The Sun.
London, England, 1832-06-27 00:00:00

DURHAM UNIVERSITY.

Sir JAMES SCARLETT brought up the report of
the Committee on the Durham University Bill, which had
been reported without any amendment.
Mr. HUME begged to ask if the attention of the Com-
mittee had been directed to the insertion of a clause, pro-
viding that persons of every religious denomination should
be admitted to all the privileges of the University ?
Sir JAMES SCARLETT said this was a simple
Estate Bill, giving power to invest the estate in trustees,
and could not contain any such clause as was wished by the
Hon. Member; when the Bill to establish the University
came before the House, or upon application for a Charter,
such a clause could be proposed.
After a few words from Mr. J. Wool) in favour of such
a clause,

Sir M. W. RIDLEY expressed himself very
favourable to dissenters ; but there was nothing in this
regarding the regulation of the University; it only em-
powered the Dean and Chapter of Durham to dispose of
certain estates in order to raise the necessary funds.
Mr. JOHN WOOD said the Bishop and Dean and
Cbapter of Durham were to be visitors of the University,
and he understood it was their intention to give certain
privileges to members of the Church of England and not
to Dissenters. The Hon. Member for Boston had given
notice of his intention to introduce a clause, and it would
be much better to postpone the report, in order to give
notice of it. At all events, there should be some delay
between the report and the third reading, and he begged
to press this proposition on the House.
Sir J. SCARLETT did not know how it was the
Hon. Member for Boston was not now in his place. The
report had not bee❑ brought up until the latest period,
and any further delay would be attended with expense, as
the agents would have to be kept in town.

Mr. HUME said the Hon. Member for Boston would
be in his place on the third reading. The Bill
gave power to the Dean and Chapter to appropriate
120,000 of public money, and to empower them to make
such regulations as they thought proper. He appealed to
the Noble Lord opposite (Althorp) whether the Bill
should be agreed to without some assurance that the Uni-
versity would not be made use of for party purposes.
Lord ALTHORP said, the Dean and Chapter wished to
have the Bill passed to enable them to establish an Univer-
sity endowed entirely from the funds of the Chapter of
Durham. The object of the University was to give edu-
cation to all classes of his M.,jesty's subjects, but the de-
grees were only to be given to Members of the Church of
Englaud. It was rather hard on them, the Members of
the Church of England, if they were not permitted to apply
the funds
of
theiro w
n pt. belongingr,,
a.i 0
nt o; the
but
iCf huunrh
ycmutuoeeyduwceartee
raised c d r
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yn
public subscription among persons of all religious denomi-
nations, he would then certainly be against any system of
exclusion. As, however, it was all Church property, they
were perfectly justified in saying that it should only be
applied to members of the Church of England. He under-
stood that if the House insisted on introducing the proposed
clause, the University would not be established. They had
no right whatever to insist on its insertion; but
if they did the country would lose the advantage
of the University ; and it was not only a loss to the Cler-
gymen of the Church of England, but to all religious de-
nominations, short only of the degrees. Excepting giving
an advantage to persons practising for the Bar, the
degrees would only be advantageous to persons
who wished to be Ministers of the Church of
England. The Dissenters, therefore, would scarcely be
excluded from anything, and it was surely not unreasonable
that the degrees should be applied to Members of the
Church of England. He was strongly disposed to favour
Dissenters, but did not think this was a clai-n founded on
justice, and therefore he could not concur in it.

After some observations from Mr. Woon and an Hon.
Member, whose name we could not ascertain,
Sir JAMES SCARLETT consented, though at great
inconvenience to him, to postpone the third reading of the
Bill till to-morrow.

Sir ROBERT PEEL thought his Learned Friend bad
exercised a sonnd discretion in agreeing to the delay proposed
by the Hon. Member for Middlesex. He thought the pro-
posal made by the Bill was one that no man could complain
of, but must greatly commend. That proposition was the
giving up of certain property to so laudable a purpose as
founding a University. The Bishop of Durham presided
over this body, who had agreed to so laudable a sacrifice,
than whom a more conscientious or upright man did not
exist. The distance, as must be apparent to all Hon.
Members, of the Universities from the northern parts of
England, was the means of preventing many young men
from studying for the Church.
After some observations from Sir J. Nicitoi„ which
were inaudible in the gallery,
The Bill was ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.
The SHERIFFS of London presented a petition from the
Lord Mayor and Aldermen, praying for leave to bring in
a Bill to establish a more efficient police.
Mr. A. JOHNSON presented a petition from cup„
against the qualification clause, which required Members
for counties to have property to the extent of 6001. pet
annum, and 300/. for boroughs.
Mr. HUME supported the petition. The ancient qua.
lificatio❑ in Scotland was merely that the candidate
should be a voter, and be did not think this was
a-time for imposing upon that country a measure of the
wort so much complained of.
Mr. STRICKLAND presented a petition from the
Council of the Political Union of Leeds, praying that
Ireland might have as beneficial a measure of Reform as
England had got.

Kir. O'CONNELL could not let the present opportu-
nity pass without expressing his deep gratitude to
the petitioners. He firmly believed that it v.:to
through the strenuous exertiouo of the English,

Mr. Commissioner WILLIAMS, on entering the
Court this morning, stated that the most beneficial
effects, from his own knowledge and experience,
had arisen from the new Bankrupt Laws. Within
the last month, an official assignee had, in a case of
bankruptcy of about twenty years' standing, in
which nothing had been done for thirteen years,
collected about 53,0001. for the benefit of the credi-
tors under the commission. Another official assig-
nee had obtained 11,0001. for the benefit of the cte-
ditors of another bankrupt, which, under the old
system, would never have been recovered, for the
proceedings had remained in state quo upwards of
eleven years, and the assignees had despairingly
given up the amount, considering the debts of which
it consisted bad and irrecoverable. A third official
assignee had collected in more than 8,0001., which
had been outstanding for several years, and to reco-
ver which no legal steps had been taken. The
Learned Commissioner concluded by congratulating
himself, and those who, from uncontrollable cir-
cumstances, had become subject to the Bankrupt
Laws, upon the expedition and economy with which
commissions of bankruptcy are now conducted.

VICE-CHANCELLOR'S COURT, JUNE 26.