The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-22 00:00:00

(Copy)

To hie Grow Fleld•Mersheil the Bake of Welliagtoo,
Chancellor of the University of Oxford,
The Board of Heeds of Houses sad Praetors presses their
most respeetfal eekoowbedgatents to LM Groom the Chow:silos

of the Usivsnity for his emamualmitios to them of the 11th
hut., through the Vice.Cheneellar„ inelsaing a copy of •
letter from Lord John Russell, of the Bth last, respecting
the inteadmi appointment of • royal otanalesion to inquire
into the slam, revenues, and stetates of the Univendtiee of
Orford sod Cambridge, and of their respeetive solleges ; end
the bawd pressed, amierdiag to his greco's desire, to report
to Ms pais epos thb impart•nt subject
lbw Ailey remake us Ike pert of her Majesty's Wah-
ine *sir asesset dein iiffireas•te the interests of
aid soma kirski •sraß as St 'draws Ike au. o=

dee ; their stir. ale% ef rho rearm sad improve
mem try em mehmoky and ask eh& sod intim
des *KM ialethre whhthlssehsegeo belts ibillhate Shelf
Opp
mad to beim lbe @NW the grown, sad if amemary
diammit, mist la task isompletion.
Thie is the ileolared Aleut etpe eseeed OffillilliC4l, and
this, it is teenierstated,asks in two ways :—Fint,
by mearlaiing sad remora% tor Me informatisa of the
Claw wad die tiro Muses et padameat, the now rigida
time whhit ham bum yesmalgalsd, sad the mod* I. whisk
thews new maladies are expemsd to lake effect.
&madly.— By obtaining a kaewhdge of the °betides
whisk are interposed_ by as wins a headers, the retentioo
of resaguak mad the dmisime ceepolset authority, to the
dowdemasal of thaehqp and improved system of study
whisk the ealvenities have megia to solablih.
We beg mess ramamtally to whale So year gram that
whilst • royal osimalshooesh tepee lima smelted, would
in our e.O load to many lijurions eoneegueneel cootravY
to the inteadees her ilaJeare mWetan, ft is also sane-
emery in either et dm purposes above eposilled.
As to the het of them the smudge Of the par-
liament I= at say elm ham rose, through
your viee-shiaseher. or hem the sideway statute,.
ample Whammies' eemestkor ell limo sow and
the mode I. whisk they ame espeoled W tate
Asti se to the mesatmelpess, samentiag emceed obits-
des from the wills of nantilea ereeigagar owes, to
the full development of that large mad bageomd system of
study which the aniverettiis have log* in establish, we
believe (adobe serseiwe of mem M his esiversity), that
it the supposed Astesies anywhere milk they protium no
material Abet apes Ss geasesi esedesniml system.
For year geese does net need to be hesmeml ho .&L ear
jumbo Mmodhate are memberset ones of as 'whiney aad et
101110 MAW Of hall. 17 they beloeg to my bell the balk
at Chtibmil bids g only places of study, not imarporated SW-
WM), thou they are solely under the @titian of the univer-
sity; but it they ere members of colleges, which arm all of
them disdast serporstions independent of one another, and
in many megmells iadependent of the university, still their
studies, sevortheisse, are regulated by the statutes of the
university, sad they receive i utruction pertly from the pub-
lie professors, partly from tutors, appointed indeed within
the e lieges, but recognized also and controlled by the gene-
ral statutes of the university.
This combination of professorial and collegiate instruction
is met important and beneficial, and roma of the late
changes in our •ystera have been designed to redoes this
combined instruction to greater efficiency, when it had
suffered some temporary interruption from the unforeseen
and unintended effects of earlier usasnres of reform. But
experience proves that there is no reason to apprehend any
obstacle to the full development of the unites sity system, as
to the instruction of the e conger students, wiliest from my
of the collegiate customs or statutes.
The recent regulations are only the latest of several somas-
sive measures of academic reform. The studies of this place
has* 5.4 continued, as would appear to be assumed in Lord
Jain Russell's letter of the Bth inst., the same, or nearly the
sew, during the last three centuries • nor if it oily of late
that they have bun altered or enlarged.
Two centuries ago—in 1636—the university revised the
whole body of its statutes, and the academic system of study
was admirably arranged at a time when not only the mature
sad faculties of the human mind were et a rly what they are
still, and must of course remain, but the principle' also of
sound and enlarged intellectual calm» were far tram imper-
fectly understood.
In process of time further changes and improvements be
came requisite, and the university ha far tt• last hal •i.sentury
since the year IMO, been continually eagand in a series of
academic reforms designed to adapt the system to shared
circumstances, or to the advanced state of science in some
departments of knowledge ; and if these reforms, limier.,
well designed, have not always so completely answered the
expectations of their author", or if they have not always met
the wishes of all the members of the academic legi'ure,
still from no quarter wha.auever has any obstacle or obstruc-
tion been opposed to the full development of the system of
the mole ty, and it courier justly be said that our reforms
have ever failed to produce their full effect through the
supineness. ind.fference, or incompetency of the public in-
structors of our youth, whether the professors is the uni-
versity or the tutors of colleges.
/3' far, then, as respects the university, its institutions, and
its recent regulatioss, whether with reference to the uni-
versity itself or to the aid derived to its institutions from the
001. am we humbly submit that a royal commission will
obstruct,
, inetead of wiring, the natural progress and im-
provement of the academical system ; sad this is the declared,
indeed, the only declared, object fog the appointment of such
a eommiseion.

