The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-19 00:00:00

with the evils that might be found, and to carry into
effect the remedy for them. He (Lord J. Russell) ad-
mitted that such an inquiry into the universities of Eng-
land would not only be ueadvisable, but illegal; but it
was by comparing two things which did not resemble
each other that the Right Hon. Gentleman was able to
'make anything like a case against the Commission.
Then there was an inquiry into the municipal corpora-
tions. But the Right Hon. Gentleman said the case did
not apply, municipal corporations having been founded
for a particular purpose, inquiry might be made whe-
ther they answered that purpose, whether their
constitution might not be restored or improved.
But that ground could not be strictly adhered to,
and many of those municipal corporations were no
other in respect of laws and regulations than
at the time they were founded. It could bo said of the
universities what the Right Hon. Gentleman seemed
altogether to have omitted, that they were not private
establishments, but that the well-being of the country
in a great degree depended on the manner in which these
were conducted; that, with respect to the Church, the
law, and medicine, they had certain authoriti s and pri-
vileges which made it a matter of quite as great interest
to the nation to know that the universities were properly
conducted as that the municipal corporations were se.—
(Hear, hear.) Then, said the Right Hon. Gentleman,
there was inquiry into the bishoprics, and into deans and
chapters, but the Church was a consenting party. No
doubt, some members of the Church were—the two arch-
bishops and some of the bishops; but if the Right Hon.
Gentleman had gone to the cathedrals and asked the
deans and chapters whether they wished iuquiry, and
suchinquiry as should involve the application of their
revenues in a manner different from what they had pre-
viously reckoned props'', there would have been as much
dissent from that inquiry, on the part of the deans and
cbapters, as the Right Honourable Gentleman found
on the part of the universities. These two cases
alone furnish precedents for the purpose of the Govern-
ment, and they came in the train of a long series of pre-
cedents—of acts on the part of the Crown in conformity
with the spirit of those times, by which, endeavouring
to preserve the institutions of the country, to retain all
that was good in them, the Government at the same time
endeavoured to ascertain what could be improved in
them. If the advice of the Right Hon. Gentleman were
taken, the country would stop short in that career, no
inquiry would be instituted with a view to improvement,
no inquiry would be made till a gross case of abuse or
mismanagement occurred. • He totally differed from the
Right Hon. Gentleman; all scope ought to be given to
repair and renovation. The Right Hon. Gentleman raised
up in opposition to inquiry the latent rights of the col-
leges and universities. So far as related to a Commission
of Inquiry, thee) objections did not seem applicable; if
so, they were applicable to almost every inquiry. The
last made by a Commission—namely, into the law and
practice respecting the occupation of land in Ireland, was
ininquiry with reference to which no one could say that
it could be right in the Crown to direct what tenant-right
I should be reserved, or in what manner land ought to be
cultivated. But into these questions the Commission
went; and in two volumes of a digest of the inquiries all
manner of statements appeared with respect to transac-
tions between landlord and tenant, which surely were as
sacred as the conduct of any bodies entrusted with the
education of youth. The Right Hon. Gentleman here,
as everywhere, confused inquiry for the sake of reaching
facts with inquiry for the purpose of adopting measures
of remedy and alteration. The Hon. and Learned Mem-
ber for Newark (Mr. Stuart) said the proposed Commis-
sion tended to a violation of the law and constitution,
and of the rights and liberties of the people. As re-
garded either of the universities there did not appear to
be any such relation or any interference with the law
and constitution, or rights and liberties of the people.
It was very well to say the measure had a tendency to a
violation of the law. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman
knew the law a great deal too well to say this was a vio-
lation of the law; but he said it bad a tendency to a
violation of the law. It was that tendency which any-
thing legal had to anything illegal. There was a
broad distinction. What the Government proposed
was to make fresh inquiries, as were made with re-
spect to municipal corporations and ecclesiastical bodies,
and if it were necessary to make alterations it would fall
afterwards to be considered what was.the legal authority
by which they should be made. The Hon. and Learned
Gentleman who begun the debate (Mr. Roundel' Palmer),
and bad entered so temperately into the discussion of the
question at issue, thought improvements might be made
and were to be desired; he wished a greater portion of
the people of this country could partake the benefits of
a university education. If the Honourable and I
Learned Gentleman and he were agreed on that sub-
ject, why should the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman insist that they should proceed now to adopt
certain measures which had that object in view, and I
not permit an inquiry in the first place into what were
the changes which would secure that end, and how they
might best be effected. The Hon. and Learned Gentle-
man did not say the universities were in such an abso- I
lute state of perfection that .no alteration could be
made; but was rather inclined to rebuke the Ministers
of the Crown for not having advised interference in
former cases, and yet would not allow them
to take the preliminary step of instituting in-
quiry ; he agreed in the object, but would not in
regard to the necessary means of attaining it. The
universities were no doubt most useful bodies ; but
their benefits might be extended to a far greater propor-
tion of the people. Not Wishing to be an accuser of the
universities, one might yet remark that the Right
Honourable Member for the University of Oxford had
not succeeded in answering the charge .which was pre-
valent, that there was a great deal of needless expense
attending the education there. None of the persons
with whom he had conversed connected with that edu-
cation had he heard deny that such was the case; but
they referred to their want of power to adapt regula-
tions to effect that which they thought would be useful.
