The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-01 00:00:00

colonies N`;-ould 1e a blessing, and whom, did its means per-
mit—which they did not at present—the society would
readily assist in sending there. Cases such as that showed
the absolute necessity of some such organisation, and he
hoped the means would be afforded to enable the society
more effectually to meet them.
The Rev Mr CROFT, in seconding the motion, thought
they should make it known to the public—seeing the stream
of emigration which was proceeding to the States of Ame-
rica—that, with the assistance of the society, emigrants
could get at as cheap a rate to the Australian colonies as
they now get to New York.

The report having been accepted,
Mr MERRYTA.LE then moved a resolution to the effect
that, as a well-regulated system of emigration was calculated
to increase the prosperity of the mother country, and as the
society provided such a system, it was deserving of the sup-
port of the public.

The resolution having been seconded by Mr Sporns-
WOOD, it was unanimously adopted.
The office-bearers of the society for the current year were
then reelected, and the proceedings terminated with a vote
of thanks to the noble chairman.

Threatened Extension of Church Bates.

a

Yesterday a deputation waited on Lord Palmer-
ston, at Cambridge, house, to represent to his lordship
the necessity for so altering the Church-building
Acts Consolidation Bill as to carry out the intention
of Parliament in respect to church rates. The de-
putation consisted of the following members of
Parliament :—Lord Henley, Sir C. Douglas, Sir F.
Crossley,mills,A
r SpierndSe.rM,
Mr Pete,Diliwyn, Mr Hadfield, Mr J. R.
Mr. J. White, Mr
Sutton Western, Mr Dodson, Sir F. Goldamid, Mr
Lawson, Mr Leafoam, Mr Potter, Mr Ayrton, Mr
G. S. Lefevre, Mr Pilkington, Mr Hardcastle, Mr
Baines, Mr Alcock, Mr Paget, Mr Hibbert, Mr
Wickham, Mr Pease, Mr Danby Seymour, Mr P. A.
Taylor, and Col. Sykes. Sir Charles Douglas intro-
duced the business of the deputation, by reading a
statement respecting their object, which was de-
scribed as being, not to state general objections to
church rates, but to urge the necessity of inserting
in the bill now before Parliament, a clause distinctly
prohibiting the levy of church rates in new parishes.
The deputation submitted that a great injustice
would be done if the acts were consolidated without
giving effect to the intentions of the legislature. It
was also pointed out that the omission of any clauses
from the present bill would not redress the griev-
ance complained of ; while the consolidation of the
law would, practically, put an obstacle in the way
of further legislation. Finally, it was urged that
the opponents of church rates were not desirous of
taking away a power already exercised, but of pre-
venting power being planed in the hands of those to
whom it had expressly been declared it ought not
to be given. The general terms of the reply given
by Lord Palmerston induced many of the deputa-
tion to hope that the arguments now had some
weight. Though his lordship declined to give any
pledge, he stated distinctly that the object the Go-
vernment had in view was to consolidate the various
acts and not to introduce any amendments either on
the one side or the other. His lordship said that he
was informed by the Attorney-General that in the
opinion of the hon. and learned gentleman such would
really be the effect of the measure ; at all events that
was the intention of the Government. If the law was
doubtful at present, it belonged to the proper judicial
tribunals to determine the law. To remove the
doubt would be in fact to alter the law; and that
was a course which the Government did not propose
to adopt. If the result of judicial decisions was to
show that the law was not what it ought to be, the
parties aggrieved would be at liberty to try End
bring about en amendment. It was said that by
consolidating existing laws new force was given to
them, but his lordship demurred to that proposition;
and as to the statement that the committee had made
certain alterations in the position of the clauses, if
they had done so that was not tantamount to making
an alteration in the law itself. His lordship pro-
mised to consult the Attorney-General and the
Home Secretary in reference to the views placed
before him by the deputation, and concluded by
reiterating that the object of the Government was
not by strategy to alter the law, but simply to bring
together the various enactments that were scattered
through several acts of parliament with reference to
the church building question—a state of the law
which was very inconvenient to those who had to
administer it. A conversation took place after the
statement of the noble earl. It was suggested that
as it was purely a church question, and would not
benefit dissenters, the latter had a right to ask the
Government to waive the present bill until the law
on the subject was settled, and that, as there
is a case now before the legal tribunals of the country
(Gough T. Jones) which turns upon the construction
of the acts, it would be unfair to bias that case in
any way. Lord Palmerston said that the deputa-
tion were asking for two pledges, first, that the
Government would postpone the Consolidation Act,
and then that they would alter the law. The
only pledge that he could give, however, was
that he would consult his colleagues about it.
One hon. member stated that there were not six
clauses of the bill as it stands whioh were
identical with the corresponding clauses in the
old acts. His lordship asked whether the meaning
was altered,and the reply was that it certainly was.
Some further conversation took place, in which a
clause was read to his lordship which would pre-
vent the ant giving power to levy rates for district
churches, and a confident hope was expressed that,
as both the pro-rate and the anti-rate parties were
desirous that no alteration should at present be
made is the law, the Government would allow the
bill to drop. It was also stated that the anti-
church-rate party was not fairly represented on the
committee of last session.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

