The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-21 00:00:00

• UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.
CAMBRIDGE, MAT 20. The Vice-Chancellor on
Saturday gave notice that a special congregation
-would be holden this day, at which he would read a
communication addressed to his Royal Highness the
Chancellor by the Right Honourable Lord John
Russell, on the subject of a Royal Commission pro-
posed to be appointed, to inquire into the state and
revenues of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
In connexion with the above subject the Vice-Chan-
cellor has this day announced that he has received the
following address :
Mr, Vice-Chancellor—We, the undersigned resi-
dent lembers of the Senate, beg leave to express to
you, as the acting guardian of the interests of the
University, the sentiments which have been excited
in us by a recent declaration of the Prime Minister
made in the House of Commons..

The First Lord of the Treasury is reported to have
announced that it is the intention of Ministers to ad-
vise her Majesty to issue a Royal Commission to in-
quire into the revenues and education of the two
Universities of Oxford and Cambridge ; declaring,
also, that one object of such inquiry was to be, to as-
certain means by which the instruction given in the
colleges should be rendered serviceable in preparing
students for the examinations in new subjects of study,
lately instituted by the University.
We have no wish to deny that such a harmony and
connexion between the subjects of college study and
of university examinations should exist, as in fact
such connexion always has existed, and is likely to
exist, under the change of studies, if time and oppor-
tunity be left for its growth by the mental operation
of university honours, and the advancement of those
who have obtained them to the position of tutors and
examiners. But we cannot help looking with the
greatest alarm at the prospect of having attempts
made to establish such a connexion of college and
university subjects by the action of any power ex-
traneous to the university and the colleges. We
conceive that any attempt to compel the colleges to
appoint teachers or to reward proficients by external
agency would be an interference with their internal
freedom of a kind utterly unheard-of except in the
worst times, and altogether destructive of their just
and ancient corporate rights.
The First Lord of the Treasury is reported to have
further said that there exist in the foundation and
statutes of various colleges restrictions which prevent
the colleges from making proper arrangements for
the teaching and encouragement of new studies, such
as those above referred to. This is certainly a mis-
take with regard to the colleges in this university. '
There is nothing in the foundation or statutes of our
colleges which will prevent them from changing
their practical system so far as to include such
newer sciences in their scheme of tuition or reward.
We do not think it unreasonable that the Govern-
ment should give the University and the colleges
credit for a willingness to make such changes, so
soon as they can be made effectually. For the Uni-
versity
has in the course of the last few years made
many important changes, to which, in succession, the
colleges have generally adapted their systems. And
the great change recently introduced, by which the
moral sciences and the natural sciences are appointed
to be subjects of examination and grounds of academic
honour, was made spontaneously by the University,
and has been followed up by a great increase of the
interest taken in the lectures which bear upon the
subjects thus encouraged.
The effectual operation of such changes as those
recently made necessarily requires some time. The
new studies could be imposed with fairness upon
those only who came to the University after the law
was enacted. And, consequently, the first examinations
under the new system have not yet been held. A
few years will be required to give the tone to the
auxiliary tuition which may be supplied on the new
subjects : and till the new honours have been actually
attained they cannot operate upon elections to Fel-
lowships or other offices of emolument. But there is
no reason to believe that such a train of mutual
operation of one part of the University system upon
another will not, in time, take place in this case as it
has done in other cases, if the University be left to
itself. The interference of a commission, and the
consequent introduction of legislative measures in
Parliament, would prevent such a natural progress;
for it would then be expected that the result of every
step should be brought about through the agency of
the commission and of Parliament, not through the
usual influences which operate in the university.
If there be any cases in which a change of the
statutes of any college is necessary in order to con-
form its practice to the recent improvements in the
University system, the legal and customary mode is
that the college should apply to the Crown as well as
the visitor, for confirmation of such change. In this
manner many changes and improvements have lately
been made in college statutes. Several of the colleges,
comprising a large majority of the members of the
University, have thus obtained new bodies of statutes,
with the lull approval by the Crown of the changes
made. In some cases such improvements have been
made when it was known that they would lead to
sacrifices of a pecuniary interest on the part of those
who promoted them. Moreover, members of the
university officially appointed have long been labori-
ously and assiduously employed in preparing a revised
body of university statutes for confirmation by the
Crown. We conceive, therefore, that there is no
ground for suspecting either the University or the
colleges of any unwillingness to obtain an alteration
of their statutes by legal means, when the better ad-
ministration of their affairs requires such alteration.
We believe that it is acknowledged by the best
lawyers that a royal commission sent to colleges or
to either of the Universities, and claiming power to
regulate the affairs of those bodies in a way different
from that prescribed by their statutes, is illegal and
unconstitutional. We should submit to you that the
acknowledgment of this illegality—one of the fruits
of the Revolution of 1688—will no longer be of any
value to universities and colleges, if the Ministry for
the time being can, after sending down a Royal Com-
mission, as is now proposed, take occasion therefrom
to introduce into Parliament Bills interfering with
the revenues and internal arrangements and altering
the statutes of universities and colleges in a manner
different from that which is conformable to the law
of the land, and has hitherto been practised.
The Commission, as is reported to have been offi-
cially declared in the House of Commons, would be
without power to compel evidence. This being so,
persons in positions of trust in the University, and in
colleges, may think it their duty to decline giving
evidence before the Commission on the matters com-
mitted to their trust. And if this should occur, the
whole evidence brought before the Commission will
be that of persons who have no official knowledge of
the state of the case, and may very possibly be co•
loured by partial feelings and opinions adverse to the
University and its recent proceedings.
These being our grounds of alarm at the announce-
ment above referred to, we request you, Mr. Vice-
Chancellor, to take such steps es the emergency may
appear to require ; and to consider especially whe-
ther it may not be proper to represent to his Royal
Highness our Chancellor the interference with our
freedom, rights, statutes, possessions, and usages
which appears to be threatened; and also the inter-
ruption which the issuing of a Commission of Inquiry
and the expectation of legislative measures conse-
quent thereon would undoubtedly occasion in the
prosperous and progressive condition which W 9 have
of late enjoyed.
A. Landaff, Trinity Coll., late Regius Professor of Di-

vinity.
James Stephen, K.C.8., LL.D., Professor of Modern

History.
G. Neville Grenville M.A., Master of Magdalene Coll.
William Webb, Master of Clare Hall.

Gilbert Ainslie, D.D., Master of Pembroke College.
G. A rchdall, D.D., Master of Emmanuel College.
R. Tatham, D.D., Master of St. John's College.
Benedict Chapman, D.D., Master of Caius College.
R. Phelps, D.D., Master of Sidney Sussex College.
W. Whewell, D.D., Master of Trinity College.
H. Philpott, D.D., Master of St. Catharine'a Hall.
COoki9Dl D.D,, Muter of git, Fitter'. Wiese.