to the serviee of the Church. (('heers.) For, although it wits true that ample provision had been made fur the teaching of divinity through the inatrumentolity of able and eminent profeseews, vet he Was dried it I would be found that. no study would be really anti anxiously attended to by au undergraduate desinina of distiuction, unless that study directly—not i 11111• reedy—led to 1111114tiCtll l'lllillellee, and the reetignit • of university disthwtion at the period of Ctallaillat i 11l Finally, he reiterated the ittjtmetion—Rildresaial emweially to those who were connt•eted with the govenmwet of that University—that if they wished to maintain, as he dill most fervently, their institutions upon their ancient t' detains and the original strueture of this IlliVl'laity. unim paired mid untouched, it was of imponant.i• that. they should not. linger behind the eta stemble risnm•entents of the nee, and whilst they did not yield to chimera% or co nsent to abantimi their own real and fixed opini, Ms . t hat they Amnia entit•av ttttt • Its widely as 11OSSible to extend the di+eipline and tin teaching of the Unit eisity so as to make it newt: and more gent•cally opplie;tla, to 4.14.11* Huss and et cry description of her Majesty'a subjects—living members of the Church of England. t bowl cheers.) No • was t 1111 l . 0 unxitate than himself lair the prosperity and tho perpetitsl good and advantage of the University with Wll ieli 1141 Was eonnected ; mei his vansest. null a I . lll'l 11, prayer was that, day by day, and year liv year, she might go on increasing in public usefulness, 1 1111 l our, tutu renown, and in evil y branch of learning send forth those who would ravel ert•ilit upon her. do honour to their country, and Ile sit' Set'- . Viet` to mankind in this and in future geneneilms, whether it were in the battle-Meld, the camp. the Pll . l I Me, 111 the bur, . or. more especially, in that itlietailolv profusion, t h e Mel . vice of the Church, of which she was the nurse and fester mether. ; and that she might lie enabled, year by year, to Wild out front her matentel I HIM sum to the service of 014 church men who would, by the WWII' Of their preaching, anti their still ware powerful example, assist in pn 1111 l iting the end of all education, trout whatever s a ute it came — Peace upon earth, good will to men, and the glory of that i God to whom all professions and all classc: were alike responsible. The noble earl resumed his ••••at amidst the most cutlet siesta: anti protnieted 00'1'1'1 1 1:4. The recommendation of Ism! Dcrby that a theolo gical school should be established in the 1 eiv entity gained additional weight, from that fact that it was repeated by the Bishop of London in the t•ourse of a speech in which he returned thanks Mr It toast in honour of the clergy. Theme speeches were the only important ones of the ()erasion, unless we except. that td' the Nike of Cambridge, who returned thanks On behalf of the Royal Family, and gracefully took occasion to attribute the honour 1114 had received in the tutit•ning tat t h e love and attachment with which the queen mid her family went regarded by the University. Perhaps, too, it would be wrong to puss cover the whiress of Mr. Ingersoll, who was the spokesman for the foreign Ambassadors, and who evidently pleased his hearers by the hearty good will evineett in his diseem•se ; while the transatlantic point a view from which he admired the excellences of Oxford laud about it. all the charm of novelty. It is lamest to be regretted that the Persian Ambassador, who stood up with trite Oriental gravity while thin representative of the United States represent - al him also, dial not express his views on the actelemical education of Urea'. Britain. One little foil to this very agreeable twat well managed dinner arose from the eirt•umstanee that Worcester Gardens were 4 Wl' tipied Icy Mr. ihudiy, a pyrotechnical philosopher, whits() tireworks fizzed, popped, and banged ( hiring a great part of the Chan cellor's speech. The mwaking, however, was not much prekulieed by the competition, which pleasantly suggested sonic occupation for the punsters. The entertainments concluded with the first instal thel at (beet Town-lia, which was attende lay Earl and untess of ll Derby, and other dis d tin guished persons. WEDNESDAY. The event of to-day was the Christ Church banquet to Lord Derby, who is himself a member of that Collegiate body, at which Dr. Gaisford, the Dean of Christ Church, presided. The following is the enumeration by the Morning Chronicle of the prin cipal guest prudent :