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

THE OXFORD INSTALLATION

FINE weather has crowned most appropriately the
highest festival which Oxford celebrates. In antici-
pation of the installation of Lord Derby all the hotel
accommodation had been engaged for days and even
weeks, and those who went to Oxford as early as
Saturday found many parties already established
there.

SUN DAY.
One of the first signs of the unusual fulness of the
place was presented by the appearance of St. Mary's
on Sunday morning, when the Rev. W. Thomson, of
Queen's, the author of the able' Outline of the Laws
of Thought," and the Hampton lecturer of the year,
delivered his last sermon. The attendance, it was
remarked, had never been so great since Dr. Newman
preached his famous sermon on " Development ;" and,
though here and there a fair auditor might look a
little perplexed at the assumption that she was " up"
in Irenteus or Amelia, the majority evidently fol-
lowed with intelligent interest an argument delivered
with clearness and force, and free front that maudlin
undertone which has been so prevalent at St. Mary's
heretofore. In the afternoon au able and effective ser-
mon was preached by the Bev. T. L Claughton, Pro-
fessor of Poetry, late Fellow or frinity.
In the evening the Broad Walk had its customary
attractions. As the author of the "Song of the
Enctenia" has depicted, Oxford then makes its an-
imal appearance in its most gallant guise. Of this
exhibition it has been said that this " Broad Walk "
spectacle is one that every visitor to Oxford should
make a point of seeing. There is a certain mixture
of solemnity and hilarity in the aspect of the " Dons"
and undergraduates as they move down the tine
avenue, each escorting one or two of the lady visitors,
who form such an essential portion of the Oxford po-
pulation at this time, which makes it totally distinct
front any other assemblage. A dignified monasticism
of a past time and the gay fashion of the present are
brought into immediate contrast—one represented
by the black dots in the picture, the other by all the
colours of the rainbow. It is a remarkable feature
of this procession that it never ceases to move, but
pursues its steady course as it' a certain point were to
be reached within a certain time. Most public
promenades become interspersed with gossiping
groups, into which the grand line from time to time
resolves itself, but here there is no stoppage, and
" Vanity Fair"—as the profane style the procession—
is conducted with the gravity of a settled duty.
Occasionally, indeed, one does catch snatches of
atklitions to the ordinary topics of University small
talk. Long-vacation prospects—salmon-fishing in
Norway, or waltzing at Vienna—the peculiar attrac-
tions of " our neighbourhood" occasionally dwelt
upon, to the peril of " dear Mr. A. or B.'s" fellowship—
such topics one hears not unfrequently mixed
up with the ordinary ventilation of University
politics and ecclesiastical preferments. This
year a common subject was the increase of his-
torical studies in the University, the consequence
of a stimulus afforded to tastes already developed by
the " Union " and College debating societies. This
tendency has been the means of sending a large
audience to Mr. Vaughan, the Professor of Modern
History, who has just concluded his course, and was
therefore a subject of conversation. We don't know
whether to attribute it to the same grateful reception
of apparent novelties, or to the steady appreciation of
more solid qualities, if we state that we heard " THs
PnEss" also among the subjects of conversation.
MONDAy.

In the earl• part of the day the Bishop of Oxford
had attended the reopening of Dorchester Abbey
Church, which is celebrated for its architectural in-
terest, and a report of his speech on this interesting
occasion will be foma in the Oxford University
Herald of Wednesday. He proceeded thence to
meet Lord Derby On his way from London, and it
was immediately upon this meeting that the opening
of the Cullnun College took place, of which it may
be said that here the business of ' Installation"
really began. The London train, which brought
the new Chancellor, set him down at the Abingdon
station, that he might be present at the opening of a
diocesan training school at Culham. To this spot,
which is a short half hour's walk from the station in
question, many persons migrated from Oxford at
three o'clock, hoping to find omnibuses at Abingdon.
However, there was nothing of the kind, and the
party proceeded by a long dusty road until they
reached the Training College, r hid' is a large and
remarkably neat Gothic building. For a while the
pilgrims amused themselves by inspecting the inte-
rior of the edifice ; but the distinguished inaugurators
arrived later than was expected, and many persons,
weary of a hot sun, began to look anxiously at the
unoccupied platform, hoping the proceedings would
soon begin.
At last the Bishop of Oxford, and Lord Derby,
with Lady Derby, Lord Stanley, and several other
persons of distinction, made their appearance. The

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