The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-02 00:00:00

LONDON UNIVERSITY.

Yester(lny. one of the most numerous meetings
ever held at the City. of London Tavern took place, for the pur-
pose of making the necessary arrangements for the establish-
ment of a London-University, upon the plan which we have al.
ready detailed, at the preparatory meeting at the Crown and
Anchor a fortnight ago.
At-one o'clock • the large rdom was crowded to excess, the
gallery filled, and -the platform occupied in so dense a manner,
that it was extremely difficult to afford accommodation to the
ladies who were introduced into that part of the room. •
At a quarter before two o'clock the LORD MAYOR tooit the
chair, supported by Lord John Russell, Sir James Mackintosh;
Mr. John Smith, Mr. Baring, Mr. Hobhouse, Mr. Abercrom.
by, Mr. Spring Rice,: Mr. liume,Mr. Thomas Campbell, and
a considerable number of merchants and clergymen of every re.
ligfous denomination. Mr. Brougham did not arrive until after
the business had commenced.

The LORD-MAYOR, on taking the chair, apologized for not
having arrived earlier; and declared the interest which he felt in
the progress of-education, .which ruwci tend to the_prosperity of
the city of London.—(Cries of " Hear !"l—ln advocating the
establishment of a London University, he acted upon the con
viction that such a system of education was not only calculated
to undermine the ancient universities of the kingdom, which
had been so long and so justly prized, but, on the contrary; to
promote in a wider degree the great purposes .for which they
had always been-so frothed. It was, he understood, intended
that theology should not be taught at the new university. Of
this exemption in the course of studies he approved, for it
shewed that the promoters of it had no idea of trenching upon
the established religiotz, of the country, and therefore he was
friendly to their-object : It was wise and proper for them to ab-
stain in their plan. of education from interfering with the exist-
ing institutions for religious education.—(Ctiesof " Hear M—
ile repeated his desire,to promote any object which had- a ten-
dency to improVe the-great' city over which -be had the honour
to preside. —( A pplause. ) •
-The Rev. Mr.• Cox then came forward to explain to the
meeting the intentions-of the founders of the new London
versity. After explaining, as he had done at the former meet-
ins, the general plan of instruction which it was meant to esta-'
blish in ail the branches of literature, science, and the arts, he
stated that the capital estimated for this undertaking was
300,0001—0 n the calculation required for the building, fund-
' ture, apparatus; library, and salaries; and that it was proposed
.to raise it by transferable shares of )00/. each, and by dona-
tions—that the constitution. and general management of the
society was to be invested in a Chancellor and a Vice-Chancel-
lor, and 21 Directors (including the two former) to be annually
elected by the great body of shareholders. He then enlarged
at considerable length upon the circumstances which had led to
the present meeting, and said that it would be difficult to trace
with accuracy. the various circumstances which had led to the
public meeting of this day, because they had occurred, not so
much in a regular • series and succession as in detached and
separate movements of opinion—not, therefore, susceptible of
being linked together in one chain of unbroken sequence.
pressions of the importance of extending means of general
education had been produced, not in one or two minds only, or
among any particular class, but simultaneously upon many
persons, distant front each other, and differing in opinions on
' other subjects. Distinguished members both of church and
state, observing the superabundant influx of students to uni-
versities as symptoms of the enlightened character of the age,
had begun to speak to each other on the subject of extending
the means and amplifying the bowers of literary instruction,
to meet the necessities of the case. At the same moment
classes of Dissenters—persons themselves most connected with
universities—had made the same remarks. Thus elements,
•• were at work for such establishments at the same moment, until
_a combined movement- quickened them into common action
for the benefit of the growing population of the country.—
. It was remarkable, that while for ages all the principal cities
in the world had universities, London was destitute' of one,
though the metropolis of the greatest country in the world.—
(Hear, hear!)—Ages had witnessed the establishment and
splendid achievements of Oxford and Cambridge, Paris, and
others, and should London have no such nursery of intel-
lect,• of patriotism, and of moral greatness, in this cen-
tral emporium of wealth and commerce ? What was to
hinder London from becoming, not the commercial capi-
tal only of the world, but a centre of literature and
science.—(Hear !)—Suppose that foreigners, who formed their.
ideas of British greatness from the historical association of the,
swords of their heroes, and the flags of their admirals, and the
'tagis of their Legislatures, and the sceptres of their Kings—the.
Alfreds, and the Edward!, and the Georges; suppose them to
ask where was their great seat of learning ?-:.-and thus to say,
show me the turretted magnificence of ancient science, and the
sacred groves and walks -of Atzdemus ? Shall Ave ionger be
forced to reply—we have indeed splendid specimens of indivi-
dual talent, and particular places where instruction has been
carried to a high pitch in particular classes ; but we have no
ohe great dwelling-place of mind befitting the magnitude and
growing population of this great metropolis. And this, too, at
I a time when _their great increosinf population demanded in,
etruction, which ought to be supplied. Let them have, then;,
a palace for genius, where her inspirations shoUld be felt, from
whence her bright emanations should go forth to illuminate the
land—(hear!)—and where future Cicerosshould• record their in,
fluence orthat incitement which Tully declares he felt at Athens
" when he contemplated the porticoes where Socrates sat, and
the laurel, groves where Plato !disputed." It was not the build; '
ings of Athena, but its great men that.pleased'him—" Mc qui-
'dem ipso ills entrecr tithemez. akin darn operibus magnifiris.es-
- gui=itirry‘e antiparra. artibar del.:dant, quant recardutione