They complained of the laxity and indulgence of parents.
Certainly those with whom he consulted never in the
least denied that there was excess of expense hurtful
to discipline, preventing the prosecution of a due course I
of study, and exceedingly injurious to young men whose I
parents could not afterwards afford to pay what they
had incurred. If those who conducted a university
found they were unable to correct this evil, was it
not worth while to ascertain whether their hands
could not be strengthened? •With respect to this kind
of education, he had not yet seen how the alterations
introduced of late years, both at Oxford and Cambridge,
into their course of stndy, were to be made to aural- I
gamete with certain institutions of the universities,
how the lectures of professors were to be attended, and I
the course of study prescribed followed out. The Right '
Hon. Gentleman said if they waited a few years they
would see the result. But it could not be doubted that
many persons connected with a university would be able
to point out before a Commission of Inquiry in what way
the improvements they would themselves carry into
effect might be made so as to reconcile these improve-
ments with formerly existing institutions. It might be
better that these institutions should continue; that,
whatever alterations: were introduced, they might be
made to combine with ail those studies, the regular and
constant pursuit of which has attended the education of
those men wbo, in past, as in later and in the present
times, had been the greatest ornaments of this House
and of society. That might be perfectly well done, but if
the House of Commons would not permit the Crown to
order an inquiry into these matters, they would
do
much to keep back the universities in the course of im-
provement they were willing themselves to adopt. All the
institutions of this country had of late years bees under-
going changes. Take the Church,
for instance. Let
them look back twenty years age; and: let them look at
the changes that had been since made. They would see
that far from the Church being destroyed—it was, he
trusted, stronger than ever; and that, not from a reluc-
tance to change, but from the adopting of reforms suited
to the times, and rendering them much more useful to
the great body of the people.—(Hear, bear.) So it
should be with all their institutions— (Hear, hear)—and
so it should be with the universities. They would not
act like those foolish innovators who destroyed the insti-
lions they were not able to improve. But, seeing those
great endowments for the purpose of learning left to
those universities by their ancestors, it should be their
endeavour to make them conducive in the highest degree
to the promotion of morality, of religion, and of sound
learning; and by strengthening them with every advan-
tage they could give them make them more worthy of
the other institutions of the country.—(Cheers.)
Mr. LAW reminded the House that the Noble Lord
(J. Russell) was one among many others who had oc-
cupied a high station in the country and a high position
in that House without the advantage of a university
education. That being the case, the Noble Lord ought
to approach the subject with great delicacy and forbear-
ance. He contended that the precedents to which the
Noble Lord had referred did not apply in the present
case. He could tell the Noble Lord that if the Commis-
sion was not actually illegal and indictable by the par-
ties instituting the inquiry, it was at least unconstitu-
tional. Every communication that would be made to
that Commission would be entirely unprivileged, and the
parties making it would be liable to
.all process of law,
seeing that it was not made under any authority of law
or under any coercion. Every man who stepped for-
ward to volunteer evidence was personally responsible
for everything be uttered.
.There was not a man of
eminence, or learning, or station,
.or authority, whose
opinion bad been asked at Cambridge, whatever shade
of politics he belonged to, who had not expressed
his entire disapprobation of the proposed Com-
mission of Inquiry. With regard to the illus-
trious head •of the University of Cambridge, the
Noble Lord had placed him in a very painful position.
The eminent and illustrious individual who filled the
office of Chancellor of the University of. Cambridge was
placed in the anomalous position of bong at once the
champion of the rights of the officers of the university,
and the party who was to persuade the heads of the
university to consent to the issuing of the proposed
Comreission.—(Hear, hear.) When the Noble Lord ad-
vised her Majesty to issue it, he should have considered
who was the chancellor, and who it was who represented
the interests of the university, and it was but a sorry
return for what the university had done, that it should
now be obliged to appeal in vain to the chancellor for
Protection against the issuing of this Commission. If
the Commission was not indictable as regarded the
parties instituting the inquiry, and if the Noble Lord
did not lay himself open to a criminal information, at
least he was violating the constitution in proposing an
inquiry
12.3lga7ianss t
against atFhtieui
which any Member of that House had as
e interestsstehneced
ue duties
easo
good a right to do as the Crown. He was satisfied
hat no possible benefit would accrue from the re-
luctanthao
nmd :eh: Noble
doaounlddsot—hbee
Lord. might induce to give evidence. It was
fofef%tvht the officers, universitiesrosffio Ic
es r
seriously detrimental to the comforts, the quiet,
ex-
hibiting their desire to adapt these institutions to peace of those institutions. These universities
twere
..quirements of the age; and it was a bad returneto themere
to send down a roving Commission to obtain from a few
Idiscontented persons communications which were in
their nature wholly unprivileged. What he wished to