The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-24 00:00:00

The opinion of the hebdomadal board on several points,
together with the whole of the evidence, was printed on
the sth of December, just at the end of term, and before
the commencement of the vacation. He hoped that
some of their lordships had seen this evidence, which
was contained in a thick Bvo. volume, in which he thought
the whole question had been entered into in a most impar-
tial manner. This book was printed, as he had said, on the
sth December, and on the 13th or 14th he (Earl Derby) re-
ceived a circular from the Secretary of State for the Home
Department, in which it was stated that her Majesty's
Government were desirous of ascertaining what measure
the university contemplated as necessary for its altera-
tion and improvement, and the particular alterations
that might be desired by the several colleges in which
they would require the interposition of Parliament. He
immediately acknowledged the receipt of this letter from
the Home Secretary, giving the noble lord his (Earl
Derby's) individual opinion, and expressing the hope
that the measure introduced by the Government would
be of such a character as to give great latitude to the free
action of the university. The letter he had referred to
stated that the Government were anxious to receive the

information they required at this time, and hoped to give
the greatest consideration to the demands that might be
made by February. He received this letter either on the
13th or 14th of December, just at the close of term, and
lost no time in transmitting it for the consideration of
the hebdomadal board. On the 19th December he was
officially communicated with, and forwarded, without
delay, a letter from the hebdomadal board to the Secre-
tary of State for the Home Department, in which they
promised, at the earliest opportunity, to take the required
subjects into consideration. In January he (Earl Derby)
received, either from the Vice-Chancellor or the colleges
themselves, the various plans and modifications they
were desirous of obtaining the assistance and co-opera-
tion of Parliament to introduce. The whole of these
communications were transmitted for the information of
the Secretary for the Home Department and her Majes-
ty's Government. As soon as was possible, the hebdo,
madal board' met to* tonsider' that which was the ba-
sis of everything else—what alterations in the constitu-
tion of the university they should recommend to convo
cation for the purpose of being sanctioned by her Ma.
jesty's advisers. Had this matter been postponed their
lordships would perceive that would have come to he
last considered which ought to have been first. The
decision of the hebomadal board was arrived at on Sa-
turday, the 11th of this month, and her Majesty's Go
vernment bad expressed the hope that they would in
February be able to take, the matter into consideration.
He thought that their lordships would be of opinion
that the hebdomadal board could not earlier have come
to a decision than they did on questions involving such
important changes, without giving to it an appearance
of undue precipitancy. The Government having an-
nounced their measure for Monday, the 20th, he (the
Earl of Derby) thought it was of the greatest importance
that before this measure was submitted for considera-
tion the university should have an opportunity of ex-
pressing a free and unbiassed opinion on what altera-
tions they might deem advisable. Before the subject
could be brought before the convocation it was neces-
sary that the hebdomadal board should promulge the
petition they recommended, so that the members of con-
vocation might become acquainted with it ; and from
the Friday, after the decision of the hebdomadal board
had been arrived at, to the Monday, was the shortest
notice that could be given. On the Monday, before he
bad received a copy of the petition, he (the Earl of Derby)
was called upon by a most eminent professor of the uni-
versity with whom he lad had no personal acquaintance
for 40 years. He had already called on the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, with whom he was on terms of inti-
macy, and he ated to hint that the object of his
visit was to obtain a short postponement of the Govern-
ment measure, until the decision of convocation on the
petition that was to be submitted to it from the hebdo-
madal board could be obtained. The Chancellor of the
Exchequer consented to this reasonable request, and
gave an intimation that the university should not be
placed in any worse position than it then stood, in con-
sequence of their having, in giving notice, lost time iu
communicating with Government. This gentleman had
no power to make any stipulations with regard to pre-
vious communications ; and he (the Earl of Derby),
being desirous that no concealment should be attributed
to the university, took it upon himself to make the pro-
position, that, if the university petition was placed in
his bands forthwith, that petition should 1.7 him, as
Chancellor, be communicated to her Majesty a Govern-
ment, not as being the petition of the university, but as
that of the hebdomadal board. He (the Earl of Derby)
had asked for a week's postponement, in order that two
or three days might elapse previous to giving notice to
convocation, which was summoned at a week's notice,
that expires to-morrow,' On Monday evening, at nine
o'clock, the Vice-Chancellor-ealled on him and brought
with him "the- petition, and he (the Earl of Derby)
communicated with the Secretary of State for the Home
Department on Tuesday morning. On the following
Thursday, after he had retired from their lordships'
house, he received a long letter from the Secretary of
State for the Home Department, informing him he had
taken into_consideration• the proposed' petition; and ex-
pressing regret that they were compelled to dissent from
the scheme set down, and that her Majesty could not be
advised to assent to it. lie felt compelled to notice—as
lie had been careful in communicating with the Secre-
tary for the Home Department to abstain from asking
any opinion either of approval or disapproval on the
petition of the hebdomadal board—that this letter con-
tainedd objeCtions on the 'part of the Crown, not stated
in detail, but objecting to the plan generally. UPo"th
following morning he forwarded to Oxford that a
commu-
nication from the Government, and he also wrote
short answer to the noble lord the Secretary of State
for the Home Department. Last Friday
some theantdmquenestetioinn
was taken into consideration, and .
the foran of a petition were made ,but time -was then
pressing, and it was necessary to promulgate that peti-
tion upon Friday, and toU_ give notice for its considera-
tion next Friday.
board received the onsegnently, the hebdomadal
intimation of the dissent of her Ma-
jesty's Government from their proposition, without
any statement of their own
.. views, upon the Friday
morning on which it was necessary to promulgate their
petition.
it was, therefore, impossible to withdraw
the notice which had been given, and the petition had,
to be promulgated in its then form. But the very ob-
ject which he bad had in view in asking for delay was,
that convocation might be enabled to pass their opinion
upon the merits of the plan upon their own independent
sense of what was best for the interests of the university,
and unbiassed by the assent or. dissent of the Govern-
ment. That object was now frustrated. At all events,
if the Government thought fit, in the first instance, to
intimate their dissent to what was proposed, and their
intention to proceed with another measure, giving the
convocation no power to frame a scheme of its own, he
did not think it was too much to expect that they should
have intimated what it was which they wished the uni-
versity to ask, and for which, if 'they did ask it, they
would obtain the assent of the Government. At any
rate, such a course would have preserved to the univer-
sity, at least, the appearance of independence of ac-
tion. (Hear, hear.) Convocation was now to decide
to-morrow upon the petition which had been agreed
to unanimously by the hebdomadal board, and they
:were to go to the consideration of that question, to
which they must say, "aye" or "no,", riot'with a know-
ledge of what the Government desired, but with the
knowledge that, whatever they agreed to, would not re-
ceive the assent df the Government. He contended that
that was not Mks fair way of putting the question before
the university, or of obtaining the independent judgment
of the university upon it. He did not suppose that such
_ had been the objest of the Government; but certainly