The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-16 00:00:00

OXFORD EXPULSION.

We have received several letters from Oxford
on the subject of the late Expulsion from Christ
Church. Some of them contain severe remarks
upon the conduct of the authorities by whom the
punishment was inflicted, and others still more
severe strictures upon the conduct of the con-
vivial youths by whom it was provoked.—
Some of these letters observe that, as we
were the first to notice the subject, and re-
sumed our attention with an apparent bias in
favour of the Gentleman who was expelled,
we ought to have taken the last article on the
question from the John Bull of the 4th in-
stant, which is stated to have contained impar-
tial comments on the whole proceedings. We
disclaim the bias thus imputed to us, conscious as
we are that we were actuated by no feelings but
those of justice and liberality. However, as we
learn from our Correspondents at Cambridge that
the affair has excited great attention in the Uni-
versity- of that place, we shall comply with the
desire to have the article from the John Bull ap•
pear inTILE SUN, and therefore now subjoin it,
at the same time holding ourselves open to any
exceptions which may be urged against it, with
the same temper and delicacy as so strikingly
marked the conduct of the father of the Gentle-
man whose restoration he in vain endeavoured to
accomplish :

A cIatTAIN portion of society is considerably
agitated by the publication of a correspondence
which has passed between Dtt. HALL, the Dean
of Christ Church, and a COLONEL BAI LLIE, on
the subject of the expulsion from Oxford, of the
Colonel's son.

" ft may be remembered, that at the time
when the expulsion of this gentleman and several
others took place, we noticed the circumstance,
and stated our opinion of the bad taste, to say
the least of it, which prevailed in the manners
and conversation of many- Oxford-men, whose
rank, character, and abilities certainly justified
an expectation of different and better things.
" We have- examined and sifted the subject
under discussion, and shall endeavour to give an
opinion free from all prejudice, alid divested of
those feelings which appear to agitate not only
the principals, but many of the subordinates of
both parties, at the present moment.
" The simple fact is this—in consequence of
repeated and perpetual disturbances in QUAD, at
the most unseasonable hours, added to the no-
toriety which the dissipation and gambling of
some of the men in College had obtained, the
Dean called the members together, in the hall,
and informed them that a repetition of such irre-
gularities and inebrietN would assuredly be visit-
ed with expulsion—on the evening of that day a
party, precisely of a similar nature to these point-
ed out by the Dean, as so objectionable, was
given, at which several men were present, and
amongst the number Ma. BAILLIE.
As usual, at two or three o'clock in the morn-
inr,, the accustomed uproar began, the ordinary
disturbance commenced—the Censor alarmed,
proceeded into the quadrangle, in order to secure
the most riotous of the revellers, and pursued
one, upon whom he had fixed his eye, to the door
of Mrt. LIAILLIE's room, where that gentleman,
who had previously retired, was sitting, and who,
it is said by one party, and denied by the other,
attempted to shut the door upon the Censor, and
thus secure the fugitive from his seizure.
" Whether this actually took place or not, ap-
pears immaterial, for this reason, that we are not
so much considering the extent of Ma. BAILLIL'S

°misconduct upon minor points as the act of • at-
tending a supper party at an hour, and under
circumstances which he had been (in common
• with all the College,) told that very morning
would certainly induce expulsion.
" COL. BAILLIE says " that upon this occasion
his son was sober, having taken only three glasses
of wine," to which the DEAN replies, " that fact
aggravates his fault."
" Upon this CoLosEL BAILLIE reasons with ap-
parent success, because it sounds strange that the
head of a house and an advocate for morality and
subordination, should consider sobriety an aggra-
vation of any fault whatever : but should it be
true as we have heard, that when the supper
party was first organized in defiance If the DEAN'S
minatory declaration of the morning, it was in-
tended that the whole party should abstain from
drinking, in order the more systematically and
regularly to create a disturbance to a still greater
extent then ever before had been created, by
way of displaying practically their hostility to,
and contempt for the advice and threat of punish-
ment which had been given them ; and if Ma.
BAILLIE, who was of three years standing, and
who possessed an influence over his juniors, should
have been the only one of the party who had re-
solution and discretion enough, to abstain from
wine, according to the original compact, then we
think the DEAN would be borne out in saying
that his sobriety aggravated his fault.