anous suggestions, indeed, are subsequently thrown out,
and various quations raised, in lard John Russell's letter to
your gram, besting upon the state and well-being of the
repents colleges, but only indirectly affecting the welfare of
the university.
The several colleges in Olford have been founded at
various times from one to six centuries ago, in some few
instances by royal, but chiefly by private saunifinnee. They
have exercised an important and very salutary influence
upon the discipline and the sduzation of the university. But
it should be observed that they have not been usually
founded, or in all cases endowed by subsequent benefactors,
directly for the education of youth, but for higher purposes
The education of youth ha, in moat instances, been super-
added to their other duties by the heads and fellows of
colleges, of their own free will, to the
.great advantage of
the community.
It may very well be that modern founders and benefactors
might, in some Instances, improve upon the ancient regu.
lations it they were creating colleges anew of their own
bounty ; but it does not follow that the former foundations
arid endowments, when they are in no instance injurious to
the community at large, often highly beneficial, ought there.
lore to be disturbed. If the rearietionB upon the elections
to fellowships, for example, might in some cases be advanta-
geously modified or removed, still their removal would not
to any considerable extent benefit the cause of education or
woad learniug, and the nature and amount of the existing
restrictions, moreover, have been greatly exaggerated.
Fellowships are not commonly restricted to particular
schools, but only scholarships, or probably fellowships from
which there is a subsequent election to the actual fellow-
ships. The schools in question are for the most part our
great public schools. The districts, again, from which con-
fined fellowships are filled up often comprise several populous
counties. It is not often, if ever, that the mere lineal de-
scendants of founders have a claim to these, but the kindred
of the founders traced collaterally, and also beyond the
founder to his remote ancestors, and embracing therefore
very many families, and opening a wide field of choice. The
degree of preference, moreover, is often so slight, that what
are called confined fellowships may be, and sometimes are,
filled up from other districts besides what are prescribed.
If the colleges themselves would sometimes gain by the
removal of such restrictions, the university at large, snd the
general course of education, would be bat little affected by
the change.
Tutors of colleges are not neceinarill appointed from the
fellows on clout foundations, or from e fellows of colleges
at all. Even the colleges themselves are sometimes benefited
by the various provisions under which their fellows are
elected. One uniform principle of election, or one kind of
qualification cr standard of merit, would be prejudicirt to
the general interests of the several societies, end through
them to the country.
But it should be especially recollected that in all instances
trusts and vested rights have been created and have been
sanctioned by the crown or by parliament, which could not
now be generally abrogated without groat detriment to the
future interests of charity, and great injustice to the persons
and families and districts in,erested in these endowments.
Similar remarks would apply to the statutes of colleges,
which have also been supposed to require situations
through the aid of a royal commission.
In many instances there already exists some power to re-
vise and alter ancient statutes, vested either in the colleges or
their visitor.. Wherever such powers are felt to be wanting
or insufficient, and the colleges and their 'fatars desire ad-
ditional powers of alteration, we do not doubt that the legis-
lature, upon a proper application made to them, would not
be inuisp sad to confer such powers upon them. But for
none of these purposes does the apoointsaent of a royal
commission appear to be requisite or desirable.
The preceding ob dons apply to the objeets of the pro-
posed royal ounnibsion with referees* to the university
and to the coil's.' separately, and the university in teepees
of education. la each of these relations the commission
would appear, we respectfully submit, to be uncalled for, if
not positively injurious.
And, generally, we would take the liberty of expressing
our conviction, that inch a commission would entail several
injurious *fleets upon the university, by no means contem-
plated by her Majesty's ministers. However friendly their intentions towards the universities
and colleges, the appointment of such • commission, imme-
diately succeeding the attacks repeatedly made by persons
very inadsqustety acquainted with these bodies, would be
commonly and naturally regarded as even desired to continue
cad to sanction these attacks.
It would obviously tend, also, not only to interrupt our
latroirs and studies, be to check and °Ma'am the natural
and healthy progress of improvement which has of late sears
proceeded as rapidly as is consistent with the proper working
of the academical system.
Aud without entering into the question of the legality of
a 01111111illike appointed only to inquire and report, it is
obvious that it would be of the nature of an unconstitutional
proceeding, since it would seek to attain indirectly what
could not be directly attained without an open violation of
tne constitution and of the rights and privileges of
her Majesty's subjects. And we respectfully submit
that her klajery's dutiful and loyal subjects ought
not to be exposed to the painful alternative of either
withholding evidence front a commission so appointed,
lest they should betray their trusts and sanction a pro-
ceeding apparently unconatitatlocal, or of allowing her
Majesty's commissioners to inure only to imperfect informs.
Um and partial statements upon subjects et great import-
ance both to the universities end the eoYanldee at large.
Proctors. Signed en bekall of the Board of Beads of Houses and

