The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-02 00:00:00

LONDON UNIVERSITY.
A rat to and highly respec'
tab le Meeting took phics festaday,
penitent to advertisement, at the City of London Tavern, for the
purpose of devising meats to establish • University in London.
At • quarter betore two the Lone) 3.1 Annie took the Chair.
On the platform, beside hie Lordship, we observed Lon John
Russell. M.P., Sir J. Mackintosh, M.P., Mr. J. Smith. ALP.,
r. J. C. Hobhoese, M. P.. Mr. A beratimby, 11. P.. Mr. Denman,
M.P., Mr. Alderman Weed, M.P., Mr. Hume, M.P., and several
other persons ef distinction.
The LORD Mayon. in • neat speech, briefly explained the
business of the day, expressing his sense of the advantages of an'
University to this great tuetropolie.
REPORT.
The Rev. F. A. Con, the Secretary, then read the report. Af-
ter enlarging upon the necessity of an University in the Metro-
polis, and eke disgrace attendant upon the Met of die Not city In
the universe being without s seat of learnng, it pnwateded to
state, that the capital estimated foe the welereaking was 1100.0001.,
on'the calculation required for the bedding, furniture. appentea,
library, and salaries, and that It was proyened to raise it by trans
(arable shares of MIL each, and by donations—that the constitution
and genres' assamerrent of the Society was to be invested in a
Canna w awl a V enChancellor, and 21 Director, (incinding the
two foremen to be annually elected by the greet body of share-
holders. He den enlarged at considerable lengthopoolkeeiresne
swum wideb bad led ea the present meeting, and said Eat is vetoed
be dibods to to with accuracy the various circumstantial wadi
bad led to dee public meeting of this day, because they bad ossorred
set se wade is • reguleit recension, as in detached sod
smownessa el opinion net, therefore, susceptible of Isle=
weeder ie ass dale of unbroken sequence. Imprudent of the
bowertews elf swestdog sone of gems, edoestion had bees pee.
4seek set Is see se two Weds way, or anoseg any other
Weak but doretiassaudy ups sum penesa. Cation bsee web
ether, sail differing be efisimee es saber auldeseslose
atitalimelli both of dm& sad oats obserring dee be.
des et sesients to wdesoltior as symptoms ttf Es the.
soonlis‘ des We. hod brow to speak to web *dm en widen et
menus die means, and amplifying dee pews/est litewey home.
Wisest the misseities of the aria At so- wise 11.1111011ae classes
of • pawls diansaves sow seesswed with universities
bad ensile Ws same resseims llideakoloss were at work for Duch
setablishements at the wow moot. setts combined movement
quickened theme into eatilMloll miss forthebasetit of the growing
population of the nanny. It Itlia telleMilabilt that while for ages
all the ptineipat cedes is des weld WI universities, London was
imitate of one, tholes the userropoile ot the greatest country in the
world. (Hear, hear.) Ages had 'kneeled the establishment and
splendid achievements of Oxford, Cambridge, Pates, and others,
sad shall London have no such nursery of intellect, of patriotism,
anti of moral greatness, in the central emporium of wealth and com-
merce. What was to hinder London from becoming, not the con. ,
at teal only of the word, but a centre of literature and science. I
Suppose that foreigners, who formed their itiessof British greatness
from the historical associations of the swords of their heroes, and the
flags of their Admirals, and the sceptres of their Ring'—the Minds,
and Edwards, and the Georges—suppose them to ask where was
their great seat of learning ?—anti thus to say, show me turreted
magnificence of ancient science, and the sacred groves and walks of
academies ? Shall we longer be forced to reply—we have indeed
splendid specimens of individual talent, and particular places where
inrruction has been carried to a high pitch in particular chimes ;
but we have no one great dwelling place of mind befitting the rime.
