The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

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HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.)
The house met a five o'clock.
ADMISSION OF DISSENTERS TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.
On the report of the amendments,
Lord BROUGHAM presented:.a petition from the
Corporation of Gateshead, in favour of opening the uni-
versity to Dissenters. The noble and learned lord ex-
pressed his satisfaction at the manner in which their
lordships had agreed to the reform of the university.
It was more than 20 years since he had last brought the
subject under their lordships' consideration, for as a
warm and consistent friend of education he had
always been in favour of the admission of Dissenter,
to the University of Oxford.
Lord DESART inquired whether there was anything
to preclude a Dissenter who had taken a Bachelor's
degree from taking the Master's gown under the bill ;
also, whether the colleges had the power of regulating
the instruction and discipline of dissenting members.
Viscount CANNING sa,d it was in the power of the
Vice-Chancellor to put the test of the 39 Articles to any
person who wished to become a master. As to the se-
cond question, the colleges were masters of their own
discipline.
LAW OF LANDLORD AND TENANT
(IRELAND).

The Earl of DONOUGFTMOR. E wished to ask the
noble duke opposite (Duke of Neweastle) a question of
which he had not given him notice, inasmuch as the in-
formation upon which it was based bad only come to
his (Lord Donoughmore's) knowledge within the last
quarter of an hour. (Hear, hear ) It would be in the
recollection of the house that early in the session of Par-
liament certain bills were introduced with a view to
settle the vexed questions which were agitated between
landlords and tenants in Ireland. Some of these bills
were introduced by the noble duke, and some by him-
self. Those bills were referred to a select committee,
which spent a considerable time on the matter, and ulti-
mately settled two bill; for the c.msfleration of the
house. The bills passed through all the stages of that
house, the third reading being moved by the Lord Privy
Seal, and went down to the Commons. Ho had been
informed that the Government in the other house de-
clined to consider these bills as Government measures,
and:not only this, but had intimated an intention not to
proceed with them this session. Under these circum-
stances he wished to ask the noble duke, who was re-
sponsible for these bills, whether it was correct that they
were not to be proceeded with this session.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE would have been glad if
his noble friend had given him notice of this question, as
it happened that it was only five minutes ago that he had
been informed by a noble marquis that an intimation had
been given in the other house that the bills in question
would not be proceeded with. Under these circum-
stances, of course, he was not in a position to answer the
noble earl with certainty; but he would make himself
acquainted with the facts, and give his noble friend the
required information. Their lordships would perfectly
understand, even from what they saw in their own house,
that circumstances might arise in connection with an
Irish bill of this kind which would render it absolutely
impossible to get on with it during the present session.
It was not so easy to state who was responsible for these
bills. The noble earl had himself stated the somewhat
peculiar circumstances under which they bad been
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but a fair arrangement of very disputed points.
ordinary that a noble duke, a member of her Majesty's
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been done elsewhere as not to be able to reply to the
question of his noble friend (the Earl of Donoughmore).
The Duke of NEWCASTLE—These bills must have
been withdrawn at the present sitting of the House of
Commons.
The Earl of MALMESBURY said that,_admitting
that to be the fact, it seemed strange that a cabinet
minister should be in such total ignorance of the inten-
tion of her Majesty's other advisers as the noble duke
was. This was really a very serious matter, both with
regard to the present and future ministries. Ho did not
expect that the noble duke could give any explanation
at that moment, but inasmuch as he considered that the
subject ought not Co rest where it did, he should bring
the matter under the consideration of the house on
Thursday next.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY then rose and said
that he found it necessary to make a statement to their
lordships on account of an attack which had been made
upon a public body of which he was a member in the
other house of Parliament. A noble lord (Lord Sey-
mour) had felt it his duty to speak very s4rongly upon
the subject of the Board of Health, and he (Lord Shaftes-
bury) felt bound to answer the observations which had
been made.

Earl FITZWILLIAM rose to order. The statement
into which the noble earl was entering was not a matter
concerning him personally as a member of that house,
nor was it a question of privilege. It ought not, there-
fore, to precede the orders of the day. (The noble earl
re umed his seat amidst calls for the orders of the day.)
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY would not intrude
himself upon their lordships against their wish, although
he should have occupied but a shot t time. (Orders of
the day.)

The Bishop of OXFORD then attempted to put a
question to tioiministerial bench, but was met with loud
cries for the orders of the day, and therefore resumed
his seat without completing a sentence.
The CLERK then proceeded to read tho ozders of the
day.

- LEEDS NORTHERN RAILWAY BILL.
On the motion of Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY this bil
was read a second time.

ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY BILL.
• On the order of the day for considering the report on
this bill,
The Earl of MALMESBLTRY observed that he wished
to say a few words on that stage of the bill. Their lord.
ships were aware that it had not been the custom in that
house to put on record amendments, moved during the
pi ogress of bills; and as he was extremely anxious on
his own part, and on the part of his noble friend the
Chancellor of the University of Oxford (the Earl of
Derby) who was absent to place on record the amend-
ments moved on Friday laSt, he would take that oppor-
tunity of doing so. In reference to the probable effects
of the measure, he must again express his regret that
their lordships should have thought fit to pass it with-
out making any amendments whatever. He trusted
that in another place, where much attention and a great
deal of time had been devoted to the consideration of
the question, the bill, after it had left their lordships'
house in its present form, would be so amended as to
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meet some, at least, of the views which were entertained
on that side of the house with respect to its provisions.
He should touch very lightly on the most important
amendments on which a division was taken on Friday
evening. With respect to the first amendment which
was moved and rejected, namely, that with regard to
the relieving by act of parliatnebt, those who had taken
oaths on various subjects connected with the statutes of
the university, he must express his regret that it did not
seem advisable to any of the right rev, prelates to give
the house a decided opinion on a question of conscience.
He confessed he bad anxiously. expected their opinion
with regard to oaths, and therefore no act of Parliament

could release. Another amendment was, that the elec-
tion of the legislative assembly of the university should
take place by the votes of the convocation instead of
those of the congregation. He hoped that subject would
again be considered ; for he could conceive nothing
more
.fatal to the scheme of l►beralising the university
than the retention of that part of the bill in its pre-
sent firm. It had always been supposed that the
true way to liberalise an institution was to extend
the constituency. How, then, could it be contended
that the legislative assembly of the university should
be elected by 250 or 300 persons instead of 2,000 ?
Considering the constant complaints which had
been made of the bigotry of the University, he was at a
loss to understand why such a provision had been car-
ried. The third amendment had reference to the insti-
tution of private halls for the education of students,
,The more he considered that subject, the more he recol-
lected what life at the university was, and the discipline
which in his time, at least, it was necessary to maintain,
the deeper was his conviction that that part of the mea-
n ire would be mischievous to the morals and discipline
of the university. He was still of opinion that these
halls would become, in the words of a noble earl then
absent, the Earl of Carlisle, retreats for, dissent. He
should be sorry to have his feelings with regard to the
dissenters misunderstood. There was no arrogance so

hateful as arrogance with regard to religiuus doctrine ;
and as regarded dissenters, he had always maintained
that they ought to be treated as on a perfect footing of
equality with the rest of the community. He had even
been remonstrated with by members and ministers of the
Church of England for the extent to which he had acted
on that sentiment. But this was a peculiar case. His
view of the University of Oxford was that it was origi-
nally intended to be wedded, and closely wedded, to

Ciuirch and State. Although for centuries that univer-
sity existed under the foundation of Roman Catholics,
still it was to be recollected that during that period the
Roman Catholic religion was the State religion, and that

it only ceased to be so at the Reformation. He saw no
reason why, after the lapse of eight or nine centuries.
their lordships should alter the relation of the university
to the Church and the State. If dissenters were ad-

mated, is was not to be expected that the same number
that entered as dissenters would leave it as such.

Many would probably either convert others to
dissent, or be themselves convert( d to the Esta-
blished Church. Any member of convocation might
establish one of these private halls. [A Peer—lf li-
censed.] He had taken advice on that point ; and it
appeared that the. Vice-Chancellor had no choice, if
the parties agreed to certain conditions which were men-
tioned in two subsequent clauses. He would suppose
Dr. Newman to have established a private hall under
the provisions of the bill. What would the result have
been ? It was well known that Dr. Newmah was not a
convert all at once, that he gradually des Tended from the
position in which he had stood ; and during the whole of
that period he might have had a hall in which a number
of persons were being led t.) adopt his views. There
w:;s another argument against this part of the measure.
For the last ten or twelve years
.Oxford had been less an
arena for reli4ious disputes than it was
previously
' • and
,he culd conceive nothinri more objectionable than the
establi-hment of places which would tend to revive such
discussions. The nolle duke opposite (the Duke of
Argyll) said the other night that the admission of Dis-
senters in Scotland to Scotch schools connected with t
result.
Established Church had led to no mischievous
There was no analogy between the two caes In the
first place the Scotch schools were not bound 4, as the
171iyerlitY of °O9rd wasp a
with the t