The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

lIVUSE OF COMMONS, July 9.
UNIVERSITIES (SCOTLAND) BILL.
On the motion that the Universities (Scotland) Bill be read

a second time,
Mr. MACAULAY said, that on the occasion of the first in-
troduction of the measure her Majesty's Ministers had con-
sulted together and had consented that the promoters of the
Bill should have means to bring in the Bill. It was
expected that the opposition was over. It was ex
•
pected that this important and salutary measure would
hare been allowed to pass. It had, however, been intimated
that it was the intention of her Majesty's Government to resist
the further progress of the Bill. Were the present an ordinary
case he should not have been so much surprised at that unex-
pected intimation ; at the same time, however, his confidence
in the strength cf his case was so great that he could
not think that the opposition of the Government would
avail in defeating the proposed measure. He had
been sent to that House by the inhabitants of a great
city, which was in 'former times the greatest city of a noble
and independent country, and it still continued to be the intel-
lectual metropolis of a free and intellectual people. The
University bad been so constituted that its renown during
several centuries had progressed gradually to the furthest
ends of the world as a great school of moral and
intellectual science. That noble institution was now threatened
with ignominious ruin by the narrow-minded and short-
sighted policy of the Government, which was resolved
on its destruction without even the miserable excuse of fana-
ticism. He pleaded for all the great academical institutions
of Scotland, and, while pleading for those institutions, he felt
satisfied he should be heard with patience by every
man who loved learning, and who valued religious liberty.
He said, firstly, that this Bill was founded upon sound prin-
ciples ; and he said, secondly, that even if the principle of this
Bill was not one which could be defended as generally sound,
still there were special circumstances in the case ,of Scotland
which would make it their duty to pass the Bill. In the first
place, then, he said the principle was sound, and whoever might
controvert this proposition, of this he was sure, that it was not
for her .lajesty's Ministers to do so, for it was only the other
day that they had come down to that House and proposed
a system of secular education altogether divested of religion or
religious instruction, and tests of every description. Yes,
they brought in and defended that measure against zealous
members of the Church of England, awl they defended it, too,
against the prelates of the Church of Rome; and it was only
the day before yesterday that they refused to accept
one of the most moderate tests he had ever fen..
Was it seriously meant— was it desirable—that they shy 1
sink below the aborigines of New South Wales?
lion was an evil, he was sure no man in his. sense.s wlotuledd uuci
dill,
Bill,
it his support. He supported the Irish
the principle of which, and that of the Bill be-
the Hear, hear. )
fore the House, was one and the
Scotland had a tight to know tronitho7chevimhotobtrhoruogwhtouint
thisthe
Irish Coll, ges Bill why they calledupon
Bill. In Scotland there w
no
clamourt against the Universi-
by English
tie, of England, or agair,sttahse
and Hon. Gentlemen opposite tweet akcll knew that whether they professors;ent
peace to Scotland or not, Scotland would in every'
nexiitsrsei omnis of
t y
be found faithful to the common cause of the empire—
( Cheers )—and lie was,confident on that account, that anything
bestowed on other parts of the empire ought not
to be withheld from that country.—(Hear and cheers. )
In Scotland, as well as in Ireland, the Established
Church was the Church of the minority of the population,
perhaps not in so great a proportion as the people of Ireland,
but the members of the Presbyterian class were not less in
proportion than the Catholics of Ireland. If they trusted the
education of the youths of Ireland to professors who had
not take the test, on what principle did they con-
ceive that the youth of Scotland were less safe?
The Bill bad been founded oa the same principle as that al-