Mimic and growing population of this great metropolis ? And this,
too, at • time when their great inoreuing population demanded in-
struction, which ought to be supplid. bet them have then • palms
for genius, ahere her inspirations should be felt, from whence her
/.right emanatio a should go forth to illuminate the land, (He.
and where fkuure Cicerns should record their influence of th • t in.
nee-went which Tully declares he felt at Athens, " when he con.
templated the portico% where Secrete• eat, anti the laurel groves,
where Plato disputed." It was not the buildings of Athens, but
its gent men that pleased him—" Me quidcm ipmc ills! wore
Athena ; non tam eperibus magnifies exquieitieque ant:quorum
attibus delectant„ quam reconlatione summorum vinown, !obi i
quisque, hubittre, obi Retiree, übi disputare sit eolitue." Some per-
sons appeared to apprehend that interests of religion must suttee by
the diffusion of mere literature, or at least that some doctrinal
profession of faith was essential to guard against the suppuned evil
tendency of literature and science. Their argument wan, in fact,
taken from two exceptions to what, in all reason and experience,
mast be considered as *general rule. let,That individuals hail be n
krehglosa who had been deeply learned. 2d, That we are to infer
the tendency of literature gent rally from the actual state of Europe
in pat times. Tine first might be combated by sating that the
greatest scientific and literary names were encircled with the gin y
of religion, and certainly, if we go back to Apostolic age, the su-
pernatural endowments in knowledge of languages, wages were given
to the Apostles to qualify them fur a religious work. With regard
to the second objection, it seemed absurd to argue the tendency of
learning flan periods and places where learning was not diffused,
and when it was cloistered up in narrow boundaries. The public
mit:d was not dun generally liberalized, •n 1 never had a Monarch
wad, till Get nee 111. " my wish is to pee every child in my king.
(him able to read the Bible." (Hear, hear.) It hail been surmieell
and circulated that Government were opposed to them. But who
would publicly libel its memhers so tar ? Could they oppose plans
for the mom general instruction of the }people, who had themselves
known the advantages of education, and who were giving it to their
sons ? Could they wish to stop the lament's of knowledge, and ob-
ject to ovetflowing Universities being relieved, and their irtentirms
carved into fuller effect ? Could they, themselves enlightened men,
wish to prevent knowledge, and rather rule over an ignorant then
an instructed people, and become thus the sport of faction, instead
of being supported by the power, greater than their own, of en.
lightened opinion, and lean upon that great pillar of sta.e—uni.
vernal education ? (Hear.) Were it possible to make suth a sup-
position, he should say, fancying for a moment the existeore of
such a monopely, that is, an aristocratic monopoly of knowledge--
education cannot be stopped in its progress. (Ilene, hear.) 1' he
people will learn, and must be taught ; and wens all to unite and
say London shall have a University, it would be a noble, patriotic,
and successful resolution. (Hear, hear.) They had the best
pledge of success from the parties assembled this day. London
setatore, divinee merchants—all classes, indeed, com-
bined for that purpose. F=ormerly only here and there was seen a
light in the hemisphere of literature—now • thousand stars emitted
-near splendour ; ten thousand lights burned aroui.d them with cone
cents ° (Loud cheers.)
'ml • -.-Inerleed for the absence of Mr. Brougham, in
proposing the first 8e50t.... he was confident it proceeded
wholly from prottoeienal duties. ,1 gnat. Gentleman then took
a review of the difference in the population ear tondo:), from ion,
it was 20 years ago, and remarked upon the extra.-denary fact of
its being without any University, while Oxford and neettnidg,
could not receive the one-half of the applicants for admission, and
while all the middle orders of society who could not afford to give
their sons Sor 6601. a-yew were compelled to abandon all idea et
giving them an University education. Ile emended by moving
that a Prospectus, explaining the necessity for • London Univer-
*it', and the mode by which it was proposed to erect one, should
be prepared and printed.
At this moment Mr. Ha MUGU Ale ertered the morn. The lion.
