Star.
London, England, 1805-03-30 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARr PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, MARCH sst.
Mr. Clarke was heard in continuation in the Appeal, Blaine
againft the Earl of Cairdls;and the further hearing was poltponc4
to Monday.

The Bills upon the table were forwarded in their refpe4tive
Rages ; among thefe the Additional Legacy Tar Bill was read a
third time and paired.

UNIVERSITIES ADYOWSON BILL.
The Older being read for their Lorfhips going in-
to a Committee on the Bill, to repeal fo much of the
At of the 9th of George 11. as went to retrain Col-
leges in the Univerfities of Oxford and Cambridge
from purchafing the advowfon of Livings :
The Duke of NORFOLK role to oppofe the
proceedings. He thought adequate reafons fhould
be given to induce the Legiflature to depart from
a regulation which the wifdom of their anceaors
thought a falutary provifion. Their Lordfhips
Would recollat, that the A& which the prefent Bill
went to repeal, in one of its molt important provi-
lions, took place principally at the inftance of that
great and good Magiftrate and Minider, Lord
Haldwicke. If the meafure was a wife and faluta-
ry provition then, why, he would alit, was it now
unwife and injurious?
The Bifhop of OXFORD contended generally for
the injurious tendency of the reftraint, under the ell--
cumaances in which the Members of the Univerfities
now flood The 'prefent proportion of Livings was
by no means adequate to the ends of the inftitution.
—lt did not exceed a moiety of the number of the
Members, and at leaft he thought the number cf
livings fhould be rendered equal to the number of
individuals to be provided for, and which may be
done by means of the Bill. The law, as it at prefent
flood, operated in an inconvenient, and in fume re-
fpeCts, a very injurious manner. The meafure in
queltion would, he thought, contribute to improve
the difcipline of the Univerfities, and materially to
promote the interefts of learning. His Lordfhip al-
fo alluded to the ill egeas of the prefent flow fuccei-
lions to the livings. With refpea to the provifions
of the Bill, he fhould have Come amendments to pro-
pole ; but feemed to fay they were not fuch as would
materially alter them.
• Loid Vifcount SIDMOUTH was of opinion that
fome farther time fhould be allowed Noble Lords to
inform themfelyes; and to make up their minds upon
a meafure of•fuch peculiar importance. The re-
ftraint undoubtedly was, as the Noble Duke obfo-v-
--ed, fanetioned by that great authority, Lord Chan-
cellor Hardwicke. What he heard from the Rev.
Prelate did not make up his mind as to the neceffity
of a Legiflative provition, at leaf, to the full extent
of the prefent Bill. Admitting the fuccefllon to
livings, under the reftraint, may be too flow, they
may alto, on the other 'hand, be too quick, nor did
he conceive that the interelts of learning would b:
materially benefited by the alteration, as, through
Members might be taken from the Univerfity at too
early a period, and before their literary acquirements
had attained the necetrary degree of weight and fo-
lidity. Neither could he fee how the difcipline of the
Univer(ities would be ameliOrated by the preterit
Bill. With refpeCl to the proportion cf livings, on
which much ftrefs had been laid, an increafe of that,
fuppofe to two-thirds of the number of perfons, may-
be a proper fubiza for difcuffion. All he would pro-
pole at prefent was a little delay in the progrel.s of
the Bill, in order to afford time for maturely cora.
dering the Cubic&
• The LORD CHANCELLOR law no objetion
to the poftponement defired by his Noble Friend,
but he confidered the fubjcst of the greateft im-
portance, and worthy the mot ferious confederation.
It embraced a variety of important topics, on many
of which queions might arife. It may be matter
of dilcuftione whether the income of livings Ihould
be augmented from the eftate‘ and other refources

of the Univerfities ; or, whether, and how far the
number of livings may, with reference to the im-
portant objects they all had in view, be increafed.—
The refult of his own experience on part of the fub
jai was, that under the prefent limitation, the num-
kr of livings was too (mall ; in what proportion,
and in what manner there fhould be increafed, was
matter for ferious confederation. • .
Lord AUCKLAND confeffed. that in his prefent
view of the fubjett, he was, generally (peaking, fa-
vourably difpofed towards the Bill, as he was to
every thing that proceeded from the Rev. Prelate
who introduced it ; however, he thought Come degree
of information on the fubjedt neceffary, at at prefcnt
they were totally in the dark as to the Means which
the Univerfities now poffelfed of remunerating their
members. as to the number and value of the livings,
in their difpofal, or other refources for that purpofe.
fie Ihould therefore fuggeft the expediency of the in-
Immation Inch as he alluded to.

The Bithop of OXFORD replied at fome length,
enlarged upon and enforced the leading topics
which he before urged in favour of the Bill, which,
however, he had not the fmalleft with to hurry
through the Houfe. He would appeal to their Lord-
flips as to the great importance of education, to
which the prefent Bill went to afford a boon ; one
which the Legiflature of the country fhould not grant
with a niggardly hand. He was impreffed with the
convieim that the Bill would produce the molt fa-
lutary and defirable effeas ; and, adverting to what
had fallen from Noble Lords on the (core of modifi-
cation, he hoped that priitciple would not be too far
seed upon.
Lord Vifcount SIDMOUTH, in explanation, indi-
cated his attachment to the genuine interefts of lear.
sling, and obferved, that his idea was, that were the
limitation taken away, the fucceffion to livings, in
tome inaances, might be ton rapid. He concluded
by propciing, that the Committee on the Bill be de-
ferred till Tuefday next.

The Duke of NORFOLK explained, that he was
not againfi all alteration of the prefent fyilem. He
was too well aware of the importance of education ;
but he entirely coincided with the Noble Baron in his
idea, that fome information Ifhould be laid before the
Node, as to the proportion, number, and value of
the livings.
The Biftop of OXFORD explained, as to fome
difficulties in obtaining an accurate account of the
value of the livings in queQion.
The Duke of NORFOLK in farther explanation,
contended for the neceffity of tome information on the
fubjeft. with which idea te was In far impreffed, as
to procrfe, in order to allow full time to collea it,
that the Committee on the Bill thould be poltponed
untill Thutfdav, the zd May.
•

Lrrd REDESDALE (Chancellor of Ireland),
argued for the propriety of hating information upon
the fuhjea, to enable the Houle to form a lull deci-
fion upon the fubjefl, and to purfue the right line of
difcriminatinn. lie agreed with the islo:t:e and Learn-
ed Lord on the Woollack as to the different impor-
tant queftions which the fubjeft involved. He was
aware of the difficulties which, in Come points of view,
exifled, as with refpcit to procuring fatisfadoty in-
formation ; but what the Houfe would have princi-
pally to confider was the general policy of the meat-
fare, and to what extent it might be expedient to
authorife the conveyance of livings from private pa-
tronage to that of the Univerfitics, and the proper
ratio, as far as fuch was predicable, to be ellablilhed
with refpelt to thefucceffions.

After fume farther explanatory converfation be-
tween the Duke of Norfolk, Vifcount Sidmouth, and
Lord Auckland, the Committee on the Bill WAS ad-
beurned till Thurfday next, and the Lords ordered to
fummoned for that day.