The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-28 00:00:00

University Intelligence.

OXFORD, Oct. 27.

In a Congregation held this day at two o'clock, a
form of statute on the subject of fees at examina-
tions was promulgated. The Vice-Chancellor ex-
plained that by an accidental omission there was at
present no fee chargeable for the final classical
school. The question of altering the whole scale of
fees was reserved for the present.
Mr. John Oddy, Commoner of St. Mary's Hall,
has been appointed to a Bible clerkship at All Souls'
College.
The University preachers on Sunday next are the
Rev. Dr. Shirley in the morning at Christ Church,
and the Rev. E. 11. Plumptre, of Brasenose, in the
afternoon, at St. Mary's. The preacher on Wed-
nesday next (All Saints'-day) is the Rev. J. Monk-
house, of Queen's College.
On the 29th day of November_ there will be an
election at Balliol College to two scholarships, each
worth about £75 a year, and tenable for five years ;
open to all candidates who have not completed
their 19th year on the day of election. Also two
exhibitions of £6O a year during residence and
tenable for five years ; open to all candidates who
have not exceeded eight terms from matriculation,
but not tenable with a scholarship, or with any
other exhibition of the College. Candidates are to
call on the Master of Balliol on the evening of
Thursday, November 23, between the hours of 6
and 8, and to produce testimonials from their college
or school, and (if candidates for a scholarship) cer-
tificates of the date of their birth.

CAMBRIDGE, Oct. 27.

At a meeting of members of the Senate in the
Arts' School this day, the Master of Trinity' Hall,
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, presiding, the proposal to
discontinue the University sermons during the long
vacation was discussed.

Mr. PoTTS, of Trinity, said that the large
number of undergraduates resident during the long
vacation was a strong argument iu favour of con-
tinuing the sermons.
Professor LIVEING, in reply to Mr. T. T.
Perowne, said that the principal reasons which had
induced the Council to propose the grace were that
the number of members of the University who
attended the sermons was so small that the service
had become little more than an extra service for
the parish ; that it was unseemly to continue a
service which was neglected ; that it was hard
upon the Esquire Bedels to have to reside in
Cambridge- during vacation merely to attend these
sermons ; that the machinery put in motion was
altogether disproportionate to the results obtained ;
and that many did, and all who were resident could,
attend the parish services. He regretted that none
of the promoters of the grace were there to answer
the question, as he could hardly do justice to argu-
ments in which he felt no great interest.
Mr. E. PERoWNE thought the hardship on the
Bedells very slight, as only one need be present.
The smallness of the congregation was due to the
little that had been done to make the vacation ser-
mons what they ought to be. Even in the smaller
colleges a considerable number of under-graduates—
and those picked men—were resident in the long
vacation, and it would be injurious to them, as well
as helping to sever education from religion, if the
sermons were discontinued ; besides, there were
many of the younger members of the Senate who
could hardly be appointed select preachers, who
would gain by the • opportunity of exercising their
ministry, and he suggested that a syndicate should
make a selection of preachers from those who in-
tended to reside during the vacation.
Dr. LIGHTFOOT, as a member of the council, had
not acquiesced in the grace. He had seen the con-
gregation in St. Mary's on several Sundays during
the last vacation, and, though small, it was in his
opinion sufficient to justify the retention of the
sermons.

Mr. GEDGE said that one reason why the congre-
gations were small was that the undergraduates
rarely knew who was going to preach, and that
there would be a better chance of a congregation if
the sermons were arranged in courses of three or four.

