The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-28 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 29.

they cannot enforce against the will of any refrac-
tory member of the somety. However well meant I
then this attempt at self reformation t it will
avail nothing. Either it will fall miserably abort
of what is wanted, or it will fail altogether
' for 11 ant of power. Thera is but ono way I
of really reforming these societies, and that is
through the intervention and by the assistance ,
of the legislature. To that it must come at
last ; either by Parliament itself revising and
altering College statutes—a work of detail it is to
be hoped it will never be driven to undertake, or by
Parliament giving the Colleges and some controlling
authority power to work out on general principles
their own reform and university improvement.
New College, as now existing, is nothing short of
a great scandal. It has probably an income of
nearly 20,0001., besides thirty-seven benefices to pre-
sent to; and in the society consisted of a
Warden, of twenty-five graduate Fellows, of twenty-I
three under graduate Fellows, and ten chaplains, three
clerks, and sixteen choristers for their use ; in addition
it received within its walls a few gentlemen com-
moners but no ordinary students. That is all New
College does for its 20,0001. a year and its 37 hene-
-1 tices. But that is not all it receives. For the
Warden and Fellows of Winchester College, with
much finer incomes, are elected from its graduate
forms; and thus besides their own great wealth,
they have the advantage of the still greater wealth
of WYkEllOl.$ kindred foundation at Winchester.

BELGIUM is at this moment passing through a
Alinisterial crisis which presents some points of
analogy to that which was witnessed in this country
iu 1t451. A Liberal Ministry has thrown up the
mins of Government, and an illiberal Opposition
does not find itself strong enough to grasp them. As
might be expected, when the questions agitated be-
tween the contending parties come to be examined in
detail, much of the similarity disappears. The re-
semblance originates in that undecided and indecisive
state of public opinion which keeps the parties of
progress and reaction almost as equally balanced in
the Belgian Legislature as in our own.
The Belgian ministerial crisis of 15i.52 does not ap-
pear likely to terminate so speedily as did the English
ministerial crisis of 16.51. Tliere are a greater
sal iety of possible combinations open to King LEO.
P 013) than to Queen VIuTORIA; and in all good-
nature it may be said that the uncle appears to have
more taste for that balancing kind of work than the
niece. In extenuation of this, however, it must be
admitted that his position, as the first of a new
dynasty, and as the scion of a protestant house called
to reign over a Catholic people, is more embar-
rassing than hers.
'the affair is one which more immediately concerns
the Belgian people than foreigners. For Belgium it
would seem desirable that the ministers who have
stirred the vessel of the state since lsl7 with so
much of tart and temper. with so much of enlighten-
ment and liberality, may be re-called to office, with
a firmer hold upon it. And in this the interest of
Europe in general, and of this country in particular,
clearly coincides with that of Belgium. Liberal in-
stitutions and a liberal foreign policy seem more safe
in the it hands than in those of any of their possible
or probable successors.
So much for what heson the surface of this crisis. But
there are motives and considerations understood to
have had a share in bringing it about that are calcu-
lated to suggest uneasy apprehensions beyond the
limits of Belgium. hostility of the French go-
vernment to the late ministers has not even been
covered by a decent veil of affectation. 'I he jealousy
entertained by the Freneh PRKSIDENT of the
Orleanist connexions of King LeoroLn is noto-
rious. 1k believes, or affects to believe, that the
Itistan-lat.ne ministry. are animated by strong
Orleanist sympathies. lie affects to base his
suspicion on their refusal to comply to the
full extent with his arrogant and intolerable
demands respecting M. Tuns is and other Orleanist
refugees. And it is more than suspected that dread
of French intrigue has rendered the KING of the
BEM I AN4 less frank and firm in his support of his
late ministers than his own sympathies with their
policy and principles would naturally have inducedhim
to be.IT he indecent tone adopted with reference to the
late Belgian elections, by a creature of Louis NAPO-
LEON, in the well-watched press of Paris, has not been
forgotten.
If these suspicions are well-founded, Loris NAPO-
LEON Is playing the same game in Belgium that he is
playing in Switzerland. Partly from a natural pro-
pensity. partly with a view to Batter and conciliate
a prevalent weakness among Frenchmen, he aims at
giving his government the appearance of exercising an
influence over the destinies of foreign nations.
It might be dangerous to indulge this pro-
pensity at the expense of the great powers, and
therefore he makes himself amends by giving it free
scope in his intercourse with weaker neighbours;
like a cowardly, bullying school-boy, who thrashes
the little boys to console himself for the mortifying
consciousness that he dare not attack the big ones.
This is contemptible, but not therefore the less dan-
gerous; for though the weaker governments may
submit in silence, their more powerful neighbours
are inspired by the same ambition of dictating to
them, and quarrels between France and the great
northern powers may arise out of their counter-
action in the minor courts sufficient to endanger the
peace of Europe. The intense egotism of the French
PRESIDENT—IIin habit of being guided on all occa-
sions by purely personal considerations—is the
feature in his character that renders his power most
dangerous to the tranquillity of foreign rations,
though other qualities may have a greater share in
rendering it detrimental to France.