" It should be observed that several Noblemen
and Gentlemen who were of this same party,
have been expelled with MR. BAILLIE—it should
also be observed, that Ma. BAILLIE is a young
gentleman of elegant manners, and bears a most
honourable and excellent character : so do seve-
ral of his " co-mates in exile," nor is youthful
hostility to college discipline a stain or stigma in-
delible upon the reputation of a man out of col-
lege : but most assuredly in college, a marked
disrespect to the orders of the Principal, in open
and avowed contempt for his authority, and a de-
fiance of that punishment, the infliction of which
has given COL. BAILLIE so much just pain, are
matters of most serious import, and certainly de-
serving the strongest mark of displeasure which
the Head of that College can possibly inflict.
" In discussing this point every allowance
should be made for the feelings of an anxious
parent, who has every reason to be satisfied with

the conduct of his sou towards himself—an un-
natural child and a riotous collegian, however,
are perfectly distinct characters, and it is not be-
cause gentleman has never happened to
knock a
hyisouiflg
father down, nor break his windows,
soberly
till three o'clock in the morn-
ingswas at home, that we are to set him
down wtal-e
as incapable
i7} he
capable of joining in a row, with a party
of Tufts, who felt their little dignity offended
by
a threat,ts,
and who had determined systemati-
callyishew their spirit and heroism in opposi-
tion lto to
pect mc tyranny,
t
cc We are to make every allowance, we say,
for BAILLIE; but we are, on the other
hind,
recollect, that he is a father advocating
the cause
of a son; and we are to range against
the C otro , •ill-usage he complains of, and against the in-
justice he so bitterly denounces, the characters
of those by whom this expulsion has been in-
flicted. We are to consider, that the persons in
whose hands the power is placed, can have no
possible object in distressing COL. BAILLIE, or
in removing his son. Nay, they themselves
speak of him in high terms, and characterise him
as amiable and gentlemanly in every point, un-
connected with this nzost shameful disturbance :
shameful in its spirit as well as its execution, and
created by a party qf which he was one.
" But let us see who these person are, who tyran-
nies over Mr. BAILLIE.--thiS DEAN and these
Censors ;—let us look at their general characters
—their pretensions to our support in this contro-
versy._

" The DEAN Of CHMIST CHURCH is certainly as
amiable and as gentlemanly as the young man
who is expelled—his fault,
if fault it be, has
been an over-leniency in the discipline of the
College—a scholar, a man of the world, and a
Gentleman himself, he treated those under his
charge as Gentlemen are accustomed to treat
each other ; he wished to conduct the govern-
ment of CHRIST CHURCH upon a liberal and
honourable principle, and throw overboard all
the petty meannesses of an ex-college tutor, or
the elaborated details of the master of a board-
ing-school ;—but there are spirits not to be con-
trouled by fair and gentle means ; there are those
who cannot understand the relative situations of
men, unless they are perpetually reminded of the
distinction ; there are those, upon whom indul-
zence has the effect of creating insolence and
discontent—the liberality of DOCTOR HALL was
taken advantage of, and the riots to which these
expulsions are attributable, were a part of the
consequences. If MR. BAILLIE were sober at
three o'clock in the morning upon the special oc-
casion under discussion, there were other; in the
college who were not sober at twelve o'clock at
noon—with such irregularities existing under his
eye, what could the DEAN Of CHRIST CHURCH
do ?—he openly and manfully stated his know-
ledge of those irregularities—he took no unfair
sneaking advantages—he pointedly alluded to
the suppers of a particular set of men—he pub-
licly threatened expulsion to those who frequent-
ed such parties. This is precisely Doceon
HALL'S share of the transaction. What was MR.
BAILLIE'S share ?—lle heard the DEAN'S expres-
sion of displeasure—he knew the sort of suppers
to which he particularly referred—he was per-
fectly conscious what the disturbances were,
which he had noticed, and he was told, that if
they were repeated the actors in them should be
expelled. That very night Mn. BAILLIE goes
to one of those very suppers, keeps himself sober
—goes to his room a short time before the distur-
bance begins—the very party which he has left
creates the disturbance. One of the rioters flies

to his room for shelter---•the whole college is in
an uproar ; and MR. BAILLIE admits then, and
now that he actually had been one of that party,
and as the DEAN had openly and fairly declared
that a►►y man under similar circumstances should
be—he is expelled with the rest of that party.
6 6 But it is said, as a first-lieutenant does the
duty of the ship, so the senior censor is in fact
the captain at Christ Church, and has the chief

management of the college discipline. Let us see
what sort of a person this oppressor of Mr.
I3AILLIE is—it is not because he happens to be a
namesake of ours, that we are to be suspected of
any undue partiality to the Rev. JOHN BULL—
his character as a first-rate scholar is equalled by
his character as a gentleman—he is a man of
high principle and right feeling, and universally
esteemed and respected—why should this indi-
vidual have any personal hostility to MR.
BAILLIE

