The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

UNIVERSITY REFORM.

tT
fr-e---N2Bl)ense of the Universities is at an end. Last
night Lord John Russell, in a speech of great ability,
introduced to the house the Ministerial measure for the
good government of Oxford and the colleges therein.
That we may at once relieve all anxiety on the main
subject, and convey in the fewest possible words the
most satisfactory of all assurances to our academical
readers, we may simply state that, on the first day of
October term next, heads of houses, as University go-
vernors, will cease to exist, and that Oxford will onoe
again be a great and free seminary of learning. The
scope of the bill is so wide, its provisions so searching,
and all its details so full of interest, that we proceed
without further preamble to place its substance before
the public.

First, as to the constitution of the University, so long
corrupted and degraded. It is proposed to establish or
revive a certain assembly, to be termed Congregation—
this Congregation is to elect a Council, and to this Coun-
cil are to be transferred, on the first day of next Michael-
mas term, "all the powers, privileges, and functions now
possessed or exercised by the Hebdomadal Board." The
general reader will remember that this Board, heretofore
the governing body of the University, was composed
exclusively, or, at least, with the exception of two seats
assigned to the Proctors of the Heads of Colleges or
Halls. For this body is now to be substituted the Coun-
cil, which Council, instead of originating in the accidents
of college office, is to be periodically elected by the mem-
bers of Congregation Congregation being an as-
sembly of notables taken from Convocation, or, in
other words, from the academical community at large.
If Convocation elected the Congregation, then the con-
stitution would simply depend upon election in a double
degree ; but this is not the ease. The members of Con-
gregation are created by certain prescribed qualifications,
which will be found to include the following persons ;-
1. The High Steward.
2. Heads of Colleges and Halls.
3. Canons of Christ Church.
4. The Proctors.
5. The Deputy-Steward, the Public Orator, the
tliheeexpenrivoefrsitthyecAournchseivl,es
t the Assessor, the Registrar,
rians of the University Library,
r aa
University Museums (the two latter classes condition-
nridanthseaKndeepSersub-Lofibtrahe.
ally.)
5. The Professors, Public Readers, Prieleetors, and
Assistant or Deputy-Professors,
7. The Public Examiners.
8. All members of the Council.
9. Tutors of Colleges and Rails, and other officers (or
One of such) engaged in the discipline of these societies.
10. All Masters of private Halls.
11. All residents who may have at any time been
qualified by the possession for throe years or upwards of
any of the foregoing qualifications.
12. All non-residents who may have been so qualified
for 12 years.
13. All residents habitually engaged in the study
some branch of learning or science.
14. All such persons as may, under conditions speci-
fied, be added to the abovememtioned classes.
Such is to be the constituency of Congregation, and
Congregation is to elect, as members of the University
Council six Heads of Collegeis or Halls, six Professors,
and six members of Convocation, being of not less than
five years' standing. To these are to be added, as
official members, the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors, to-
gether with one Head of 46 College, and one Pro-
fessor appointed by the Chancellor, and one other Pro-
fessor always of the Theological Faculty, to be
elected separately as aforesaid. The Council, thus con-
sisting of 24 members, is: to have the privilege of
framing statutes, to be Promulgated in Congrega-
tion—Congregation having the power of discussion
in English, but not of meoving amendments, except
previously, and by writing, on the first notification
of the measure. When this legislative machinery
has been established, the existing statutes of the
University will disappear, nee presume, altogether, and
the government of Oxford will be administered in virtue
of these newly created powers, and according to the ne-
cessities developed by a fresh order of things. Such is
an outline of the University constitution.
For the reform of the collegiate foundations, the better
application of their revenu es, the improvement of the
Fellowship system, and the extension of the University,
certain general regulations Z.7:*o to be enacted of the cha-
racter following :—All oathe: directed against the dis-
closure of college matters, o r the acceptance of college
changes, are to be abolished. All preferential claims
to college preferment arisimg from other circumstances
than those of personal qualifications are, with certain
exceptions, to be extinguislied. Subject to these ex-
ceptions, all Fellowships and Scholarships are to
be open to the whole univeleeity, and filled up by public
examination. Fellowships are not to be made neces-
sarily terminable, but they are to be held as vacated
within one year from the time of election unless the
holder shall be resident for not less than 24 weeks in
each year, and shall be occupied during such period
either in tuition, or in the discharge of university or
parochial duties, or in private study. Certain condi-
tions, however, are contemplated admitting of non-resi-
dence, and leave of absence may be given by the colleges
for fixed purposes, and for periods not exceeding five
years in the whole. It appears, too, that after 21 years'
tenure of a fellowship on these terms the holder may
retire, as it were, upon two-thirds of his emolu-
ments, without being any longer bound by the fore-
going obligations. Of course, these arrangements are
prospective, and do not affect existing interests. A re-
tention of preferential claims to Fellowships seems to be
still designed in favour of the lineal descendants of a
founder, and of the holders of close Scholarships in Col-
leges where two or more close scholars can compete for
the appointment, and where one-half of the whole num-
ber of Fellowships shall be open. Scholarships, too,
may still, under certain conditions, be adjudged with re-
ference to birthplace, education at any school, indigence,
or membership of any College. All these exceptional
cases, however, are to be rigorously scrutinized.
In extension of the University system, it is to be
made allowable that any member of Convocation, being
of a certain standing to be hereafter determined, may be
licensed to open his own house, if within a mile and
a-half of the University, as a private Hall for the
reception of students, who are to be matriculated like
other students, without the necessity of being entered at
any existing Hall or College. As the Masters of these
private Halls are to be members of Congregation, and
as their students are to be admitted to all the privileges
of the University, there is evidently room provided for
an unlimited extension of a academical education.
Finally, and by way of bringing all these provisions into
practical and early operation, we learn that certain Com-
missioners are to be appointed for the purposes of the
act. The Colleges are then to be empowered to make
ordinances of their own, subject to the Commissioners'
approval, for the foundation of Professorships,
the opening of Fellowships, and other desirable ob-
jects, and the University is to enjoy the same discre-
tion with reference to the establishment of private Halls
and other arrangements ; but if such ordinances shall not
have been framed to the satisfaction of the Commis-
sioners by the first day of Michaelmas Term, 1855, the
Commissioners are to proceed to such work themselves.
The statutes thus made by the Commissioners, if ap-
proved by her Majesty in Council, are to be laid be-
fore both Houses of Parliament, and, unless an address
be presented against them from one house or other
within 40 days,iare to become statutes of the University
forth with.
Our delineation of this important measure, though
necessarily imperfect, has extended to such a:length as
to leave us little room for comment. That the bill has
been designed in a liberal spirit cannot be denied, and
the reader will at once discern that Oxford, thus reformed,
will offer much greater encouragement than before to
learning in general, will be accessible to a larger body
of students, and will be relieved in its internal govern-
ment from the preposterous domination of a class.
Some dissatisfaction will be created by the fact that six
places are still retained for this class in the University,
Council ; and some misgivings, perhaps, may be sug-
gested by the triple machinery of the constitution. Ob-
jections, too, will assuredly be entertained to the reten-
tion of preferential claims to appointments in a schema
professedly founded on principles of freedom and compe-
tition ; but, as all these claims are to be submitted to
the inquiry and the ratification of the commissioners,
and are to be allowed only on special approval and under
conditions set forth, the effects of the anomaly may, per-
haps, be modified. —Times.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD, MARCH M.

