The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-29 00:00:00

The health was drank by the party, standing, and
with hearty and continued applause.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then rose, sup-
porting 'himself with a stick on account of a temporary
lameness, and returned thanks in a speech of some
length. He felt that the title under which his health
had been proposed, conferred an honour upon him which
was in a great degree undeserved, and certainly in the
portrait which had just been drawn he had no little
difficulty in recognising himself. Whatever he had
obtained, whatever was best and strongest in him-
self, he felt that he owed to Oxford more than to
any peculiar exertions of his own. And it was a
great satisfaction to him in mature life to be united by
a fresh tie to the place of his education, a place from
which he had derived the greatest advantage; of which
he had always retained an affectionate recollection.
He felt especially how much he owed not only to the
confidence, but even to the indulgence of his consti-
ency, especially in that he was precluded by the etiquette
of the University from giving such explanations as are
usually given to other constituencies of his political con-
duct on certain critical occasions. He would now break
through that etiquette, but would endeavour to steer
clear of politics, and especially of disputed political
questions. But he wished, if it were not trespassing too
much upon his audience, to say a few words on a sub-

ject of great interest to all those present—the legislation
and general improvement of the University. (A general
murmur of applause invited him to proceed.) In
looking back on the histories of our Universities, he

thought it would be found that from a very- early
period they had done their duty in taking the
lead in the advancement of the English mind. In
the dawn of renewed civilisation, in the struggles of
the Reformation, in the succeeding generations, they

had held their place ; but after the Revolution
of 1688 they had for a considerable time had less in-

fluence, and shown less activity in directing the
public mind. Great as had been the advantages of that
revolution, it must be confessed that we had paid dear
for them. Half a century of disputed succession had

interrupted the legislative progress of the country, and
cHvei ted the public mind from such improvements as

had been gradually advancing in other periods. And the
Universities had been during that time apparently less
efficient as to the general influence of their education.
In the reign of George 111., they had resumed their ac-
tivity, and had even taken the lead in their part of the

social improvements which had occupied the legislative
mind of England since the beginning of the century. At
the beginning of that period they were certainly in ad-
vance of the rest of the country; but the progress of the
general mind was not only rapid but rapidly accelerated;
and there were points now on which he thought that the
advances made by the University were behind what the
nation had learned to expect, and public opinion to
demand. He considered that there was a body of men
here in whom the country had confidence, and whom
it regarded with feelings of respect and gratitude—the
resident body of the University. He would venture to
say, that if the House of Commons afforded any criterion
of public opinion, that opinion was on the whole friendly
and respectful towards the University, but that the re-
taining of that confidence and respect depended much on
the course now taken by the University itself. There
were resources, both pecuniary and moral and intellec-
tual resources, which were not brought to bear on the
proper work of the University, and which might be
brought to bear upon it by such improvements as had a!-

ready been commenced in some of the colleges. With
respect to that within whose walls they were assembled,
he could say w.ith satisfaction that he believed it was
doing nearly the utmost that could be expected from the
means it possessed. But it was well known that in
other cases there were large resources not hitherto
so usefully applied, and he trusted that ali
would co-operate in the endeavour to justify them-
selves in the eyes of the country by making the best use of
their means for the advancement of education. If the
University would do its duty in this respect, especially
by extending its advantages to more of the classes it
now receives, and to as many as may be practicable of
other classes, who partake less of its benefits at present,
he felt confident that the country and the Parliament of
England would maintain its independence, and would
only desire that it should continue to put in practice
those fundamental principles on which it had ever hitherto
worked, of the authoritative inculcation of religious truth,
and something like a domestic superintendence of pupils.
But the continuance of public confidence depended on
the course now pursued by the University. For him-
self, however he might fail of his duty as the representa-
tive of the University, it could not be for want of an
affectionate regard for its interests. He concluded by
proposing the health of the Entertainers.

Mr. WOOLLCOMBN returned thanks, and concluded by
proposing the health of Mrs. Gladstone and the ladies
present.

The party then adjourned to the common-room, and
speedily broke up.

AUSTRALIA.

By way of New York, advices have been received from
Sydney, New South Wales, to the 20th September,
which, although not of so late a date as the accounts re-
ceived direct, nevertheless contain some information of
interest :—" At a sale of real estate in Brainwood, on
the 15th of September, nine allotments sold for 2081.
This was at the rate of over 451. per acre. About fifty
acres of land near the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum
were sold by the Government for 69,693/. ; the land was
put up in quarter acre allotments, at 751. each, and
some of them sold as high as 6001. The average wages
of seamen in Sydney are from 101. to 121. a-month. As
most of those arriving in English ships receive only 21.
or 31., they desert as soon as the opportunity offers.
Scores of seamen were skulking about the outskirts of
the town, and hanging about the dens of the crimps.
The desertion of ships' crews the moment they reached
Sydney was a great evil, which prevented many ships
from again putting to sea. The Herald recommends
English shipowners to only engage seamen for the voy-
age to Sydney, and not, as has usually been the case,
for the voyage out and home. It may be said to be
impossible to keep seamen bound by articles giving
wages of 21. or 3/. per month, when the averages of the
port of Sydney are 10/. to 121. The seamen must be
released, and re-engaged at the current wages, otherwise
they will run away to the gold fields. Considerable at-
tention was being paid to the cultivation of tobacco, al-
though the great deficiency of labour operates as a serious
drawback upon agricultural improvements. The quantity
grown in the country is equal to three-fourths of its
consumption, but in quality it is very inferior to the im-
ported. This is attributable, not to any deficiencies in the
soil or climate, but to the ignorance prevailing among the
planters of the proper method of cultivation. One
planter states that he raised a crop of upwards of forty
tons, which was sold in Sydney at public auction at an
advance of twenty per cent. more than the imported
leaf. A great portion of the crop, he says, had leaves
measuring two feet nine inches in length, and 18 inches
wide, being larger than any known to have been grown
in Aiperica. The average weight per acre was 25 cwt. ;
whereas, by the public returns, the average of what is
grown in Australia is only 17 1-7th cwt. The duty upon
imported tobacco is about to be reduced, and hence an
improvement in the quality of the native grown is
strongly urged. The Sydney Morning Herald says
Instead of being importers of tobacco, we should, if it
were grown here to perfection, be exporters of it to all
our sister colonies ; and, in its raw state, also to the
European markets. At present, for home consumption,
there is a greater profit to be made by its cultivation, if
skilfully managed, than in any part of the world, for the
duty upon imported is a positive bonus to the grower.'"
The Syd)&ey Herald has been furnished with the rates of
wages at Sydney by the employers in each department,
u:; being-there actually paid, and every means has been
used to avoid exaggeration. We make the following ex-
tract from tlve tabular statement --" Stone masons re-
ceive Bs. to :Bs. 6d. per day; carpenters and joiners 7s.
to 9s. ; coramon spadesmen and inferior building la-
bourers, ss. to 6s. ; painters and glaziers, Bs. 6d. to 95.;
Lrickmakers , 18s. to 20s. per thousand ; carriers and
draymen 1513. to 20s. per day. It is stated, by the lead-
ing architec; is and contractors, that hardly one-third of
the men nov I employed in Sydney are effective, or fairly
entitled to in ore than one-half of the wages demanded by
them. Most of the best labourers in the building de-
partment are in the gold fields."