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

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 hhat when she sorrowed most,
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
promenade took place in the 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
cester 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 country, 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 expression,
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, the
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 sprang.
(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