As an educational establishment, New College is
pronounced in the Report of the Commissioners
to be a '• failure." It turns out no accomplished
scholar,, because it excludes the stimulus of exertion
by only taking in "Collegers" from Winchester, for
whom it is bound to provide, and gentlemen com-
moners, who rarely study. And, say the Commis-
sioners, " it is well known that nominations to Win-
chester College, and thus eventually to New College,
are not seldom promised within a few hours from the
birth of a child. Thus the College at Winchester
assists New College in perpetuating its ill-repute,
and its " failure ;" and the one re-acts on the other
in closeness, jobbing, and bad management.
At New College everything is "close." Tho
undergraduate Fellowships are "close," for the Fel-
lows must have been Winchester " Collegers," and
the graduate Fellows must have been undergraduate
Fellows. So, too, the Warden ; he can only be chosen
from the graduate Fellows; and thus again the war-
den and tea fellows of Winchester school mast be
taken from New College; so that • perpetual whirl
of "closeness" is maintained. All in strict confor-
mity with Wv•Eltam's statutes, no doubt ; but that
very fact shows how hopeless and inefficacious must
be the promised attempts " to improve whatever may
statutably admit of improvement." For these glaring
defects do not "statutably admit of improvement.'
We must therefore be on our guard against these
efforts at self-improvement by the Oxford Colleges,
for, if encouraged, they will utterly defeat and
neutralise the whole scheme of University Reform
propounded in the Report.
That Report recommends, for example, that New
College should contribute out of its superabundance
of well-paid graduate Fellowships a Professorship
for the University. But this contribution to the
prosperity of the University neither the Visi-
tor nor the authorities of the College have
legal power to make ; and they mar, under the pro-
posed visitation of the Bishop of liThteur.sren, to
dispose " statutably" of their revenues as to defeat
this recommendation. It becomes, therefore, of con-
siderable importance to extract an opinion from the
DEBBY Cabinet on the subject of this Report, and to
know whether they will consider the recommenda-
tions with a view to carry them out, or whether they
mean to leave the colleges in their present state, all
powerful for evil, but deficient in authority for sub-
stantial improvement.

The superintendence of the education of the young
Christian Princess of Coorg has, we understand, been
transferred from Mrs. Drummond to Viscountess
Ilardinge, who will, in the kindest spirit, assume the
charge after the departure of the Rajah, which is at
present fixed for the autumn.