"Then the junior censor, MR. THOS. YOWLER
SHORT—what is he—is lie a tyrant and an op-
pressor too ?—Assuredly not ; he is, as every-
body knows who knows him, a mild, good-natur- -
ed, conscientious man, and who bears no ill-will
towards Mr. BAILLIE, nor anybody else, as we
believe, upon the face of the earth.
"Then thus the case stands :—Young BiILLIK •
makes out his story—strictly adhering to facts
we have no doubt—but perhaps not illustrated
by motives, intentions, views, and determinations •
—and the Colonel most naturally vindicates his.
son. But we must, having analyzed the charac-
ters of the DEAN and CENSORS, be permitted to
pause before we can join our voice to the clamour
which the friends of the expelled have raised
no man acts without a motive, and common sense
tells us, that those three persons can have no
earthly inducement to remove Mn.
whatever inducement MR. BAILLIE or his father
may have to colour up a case against them.
" The suppers at CHRIST CHURCH are, we be-
lieve, now prohibited—this we regret, because
we love ClintsT CHURCH, and would have the
same liberality exist, which has ever marked the
proceedings of its internal government; we trust
that the censors will never be induced to follow
the example of ex-college tutors, but that the tur-
bulent and unruly spirits, being now removed,
things will be restored to the ancient regime, and
that it will be found unnecessary longer to with-
hold those indulgencies which, f not abused, are
perfectly consistent with the gentlemanly usages
of the first college in the Empire; perhaps in the
universe."

We have only a few words to say on this
I statement of John Bull. How does it appear that
there was a compact that " the whole party should
abstain from drinking, in order the more sys-
tematically and regularly to create a disturbance,
Ste. Stc." It is by no means probable that such
a cold-blooded compact should have been formed,
and, if it had, it is still more improbable that
Mr. BAILLIE, with the gentlemanly qualities and
habits universally ascribed to him, and particu-
larly by those who visited him with punishment,
should have been engaged in it ? May it not ra-
ther be inferred that Mr. BAILLIE, if the com-
pact really had taken place, having discovered it
during the sitting of the party, very wisely re-
treated from the dangerous symposium ? As to
the protection which he is alleged to have given to
the fugitive rioter, it is evident that there was no,
opportunity for such protection, as the CENSOR.
was close at his heels. Upo❑ the whole, it may
fairly be observed, that never was punishment in-
flicted that brought so little disgrace upon the
sufferer, but which, on the contrary, produced the
most honourable testimonies in favour of his
general conduct and cluracter.

ANCIENT FEASTING.--When George Bevil,„
brother to the great Earl of Warwick, was in-
stalled Archbishop of York in 1470, he made
a sumptuous and gluttonous repast for the
nobility, gentry, and clergy ; at which the Earl
of Warwick acted as steward, the Earl of Bed-
ford treasurer ; Lord Hastings comptroller ;
and many noble officers as servants. The labour
of preparing the feast ivas Performed by 1,000
c00kg.,62 kitcheners,and .500 scullions. By a record
in therrow er, of which the following, is a transcript,
the provisions were neither few nor scarce ; they
consisted of 300 qrs. of wheat, 300 tuns ale, 100
tuns of wine, and 1 pipe of spiced wine ; 80 fat
oxen, 6 wild bulls, 300 pigs, 1,004 wethers, 300
hogs, and 300 calves; 3,000 geese, 3,000 capons,
100 peacocks, 200 cranes, 2,000 chickens,
4,000 pigeons, 204 bitterns, 4,000 ducks, 400
hernsies, 200 pheasants, 500 partridges, 4,000
woodcocks, 400 plovers, 100 carlows, 100 quails,
and 1,000 eggets ; 4,000 bucks and does, and roe-
bucks, 200 kids, 4,000 rabbits, 155 hot venison
pasties, and 4,000 cold venison pasties ; 300
pikes, 360 breams, 8 seals, and 4 porpoises ; anti
1,000 dishes of jellies, 2,000 hot custards, 4,000
cold custards, and 400 tarts.

A flute, a clarionet, a tambourine, and several
other articles, were some days since cast on shore
below Mount Charles, in Donegal Bay, supposed
to be from the ~Irab sloop of war, lately lost near
Broad haven.—(Cork ConstiMtion.)

BIRTH.
Yesterday, Mrs. Spring, of the Macclesfield Arms, City
road, of a son, being her twelfth child.

111ARRIED.

On the 14th inst., at St. _Mary's, Lambeth, Adam Wilson,
Esq., of Finsbury Circus, fourth son of Adam Wilson, of Glas.-
g, owego, in the County of Aberdeen, Esq., to Martha Teresa,
second daughter of the late William Lescher, Esq.
On Tuesday, the 13th inst., at Battersea, Mr. William Ur-,
wick, of Great Tower-street, to Mary, youngest daughter of
Mr. John Fownes, of the former place.