Gentleman wee received with loud and long continued animators
of pleasure and eati• 'action. IVhen the plaudits had in some de-
gree subsided, we understood him to say, in seconding the resole+.
tion,—that great as my eetiefacemii in meeting my fellow-citizens
on every occasion —I say fellow-ci.teene, for I have had the honour
cf entitling myself a citizen of London tor some years, by your
kindness, and the warm recommendation of some friends, more
than from any merits of my own—great, therefore, fellow-citizens,l
as has been my pleasure in meeting you on all occasions, on ro one
occasion have I ever felt my heart more warmly interested than in
the business which now fornis the subject matter of our considers.'
non. Arid lam thoroughly persuaded that no man who values
the happiness or proaper.ty of his fellow.men—no man who wishes
to advance the t impenty, the glory, the moral character of our
country, who will nut feel an equal interest with myself in this
day's proceedings, and an equal desire to promote the formation of
in institution which, by the diffusion of (teethl knowledge, may
tine the middle classes to :hat situation they ought to hold in the
state, and, by conferring the benefits of education upon the moat
important, as well as the most numerous trillion of society, secure
to them the Meetings of knowledge and of liberty, for it is know.
ledge which forms the sn. twit, of liberty ; blessings, without which,
riches are inert times, titles but empty beublee, and power not
formed for the happiness, but the injury of mankind. (Great
applause.) As, tiatik God, we are very numerous, and as the
heat of the weather will make unnecessary protraction of our pro.
endings very inconventere, I trust you will excuse me ftl com-
press within a very narrow compels the few remarks I have to elfin
in addition to what has been alreedy mated in the report read to
you by my Rev. and Eeteenied Friend, the Secretary pro rempere.
(Mr. Cox,) and in addition to what you have already heard from
tee luminous and intelligent speech of my lion. Friend (Mr. John
Smith). It may be remembered that * meeting was called to.
)(ether for the purpose of forming a society which, tit der the power-
lit. patronage it then received, and under the able guidance of the
intelligent persons who have conducted its concerns since, has been
successful in every point of view. I need net say I mean the :Beebe-
mai' Institution. At that meeting it occurred to them who were inte-
raged in theformatien of that Institution,that oneof the consequences
would be, as I hare taken the liberty to state in • slight address to the
labouring chows on a late occasion, that the lower orders of so.
ciety, as they are called, would make such rapid advances in
science and in knowledge, when the doors of the temple were, as it
were, about to be thrown open to them; I say it occurred to the
Patrons of this Society. the success of which is now beyond a
douht, that the consequent" of this new and extraordinary and tin-
looked-for diffusion of information, would be that those who called
themselves the superior clean, not only from the adventitious cir-
cumstances of birth and wealth, but from superior information and
attainments, would no longer be able to ray they ought to be sure.
rine, if those upon whom they looked down became by these exten.
sons of education their betters, both in virtue and knowledge.
(Applause.) W e all thought that such must be tile inevitable con.,
ecquencen, when those persons, the superior classes, came to cm-
ploy workmen, such as carpenters. stnithe, and the various other,
persons we employ in the less important divisions of labour aboutl
oar houses; and when it was found that those persons were inti.
natty better acquainted with every branch of mathematical science
t 3'l oursehreenthat the result would be very dangerous to that fancied
me...rarity with which we were in the habit of investing ourselves.
Actuated by these considerations, try "worthy friend Mr. J. Smith
t teat eminent practical genius, whew name la a tower of strength),
At. Campbell, Mr. Abercromby, Mr. ilobliottee, myself, and
'event others, took it into our consideration whether it would not
It- possible to devise some practical method of diffusing more widely
the blessings of information amongst what are called the batter
classes., and we found, in the course of our inquiries, that, strange
"Hiar. some most worthy persona of the dissenting persuasion,
actuated by a common feeling upon the subject of the preponderance
in knowledge we were giving to the working classes, and the addi-
tional difficulty of bestowing a suitable education upon persons of

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