CAMBRIDGE, May 31.

At a congregation this day it was proposed by
special grace to pass honorary degrees in law upon
those whose names have already been published—
to wit : the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cam-
bridge, Prince Louis of Hesse, Earl Granville, the
Duke of Manchester, Earl Stanhope, Earl Spencer,
Earl Carnarvon, Viscount Eversley, Lord Palmer-
ston, Lord Leigh, Lord Harris, Sir E. B. B. Lytton,
Sir William Page Wood, Sir Charles Eastlake,
General Knollys, the Dean of Westminster, Mr.
Hope, M.P., and Mr. Watson, president of the
Royal College of Physicians. Opposition was
offered to several of these graces,bnt the one propos-
ing to confer the honorary degree upon the Duke
of Manchester was carried by 133 placets to 5 non-
placets. The grace proposing to confer the honorary
degree upon LTA. Leigh was non.placeted, but
carried by 127 placets to 4 non-placets. The pro-
position to confer the honorary degree upon the
Rev, the Dean of Westminster was at once non-
placeted, and that amid cheers and hisses from the
galleries where undergraduates most do congregate.
The poll being taken, however, there appeared—
placets, 120; non-placets, 19. This, a result not
formally announced, but understood, was received
with loud cheers. Voting followed with regard to
the recommendations of the library and astro-
nomical syndicates, and the changes proposed ; these
were all matters of detail, and call for no observa-
tion. Grace 33, however, proposed to carry into
effect the late recommendations of the syndicate in
regard to the proposed changes in the ordinary B.A.
examination, and the pass examinations having re
ference thereto. The grace proposing the adoption
of the scheme was rejected by 54 non-placets to 47
placets.
SURGERY.—Examined and approved for the de-
gree of Master in Surgery--Alfred Gcdson, M.A.,
Trinity College.
,AW.—Bachelors of Law Examination, Easter
Term—Examined and approved—Bullock, Christ's ;
Cordeaux, Christ's ; Haldane, Trinity ; Henslowe,
Erman. ; Ds. Jardine, Christs ; Lidderdale, St.
Peter's; Martin; Trinity Hall ;1)8. Mozeley, King's;
Nichols, St. John's ; Ross, E., Trinity. J. T. Abdy,
LL.D. ; F. W. Gibbs, M.A. ; Henry Davidson,
; L. T. Baines, M.S.

At the congregation mentioned above the follow-
ing degrees were conferred—M.A., Augustus Henry
Hunt, St. Peter's College; Wm. Henry Hutchinson,
Pembroke College; Fred. Wm. Blumberg, Caius
College; Wm. Clavell Ingram, Jesus College ; Chas.
Tremlow Royde, Christ's , College ; John Rakes,
Sidney College. L MM., Geo. Wm. Marshall, St.
Peter's College. James Phillips, M.A., of Dublin,
was admitted ad eundena graduin.