In a Convocation holden this morning at ten o'clock, he
nomination of the Rev. R. L. Cotton, D.D., provost of
Worcester College, to the office of delegate of accounts in
the room of the late D. Richards; the Rev. James Norris,
D.D., president of Corpus, to be a delegate of accounts in
the room of the late Dr. Jenkyns ; and the Rev. Philip
Bliss, D.C.L , principal of St. Mary Hall, to be a delegate
of the press ;in the MOM of the late Rev. Dr. Jenk-yias, also
in f Corpus was
met with the approval of the house.
o aplpnoitnliteedsanniceoraCmonisyseicoanteil of thetl 1
c P resident
market,on
the room of
the late Dr. Haringtou ; and by decree of Convocation the
degree of Master of Arts was conferred on the Ray.
' 8.A., of Queen's College, who is now
duties in Australia, which circumstance
(3a
:ge Charlesi.
in
nlcairerriy
c a: t
,t
present in the University.
prevents
At the same
him t
ibmeeintgh
ep eRr seovn• a 1 ly
William Lionel Tolleinache,
M.A. of Peter-house, Cambridge, rector of South Witham,
Lincolnshire, was admitted " Ad Eiandeni."
Ina Congregation holden immediately afterwards, the
proposed alterations in Stat. Tit. xvii , and in Stat. Tit.
vi., and in Stat. Tit. it., relative to the Responsion Exa-
mination, and to the First and Second Public Examination,
was promulgated.
In the same Co
conferred, viz. :
ogregation the following degrees were

BACHELOR OF DIVINITY AND DOCTOR OF DIVINITY
BY ACCUMULATION.
The Rev. Edward Hart°
rPee p Cradock, Principal of Brase-
nose College, Canon of Woster, Grand Compounder.
MASTER OF ARTS.
Henry I3agot Newton Lane, Student of Christ Church.
Rev. Owen Lloyd Williams, Jesus College.
Richard Marrack Rowe, Fellow of Exetr College.
BACHELOR OF ARTS.
Edward Bromley, Merton College.
Arthur Young Marshall, St. Mary Hall.
At the same time the following gentlemen were nerd.
nated to be Examiners and Moderators for the ensuing
year :

EXAMINERS IN FIRST-CLASS SCHOOL.
Rev. H. S. Mansell, 8.D., St. John's College.
Rev. T. Chaffers, M.A., Brasenose College.
MATHEMATICAL SCHOOL.
Rev. G. W. Kitchen, M.A., Christ Church.
IN SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCE.
James Adey Ogle, M.D., Trinity College.
IN SCHOOL OF MODERN HISTORY.
Rev. I'vr. C. Lake, M.A., Baliol College.
MODERATORS IN CLASSICAL SCHOOL.
Edward Paste, M.A., Oriel College.
Rev, R. Xtuckleston, ALA., Worcester College.