Dr. SELWYN said sufficient care had not been
taken to make the sermons good and profitable ;
but if we had let our practices fall below our rules
and principle it was no reason for putting down
those rules. The sermons should be made more
attractive, and the hardship of attending them would
become small. There were some signs of life in the
university in the vocation, and there ought to be
some sign of religious life. He objected to the
grace,. as tending to weaken the corporate feeling in
the university, and leave more and more to the in-
dividual colleges.
Dr. SWAINSON thought the short attendance
might be only temporary, and that the sermons
ought not on that account to be dropped for ever.
His own experience when formerly resident was
that they were beneficial, and often exercised a
great influence on the after lives of the preachers
themselves. Many of Dr. Mill's sermons had been
preached in the long vacation, and when he preached
there was always a good attendance. The admis-

sion of substitutes at the last moment rendered the
present mode of appointing preachers inefficient.
Mr. BAILEY, of St. John's, expressed his surprise
that none of the promoters of the grace were pre-
sent, so that the meeting might have heard the ar-
guments pro and con. He had said that the practice
of Oxford was a reason for discontinuing the ser-
mons, but the cases were not parallel, as at Oxford
no undergraduates, or not more than 20 at the most,
were ever resident during the long vacation. On a
former occasion the proposal to discontinue the
morning sermons in term had been rejected until
the Colleges had made provision for sermons in the
College chapels, but in this case there would be no-
thing of that kind to fall back upon. It was not
worthy of the University to go by mere numbers or
by success, but by principles of right, and it was
their business to provide religious teaching for the
undergraduates. Some public body ought to choose
the preachers, as in small colleges it was difficult
sometimes to find a preacher when the tutors and
almost the whole of the fellows were absent.
Mr. T. T. PEROWNE said that an attempt had

formerly been made to carry out something of the

kind suggested. On one occasion the late Professor
Scholefield had, at the requestof the Vice-Chancel-
lor, preached a course of three or four sermons in a
long vacation.
Mr. R. H. Collins, B.A. (fourth in first class in
classics, 1865), has been elected a Fellow of Down-
ing College.

OUTWARD BOMBAY MAILS.—The Peninsular and
Oriental Company's steamship Massilia, Captain Almond,
sailed from Southampton yesterday with the mails for
Gibraltar, the Mediterranean, Egypt, Aden, Bombay, and
Upper Bengal. Sho took out 78 first and 39 second-class
passengers, and in freight a full cargo, including 1,050
boxes Specie, value £347,714, of which amount are sove-
reigns for Alexandria £3,000, and the remainder for Bom-
bay, comprising lair silver, bar gold, gold and silver coin,
jewellery, &c.

The -Packet Phase, which has just arrived at
Marseilles from Constantinople, had on board three large
bears, sent by Prince Couza, as a present to the Emperor of
the French.

FATAL EFFECTS OF A FLOOD.—On Sunday last
the Rev. J. S Brownrigg, curate of Wenden Lofts,
who had been to Radwinter to perform divine service, left
Saffron Waldon about 6 o'clock in the evening in a trap,
driven by Mr. Thurgood, landlord of the Wilkes' Aries
Elmdon, who had been formerly in the service of the
Wilkes' family at Lofts Hall. Arrive:l at Pond's-end,
they attempted to cross the stream there, which was so
much swollen by the flood that on getting out towards
the middle they found the trap was in danger of being
overturned by the current. The rev. gentleman being a
good swimmer threw himself into the water and swam
down the stream to get to the opposite bank, apparently
thinking that the driver would be better enabled to
right the vehicle without him ; but it seems that the horso
went on a sand bank which had been formed by the flood
and overthrew the chaise, immersing Mr. Thurgood. As
soon as Mr. Brownrigg landed he ran to the mill for
assistance, and several porsons
.came, but calling loudly
where the trap had been left they could make no one
hear; he then went to Lofts Hall, and others came, who
searched until late at night, and with the assistance of the
bull's eye of the policeman the horse was found standing
still in the stream. The harness was cut and the animal
released, but the body of the deceased was not found until
daylight the next morning, and then at Duddenhoe-end,
having floated two miles lower down. Of course he had
been dead some hours when he was taken home. Mr.
Thurgoodyas a person much respected, and has left -a wife
but no family:— Chelnmford Chronicle.