Tn is. Warden and officers of New College, Oxford,
some time since addressed a remarkable petition to
the Bishop of WiNetiesTElt, u visitor of their so-
ciety. The petitioners, it seems, "have learnt" that
certain Royal Commissioners have lately made a ne-
port the University and Colleges of Oxford. They
have even heard that the report in question is rude
enough to make certain statements affecting their
body—" in particular, touching the non-observance
of the founder's statutes—the inadequate fulfilment
of the purposes for which it was intended, and the
defect of visitatorial superintendence and correction ;"
and that it has gone so far as to recommend
"sundry and important changes in the Consti-
tution of the said College." And the worthy
men, sorely disturbed by " lemming " all this,
humbly ask the Bishop of WInUESTER to visit the
College, to examine into its management, to correct
whatever may be found amiss, and to " improve
whatever may statutably admit of improvement."
And the Bishop, "having duly considered the pre-
mises," consents to perform his duty in this respect.
"Rattier late in the day this, gentlemen," the irre-
verend will reply ; but " better late than never is a
desire for reform," zealous people will my. Only in this
petition, the sphere of intended improvement is
somewhat limited. It is confined to " whatever
may statutably admit of improvement." Now, un-
fortunately, WaLt km of WYKEHAM'S statutes, how-
ever admirably suited for the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries, are exceedingly ill adapted for use in the
nineteenth and succeeding centuries. They were
essentially monastic in their objects ; and that alone
is a sad obstacle to engrafting a better system on
them. They are embarrassed by a long, com-
plex, and inconvenient oath of obedience, which
the Legislature slam can give relief from. And
they armed at too close a connexion with
Winchester School, which has shut New College
out from the world of letters, and deprived it of all
reputation. Within the four corners of the statutes
these things cannot be much improved ; and no Col-
legiate improvement at Oxford ought to be sanctioned
that is not to proceed from, and be founded on, some
general comprehensive common and united scheme
affecting all Colleges, and directed to the restoration
of the University to its proper place as the centre of
the Oxford system.
Neverthelem this movement at New College
is a remarkable one. For the first time a
Visitor hes been solicited by the College authorities
le unite with them in general improvements.
There is an sir of compunction and a smack of peni-
tence abut tie proceeding that denote a growing
moss of aura responsibility ; and if the Warden and
ik ommintss be only sincere and earnest in their
Auks ibr improvement, they will not refuse that oa-
tmeal sminuce, and those enabling powers without
they and their visitor con do nothing substan-
thl be the way of sossadmant. For, by chapter 68
alb* Mnbatos, the Wardle, Fellows. and Visitor, es
well or in oslamon, as separately,
are forbidden to mato say now Mandan
rules, islorprstatiens, or expositions, repugnant
to, or do
to, NEL tbommtio and phdat smoning of
those of WTILICILUI; or to expunge any part of them
on any pretense; or to take away from, or change the
subetanoe, or tense of any statute, or dispense with
them in my way whatever; sad all this " under the
penalty of an anathema and the indignation of
Atoloorr Onti." Yet the Report, of which the New',
College Does have " heard a little in their con- I
ventual privacy, says " that the statutes of WILLIAM
of WTKILIuiI are observed. or eats note be observed, no
One will seriously contend." Row then can they and
their biter effect large improvements " statutably r
They must tither in an effort to do so, sanction what
they were all appointed to prevent, or enforce what
would be injurious to carry out. And any changes
of a substantial character which they may auks

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 28, 1852

trees. Under these sircumstances we may expect to
see the prodnetlon of raw silk form an important
item in German industry. The Sardinian govern-
ment has repealed the import duty on thrown, and
the export duty on raw silk.
The post-ethos returns for 185 l state the number
of private letters delivered in Prussia during that
year to be something less than forty-ono millions,
which, compared with the correspondence in England,
is a very low figure. The number of official letters,
on the other hand, was no less than twenty millions,
or half as large as the correspondence of all the inha-
bitants of the country together! The Prussian go-
vernment writes more letters in a year than it has
subjects. And these twenty millions of official letters
were only dune sent by post; the number of those
sent by messengers to parties in the same town is
perhaps not much less ; besides which, the govern-
ment sent by post a million and a quarter of parcels
weighing eight millions of pounds, and containing
chiedy papers and letters.
The Senate of Hamburg last week (as your readers
know) laid before the assembly of citizens in their
respective parishes a note from the Germanic Diet,
decLring the new Hamburg constitution, which is
still waiting to come into operation, is incompatible
with federal principles. Nevertheless the citizens
voted, by an overwhelming majority, that the said
constitution bo put in force, after which it can, in
the course of revision, be reconciled, as far as neces-
sary, with the federal system.