F. C. PLUM.FTB,E,
Word. May 16.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
THIS DAY.
MARLBOROUGEI-STRII BT.
Ibtoonfo-werrns Watran.—S. Beansiek who described
himself u a phynielen, was dully examined, charged with
attempting to impose cat the public by means of • frandalent
t bereft petition.
appeared hula the *video's el Mr. Frankuss, of Bar
Horatio:doss, that about two months ago the prisoner
ets at his home and iatrodweed himself es aph skims.
Toleaftlintkat minis himself gabs at hew, the
to on tae maatle-piece, and making comments on
them. The defeadent repressuled himself to be • great
traveller ; talked of is remittances of Rome, Naples, and
other please in Italy. Witness at length got tired of the
prisoner's visit, and premed him as to the purport of it,
when to his great earpriss the prisoner told hiss he was in
great distress and wanted some ready money, and in fact he
was so much reduced, that half-a-crown would be a God-
mad. Witness suspected him to be an imposter,
and sent for a constable and gave him in charge. The pri-
soner had previously given bins • paper containing the
names of Dr. Moore and ether medical gentlemen, who, the
prisoner stated, had relieved him with money. This paper
the prisoner tried to burn, but was prevented.
Dr. Moore, Bavtlr-row, identified the prisoner as having
obtained 10e. from hint about that. maths ago by represent.
inn himself as connected with some friends of his in Corn
will. lie bad since ascertained that the prisoner's state-
ment was false. There were about 20 other gentlemen in
court who had been duped by the prisoner, but Mr. Bingham
did not think it necessary to hear their evidence, as there
was anott.er charge against the prisoner, which would for the
present remove the case out of his jusisiliction.
Mr Rote, superintendent of the Darer police, produced •
warrant granted at the general quarter scssioos in Dumber
last, for the apprehension of the prisoner, on the charge of
absconding from his bail, he (the primmer) being at the time
under remand for fraudulently obtaining money and goods
from various tradesmen in Dover.
Mr. Bingham then directed Mr. Rote to take charge of
the prisoner, and convey hi. to Dover.